Rate & Review "The Luck of the Fryrish"

[Green Man]

Watched it last night. I forgot how touching this one was, the ending almost made me cry. It was also very funny and the direction was great, this episode is everything you could ask for and more. Defenetly one of my favorite episodes. A+

[Jesse Pinkman]

i love Fry's parents in the beginning, Fry's Dad was hilarious, i think. i like the aspect of the episode, and the ending is one of my favorite endings from this whole show. i think this is my favorite episode, definitely a top 5, A+

[TheForbiddenDonut]

It gets less touching each time but dammit this would have been a perfect episode to watch in memory of John Hughes. I may just get on that tonight.

[Granto]

A really superb episode, one of Futurama's best, probably #2 on my list after Roswell.

4.5/5

[Moe Nopoly]

a great episode for me too, the story and especially the end of the episode are of course the strength of this one. Maybe lacks a little bit the funny moments. Nevertheless one of the best for me too

A-

[i.m.diggles]

yes I liked that episode 4/5=A

[HRH Sir Prince Charles]

Easily a top 5 episode. My all time favorite. So brilliant. 5/5.

[TriforceBun]

One of the best Futurama episodes, with a great story and a spectacular ending. My only issue is that the humor is a little lacking and the episode doesn't get particularly special until sometime in the second act.

A/A-

[burnin']

one of my top 2 episodes of the series. gets me every time.

A+

[BartSimpsonfan17]

This is one of my favorite episodes.
I loved every thing about it.
Gave great character moments for Fry.
Some funny jokes.
I really liked seeing Fry's past.
I give it a 5/5.

[|Mr.Sparkle|]

This is probably my favorite episode of the whole entire show, I literally cried the first time I watched it.

Damnit! I can't wait for new Futurama finally!!!

[TriforceBun]

Okay, who gave this a 3?

[pocketfox]

Probably a top 5 episode. I still tear up at the end. 5/5

[cinco]

Why is this one of the best futurama episodes?

Consider the careful and fluid montage of switching between past and present during the episode, consider the fine choice of the flashbacks, the episode-long misunderstanding about his brother stealing his name being solved in the revelation of the son named after him as the ultimate deed of honoring a brother who suddenly disappeared and by doing this, keeping Fry in the memory of himself and his family forever, consider the epiphany Fry experienced that moment, feeling an unspeakable gratitude towards his brother but also feeling the pain of never being able to thank him,
consider the quick reference about "the Breakfast Club" during the middle of the episode, the link it has with the clover and the pay-off it gets at the end with the excellent choice of the close-the-curtains-song. Consider the zoom-out giving us that grand visual look at the space-cemetary ( which gets referenced again during "Bender's Big Score", also during a sincere and emotional moment)

[HRH Sir Prince Charles]

Great post Cinco. It really just have everything you could ask for and it builds up to the revelation so perfectly. There is real humanity in Yancy's behavior, anyone with a brother understands.

This was on Comedy Central tonight. I'm not ashamed to admit I cried.

[altoids30]

Why is this one of the best futurama episodes?

Consider the careful and fluid montage of switching between past and present during the episode, consider the fine choice of the flashbacks, the episode-long misunderstanding about his brother stealing his name being solved in the revelation of the son named after him as the ultimate deed of honoring a brother who suddenly disappeared and by doing this, keeping Fry in the memory of himself and his family forever, consider the epiphany Fry experienced that moment, feeling an unspeakable gratitude towards his brother but also feeling the pain of never being able to thank him,
consider the quick reference about "the Breakfast Club" during the middle of the episode, the link it has with the clover and the pay-off it gets at the end with the excellent choice of the close-the-curtains-song. Consider the zoom-out giving us that grand visual look at the space-cemetary ( which gets referenced again during "Bender's Big Score", also during a sincere and emotional moment)

I haven't seen "The Breakfast Club" in awhile, but it's safe to say that the song is used much more powerfully in "Luck Of The Fryrish" than in the movie it originally came from.

[General Jack D. Ripper]

Yeah, easily a top 5 episode. It's not as sad as Jurassic Bark, but the emotion is handled much better here, and it's not as emotionally manipulative as the ending of Jurassic Bark is. Even the humor is fantastic, even though the plot and emotion sorta get all the attention. "My internet browser heard us talking about Philip Fry and it found a video of him. It also opened my calender to friday, and ordered me some french fries."

[Disgruntled Goat]

My absolute favourite Futurama episode. I still shed a tiny tear every time I watch it.

I've never really got the love for Jurassic Bark though. Everyone seems to love it solely on the ending and not the rest of the episode, which isn't particularly funny or emotional. Both Fry and Bender are complete jerks throughout.

It's weird because it follows the same pattern of flashbacks as LotF, but has nowhere near the same impact.

[cinco]

^
Yeah, after rewatching it, I also have to admit that Luck of the Fryrish is the superior of the two.
This episode is the best argument for reviving Futurama,
a series that has the wacky humour of Simpsons' Mirkin-era
combined with the heartfelt stories of Simpsons' O&W era.

The story of someone who told me he rewatched this episode after a personal loss in his family
proves for me the overall value and impact of its tale.

[Jesse Pinkman]

I agree, I never found Bark that funny or the ending to be that emotional. I find this episode tops it in every way. More interesting plot, better humor, the ending is great.

[HRH Sir Prince Charles]

Bark relies heavily on emotional manipulation. They deserve props for not making the ending seem forced (Al Jean could learn from it), but the truth is that it has nothing to do with the episode itself. And it's the ending that gets the reaction, I'm not sure how anyone can see it and not be totally heartbroken.

