A summer "Futurama" marathon drove me to write this piece. For anyone who's not familiar, it's a cartoon by Matt Groening, who also created "The Simpsons." It's a very comedic show starring a delivery boy named Fry. He ends up frozen and wakes up in a strange, distant future. I'm quite fond of it!
The thing is: it's littered with these weird moments. They're the kind that seem hellbent on drawing tears. One moment in particular that's always stuck with me is the Jurassic Bark episode. I highly recommend it as an example of mood whiplash, which can really enhance the impact of its scenes.
The episode features Fry discovering the fossilized remains of his old dog, Seymour, who was left back in the past. Fry goes to great lengths to try and revive his friend by cloning it.
Simultaneously, flashbacks tell the story of how he met Seymour and how close they became, bonding over the song "Walking on Sunshine." The expectation remains throughout the episode that the dog will come back to life and Fry will have what he calls his "best friend" back.
But at the end of the episode, it's revealed that Seymour had lived to the age of 15, 12 years more after Fry had left his time. Fry opts not to revive Seymour, saying he "lived a full life" and that he'll never forget Seymour, but he forgot Fry a long, long time ago.
And to end this episode, a flashback plays. Seymour calmly waits for Fry in front of the pizza shop where he worked, looking afar as the seasons rapidly change.
I doubt I could ever give the episode justice. But I truly believe it's brilliantly done. It's a cartoon based on comedy, but ultimately this focus only makes the emotional moments stronger. Take "Game of Thrones" for example. I'm definitely a fan, but I've noticed a difference in my reactions between it and something like "Futurama."
"Game of Thrones" features many, many deaths, some of whom are my favorite characters. But my eyes have never once teared because of them. I would argue that's because tragic and miserable things happen so often on that show.
If, say another horrible thing were to happen on that show, it just doesn't seem as powerful because it only comes on a wave of other devastating events. But it's different with something like "Futurama." If just one tragedy of "Game of Thrones" was injected into a show like "Futurama," which peppers each scene with light-hearted comedy, it's unexpected. And that hits me so much harder.
This is definitely not a suggestion to alter "Game of Thrones" or any show like that. I somehow doubt Westeros would be the same if it was tempered mainly with comedy. This is more just praise for a favorite cartoon of mine and how its writing impressed me. So thanks, "Futurama," for making me bawl over a cartoon dog.
