Commentary:The Why of Fry

Topics of Discussion

 * Maurice claims not to be in the episode.
 * The idea of this episode had been planned from before the show started.
 * The connection to Roswell that Ends Well was not part of the original plan.
 * The Professor is not in this episode or the next one, these are the only two episodes without him.
 * Frank Welker's voice work.
 * Bill Odenkirk was once at a restaurant where the bread had baby roaches crawling out of it, he only noticed after eating some.
 * David's sister once ate in a pancake house where cockroaches had been caught in the dried syrup on a plate of syrup containers.
 * There are lots of revisits to previous episodes in this episode.
 * In earlier versions, the garbage chute only ejected garbage.
 * The pillars read "yummy tummy" (which they actually don't)
 * Episodes with higher sci-fi content need a lot more explanation, so they had to have Fry pushed and knocked around to keep the plot moving during explanations.
 * Animators got paid to re animate the content from the pilot, though it was the same footage.
 * Nibbler's shadow was in the pilot as part of the set up for this episode.
 * They had the option to avoid time travel as Nibbler is just very old.
 * There was going to be a long sequence of shots covering the 1000 year period Fry travels through.

Highlights / Quotes

 * David X. Cohen: Dripping water is the locker room equivalent of a cricket.
 * Maurice LaMarche: I am in this episode. 'Cause I play the brain. Billy West: Do that voice, the creepy voice. Maurice LaMarche: You mean The Brain? Billy West: Yeah, the creepy voice. Maurice LaMarche: "Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Oh, wrong Brain.
 * Maurice LaMarche: You know, for someone who isn't in this episode, I sure am in this episode a lot!

Commentators

 * Matt Groening
 * Executive Producer
 * David X. Cohen
 * Executive Producer
 * Writer
 * Wes Archer
 * Director
 * Billy West
 * Actor (Fry, Zoidberg, miscellaneous)
 * Maurice LaMarche
 * Actor (Transition Announcer, The Big Brain, miscellaneous)