Commentary:The Farnsworth Parabox

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Commentary for
The Farnsworth Parabox
Production number	4ACV15
Recorded date	December 2002
On DVD	Season 4 Disc 4
Additional
Transcript

Topics of Discussion

• Maurice commentates even though he does not voice any characters in this episode, he normally would have voiced the Narrator.
• Episode had not aired at time of commentary recording.
• Origin of episode plot. Box was originally found in attic, they were going to not open the box until the end.
  • Discussed at length (perhaps over thought) how the boxes connect during development, David notes that there'll be an explanation later and that we should get out pencils and graph paper.
• Smallest cast list in Futurama history.
• Difficulty of having two of everyone.
  • They have the same personality as the alternate selves.
• There was going to be a character called Deluxor, who was a robot brought to Planet Express that was better than Bender and made of either solid gold or exotic wood.
• They were worried whether this episode was too confusing.
  • Katey Sagal didn't understand the concept when the writers/directors tried to explain it.
• Audio and visual differences between the establishing shots in the two universes.
• Zoidberg-1 is blue because one in two million lobsters are blue.
• The official name of the Narrator is Transition Announcer.
• The Zoidbergs initially enter universe 25.
• Some of the boxes don't actually lead to each other, the wires keep the connections open though.
• The meaning of the number 420, or more accurately 4:20pm, to cannabis users.
• They didn't notice that Hermes-1 didn't come out of the box ith the other characters until late in the process and had to do an emergency retake.
• Pulling the boxes through each other is done outside three dimensional space.

Highlights / Quotes

Bill Odenkirk: ... I don't want to ruin the surprise if you haven't seen it. But I think the whole show...
Matt Groening: I think everybody who's... You gotta be crazy to listen to the audio commentary...
Unknown: You gotta be crazy to listen to the audio commentary, period.
David X. Cohen: You can give away what's going to happen in the episode, just don't give away what's going to happen in the audio commentary.

Matt Groening: We're cancelled?!
Bill Odenkirk: On hiatus, on hiatus.
Matt Groening: Please, I'm living in denial, and I wanna remain so.

David: Ah, The Curiosity Company.
Bill Odenkirk: They make cars don't they?

Goofs

• David received a phone call from his assistant.

Commentators

• Matt Groening
  • Executive Producer
• David X. Cohen
  • Executive Producer
• Bill Odenkirk
  • Writer
• Ron Hughart
  • Director
• Billy West
  • Actor (Fry(s), Professor Farnsworth(s), Zoidberg(s), miscellaneous)
• Maurice LaMarche
  • Actor (Transition Announcer, miscellaneous not in episode)

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