http://theinfosphere.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=71.106.221.247&feedformat=atomThe Infosphere, the Futurama Wiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T12:57:28ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.36.3http://theinfosphere.org/index.php?title=Game_of_Tones&diff=142390Game of Tones2014-02-22T23:25:01Z<p>71.106.221.247: /* Continuity */</p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Bot comment: http://theinfosphere.org/index.php?title=Game_of_Tones&diff=prev&oldid=135153 --><br />
{{episode infobox 2<br />
|name=Game of Tones<br />
|season=7<br />
|broadcast season=10<br />
|no=137<br />
|image=[[File:Game of Tones infobox.png|225px]]<br />
|image text=[[Digby's new spaceship|The alien ship that the melody comes from]] flying towards [[Earth]].<br />
|written by=Michael Rowe<br />
|directed by=Edmund Fong<br />
|caption=IF UNABLE TO SEE THIS MESSAGE, TURN ON [[Futurama|FUTURAMA]] NOW<br />
|first aired={{date|14 August}}, [[2013]]<br />
|number=7ACV23<br />
|broadcast number=S10E10<br />
|prev ep=Leela and the Genestalk<br />
|next ep=Murder on the Planet Express<br />
|special guest=[[Tom Kenny]]<br>[[Seth MacFarlane]]<br>[[Sarah Silverman]]<br>[[Kath Soucie]] {{small|(guest starring)}}<br>[[Frank Welker]] {{small|(guest starring)}}<br />
|title reference=The [[TV]] series ''[[Game of Thrones]]''<br />
|hasanimatic=yes<br />
|guest-stars=[[Sarah Silverman]] as [[Michelle]] and [[Seth MacFarlane]] as [[Seymour]]<br />
}}<br />
[[The crew]] journeys into Fry's dreams to seek the meaning of a mysterious [[alien]] melody.<br />
<br />
== Plot ==<br />
<br />
{{message box<br />
|type=warning<br />
|header=This plot summary is too long.<br />
|content=Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
[[Earth]] is slowly approached by [[Digby's new spaceship|a mysterious alien]] {{cat|ship}} that repeatedly broadcasts four loud {{cat|s=no|music}}al tones, which can be heard by everyone on the planet. At first, the music is merely an annoyance, but as the ship draws nearer, the booming tones begin to cause structural damage, and will eventually grow so loud that the vibrations will literally shake the planet apart. No one has any idea what the ship is trying to communicate; only Fry seems to recognize the alien melody, but his memory of hearing it is so vague that he cannot place it.<br />
<br />
A scan of Fry's brain when he hears the melody reveals that it triggers his subconscious memories of 31 December, [[1999]], the night he was cryogenically frozen. In order to determine the source of the music and hopefully ward off the approaching alien ship, Fry is hooked up to [[radio-cranial dream injector|a machine]] that will allow him to explore his memory of that day in detail. He is placed under sedation, and finds himself in a lucid dream, re-living the events of the day in question.<br />
<br />
Fry is nostalgic about seeing his friends in [[20th-century]] [[Old New York|New York]] again, but his initial investigation proves unproductive; while he hears many sounds and noises, none of them is similar to the tones being broadcast by the alien ship. He notices [[Booby Tuesday's|a nearby]] {{cat|strip club}}, and while he observes that he never actually visited it, it may nonetheless be worth looking into; however, when he opens the front door, nothing is inside except a vast, empty expanse. Because Fry never entered the {{cat|building}}, he has no memories of what might be inside.<br />
<br />
Fry eventually makes his way to [[Fry's house|his old]] {{cat|house}}, which he remarks that he always hated... until he is warmly greeted by his dog, [[Seymour]]. He realizes that he didn't really hate everything about his old life, and may have merely convinced himself that he did in order to cope with finding himself trapped in the future. Fry enters his home and is reunited with [[Fry family|his family]], and is so happy to see them again that he spends most of the day reminiscing and helping them prepare for the New Year celebration instead of searching for the source of the alien music.<br />
<br />
At dinner that evening, having enjoyed being able to spend one last day with his family, Fry realizes that he will never see any of them again, especially [[Mrs. Fry|his mother]], toward whom he has many tender sentiments that he never took the time to express. Just as he is about to speak with her, the doorbell rings, and [[Leela]] enters, having come into Fry's dream to urge him to complete his mission; time is running out, and the Earth will soon be destroyed if the secret of the alien melody cannot be found. Fry pleads with Leela for an opportunity to talk to his mother, as he will never see his real mother again, and speaking with this dream representation of her will be his only chance to find emotional closure. Leela relents, but every time Fry attempts to talk to his mother, he is interrupted as more members of the [[Planet Express]] crew (and [[Richard Nixon]]) enter the dream to spur him onward, eventually physically dragging him from the house. Fry tries to force his way back in, only to find that, like the strip club, the interior of the house has become a blank slate, because Fry never entered it again after leaving for work on the night he was frozen.<br />
<br />
Bitter and defeated, Fry leads the crew to his shift at [[Panucci's Pizza]], and from there, to the delivery at [[Applied Cryogenics]] that led to his being frozen. Along the way, the alien melody is never heard, and there are no clues as to its origin. With the day nearly over, Fry takes his place in front of the [[cryo-tube|cryogenic tube]], leaning back in his chair as the countdown to the New Year begins... and, in the final seconds as he falls back into the tube, he at last hears the four notes, followed by two additional, higher-pitched notes. Armed with this new information, Nixon leads the crew to [[Mount Shushmore|a landing facility]] built to receive the alien craft. When it arrives and blasts out the four notes, Fry uses a keyboard to respond with the final two. The ship lands, and from it emerges... a [[Nibblonian]], whom [[Nibbler]] calls "[[Digby]]".<br />
<br />
Digby identifies himself as Nibbler's personal chauffeur, and explains that on 31 December, 1999, he accompanied Nibbler on his mission to have Fry frozen so that he could later destroy the [[Infosphere]]. While observing Nibbler, Digby realized that he forgot to lock [[Digby's old spaceship|their spaceship]], and did so remotely with a key fob, producing the four distinctive musical tones that Fry heard as he fell into the cryogenic tube (the two additional notes being caused by the ship's security system acknowledging the signal). Following the successful completion of their mission, Digby and Nibbler visited [[O'Grady's Pub|a local pub]] to participate in the New Year's festivities; the two of them became severely drunk, forgot where they parked their ship, and lost the keys down a storm drain, forcing them to take a cab back to their base on [[Vergon 6]]. Digby then retrieved a spare set of keys, and has been traveling from [[list of planets|one planet to another]], broadcasting the security signal in an attempt to locate the "company car". Fry leads them to the roof of the Applied Cryogenics building, where the Nibblonian ship still rests, ransacked and rusty after a millennium of neglect. It is still space-worthy, however, and after Digby uses it to fly away, Nibbler remarks that Fry has once more done the Nibblonians a great service, and that they owe him a gift. Reflecting upon his mother, Fry laments that they cannot give him the one thing he really wants.<br />
<br />
That night, while asleep, Fry has a dream about his mother, and once more expresses his desire to speak with her. When a [[television]] sportscaster announces the results of the [[2000]] Rose Bowl, Fry is confused; since that game took place after he was frozen, it should be impossible for him to know the results. Nibbler appears, and reveals that this is not actually Fry's dream; it is one of his mother's, and is the gift that Nibbler spoke of. Fry asks if it is really her, and she replies that it is, telling him that she has dreamed of him often since his disappearance. When she asks him what he would like to talk about, he wordlessly embraces her with tears in his eyes. Back in the [[21st century]], Fry's mother dreams of her son with a smile on her face.<br />
<br />
== Production ==<br />
<br />
{{expansion|section=yes|{{ctf|1}}}}<br />
<br />
