# Futurama July 1: "Attack of the Killer App" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 2, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262 "2010-07-02T02:40:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/41 "2010-07-03T21:38:58Z")
Ugh, not a great episode. And I thought episodes 1 and 2 were pretty mediocre. It’s certainly not terrible, but Futurama still hasn’t hit it’s old stride. I still have high hopes, the episodes are improving but it’s not back yet. A couple of people have mentioned being annoyed by the “Susan Boil” joke. Count me among them. It’s just plain a lazy joke…a bad pun and a “Hey! Look at this pop culture reference! Hilarious!” That unfortunate bit came dangerously close to God-awful post-season-8_Simpsons_ territory. Problem the second: The satire is kind of weak. If this episode had run in 2007 it would have felt topical and sharp. In 2010…ehhh. The Apple Satire - this was the probably the strongest bit. Some fun riffing on the Apple cult. Probably the only laugh-out-loud moment I had was Fry interrupting with “shut up and take my money!” They need to get their old comic timing like this back with more consistency. The Social Networking - eh, weak. “Twits”. Hilarious. My thought while watching was “this was written by a middle-aged writer who is a bit LTTP on the whole social networking thing”. A quick Wikipedia check puts the writer’s age in his 50s. Bingo. My personal hope is that they just stay far, far away from topicality. It’s not Futurama’s strong suit. Leave that to South Park, the Simpsons and Family Guy. My favorite bit among these first three episodes was in Ep 2 with the fantastic Brannigan “serials” opening each act. Stick with that, Futurama. That’s what you’re good at! Edit: And a fucking “The Sims” joke? In 2010? AAARRRGHHHHH again you guys are like 10 years lttp! Skip trying to be topical! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/42 "2010-07-03T22:07:16Z")
The Susan Boyle stuff and the repeated jokes about goat vomit and diarrhea were more Family Guy than Futurama. They just weren’t funny and they seem like a low point for the show. And it seemed like Leela and Fry were back to being friends here. Is it a bad thing that the iPhone stuff and Twitter parts were topical? I don’t see how it’s a negative. They were funny, and they’re about technology, which I thought made them a good topic for the show. It’s too bad they haven’t had the chance to do a lot of Apple material in the past. > [@bienville](#): > > When they went ahead and named the boil “Susan” then continually referred to her as “Susan” that was major overkill- O.K. guys, we _get_ it! We got it _before_ the belabored explanation. I agree. Very cool to see Craig Ferguson on Futurama, but I wish they’d used him better. > [@](#): > > I don’t think Mom was more of a cartoon of herself than ever. Erm, she _is_ a cartoon. But aside from that I agree with you - she’s always been an irredeemably horrible greedy evil overlord. “Dumb bastards” isn’t the funniest thing she’s ever said but I thought these were good Mom/twit scenes. Although in hindsight her plans was kind of pointless. The customers were pretty close to zombies anyway. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/43 "2010-07-04T00:22:44Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > Edit: And a fucking “The Sims” joke? In 2010? AAARRRGHHHHH again you guys are like 10 years lttp! Skip trying to be topical! What killed the Sims joke for me was the characters speaking regular English. It would have been better if it sounded like they were speaking Simlish. See here for an example of a good Sims parody: [Drew Carey Show “The Sims” Parody](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6wQxEWkh6U) ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/44 "2010-07-04T01:31:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Erm, she _is_ a cartoon. Well, we’re both kinda making the same point. I was responding to: [QUOTE=Lobot] Mom was like a parody of herself. [/QUOTE] In my response I inadvertently changed “parody” to “cartoon”, but I was making the point that she was only as over the top as she’s always been. ---
**Author:** ![Lobot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/45 "2010-07-04T02:01:54Z")
Guys, when I said that about Mom, all I meant was that her writing felt a bit rote and mechanical, like a “Mom dialogue generator” wrote her parts. It’s the difference between writing for the character in a natural way versus deliberately and self-consciously aping that style. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/46 "2010-07-04T02:52:38Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > What killed the Sims joke for me was the characters speaking regular English. It would have been better if it sounded like they were speaking Simlish. > > See here for an example of a good Sims parody: > > [Drew Carey Show “The Sims” Parody](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6wQxEWkh6U) If I read the youtube comments correctly … :rolleyes: … that Drew Carey bit aired in 2001. You know, back when a gag about _The Sims_ would still have been fairly fresh? 😃 It is a fun scene and they played it well. The Futurama Sims gag was…just weak. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/47 "2010-07-04T03:38:46Z")
