Naturama

"Naturama" is the one hundred and twenty-seventh episode of Futurama, the thirteenth of the seventh production season and the last of the ninth broadcast season. It aired on 29 August 2012 on Comedy Central. The crew are re-imagined as wild animals in a nature documentary.

Act I: "The Salmon"
In a tale of everyone reinterpreted as a fish, a lonely named "Fry" is born, struggles with his generation to make it to sea, and to return upstream to mate then die...for no reason. During the time at sea, Fry meets a lovely female fish (Leela) who gladly agrees to mate with him. During this time another fish (Zapp) tries to woo her but is rebuked in favor of Fry. The two go on many dates viewing various undersea sites growing closer. Towards the end of their maturation cycle, the salmon fight their way upstream to their ancestral birthing spots. However Fry finds that his mate lives in the adjacent stream and can't seem to swim up it. This gives the other male fish the opportunity to seize her as his mate which Fry is determined not to allow. Fry swims up his own river as the various salmon lay their eggs and the males eject their semen over it upon which both parents die. Fry makes it to the top of his stream and then makes a valiant leap out of the water and over to the other stream. The leap doesn't clear and as he wriggles helplessly on the bank, the other male is scooped up and eaten by a bear (Lrrr). The bear spots Fry and attempts to eat him but as he has Fry in his mouth, his mate (Ndnd) chastises him in regular fashion to which he drops Fry who is able to make a tender reunion with his mate. As she has completed her egg-laying, Fry has fertilized them and they complete their life cycles for no reason.

Act II: "The Pinta Island Tortoise"
In a tale of everyone reinterpreted as natives, a  named "Lonesome Hubert" is depressed at his long life and solitude. His group of symbiotic Finch friends (Fry,Leela, Amy, Hermes) and Iguana (Bender) try to ease his sorrow. Hubert expresses how lonely he is for a mate but there are no others like him around. The last time he saw another of his kind was ages ago and on the far side of the island. This prompts the idea to travel to the other side to find this other tortoise. During the trip, Hubert expresses the difference between his own sub-species and another sub-species of tortoise woman who offers to mate with him. The trek is abnormally long and after an 18 month journey, he arrives. The finches reveal how long he's taken in that they are a whole new generation and how one of them has even undergone to develop a new beak allowing him to eat fruit from a cactus; this however doesn't work too well. Hubert finds a large rock in the area he last saw the female and mistakes it for her. He proceeds to enact the mating process of his species upon which the actual female (Mom) angrily arrives and also mistakes the stone as a rival that Hubert is being philanderous with. She proceeds to "attack" the stone pushing it down the slope which sticks in the sand precariously and assumes its position which only serves to arouse Hubert all over. He proceeds to pick up where he thought he was and mates with her (to the finches' and iguana's disgust). Despite the of the sub-species, only manages to lay three eggs and are buried. The female says watching them is not in their nature so they leave. The three (Walt, Larry, Igner) hatch and stooge themselves over the side landing under the rock, which proceeds to crush them thus extinguishing the species.

Act III: "The Elephant Seal"
In a tale of everyone reinterpreted as elephant seals (and Scruffy as a walrus), the alpha-male has a harem of females based on his particular girth and is extremely territorial; refusing even relative proximity to his herd. The particular alpha (Bender) is the envy of the women and envied even more jealously by the beta-males (Fry, Kif, Hermes, and walrus Scruffy). The betas aren't allowed near the females due to the alpha but one (Kif) who is determined to be with one whom he loves (Amy), wants equality. The alpha frequently flaunts his virility with the females (as well as his crass attitude) all while paying little or no mind to the actions of the betas. Often times though, many seals have managed to subvert the alpha by acting when he's distracted or asleep. The one beta is told by another of how he slipped by the alpha and brought his mate a secret meal which they shared and was successful. This prompts the beta to swim to the murky depths below the influences of sunlight and encounters a squid (Zoidberg) whom he then kills and brings to his love while the alpha sleeps. The meal is interrupted, however, by the alpha as the beta argues for equality. They are then engaged in a contest of strength and size to shove out the other. The match lasts for some time after which the alpha is informed that he's already crushed and killed the beta by then. The alpha reasserts his dominance unaware that he's also the butt of the other betas having successfully mated with the females during the commotion with the other beta.