As late as 8 January 2013,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/EricRogersLA/status/288711818766073856|title=EricRogersLA|author=[[Eric Rogers]]|date=2012-01-08|site={{w|Twitter}}|accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref> the episode's title was revealed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://direct.foxfast.com/FoxFast/aspxfiles/TitleDetailsHome.aspx?TitleId=7DB49AE3-6DAC-481F-8522-9FE6F9C9F4AD&Type=SR&TtlSrchMode=All%20Titles~A&TtlSrchTxt=futurama|title=FoxFast: Futurama|site=[https://direct.foxfast.com/FoxFast/aspxfiles/Login.aspx FoxFast.com]|accessdate=2013-01-17}}</ref><br />
<br />
On 5 February, {{w|Vulture.com}} released [[Vulture preview clip|a preview clip]] for the tenth broadcast season,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2013/02/watch-a-preview-of-futuramas-seventh-season.html|title=Watch a Preview of ''Futurama''’s Seventh Season|author=Jesse David Fox|date=2013-2-5|site=Vulture.com|accessdate=2013-6-23}}</ref> which contained footage from the episode.<br />
<br />
On 19 June, it was revealed that ''[[Family Guy]]'' creator [[Seth MacFarlane]] would voice Seymour in the episode.<ref name=seth>{{cite web|url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/06/19/futurama-seth-macfarlane/|author=Dan Snierson|date=2013-06-19|title='Futurama': Seth MacFarlane to play.... -- EXCLUSIVE|publisher={{w|Entertainment Weekly}}|accessdate=2013-06-19}}</ref><br />
<br />
By 9 July, part of [[Animatic:Game of Tones|the animatic]] for the episode had been released online.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peelified.com/index.php?topic=24167.msg1382160#msg1382160|title=Futurama: Saturday Morning Fun Pit animatic|author="DannyJC13"|date=2013-7-9|site=[[Planet Express Employee Lounge|PEEL]]|accessdate=2013-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://djd055xoteek4.cloudfront.net/20370915/768x432/325kbs.mp4|title=Animatic video|accessdate=2013-8-16}}</ref><br />
<br />
In the animatic, the montage of Fry spending time with his family was longer, and the song "{{w|1999 (song)|1999}}" played over it.<br />
<br />
By 8 August, Comedy Central had released a two-minute preview clip featuring the crew trying to discover the source of the melody.<ref name="preview clip">{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/deb53g/futurama-i-too-was-on-earth-that-day|title=I Too Was on Earth That Day - Video Clip|site=Comedy Central|accessdate=2013-8-8}}</ref><br />
<br />
=== Image gallery ===<br />
<br />
<gallery><br />
File:Futurama Game of Tones Fry Licking Seymour.jpg|[[Promotional picture]] of Fry licking Seymour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/51967941724/countdown-to-futurama-fry-licking-seymour-well|title=Countdown to Futurama: Fry Licking Seymour|date=2013-6-2|site=[http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/ Comedy Central's Tumblr page]|accessdate=2013-6-2}}</ref><br />
File:Futurama Game of Tones Nibblonian Ship.jpg|[[Concept art]] for [[Digby's old spaceship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/52076573981/countdown-to-futurama-nibblonian-ship-how-does|title=Countdown to Futurama: Nibblonian Ship|date=2013-6-3|site=Comedy Central's {{w|Tumblr}} page|accessdate=2013-8-7}}</ref><br />
File:Futurama Game of Tones Nibbler and Digby.jpg|Promotional picture of Nibbler with another Nibblonian, known as Digby.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/52158801437/countdown-to-futurama-nibbler-and-digby-look|title=Countdown to Futurama: Nibbler and Digby|date=2013-6-4|site=Comedy Central's Tumblr page|accessdate=2013-8-7}}</ref><br />
File:Game of Tones 19 June.jpg|Promotional picture of Fry with [[Yancy and Mrs. Fry|his parents]] and Seymour.<ref name="seth"/><br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Reception ==<br />
<br />
By {{date|5 December}}, the episode had been [[nominations and awards|nominated]] for the [[2014]] {{w|Writers Guild of America Award}}s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/mike.rowe.33633/posts/10202787082342021|title=Mike Rowe|author=[[Michael Rowe]]|date=2013-12-5|site=[[Facebook]]|accessdate=2013-12-11}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Additional information ==<br />
<br />
=== Trivia ===<br />
<br />
* The episode, which deals heavily with [[Fry's past]], aired on Fry's [[birthday]].<br />
* [[Michael Rowe]], the [[writers and directors|writer]] of the episode, has also written for ''Family Guy''. In {{commentary|7ACV07}}, he introduces himself as Seth MacFarlane, and then says "wrong show". "Game of Tones" is Seth MacFarlane's second appearance on ''Futurama''.<br />
* Fry was also stuck on an inclined table in "[[Cold Warriors]]", which also featured Fry's family. In addition, the digits in the [[production]] code for "Cold Warriors" add up to the same amount as the digits in the production code for this episode.<br />
* [[The professor]] also calls Fry a dope in the twenty-third episode of the [[Season 6|sixth production season]], "[[All the Presidents' Heads]]".<br />
* After the [[Eiffel Tower]] bends, a [[French]] man says "this never happens, I swear!", a very obvious erection joke.<br />
* The episode shares multiple similarities with the [[1980s|1986]] film ''[[Star Trek]] {{st|Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home|IV: The Voyage Home}}''. A mysterious ship arrives, sending a strange melody to communicate, which, however, damages the planet, and the main characters have to [[time travel|travel back in time]] (in this episode through dreams).<br />
* Nibbler says "bye-bye keys", which a toddler {{s|Bart Simpson}} says in the ''[[Simpsons]]'' episode "{{s|Lisa's First Word}}".<br />
* The song that plays at the end of the episode is "Manchild", by the {{w|Eels (band)|Eels}}, from the [[1996]] album ''{{w|Beautiful Freak}}''.<br />
* An image of the blank interior of Fry's house, featuring [[Bender]] and Fry, is used on the extras menu for [[Volume 8]]. The piece of music that plays when Fry sees the neighbourhood strip club is used on the main menu for the first disc.<br />
<br />
=== Allusions ===<br />
<br />
{{cultural mentions}}<br />
* The episode's title is a reference to the TV series ''[[Game of Thrones]]''.<br />
** English actress {{w|Emilia Clarke}}, who plays {{w|Daenerys Targaryen}} in ''Game of Thrones'', guest-stars in another episode of the season, "[[Stench and Stenchibility]]". She and Seth MacFarlane used to date.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/seth-macfarlane-game-thrones-star-emilia-clarke-breakup-153129472.html|title=Seth MacFarlane and ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Emilia Clarke Break Up|author=Taryn Ryder|site={{w|Yahoo!|Omg.yahoo.com}}|date=2013-03-20|accessdate=2013-06-19}}</ref><br />
* [[Shazam]] is a reference to {{w|Shazam (service)|the music-identification service of the same name}}.<br />
* Seymour sitting on the couch along with the rest of the Fry family and holding a {{w|martini}} is a reference to ''Family Guy''{{'}}s {{w|Brian Griffin}}, who is also voiced by Seth MacFarlane.<br />
* The rugby-stadium scene is likely a reference to the classic {{cat|computer}} {{cat|game}} ''{{w|Robots (BSD_game)|Robots}}''.<br />
* There are several references to the [[2010]] film ''{{w|Inception}}''. From the very act of getting into a dream, to the fact that, if Fry dies in the dream, he wakes up, the time proportion being different (inverted in ''Futurama'') between the real world and the dream, the crew members connected to the dream machine, the shots of the world shaking due to the dream's collapse and the slow motion and music used as Fry is falling into the cryo-tube.<br />
* The scene where the crew communicates with the alien ship via sound and lights on a billboard is reminiscent of the climax from the [[1977]] film ''{{w|Close Encounters of the Third Kind}}''. A location similar to {{w|Devils Tower}} is also seen in the background.<br />
* The final scene is a reference to the ending of the [[2001]] film ''{{w|A.I. Artificial Intelligence}}'', where the protagonist gets to live one last experience with his mother based on memories.<br />
<br />
=== Continuity ===<br />
<br />
* Bender's "[[let's go already]]" song is from "[[Proposition Infinity]]".<br />
* Bender previously wore a diaper in "[[The Tip of the Zoidberg]]".<br />
* The episode revisits the [[cold opening]] of "[[Space Pilot 3000]]".<br />
* Nibbler tells Fry that he has once more done the Nibblonians a great service. This is a reference to "[[The Day the Earth Stood Stupid]]" and "[[The Why of Fry]]", in which Fry saves the world and [[the universe]], respectively.<br />
* Fry meets his mother again on New Year's morning, when Wisconsin has won the 2000 Rose Bowl. This is in line with Mrs. Fry's remark in "[[Luck of the Fryrish]]" of Fry's disappearance occurring "the day Wisconsin won the Rose Bowl 17-9".<br />
<br />
=== Goofs ===<br />