> [@Lobot](#): > > Guys, when I said that about Mom, all I meant was _Cram a bastard in it, you crap!_ O.K. I see your point. Different from the point I thought you were trying to make. I can’t reevaluate without another viewing, but maybe you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/48 "2010-07-04T04:08:48Z")
> [@GameHat](#): > > If I read the youtube comments correctly … :rolleyes: … that Drew Carey bit aired in 2001. > > You know, back when a gag about _The Sims_ would still have been fairly fresh? Yeah well, _Futurama_ has always been behind the curve on pop culture. see the aforementioned Slurms McKenzie parody (only about 20 years late with that one) or the untimely Ally McBeal show parody, or the dated _Friends_ references in the earlier run. Didn’t really detract from the show then and it doesn’t now. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/49 "2010-07-05T01:28:55Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Yeah well, _Futurama_ has always been behind the curve on pop culture. see the aforementioned Slurms McKenzie parody (only about 20 years late with that one) or the untimely Ally McBeal show parody, or the dated _Friends_ references in the earlier run. > > Didn’t really detract from the show then and it doesn’t now. Well, bear in mind, that Lrrr and Ndndnd had only just received the TV signals from those Ancient Earth programs, due to the distances those signals had to travel… I guess it’s kind of like the Thermians receiving the “Historical Documents” of the Protector and Capt. Taggart from Galaxy Quest… ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/50 "2010-07-05T03:20:13Z")
I thought that the eyePhone commercial at the beginning was great “you can even send a text while being hit by a train…” Overall, I’d say it was better than the 2nd new episode but not as good as the first. There were some good laughers, but the series still isn’t quite up to snuff. Obsoletely Fabulous, 300 Big Boys, Roswell that Ends Well, we need to get back there… ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/51 "2010-07-05T03:21:23Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Well, bear in mind, that Lrrr and Ndndnd had only just received the TV signals from those Ancient Earth programs, due to the distances those signals had to travel… > > I guess it’s kind of like the Thermians receiving the “Historical Documents” of the Protector and Capt. Taggart from Galaxy Quest… She is wearing the world’s shortiest mini-skirt, good line. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/52 "2010-07-06T21:23:16Z")
Nice to see a TV show make fun of Apple instead of just making it seem like everyone in the world uses Macs. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/53 "2010-07-06T21:29:22Z")
> [@Darth\_Panda](#): > > I thought that the eyePhone commercial at the beginning was great “you can even send a text while being hit by a train…” I liked “download porno on a crowded bus.” If you DVRed the episode, look at the faces of the other passengers on the bus. That might’be been my favorite joke in this episode. By the way it turns out that a [killer app is a real-life term](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killer_application), and Mom used it accurately if literally. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/54 "2010-07-07T00:19:36Z")
According to [this](http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/03/eyephone-reference-mysteriously-disappears-from-online-clips-of/) link Comedy Central has since censored the ending…interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/55 "2010-07-07T18:12:37Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > According to [this](http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/03/eyephone-reference-mysteriously-disappears-from-online-clips-of/) link Comedy Central has since censored the ending…interesting. Would that have anything to do with reruns being shown earlier than the normal run? Because for me, the new ones comes at 11 at night, the word bastard wouldn’t be censored at that time on almost any channel. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262/56 "2010-07-09T06:19:42Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > Would that have anything to do with reruns being shown earlier than the normal run? Because for me, the new ones comes at 11 at night, the word bastard wouldn’t be censored at that time on almost any channel. They didn’t censor the word bastard. The article was in reference to Comedy Central supposedly removing the reference to the “all new EyePhone 2.0” at the end of the episode. However, I caught the rerun just before the new episode tonight and it wasn’t removed. The people marched to the EyePhone store, Mom’s voice came over the loudspeaker, “Introducing the new EyePhone 2,0,” then cut to Mom saying “Dumb bastards.” It was all intact from the first airing, so apparently the article was in error. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-july-1-attack-of-the-killer-app/545262.md?page=2)