Fryrish is better because the momentum is building and we can assume Fry's stupid hypothesis about Yancy stealing his identity is going to be proven false. The ending is perfectly tied into the rest of the episode, which was pretty good on it's own merits. Bark, on the other hand, was mediocre without the ending and featured appearances by both jerkass Bender and jerkass Fry.

[Postmaster]

. And it's the ending that gets the reaction, I'm not sure how anyone can see it and not be totally heartbroken.

Because it's a cartoon dog that I've only known about for a few minutes, that displays levels of emotional maturity that isn't quite belivable in an animal and the fact that it's such a deliberate attempt to manipulate the audience makes me want to react against it.

[qwertyuio]

Bark relies heavily on emotional manipulation. They deserve props for not making the ending seem forced (Al Jean could learn from it), but the truth is that it has nothing to do with the episode itself. And it's the ending that gets the reaction, I'm not sure how anyone can see it and not be totally heartbroken.

Actually I think that episode builds emotion in a similar way than The Luck Of The Fryrish does, making a subtle and gradual change of pace from the typical jokey episode to the seriousness and significancy of the last act and specially the ending. Take for example the short flashback where Seymour follows Fry's traces. It doesn't have the emotional meaning and strength of the ending (which I find as super-hyper-manipulative and unbelievable as everything else in the damn series, but heck), but it's warm, and in a way, powerfully heartbreaking.

[Disgruntled Goat]

What the heck is "emotional manipulation" anyway? ALL emotional scenes in any TV show are meant to make the audience feel for the characters. Why is one "manipulation" but the other not?

I'll be getting to Jurassic Bark soon in my Futurama marathon, so I'll have a better recollection of the episode as a whole and be able to compare. But in general I feel like JB's emotion is unbelievable and inferior to LotF.

[Capt Hammer]

A truly perfect episode.

Nerdish references; exceptional gags; outstanding characters; a relatable plot (Sibling rivalry); and a beautiful ending that will stick with you long after the credits have rolled.

As for the JB/LotF debate.

LotF
unreal ending, brings a tear to my eye even after the 20th or so viewing. The rich characters in a fantastic plot with a resolution that good just screams perfection. The perfect call-back to the Breakfast Club bit earlier while still being a magnificent moment for the song is really great. In a single episode, Yantzee is a character that I'll never forget. Brilliant writing.

JB
The fact that they can make you feel so much for a fictional dog shows extraordinary writing, the montage at the end is the saddest moment in the history of television (That i've ever seen, I'd be suprised though, if someone could show me a sadder ending in any other show.) and the song at the end combined with the montage...wow. I can't even think of words to describe the overwhelming feeling that occurs.


So as you can see, they both have a massive impact on me, and I won't forget them anytime soon. As for which one is better, I don't know. Jurassic Bark is sadder, but Luck of the Fryish is more feel good. I just accept them both as extraordinary writing, great sound mixing and brilliant performances which combine to make one hell of an episode.

[Postmaster]

What the heck is "emotional manipulation" anyway? ALL emotional scenes in any TV show are meant to make the audience feel for the characters. Why is one "manipulation" but the other not?

Appealing to things that easily get people sad. Making you feel sad for a dead dog, isn't much of an achievment, getting an audience to feel sympathy for a murderer or something takes a little more skill.

[Bella Drape 'er]

It's a heart-breaking episode.

But apart from its emotional elements, the flashbacks and the story's resolution, this for me isn't a top 10 episode for me, perhaps top 20?

4/5

[bartyboy]

One of Futurama's greatest. 5/5

[Disgruntled Goat]

Appealing to things that easily get people sad. Making you feel sad for a dead dog, isn't much of an achievment, getting an audience to feel sympathy for a murderer or something takes a little more skill.

Yeah I see what you mean. I guess that's what makes LotF so great, it really makes you feel for Fry's brother, even after he was a jerk throughout the episode.

I watched JB yesterday, still not a huge fan. I think it may have actually gone down in my rankings. 90% of the episode isn't really funny, like I said before both Fry and Bender are jerks throughout.

[Real Melvin]

Why can't they be jerks? If it's part of Bender's character to be an asshole, then what's the big deal? If it's out of character, that's another thing, but there's no rule that you should like him. If anything, Bender consistently violates the typical rule that the inconsiderate jerk of the show by the end has some lovable characteristic that brings some sense of salvation.

I haven't seen Jurassic Bark in a while, so I could be off, but I remember Fry being perfectly nice. He may have been unintentionally callous or ignorant to how obnoxiously needy Bender was being, but I think the event of finding your greatest companion from 1000 years ago (I feel in Futurama I don't have to build the case for this being a big deal) would be such that you'd be "allowed" (in our expectations of his character) to focus on the dog. Not everyone has to be likeable- it's not like this is Homer Simpson.

However, I'd say a more annoying thing about the episode -- since it is trying to walk the line between dramatic Fry memories and typical Futurama humor -- is that Leela and Amy's couple of scenes ruin things. It makes things needlessly meta, in that we become aware that the plot needs to lighten up and that the episode is focusing too little on the rest of the crew and a big part of the concept of the show, via Amy and Leela's blatant disruption of the progression of the episode with their sexy wrestling in case of space pirates or whatever. Unnecessary, not that creative or funny, and it kind of spoils the mood.

As for emotion, I found Jurassic Bark more emotional at the end than in Fryrish. Fryrish has a much better buildup and much better approaches some "classic" ideal of the format of a great Futurama episode, but JB made me cry the first (and maybe the second) time I saw it, so regardless of the technique and its cheapness, it worked. Plus a great reference to / song from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

[edit: sorry for not really talking about Luck of the Fryrish-- it's great! I just don't have the same memory of every Futurama episode like I do for The Simpsons]