<br />
* Fry's alarm {{cat|clock}} reads "09:01" thirty seconds after turning to nine o'clock.<br />
** This may be due to the fact that the clock is part of a dream.<br />
* The design of the [[radio-cranial dream injector]] in the second act is different from the design of the radio-cranial dream injector in the first and third acts. The animatic version of the design, however, is the same.<br />
* Fry is saddened to relive the last time that he ever saw his family, but in "Space Pilot 3000", he seems thrilled at the notion all the people he ever knew were dead.<br />
** His feelings may have changed as time went by, as in "[[The Luck of the Fryrish]]" with his brother and "Cold Warriors" with [[Yancy Fry Sr.|his father]].<br />
* When Fry sees his mother in the kitchen, she is watching TV, but, when he walks up to the counter, the TV is not on.<br />
<br />
=== Quotes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Volume 8 extras.png|thumb|225px|The extras menu for [[Volume 8]], featuring [[Bender]] and [[Fry]] at [[Fry's house]].]]<br />
{{q|<br />
<poem>'''[[Hermes]]''': But what are those aliens tryin' to ask us? What do the tones <u>mean</u>?<br />
'''Professor Farnsworth''': Isn't it obvious?<br />
'''Hermes''': Uh... No.<br />
'''Professor Farnsworth''': Drat! I was hoping it was.</poem><br />
<poem>'''Fry''': Can you guys hear the professor too?<br />
'''Fry's father''': Yup.<br />
'''Fry''': Does that seem strange to you?<br />
'''Fry's mother''': Well, no. Not in a dream. Lotsa weird stuff could happen.<br />
'''Seymour''': Philip. Have you lost weight?</poem><br />
<poem>'''Leela''': Sorry to disturb you all, but Fry needs to get going.<br />
'''Fry's mother''': I was just telling him that, Leela.<br />
'''Fry''': Mom? You know Leela?<br />
'''Fry's mother''': Nope.</poem><br />
<poem>'''Fry''': Michelle. Baby. Where're you goin'?<br />
'''[[Michelle]]''': It's not working out, Fry. [as her cab drives away] I put your stuff out on the sidewalk!!<br />
'''Leela''': Hey, you hussy! You can't dump Fry! [[Fry-Leela relationship|That's <u>my</u> job!]]</poem><br />
<poem>'''Fry''': The last thing I did was blow my noisemaker sarcastically, to underscore my deep disappointment with life.</poem><br />
}}<br />
<br />
=== Appearances ===<br />
<br />
{{chars}}<br />
<br />
==== Characters ====<br />
<br />
{{chars-begin|note=no}}<br />
* [[20th-century kid]]<br />
* [[Amy]]<br />
* [[Bender]]<br />
* [[Charles Constantine]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Digby]]<br />
* [[Donkey Kong]]<br />
* [[Fry]]<br />
* [[Fry's breakdancing crew]]<br />
* [[Glagnar's Human Rinds|Glagnar]]<br />
* [[Hermes]]<br />
* [[Last clone of Agnew]]<br />
* [[Leela]]<br />
* [[Michelle]]<br />
* [[Mr. Panucci]]<br />
* [[Mrs. Fry]]<br />
* [[Nibbler]]<br />
* [[Noticeably F.A.T.]]<br />
* [[Professor Farnsworth]]<br />
* [[Randy Munchnik]]<br />
* [[Richard Nixon's head]]<br />
* [[Scruffy]]<br />
* [[Seymour Asses]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Shazam]]<br />
* [[Yancy Fry Jr.]]<br />
* [[Yancy Fry Sr.]]<br />
* [[Zoidberg]]<br />
{{chars-end}}<br />
<br />
==== Places ====<br />
<br />
{{chars-begin|note=no}}<br />
* [[Apartment 00100100]]<br />
* [[Applied Cryogenics]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Booby Tuesday's]]<br />
* [[Eiffel Tower]]<br />
* [[France]]<br />
* [[Fry's house]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Fry's old apartment]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Mount Shushmore]]<br />
* [[O'Grady's Pub]]<br />
* [[Old New York]]<br />
* [[Panucci's Pizza]]<br />
* [[Paris]]<br />
* [[Planet Express conference room]]<br />
* [[Planet Express employee lounge]]<br />
* [[Planet Express headquarters]]<br />
* [[Planet Express lab]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Planet Z-7]]<br />
* [[Robot Arms Apartments]]<br />
* [[Vergon 6]] {{miso}}<br />
{{chars-end}}<br />
<br />
==== Miscellaneous ====<br />
<br />
{{chars-begin|note=no}}<br />
* "[[Bender is great!]]" {{small|(in animatic only)}}<br />
* [[Charleston Chew]] {{miso}}<br />
* [[Cryo-tube]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Digby's new spaceship]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Digby's old spaceship]]<br />
* [[Fry's past]]<br />
* ''[[Futurama]]'' {{mito|[[list of title captions|title caption]]}}<br />
* "[[Good news, everyone]]"<br />
* [[I. C. Wiener]] {{misato|14:42}}<br />
* "[[Let's go already!]]"<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Long-range scanner]]<br />
* [[Nibbler's shadow]]<br />
* [[Owls]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Radio-cranial dream injector]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Thoughtspike]]<br />
* "[[Walking on Sunshine]]"<br />
{{chars-end}}<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
<br />
{{navigation bottom<br />
|prev ep=Leela and the Genestalk<br />
|next ep=Murder on the Planet Express<br />
}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:A plots focusing on Fry]]<br />
[[Category:Media featuring flashbacks]]</div>71.106.221.247http://theinfosphere.org/index.php?title=Game_of_Tones&diff=142389Game of Tones2014-02-22T23:24:00Z<p>71.106.221.247: /* Continuity */</p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Bot comment: http://theinfosphere.org/index.php?title=Game_of_Tones&diff=prev&oldid=135153 --><br />
{{episode infobox 2<br />
|name=Game of Tones<br />
|season=7<br />
|broadcast season=10<br />
|no=137<br />
|image=[[File:Game of Tones infobox.png|225px]]<br />
|image text=[[Digby's new spaceship|The alien ship that the melody comes from]] flying towards [[Earth]].<br />
|written by=Michael Rowe<br />
|directed by=Edmund Fong<br />
|caption=IF UNABLE TO SEE THIS MESSAGE, TURN ON [[Futurama|FUTURAMA]] NOW<br />
|first aired={{date|14 August}}, [[2013]]<br />
|number=7ACV23<br />
|broadcast number=S10E10<br />
|prev ep=Leela and the Genestalk<br />
|next ep=Murder on the Planet Express<br />
|special guest=[[Tom Kenny]]<br>[[Seth MacFarlane]]<br>[[Sarah Silverman]]<br>[[Kath Soucie]] {{small|(guest starring)}}<br>[[Frank Welker]] {{small|(guest starring)}}<br />
|title reference=The [[TV]] series ''[[Game of Thrones]]''<br />
|hasanimatic=yes<br />
|guest-stars=[[Sarah Silverman]] as [[Michelle]] and [[Seth MacFarlane]] as [[Seymour]]<br />
}}<br />
[[The crew]] journeys into Fry's dreams to seek the meaning of a mysterious [[alien]] melody.<br />
<br />
== Plot ==<br />
<br />
{{message box<br />
|type=warning<br />
|header=This plot summary is too long.<br />
|content=Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
[[Earth]] is slowly approached by [[Digby's new spaceship|a mysterious alien]] {{cat|ship}} that repeatedly broadcasts four loud {{cat|s=no|music}}al tones, which can be heard by everyone on the planet. At first, the music is merely an annoyance, but as the ship draws nearer, the booming tones begin to cause structural damage, and will eventually grow so loud that the vibrations will literally shake the planet apart. No one has any idea what the ship is trying to communicate; only Fry seems to recognize the alien melody, but his memory of hearing it is so vague that he cannot place it.<br />
<br />
A scan of Fry's brain when he hears the melody reveals that it triggers his subconscious memories of 31 December, [[1999]], the night he was cryogenically frozen. In order to determine the source of the music and hopefully ward off the approaching alien ship, Fry is hooked up to [[radio-cranial dream injector|a machine]] that will allow him to explore his memory of that day in detail. He is placed under sedation, and finds himself in a lucid dream, re-living the events of the day in question.<br />
<br />
Fry is nostalgic about seeing his friends in [[20th-century]] [[Old New York|New York]] again, but his initial investigation proves unproductive; while he hears many sounds and noises, none of them is similar to the tones being broadcast by the alien ship. He notices [[Booby Tuesday's|a nearby]] {{cat|strip club}}, and while he observes that he never actually visited it, it may nonetheless be worth looking into; however, when he opens the front door, nothing is inside except a vast, empty expanse. Because Fry never entered the {{cat|building}}, he has no memories of what might be inside.<br />
<br />
Fry eventually makes his way to [[Fry's house|his old]] {{cat|house}}, which he remarks that he always hated... until he is warmly greeted by his dog, [[Seymour]]. He realizes that he didn't really hate everything about his old life, and may have merely convinced himself that he did in order to cope with finding himself trapped in the future. Fry enters his home and is reunited with [[Fry family|his family]], and is so happy to see them again that he spends most of the day reminiscing and helping them prepare for the New Year celebration instead of searching for the source of the alien music.<br />
