The following contains spoilers for Futurama season 12 episode 3, “The Temp,” now streaming on Hulu
Summary
One of the key aspects ofFuturamaacross a dozen seasons and multiple cancelations has been the sweet development of show’s saddest arc, and season 12 has been reinforcing this theme in some effective ways. On the surface level,Futuramais a satirical and wacky sci-fi take on the workplace comedy archetype. However, the characters have had steady character development across the course of an ever-evolving but typically consistent continuity. These themesreflect the show’s overall underlying views on philosophy and life, just underneath the surface level ofsilly technology failuresand sci-fi riffs.
Three episodes in, season 12 ofFuturamahas been looking to its past to drive its future (includingthe upcomingFuturamaseason 13). That continues within “The Temp,” which highlights one of the show’s most consistent arcs. It’s one of the sweetest elements of the show, and it’s quietly moving to see that important character growth baked into the show’s main character continues to be at the driving emotional force of the the show.
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Futurama Will Never Abandon Fry’s Emotional Arc & Friendship Theme
FuturamaHas Largely Been About Fry’s Growth
Futurama’s focus on Fry’s growth in the face of tragedy remains a key aspect of the show, even after twelve seasons and multiple revivals. One of the key aspects of Fry has always been his disconnect from his home time period, something played for dark laughs in early episodes. By contrast, In the world of the 31st century Fry has discovered a very close-knit found family and steadily developed more emotional connections.TheSquid Gameparody “Quids Game"revealed that dozens of people from various worlds and backgrounds consider Fry their friend and a part of their lives.
“The Temp” leans even further into this, with the crew more or less ignoring his replacement but waiting happily for Fry’s return from vacation. While their forgetfulness over the Temp is played for grim comedy, it also carries a secondary sweet note. The episode reinforces Fry’s importance in their lives, and theirs in his. For a character who couldn’t feel at home in his present time, Fry’s developed relationships that have assured his place in the world of the 31st century.
Futurama Season 12 Emphasizes The Importance Of Fry’s Connections & Loved Ones
Fry’s Connections Save Him In “The Temp”
Season 12 has leaned heavily into the connections Fry shares with other people. “The One Amigo” saw him risk his safety and freedom to help Bender regain his sense of self. “Quids Game” saw him sacrifice his personal ethics and code to try and save Leela’s life. “The Temp” makes those connections even more clear by revealing how much he needs his friends. The plot of “The Temp” gives Fry a chance to prove how much everyone means to him, revealing that he carries individual pictures with each member of the Planet Express crew in his wallet.
In a show that’s established traditional photography is more or less extinct, it underscores the importance of Fry’s friendships and romances inFuturama. Fry was established as a loner loser in the 31st century and arrived in the show with a self-centered and selfish side best seen duringthe first season ofFuturama. The character’s evolution into a sweet and dim-witted riff on the chosen one archetype was explored by highlighting his emotional maturing, reflecting the layers he gained by becoming a part of Planet Express and embracing his friends.
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“The Temp” Proves Fry Belongs In The 31st Century Despite His Ultimate Tragedy
Fry Has Become A Better Man, And Found A Better Life
Episodes like “Quids Game” focused on the loneliness Fry felt in his birth period. While later episodes like “The Luck of the Fryish” and “Game of Tones” explored him dealing with the pain of losing his entire family to time, the Fry of the 21st century was always established as being a lonely guy with bad impulses. Across a dozen seasons of episodic adventure and consistent characterization, Fry has found love, purpose, and acceptance from those around him, in large part by proving his good heart and growing as a man.
It speaks to one ofFuturama’s biggest thematic throughlines. The universe is massive and grand and dangerous and unpredictable, but what matters most is who’s around you. The show has frequently explored themes of the importance of friendship and empathy, and tha’ts what saves Fry in “The Temp.” espite the show bluntly addressing the losses he suffered by coming to the future, season 12 ofFuturamahas proven Fry belongs in the 31st century and the home he’s built for himself there.
Futurama
Cast
Futurama is an animated science fiction series that follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from late-20th-century New York City. He is accidentally cryogenically frozen for a thousand years and becomes an employee at Planet Express, a delivery service in the retro-futuristic 31st century.