In a final closing act, the Omicronians target their weapons on the planet (having viewed the cycles of nature) and blast the planet to dust ending the story.

Production
On 8 November 2011, Eric Rogers revealed that this was the day of the table read of the episode, that the episode had been co-written by him and that the episode would air August 2012, also saying, "Different kind of story this time, but funny as ever!" On 11 November 2011, Phil LaMarr revealed that this was the day of the recording of the episode. On 29 February 2012, CGEF revealed the episode's title, its other writers to be Michael Saikin and Neil Mukhopadhyay and its director to be Crystal Chesney-Thompson. On 31 May 2012, the website published an article in which Matt Groening revealed that "[that] year [the production team was] calling [their] little trilogy the 'Saturday Morning Fun Pit'" - suggesting that "Naturama" had been renamed. On 10 July, updated their Futurama episode guide, revealing the episode's plot. The same day, Zap2it released a TV listing of Futurama which showed the same information about the episode.

On 12 July, following the broadcast of the episode "Zapp Dingbat", the public were given the opportunity to participate in a live chat with the Futurama cast and crew. Several clips of "Naturama" were shown during the live stream.

Trivia

 * Aired as a one hour event with "31st Century Fox". Incidently, an episode dealing with animal rights.
 * This marks Nibbler's only appearance in the first half of Season 7, but he is in the form of a fish and is only briefly seen.
 * Strangely, Nibbler was introduced in an episode that both revolved around endangered species and Zapp Brannigan trying to get with Leela.
 * The episode was dedicated to, the last remaining Pinta Island Tortoise, who died on 24 June 2012.
 * This is the third episode to feature an alternate opening sequence, after Into the Wild Green Yonder and "Viva Mars Vegas". It is also the only episode to feature original animation in place of a reference or sample of other animation.
 * Just like The Futurama Holiday Special, the episode is structured into three disjointed (though relevant) vignettes and at the end of the episode Earth is destroyed.
 * This episode does however have a centralized theme across the three segments as does "Reincarnation" and mildly uses a framing story as does "Anthology of Interest I" and "Anthology of Interest II".
 * A bone vampire like Mr. Peppy is seen in the opening credits of the framing show. This is interesting as in "Fry Am the Egg Man", where he was introduced, he was an endangered species which is part of this episode's subject matter.
 * When Salmon Fry shouts 'Help! Fish Police', it combines Fry's catchphrase and the TV series.

Allusions

 * The Narrator is designed after and references his narration of.
 * Mutual of Omicron is a reference to.
 * "Lonesome Hubert" is a reference to Lonesome George, the last known, who died two months before the episode aired.
 * A Facehugger jumps from an egg and attaches itself to someone in a space suit in the Mutual of Omicron opening, a reference to the  franchise.

Goofs

 * Salmon-Scruffy is seen several minutes after being eaten by Lobster-Zoidberg.
 * During the camera pan from the new born seal cubs to their fathers, the Elephant Seal-Fry is missing pupils for several seconds.

Characters

 * Amy
 * Bender
 * A Bone Vampire
 * Professor Farnsworth
 * Fry
 * Hattie
 * Hedonismbot
 * Hermes
 * Hyper-chicken
 * Igner
 * Kif
 * Larry
 * Leela
 * Linda
 * Lrrr
 * Mom
 * Morbo
 * Ndnd
 * Nibbler (cameo)
 * Nixon (cameo)
 * Petunia
 * Randy
 * Sal
 * Scruffy
 * Walt
 * Zapp
 * Zoidberg