<br />
At dinner that evening, having enjoyed being able to spend one last day with his family, Fry realizes that he will never see any of them again, especially [[Mrs. Fry|his mother]], toward whom he has many tender sentiments that he never took the time to express. Just as he is about to speak with her, the doorbell rings, and [[Leela]] enters, having come into Fry's dream to urge him to complete his mission; time is running out, and the Earth will soon be destroyed if the secret of the alien melody cannot be found. Fry pleads with Leela for an opportunity to talk to his mother, as he will never see his real mother again, and speaking with this dream representation of her will be his only chance to find emotional closure. Leela relents, but every time Fry attempts to talk to his mother, he is interrupted as more members of the [[Planet Express]] crew (and [[Richard Nixon]]) enter the dream to spur him onward, eventually physically dragging him from the house. Fry tries to force his way back in, only to find that, like the strip club, the interior of the house has become a blank slate, because Fry never entered it again after leaving for work on the night he was frozen.<br />
<br />
Bitter and defeated, Fry leads the crew to his shift at [[Panucci's Pizza]], and from there, to the delivery at [[Applied Cryogenics]] that led to his being frozen. Along the way, the alien melody is never heard, and there are no clues as to its origin. With the day nearly over, Fry takes his place in front of the [[cryo-tube|cryogenic tube]], leaning back in his chair as the countdown to the New Year begins... and, in the final seconds as he falls back into the tube, he at last hears the four notes, followed by two additional, higher-pitched notes. Armed with this new information, Nixon leads the crew to [[Mount Shushmore|a landing facility]] built to receive the alien craft. When it arrives and blasts out the four notes, Fry uses a keyboard to respond with the final two. The ship lands, and from it emerges... a [[Nibblonian]], whom [[Nibbler]] calls "[[Digby]]".<br />
<br />
Digby identifies himself as Nibbler's personal chauffeur, and explains that on 31 December, 1999, he accompanied Nibbler on his mission to have Fry frozen so that he could later destroy the [[Infosphere]]. While observing Nibbler, Digby realized that he forgot to lock [[Digby's old spaceship|their spaceship]], and did so remotely with a key fob, producing the four distinctive musical tones that Fry heard as he fell into the cryogenic tube (the two additional notes being caused by the ship's security system acknowledging the signal). Following the successful completion of their mission, Digby and Nibbler visited [[O'Grady's Pub|a local pub]] to participate in the New Year's festivities; the two of them became severely drunk, forgot where they parked their ship, and lost the keys down a storm drain, forcing them to take a cab back to their base on [[Vergon 6]]. Digby then retrieved a spare set of keys, and has been traveling from [[list of planets|one planet to another]], broadcasting the security signal in an attempt to locate the "company car". Fry leads them to the roof of the Applied Cryogenics building, where the Nibblonian ship still rests, ransacked and rusty after a millennium of neglect. It is still space-worthy, however, and after Digby uses it to fly away, Nibbler remarks that Fry has once more done the Nibblonians a great service, and that they owe him a gift. Reflecting upon his mother, Fry laments that they cannot give him the one thing he really wants.<br />
<br />
That night, while asleep, Fry has a dream about his mother, and once more expresses his desire to speak with her. When a [[television]] sportscaster announces the results of the [[2000]] Rose Bowl, Fry is confused; since that game took place after he was frozen, it should be impossible for him to know the results. Nibbler appears, and reveals that this is not actually Fry's dream; it is one of his mother's, and is the gift that Nibbler spoke of. Fry asks if it is really her, and she replies that it is, telling him that she has dreamed of him often since his disappearance. When she asks him what he would like to talk about, he wordlessly embraces her with tears in his eyes. Back in the [[21st century]], Fry's mother dreams of her son with a smile on her face.<br />
<br />
== Production ==<br />
<br />
{{expansion|section=yes|{{ctf|1}}}}<br />
<br />
As late as 8 January 2013,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/EricRogersLA/status/288711818766073856|title=EricRogersLA|author=[[Eric Rogers]]|date=2012-01-08|site={{w|Twitter}}|accessdate=2012-01-17}}</ref> the episode's title was revealed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://direct.foxfast.com/FoxFast/aspxfiles/TitleDetailsHome.aspx?TitleId=7DB49AE3-6DAC-481F-8522-9FE6F9C9F4AD&Type=SR&TtlSrchMode=All%20Titles~A&TtlSrchTxt=futurama|title=FoxFast: Futurama|site=[https://direct.foxfast.com/FoxFast/aspxfiles/Login.aspx FoxFast.com]|accessdate=2013-01-17}}</ref><br />
<br />
On 5 February, {{w|Vulture.com}} released [[Vulture preview clip|a preview clip]] for the tenth broadcast season,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2013/02/watch-a-preview-of-futuramas-seventh-season.html|title=Watch a Preview of ''Futurama''’s Seventh Season|author=Jesse David Fox|date=2013-2-5|site=Vulture.com|accessdate=2013-6-23}}</ref> which contained footage from the episode.<br />
<br />
On 19 June, it was revealed that ''[[Family Guy]]'' creator [[Seth MacFarlane]] would voice Seymour in the episode.<ref name=seth>{{cite web|url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/06/19/futurama-seth-macfarlane/|author=Dan Snierson|date=2013-06-19|title='Futurama': Seth MacFarlane to play.... -- EXCLUSIVE|publisher={{w|Entertainment Weekly}}|accessdate=2013-06-19}}</ref><br />
<br />
By 9 July, part of [[Animatic:Game of Tones|the animatic]] for the episode had been released online.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peelified.com/index.php?topic=24167.msg1382160#msg1382160|title=Futurama: Saturday Morning Fun Pit animatic|author="DannyJC13"|date=2013-7-9|site=[[Planet Express Employee Lounge|PEEL]]|accessdate=2013-12-31}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://djd055xoteek4.cloudfront.net/20370915/768x432/325kbs.mp4|title=Animatic video|accessdate=2013-8-16}}</ref><br />
<br />
In the animatic, the montage of Fry spending time with his family was longer, and the song "{{w|1999 (song)|1999}}" played over it.<br />
<br />
By 8 August, Comedy Central had released a two-minute preview clip featuring the crew trying to discover the source of the melody.<ref name="preview clip">{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/deb53g/futurama-i-too-was-on-earth-that-day|title=I Too Was on Earth That Day - Video Clip|site=Comedy Central|accessdate=2013-8-8}}</ref><br />
<br />
=== Image gallery ===<br />
<br />
<gallery><br />
File:Futurama Game of Tones Fry Licking Seymour.jpg|[[Promotional picture]] of Fry licking Seymour.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/51967941724/countdown-to-futurama-fry-licking-seymour-well|title=Countdown to Futurama: Fry Licking Seymour|date=2013-6-2|site=[http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/ Comedy Central's Tumblr page]|accessdate=2013-6-2}}</ref><br />
File:Futurama Game of Tones Nibblonian Ship.jpg|[[Concept art]] for [[Digby's old spaceship]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/52076573981/countdown-to-futurama-nibblonian-ship-how-does|title=Countdown to Futurama: Nibblonian Ship|date=2013-6-3|site=Comedy Central's {{w|Tumblr}} page|accessdate=2013-8-7}}</ref><br />
File:Futurama Game of Tones Nibbler and Digby.jpg|Promotional picture of Nibbler with another Nibblonian, known as Digby.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/52158801437/countdown-to-futurama-nibbler-and-digby-look|title=Countdown to Futurama: Nibbler and Digby|date=2013-6-4|site=Comedy Central's Tumblr page|accessdate=2013-8-7}}</ref><br />
File:Game of Tones 19 June.jpg|Promotional picture of Fry with [[Yancy and Mrs. Fry|his parents]] and Seymour.<ref name="seth"/><br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Reception ==<br />
<br />
By {{date|5 December}}, the episode had been [[nominations and awards|nominated]] for the [[2014]] {{w|Writers Guild of America Award}}s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/mike.rowe.33633/posts/10202787082342021|title=Mike Rowe|author=[[Michael Rowe]]|date=2013-12-5|site=[[Facebook]]|accessdate=2013-12-11}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Additional information ==<br />
<br />
=== Trivia ===<br />
<br />
* The episode, which deals heavily with [[Fry's past]], aired on Fry's [[birthday]].<br />
* [[Michael Rowe]], the [[writers and directors|writer]] of the episode, has also written for ''Family Guy''. In {{commentary|7ACV07}}, he introduces himself as Seth MacFarlane, and then says "wrong show". "Game of Tones" is Seth MacFarlane's second appearance on ''Futurama''.<br />
* Fry was also stuck on an inclined table in "[[Cold Warriors]]", which also featured Fry's family. In addition, the digits in the [[production]] code for "Cold Warriors" add up to the same amount as the digits in the production code for this episode.<br />
* [[The professor]] also calls Fry a dope in the twenty-third episode of the [[Season 6|sixth production season]], "[[All the Presidents' Heads]]".<br />
* After the [[Eiffel Tower]] bends, a [[French]] man says "this never happens, I swear!", a very obvious erection joke.<br />
* The episode shares multiple similarities with the [[1980s|1986]] film ''[[Star Trek]] {{st|Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home|IV: The Voyage Home}}''. A mysterious ship arrives, sending a strange melody to communicate, which, however, damages the planet, and the main characters have to [[time travel|travel back in time]] (in this episode through dreams).<br />
* Nibbler says "bye-bye keys", which a toddler {{s|Bart Simpson}} says in the ''[[Simpsons]]'' episode "{{s|Lisa's First Word}}".<br />
* The song that plays at the end of the episode is "Manchild", by the {{w|Eels (band)|Eels}}, from the [[1996]] album ''{{w|Beautiful Freak}}''.<br />
* An image of the blank interior of Fry's house, featuring [[Bender]] and Fry, is used on the extras menu for [[Volume 8]]. The piece of music that plays when Fry sees the neighbourhood strip club is used on the main menu for the first disc.<br />
<br />
=== Allusions ===<br />
<br />
{{cultural mentions}}<br />
* The episode's title is a reference to the TV series ''[[Game of Thrones]]''.<br />
** English actress {{w|Emilia Clarke}}, who plays {{w|Daenerys Targaryen}} in ''Game of Thrones'', guest-stars in another episode of the season, "[[Stench and Stenchibility]]". She and Seth MacFarlane used to date.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/celeb-news/seth-macfarlane-game-thrones-star-emilia-clarke-breakup-153129472.html|title=Seth MacFarlane and ‘Game of Thrones’ Star Emilia Clarke Break Up|author=Taryn Ryder|site={{w|Yahoo!|Omg.yahoo.com}}|date=2013-03-20|accessdate=2013-06-19}}</ref><br />
* [[Shazam]] is a reference to {{w|Shazam (service)|the music-identification service of the same name}}.<br />
* Seymour sitting on the couch along with the rest of the Fry family and holding a {{w|martini}} is a reference to ''Family Guy''{{'}}s {{w|Brian Griffin}}, who is also voiced by Seth MacFarlane.<br />
* The rugby-stadium scene is likely a reference to the classic {{cat|computer}} {{cat|game}} ''{{w|Robots (BSD_game)|Robots}}''.<br />
* There are several references to the [[2010]] film ''{{w|Inception}}''. From the very act of getting into a dream, to the fact that, if Fry dies in the dream, he wakes up, the time proportion being different (inverted in ''Futurama'') between the real world and the dream, the crew members connected to the dream machine, the shots of the world shaking due to the dream's collapse and the slow motion and music used as Fry is falling into the cryo-tube.<br />
* The scene where the crew communicates with the alien ship via sound and lights on a billboard is reminiscent of the climax from the [[1977]] film ''{{w|Close Encounters of the Third Kind}}''. A location similar to {{w|Devils Tower}} is also seen in the background.<br />
* The final scene is a reference to the ending of the [[2001]] film ''{{w|A.I. Artificial Intelligence}}'', where the protagonist gets to live one last experience with his mother based on memories.<br />
<br />
=== Continuity ===<br />
<br />
* Bender's "[[let's go already]]" song is from "[[Proposition Infinity]]".<br />
* Bender previously wore a diaper in "[[The Tip of the Zoidberg]]".<br />
* The episode revisits the [[cold opening]] of "[[Space Pilot 3000]]".<br />
* Nibbler tells Fry that he has once more done the Nibblonians a great service. This is a reference to "[[The Day the Earth Stood Stupid]]" and "[[The Why of Fry]]", in which Fry saves the world and [[the universe]], respectively.<br />
* Fry meets his mother again on New Year's morning, when Wisconsin has won the 2000 Rose Bowl. This is in line with Mrs. Fry's remark in "[[Luck of the Fry-rish]]" of Fry's disappearance occurring "the day Wisconsin won the Rose Bowl 17-9".<br />
<br />
=== Goofs ===<br />
<br />
* Fry's alarm {{cat|clock}} reads "09:01" thirty seconds after turning to nine o'clock.<br />
** This may be due to the fact that the clock is part of a dream.<br />
* The design of the [[radio-cranial dream injector]] in the second act is different from the design of the radio-cranial dream injector in the first and third acts. The animatic version of the design, however, is the same.<br />
* Fry is saddened to relive the last time that he ever saw his family, but in "Space Pilot 3000", he seems thrilled at the notion all the people he ever knew were dead.<br />
** His feelings may have changed as time went by, as in "[[The Luck of the Fryrish]]" with his brother and "Cold Warriors" with [[Yancy Fry Sr.|his father]].<br />
* When Fry sees his mother in the kitchen, she is watching TV, but, when he walks up to the counter, the TV is not on.<br />
<br />
=== Quotes ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Volume 8 extras.png|thumb|225px|The extras menu for [[Volume 8]], featuring [[Bender]] and [[Fry]] at [[Fry's house]].]]<br />
{{q|<br />
<poem>'''[[Hermes]]''': But what are those aliens tryin' to ask us? What do the tones <u>mean</u>?<br />
'''Professor Farnsworth''': Isn't it obvious?<br />
'''Hermes''': Uh... No.<br />
'''Professor Farnsworth''': Drat! I was hoping it was.</poem><br />
<poem>'''Fry''': Can you guys hear the professor too?<br />
'''Fry's father''': Yup.<br />
'''Fry''': Does that seem strange to you?<br />
'''Fry's mother''': Well, no. Not in a dream. Lotsa weird stuff could happen.<br />
'''Seymour''': Philip. Have you lost weight?</poem><br />
<poem>'''Leela''': Sorry to disturb you all, but Fry needs to get going.<br />
'''Fry's mother''': I was just telling him that, Leela.<br />
'''Fry''': Mom? You know Leela?<br />
'''Fry's mother''': Nope.</poem><br />
<poem>'''Fry''': Michelle. Baby. Where're you goin'?<br />
'''[[Michelle]]''': It's not working out, Fry. [as her cab drives away] I put your stuff out on the sidewalk!!<br />
'''Leela''': Hey, you hussy! You can't dump Fry! [[Fry-Leela relationship|That's <u>my</u> job!]]</poem><br />
<poem>'''Fry''': The last thing I did was blow my noisemaker sarcastically, to underscore my deep disappointment with life.</poem><br />
}}<br />
<br />
=== Appearances ===<br />
<br />
{{chars}}<br />
<br />
==== Characters ====<br />
<br />
{{chars-begin|note=no}}<br />
* [[20th-century kid]]<br />
* [[Amy]]<br />
* [[Bender]]<br />
* [[Charles Constantine]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Digby]]<br />
* [[Donkey Kong]]<br />
* [[Fry]]<br />
* [[Fry's breakdancing crew]]<br />
* [[Glagnar's Human Rinds|Glagnar]]<br />
* [[Hermes]]<br />
* [[Last clone of Agnew]]<br />
* [[Leela]]<br />
* [[Michelle]]<br />
* [[Mr. Panucci]]<br />
* [[Mrs. Fry]]<br />
* [[Nibbler]]<br />
* [[Noticeably F.A.T.]]<br />
* [[Professor Farnsworth]]<br />
* [[Randy Munchnik]]<br />
* [[Richard Nixon's head]]<br />
* [[Scruffy]]<br />
* [[Seymour Asses]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Shazam]]<br />
* [[Yancy Fry Jr.]]<br />
* [[Yancy Fry Sr.]]<br />
* [[Zoidberg]]<br />
{{chars-end}}<br />
<br />
==== Places ====<br />
<br />
{{chars-begin|note=no}}<br />
* [[Apartment 00100100]]<br />
* [[Applied Cryogenics]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Booby Tuesday's]]<br />
* [[Eiffel Tower]]<br />
* [[France]]<br />
* [[Fry's house]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Fry's old apartment]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Mount Shushmore]]<br />
* [[O'Grady's Pub]]<br />
* [[Old New York]]<br />
* [[Panucci's Pizza]]<br />
* [[Paris]]<br />
* [[Planet Express conference room]]<br />
* [[Planet Express employee lounge]]<br />
* [[Planet Express headquarters]]<br />
* [[Planet Express lab]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Planet Z-7]]<br />
* [[Robot Arms Apartments]]<br />
* [[Vergon 6]] {{miso}}<br />
{{chars-end}}<br />
<br />
==== Miscellaneous ====<br />
<br />
{{chars-begin|note=no}}<br />
* "[[Bender is great!]]" {{small|(in animatic only)}}<br />
* [[Charleston Chew]] {{miso}}<br />
* [[Cryo-tube]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Digby's new spaceship]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Digby's old spaceship]]<br />
* [[Fry's past]]<br />
* ''[[Futurama]]'' {{mito|[[list of title captions|title caption]]}}<br />
* "[[Good news, everyone]]"<br />
* [[I. C. Wiener]] {{misato|14:42}}<br />
* "[[Let's go already!]]"<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Long-range scanner]]<br />
* [[Nibbler's shadow]]<br />
* [[Owls]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Radio-cranial dream injector]]<br />
* '''Debut''': [[Thoughtspike]]<br />
* "[[Walking on Sunshine]]"<br />
{{chars-end}}<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
<br />
{{navigation bottom<br />
|prev ep=Leela and the Genestalk<br />
|next ep=Murder on the Planet Express<br />
}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:A plots focusing on Fry]]<br />
[[Category:Media featuring flashbacks]]</div>71.106.221.247http://theinfosphere.org/index.php?title=Meanwhile&diff=137874Meanwhile2014-01-01T18:43:52Z<p>71.106.221.247: /* Trivia */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{episode infobox<br />
|name=Meanwhile<br />
|image=[[File:Meanwhile infobox.png|225px]]<br />
|image text=An older [[Fry]] and [[Leela]] walking on water with the rest of [[the universe]] frozen.<br />
|season=7<br />
|broadcast season=10<br />
|no=140<br />
|written by=Ken Keeler<br />
|directed by=Peter Avanzino<br />
|caption=AVENGE US<br />
|first aired=4 {{September}} [[2013]]<br />
|number=7ACV26<br />
|broadcast number=S10E13<br />
|prev ep=Stench and Stenchibility<br />
|next ep=Episode Listing<br />
}}<br />
"'''Meanwhile'''" is the one hundred and fortieth and last <ref>{{cite web |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/22/futurama-not-renewed-comedy-central/ |title='Futurama' to end seven-season run on Sept. 4 -- EXCLUSIVE |date=2013-04-22 |accessdate=2013-04-22 |author=Snierson, Dan |site={{w|EW.com}}}}</ref> episode of ''[[Futurama]]'', the twenty-sixth and last of the [[Season 7|seventh production season]] and the thirteenth and last of the [[Broadcast season 10|tenth broadcast season]]. It aired on 4 {{September}} [[2013]], on [[Comedy Central]]. [[Fry]] asks [[Leela]] to [[Fry-Leela relationship|marry him]], and they face their destiny together as [[the professor]]'s latest [[:Category:Farnsworth's creations|invention]] alters the fabric of [[timeline|time]].<br />
<br />
== Plot ==<br />
<br />
=== Act I: "My little meatbag's growin' up!" ===<br />
<br />
The episode finds Fry, Leela and [[Bender]] making a delivery to the [[moon]] and visiting [[Luna Park|the amusement park there]]. After a [[Mecha-Hexadecapus|ride]] accident, Leela seemingly dies. Luckily, all is well. She was trapped inside a stuffed {{cat|animal}}. The close call was too much for Fry to handle, and he announces to Bender that he's going to finally propose to Leela.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Professor Farnsworth invents a device that lets him travel 10 seconds into the past: the [[time button]]. He uses it to steal [[currency|money]] from [[Zoidberg]] whilst the rest of [[the crew]] watches from the [[time shelter]] that shields them from the button's effects. Fry takes the time button to steal [[:Category:Diamonds|diamonds]], along with Bender.<br />
<br />
He uses the stolen diamonds to fashion an engagement ring, which he hides in a clam. When he presents it to Leela, she reaches for the ring and the clam snaps shut, severing her hand and a bloody stump.<br />
<br />
=== Act II: "Goodbye, my love..." ===<br />
Fry uses the time button to go back to before Leela's hand is severed, he injures the clam and proposes once again telling Leela to meet him on the top of the [[Vampire State Building]] at 6:30pm to give her answer. Leela seemingly jilts Fry and, heartbroken, he jumps from the skyscraper.<br />
<br />
While falling, Fry spots Leela arriving at 6:25pm; the time button did not account for Fry's watch making it seem as if Leela was late. Fry uses the time button to try and get back on the roof but is trapped in an infinite loop of falling from the top of building and a terrified Leela looking up at him.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the professor calls Bender, [[Hermes]], [[Amy]] and Zoidberg into the time shelter, where Bender reveals that Fry took the time button to the Vampire State Building, they carefully make their way to the building and meet Leela, Fry loses the button and dies upon impact, left as a puddle of blood and guts. A distraught Leela uses the time button to send him back into the sky but the professor is seemingly killed at the same instant, having being inside of the shelter, less than 10 seconds prior to the button press meant his [[chroniton]]s were scattered. <br />
<br />
Leela uses the button over and again to hear what happened with Fry, who suffers death after death. Bender devises a plan to use his air bag to save Fry. He exits to be crashed into by Amy, Hermes and Zoidberg and his air bag successfully saves Fry. Elated, everyone begins to celebrate until Fry lands on the time button, leaving the entire universe save Leela and himself frozen.<br />
<br />
=== Act III: "I was never lonely, not even for a minute." ===<br />
After witnessing a strange glimmer travel across the air, Fry and Leela go on with their marriage, bringing along their friends and family to [[St. Koch's Cathedral|the wedding]] albeit frozen in time. They spend the rest of their lives travelling [[Earth|the world]] on the ultimate honeymoon: going to Africa, [[France]], the {{w|Arctic}}, among other places, living a happy life, together.<br />
<br />
The couple, now old and grey, return to the Vampire State Building to drink their engagement champagne, both feel as if they've lived the ideal life, with Leela pointing out that she was never lonely even in a frozen universe as she had Fry.<br />
The glimmer appears again before the couple, creating a tube-like tunnel to them and revealing to be the professor; he had been "tunnelling" his way around the frozen timeline in search of the time button, Fry gives it to him and the professor effortlessly repairs it.<br />
<br />
The time button has been modified to send the universe back to before the professor conceived of the button so he can undo the whole affair, erasing their memory of the incident in the process. Fry asks Leela if she wants to "go around again", to which she responds "I do". Fry and Leela share their final kiss, content with the knowledge they have another wonderful lifetime together to come, and with one press of the time button the timeline is negated.<br />
<br />
== Production ==<br />
<br />
{{expansion|section=yes|{{ctf|1}}}}<br />
<br />
This is the fourth series finale that writer and producer [[Ken Keeler]] wrote for the show. The other three are "[[The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings]]", ''[[Into the Wild Green Yonder]]'' and "[[Overclockwise]]". The director of the episode &mdash; [[Peter Avanzino]] &mdash; also directed ''Into the Wild Green Yonder''.<br />
<br />
In [[2012]], ''Futurama'' writer [[Eric Rogers]] made two revelations concerning the episode. On 11 {{April}}, he revealed that "<nowiki>[</nowiki>"[[7ACV25]]" and this episode] now [had] stories". <ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/#!/ERogTweets2Much/status/189902597757468672|title=ERogTweets2Much|author=[[Eric Rogers]]|date=2012-04-11|site={{w|Twitter}}|accessdate=2012-04-12}}</ref> On {{date|20 April}}, he revealed that the episode was being "[pitched] out" and urged fans to buy [[merchandise]] in order for the show to "come back". <ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/#!/ERogTweets2Much/status/193416689281536001|title=ERogTweets2Much|author=Eric Rogers|date=2012-04-20|site=Twitter|accessdate=2012-04-21}}</ref><br />
<br />
<!--<br />
In [[2013]], the episode was revealed to be the last episode of Season 7 and the potential series finale.<br />
--><br />
On 5 {{February}} 2013, {{w|Vulture.com}} released [[Vulture preview clip|a preview clip]] for the tenth broadcast season, <ref name="vulture">{{cite web|url=http://www.vulture.com/2013/02/watch-a-preview-of-futuramas-seventh-season.html|title=Watch a Preview of ''Futurama''’s Seventh Season|author=Jesse David Fox|date=2013-2-5|site=Vulture.com|accessdate=2013-8-17}}</ref> which contained footage from the episode.<br />
<br />
On {{date|22 April}}, it was announced that ''Futurama'' had [[second cancellation of Futurama|not been renewed]] for an eight season, making this the series finale.<br />
<br />
On {{date|20 July}}, the [[cast]] read the episode's first act at {{w|San Diego Comic-Con International|Comic-Con}}. <ref name="Comic-Con">{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur56lHJxU54|title=Futurama Panel Comic-Con 2013 (Series finale act I)|author=David Perra|date=2013-07-21|site=[[YouTube]]|accessdate=2013-07-22}}</ref><br />
<br />
By {{date|29 August}}, Comedy Central had released a fifty-second preview clip featuring Fry and Leela alone in a time-frozen [[New New York]]. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/oyozm0/futurama-broke-the-universe|title=Broke The Universe - Video Clip|site=Comedy Central|accessdate=2013-8-29}}</ref><br />
<br />
By {{date|1 September}}, Comedy Central had released a fifty-second preview clip featuring Fry, Leela, Bender, and [[Albert]] riding [[Mecha-Hexadecapus|an attraction]]. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/video-clips/7qqdlh/futurama-mecha-hexadecapus|title=Mecha-Hexadecapus - Video Clip|site=Comedy Central|accessdate=2013-09-04}}</ref><br />
<br />
=== Image gallery ===<br />
<gallery perrow="5"><br />
File:Futurama Meanwhile Leela and Fry on a Swing Made of People.jpg|[[Promotional picture]] of Leela and Fry on a swing made of people. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/52810289870/countdown-to-futurama-leela-and-fry-on-a-swing|title=Countdown to Futurama: Leela and Fry on a Swing Made of People|date=2013-06-12|site=Comedy Central's Tumblr page|accessdate=2013-06-18}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/supercinski/status/347000766608850948|title=supercinski|author=[[Lee Supercinski]]|date=2013-06-18|site=Twitter|accessdate=2013-06-18}}</ref><br />
File:Futurama Meanwhile Ultra Guy.jpg|[[Concept art]] of [[Ultra Guy]]. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/52946241080/countdown-to-futurama-ultra-guy-meet-ultra-guy|title=Countdown to Futurama: Ultra Guy|date=2013-06-14|site=Comedy Central's Tumblr page|accessdate=2013-06-14}}</ref><br />
File:Futurama Meanwhile Time Shelter.jpg|Concept art of the time shelter. <ref name="time shelter">{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/53023638298/countdown-to-futurama-time-shelter-in-the|title=Countdown to Futurama: Time Shelter|date=2013-06-15|site=Comedy Central's {{w|Tumblr}} page|accessdate=2013-06-15}}</ref><br />
File:Futurama Meanwhile Fry Falling.jpg|Promotional picture of Fry falling from the Vampire State Building. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/53111648672/countdown-to-futurama-fry-falling-i-dont-know|title=Countdown to Futurama: Fry Falling|date=2013-06-16|site=[http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/ Comedy Central's Tumblr page]|accessdate=2013-06-16}}</ref><br />
File:Futurama Meanwhile Fry in Tuxedo.jpg|Concept art of Fry in a tuxedo. <ref name="tux and gown">{{cite web|url=http://comedycentral.tumblr.com/post/53213400474/countdown-to-futurama-fry-in-tuxedo-and-leela-in|title=Countdown to Futurama: Fry in Tuxedo and Leela in Wedding Gown|date=2013-06-17|site=Comedy Central's Tumblr page|accessdate=2013-06-17}}</ref><br />
File:Futurama Meanwhile Leela in Wedding Gown.jpg|Concept art of Leela in a wedding gown. <ref name="tux and gown"><br />
File:Futurama 726 wedding.jpg|Promotional picture of Fry and Leela at their wedding. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comedycentral.com/press/images/futurama/Futurama_726_wedding.jpg|title="Meanwhile" Fry & Leela's wedding preview|date=2013-08-31|site=[http://www.comedycentral.com/ Comedy Central]|accessdate=2013-08-31}}</ref> Also present are Bender, the [[Space Pope]], and [[Nibbler]].<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
== Reception ==<br />
<br />
:''The following text was copied from {{w|Meanwhile (Futurama)|this article's Wikipedia counterpart}}.''<br />
<br />
"Meanwhile" has received positive reviews. Max Nicholson, for {{w|IGN}}, wrote that "Meanwhile" was "a fitting end to a classic animated series". {{citation needed}} He gave the episode a 9 out of 10. Zack Handlen, writing for ''{{w|The A.V. Club}}'', said that "the first five minutes are passable but rushed, and the hook of Fry deciding he needed to ask Leela to marry him isn't all that exciting". However, he later went on to say that "this finale settles somewhere between the "too happy" and the "oh dear God when will it end," which makes it just about perfect. It has just about everything you could want from Futurama: there's a nifty [[time travel|time-travel]] plot, Fry and Leela get married, Bender is a jackass, Zoidberg loses $10, there's a nifty time-travel plot, and Fry dies". He graded the episode an "A".<br />
<br />
IGN named this episode #9 on their list of the [http://uk.ign.com/articles/2013/09/09/top-25-futurama-episodes?page=4 top 25 ''Futurama'' episodes].<br />
<br />
== Additional information ==<br />
<br />
[[File:Fry meme.png|thumb|The "[[Fry meme]]" image, from "[[The Lesser of Two Evils]]".]]<br />
<br />
=== Trivia ===<br />
<br />
*The episode aired on [[John DiMaggio]]'s forty-fifth [[birthday]].<br />
*In "[[Forty Percent Leadbelly]]", which was also written by Ken Keeler, a Bender duplicate says that his audience deserves better than some crappy, formulaic ending. This may be a reference to the fact that Keeler wrote the finale.<br />
*The episode's [[list of title captions|title caption]] is likely a reference to [[second cancellation of Futurama|the show's second cancellation]].<br />
*The episode revisits [[Luna Park]], from "[[The Series Has Landed]]", which was also written by Ken Keeler and directed by Peter Avanzino. <br> Another episode written by Ken Keeler and directed by Peter Avanzino is "[[The Six Million Dollar Mon]]".<br />
*[[Tress MacNeille]] does the voice of Albert, who up until now has been voiced by [[Kath Soucie]].<br />
*[[Craterface]] displays his sullenness and gets another beer bottle to the eye by Bender, references to "[[The Series Has Landed]]". When the Mecha-hexadecapus malfunctions and Leela breaks a hole in the dome, Craterface flies up and stops up the dome, a reference to the moon replicated in the Holo-Shed doing the same when the ''[[Nimbus]]'' blows a hole in its hull in "[[Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch]]".<br />
*Bender tells Fry that he told Leela that he loved her "like 140 times". This episode is the one hundred and fortieth episode of ''Futurama''.<br />
*The number of seconds that the time button sends the universe into the past is the same as the amount of money that Zoidberg finds.<br />
*The [[censored couple]], [[Richard Nixon's head]], [[Smitty]] and [[URL]] are the only characters besides Fry, Leela, Bender and Professor Farnsworth to appear in both this episode and the first episode, "[[Space Pilot 3000]]".<br />
*While Fry is falling, his watch says that it's 7:03, when the time is actually 6:25. Since his watch is 38 minutes ahead, he must have done pretty close to 228 resets, three of which were the professor demonstrating the button while Fry was in the time shelter.<br />
**6'25 is the [[production]] number of "Overclockwise" &mdash; the previous series finale.<br />
*Assuming that the Vampire State Building has the same height as the [[Empire State Building]], Fry's fall from the roof would take 10.8 seconds when accounting for air drag. {{citation needed}} The remaining height after ten seconds would be 40 meters, which matches the depiction in the episode.<br />
*The professor says "time-space continuum", but the usual term is "{{w|spacetime|space-time continuum}}".<br />
*When Fry keeps dying from the fall, after each reset he seems to retain the memory of the previous ten seconds even though Leela is pushing the button and he is dead. After his first death, he claims he had died, and subsequently explains what is happening consecutively through resets. This may be due to the special way in which Fry thinks, with the lack of the [[delta brainwave]], which was established in "[[The Why of Fry]]". This could mean that Fry may be the only one to remember his lifelong honeymoon with Leela after the final reset.<br />
*The woman holding the caviar resembles [[Nixon's campaign manager]].<br />
*This is the only time that [[last clone of Agnew|Agnew]] appears without Nixon.<br />
*When the elderly Fry and Leela observe the glimmer on top of the Vampire State Building towards the end of the episode, Leela says it's "Pretty though". At the end of "Space Pilot 3000", [[Smitty]] says the same line about the fireworks on new year's eve.<br />
*Thanks to the professor returning himself, Fry, and Leela to before he created the button, only the first four minutes and five seconds of the episode have a chance of having actually happened.<br />
*The first airing of the episode was immediately followed by the airing of "Space Pilot 3000". ''Futurama'' writer [[Patric M. Verrone]] initially suggested for the characters to, at the end of the episode, go back to {{date|31 December}} [[1999]], <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_MBFxSEpqo|title=Futurama Live! Post-Show w/ Billy West, Maurice LaMarche, Matt Groening and more! (32:08)|author=Nerdist|date=2013-9-6|site=YouTube|accessdate=2013-9-8}}</ref> the day on which "Space Pilot 3000" is set.<br />
*An image of the clam is used on the setup menu for [[Volume 8]].<br />
*Ken Keeler was unable to participate in [[Commentary:Meanwhile|the commentary]], so he sent Patric M. Verrone a set of comments for him to read on his behalf.<br />
<br />
==== Fry and Leela's list ====<br />
<br />
These appear to be locations for Fry and Leela to have sex in.<br />
<br />
{{appear-begin}}<br />
*Front Steps ✓<br />
*Professor's Desk ✓<br />
*{{w|Yankee Stadium}} ✓<br />
*In the Road ✓<br />
*Back of [[Police]] Car ✓<br />
*Ice Cream Factory ✓<br />
*[[:Category:Banks|Bank]] Vault ✓<br />
*[[Abraham Lincoln's head|Lincoln]] {{w|Lincoln Bedroom|Bedroom}} ✓<br />
*Rhino Cage ✓<br />
*Vicinity of {{w|Scranton}} ✓<br />
*[[Monument Beach]] ✓<br />
*Middle of {{w|Atlantic Ocean}} ✓<br />
*{{w|Stonehenge}} ✓<br />
*[[Big Ben]] ✓<br />
*On a Mammoth ✓<br />
*{{w|Schloss Neuschwanstein}} ✓<br />
*{{w|triumphal arch|Arch of Triumph}} ✓<br />
*{{w|Mona Lisa}} ✓<br />
*Random Dark Alley ✓<br />
*[[Eiffel Tower]] ✓<br />
{{appear-end}}<br />
<br />
=== Allusions ===<br />
<br />
{{cultural mentions}}<br />
*The ''[[Star Trek]]'' transporter sound effect is heard when Hermes orders a drink by saying "{{cat|Computer}}, {{w|Jamaica}}n joy juice, hot". This is also a reference to how {{st|Captain Picard}} frequently orders "Tea, {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}}, hot" from [[USS Enterprise|the ship]]'s replicators in ''{{st|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''.<br />
*[[Petunia]] says "I'll have what she's having" &mdash; a famous line from the [[1989]] film ''{{w|When Harry Met Sally...}}''.<br />
*Fry falling from the Vampire State Building just in time to press the time button is reminiscent of the way in which {{w|Agent J}} travels back in time in the 2012 film ''{{w|Men in Black 3}}''.<br />
*The crew delivers a copy of {{w|Edvard Munch}}'s ''{{w|The Scream}}''.<br />
*Fry falling on and breaking the time button is an allusion to the ''[[The Twilight Zone|Twilight Zone]]'' episode "{{w|A Kind of a Stopwatch}}", where a man has a stopwatch that can stop time, which he proceeds to break and get stuck alone in a frozen [[alternate universes|universe]].<br />
*A {{w|Spider-Man}}-like [[robot]] can be seen when time is frozen.<br />
*Fry and Leela's decades-long honeymoon is set to the first movement of {{w|Frédéric Chopin}}'s {{w|Étude Op. 10, No. 3}}.<br />
<br />
=== Continuity ===<br />
<br />
*When the ship is flying towards Luna Park, one can see the moon buggy that Fry abandoned in a crater in "The Series Has Landed".<br />
*When Fry is staring at the time button, his eyes narrow. This is a reference to a scene from "[[The Lesser of Two Evils]]", which originated [[Fry meme|an]] [[internet]] [[Fry meme|meme]].<br />
*Fry's tuxedo and Leela's wedding gown are both from previous episodes. The tuxedo is from "[[Calculon 2.0]]", and the gown is from "[[Time Keeps on Slippin']]".<br />
*The episode features Fry and Leela's third wedding. Their first wedding was seen in "Time Keeps on Slippin'", and their second was in ''[[Bender's Big Score]]'', when Leela was going to marry [[Lars]] &mdash; a [[time-paradox duplicate]] of Fry.<br />
*Leela was previously seen with grey hair in "[[The Late Philip J. Fry]]".<br />
*The man and woman in [[Paris]] were previously seen in "[[Game of Tones]]".<br />
*Bender was previously referred to as "What's-his-name" in "[[Stench and Stenchibility]]" &mdash; the previous episode.<br />
<br />
=== Goofs ===<br />
<br />
[[File:Volume 8 set up.png|thumb|225px|The setup menu for [[Volume 8]], featuring the clam.]]<br />
*After the clam cuts off Leela's hand, Fry takes more than ten seconds to press the button.<br />
*Since Fry (and later Leela) cannot press the button instantaneously after the device recharges he would not be able to prevent himself from falling forever; he would start closer and closer to the ground each time.<br />
**The button may account for this.<br />
*When Fry splatters on the ground, the time button survives the fall, but when Fry lands on it, it easily breaks.<br />
**It's possible that it has a lower terminal velocity than Fry.<br />
*In the stands at the [[sports|basketball]] match, some characters are seen twice.<br />
<br />
=== Quotes ===<br />
<br />
{{q|<br />
<poem>'''Zoidberg''': Friends! I found a ten dollars!</poem><br />
<poem>'''Bender''': Listen. I know who stole the button. I wasn't gonna tell, 'cuz I don't like bein' helpful, but I do like ratt'n' people out.</poem><br />
<poem>'''Fry''': You mean we'll all get to live our lives over again?<br />
'''The professor''': Oh, my, yes. Even that nasty robot what's-his-name.</poem><br />
}}<br />
<br />
=== Appearances ===<br />
<br />
{{chars}}<br />
<br />
==== Characters ====<br />
<br />
{{chars-begin|note=no}}<br />
*[[20th-century lecturer]] <br> {{cameo|14:57}}<br />
*[[21st-century girl]] {{cameo|link=no|14:08}}<br />
*[[Abner Doubledeal]]<br />
*[[Abraham Lincoln]] {{mito|18:17}}<br />
*[[Albert]]<br />
*[[Amy]]<br />
*[[Auctioneer]] {{cameo|link=no|15:58}}<br />
*[[Dr Beeler]]<br />
*[[Mrs Beeler]]<br />
*[[Bender]]<br />
*[[Brett Blob]] {{cameo|link=no|14:43}}<br />
*[[Bubblegum]]<br />
*[[Censored couple]] {{cameo|link=no|15:12}}<br />
*[[Charles]]<br />
*[[Craterface]]<br />
*[[Curly Joe]]<br />
*[[Dandy Jim]]<br />
*[[Elzar]]<br />
*[[Professor Farnsworth]]<br />
*[[Flamo]] {{cameo|link=no|14:46|possible}}<br />
*[[Fry]]<br />
*[[Globetrotters]]<br />
*[[H.G. Blob]] {{cameo|link=no|14:43}}<br />
*[[Hattie]]<br />
*[[Hermes]]<br />
*[[Hyper-Chicken]] {{cameo|link=no|16:00}}<br />
*'''Debut''': [[János]]<br />
*[[Kif]]<br />
*[[Last clone of Agnew]]<br />
*[[Leela]]<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Luna Park carny]]<br />
*[[Mom]]<br />
*[[Moon Patrol]]<br />
*[[Morbo]]<br />
*[[Nibbler]]<br />
*[[Nixon]] {{small|(on 10-[[currency|dollar]] bill)}}<br />
*[[Nixon's campaign manager]] {{cameo|link=no|15:12}}<br />
*[[Petunia]]<br />
*{{randy}} {{cameo|link=no|15:12}}<br />
*[[Roberto]]<br />
*[[Sal]]<br />
*[[Scoop Chang]] {{cameo|link=no|14:43}}<br />
*[[Scruffy]]<br />
*[[Smitty]]<br />
*[[Space Pope]]<br />
*[[Sweet Clyde]]<br />
*[[Turanga Morris]]<br />
*[[Turanga Munda]]<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Ultra Guy]]<br />
*[[Underwater-house salesman]] {{cameo|link=no|14:57}}<br />
*[[URL]]<br />
*[[Victor]]<br />
*[[Zapp Brannigan]]<br />
*[[Zoidberg]]<br />
{{chars-end}}<br />
<br />
==== Places ====<br />
<br />
{{chars-begin|note=no}}<br />
*[[Apartment 00100100]]<br />
*[[Big Ben]] {{mito|18:17}}<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Bronx Zoo]]<br />
*[[Eiffel Tower]]<br />
*[[France]]<br />
*[[Luna Park]]<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Luna Parking]]<br />
*[[Madison Cube Garden]]<br />
*[[Monument Beach]] {{mito|18:17}}<br />
*[[Moon]]<br />
*[[Paris]]<br />
*[[Planet Express hangar]]<br />
*[[Planet Express headquarters]]<br />
*[[Planet Express conference room]]<br />
*[[Planet Express employee lounge]]<br />
*[[Robot Arms Apartments]]<br />
*'''Debut''': {{w|Scranton}} {{mito|18:17}}<br />
*[[St. Koch's Cathedral]]<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Ultra Guy's Custom Diamonds]]<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Vampire State Building]]<br />
{{chars-end}}<br />
<br />
==== Miscellaneous ====<br />
<br />
{{chars-begin|note=no}}<br />
*[[Buggalo]] {{small|(stuffed animal)}}<br />
*[[Chroniton]]s {{miso}}<br />
*[[Curious Pussycat]] {{cameo|link=no|14:46}}<br />
*[[Currency]]<br />
*[[DOOP hovercopter]]<br />
*[[Fry-Leela relationship]]<br />
*[[Giraffe]]<br />
*"[[Hi-yah!]]"<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Mecha-Hexadecapus]]<br />
*[[Owls]]<br />
*[[Spice weasel]]<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Taste of NNY Gourmet Food Fair]]<br />
*[[Thundercougarfalconbird]]<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Time button]]<br />
*'''Debut''': [[Time shelter]]<br />
*[[Tube Transport System]]<br />
{{chars-end}}<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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