# Futurama: That Darn Katz! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2010, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378 "2010-08-06T07:03:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/21 "2010-08-06T21:33:19Z")
I thought it was a painfully boring episode overall. The only good thing in it was bad things happen to cats…which I hate. (although I will fully admit I might have been so bored because it was a cat-centric episode). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/22 "2010-08-06T23:16:06Z")
Very uneven. The cats story was not particularly funny. ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/23 "2010-08-07T22:01:57Z")
Futurama must be banking on a very large 40-year old single women demographic. Because cat jokes? Really? Feh. C- ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/24 "2010-08-08T01:10:50Z")
Is it just me, or did the cat sound and act like Stewie from Family Guy? Hmm, homicidal baby who speaks with a clipped British accent and wants to take over the world, or homicidal cat who speaks with a clipped British accent and wants to take over the world… ---
**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:** [August 8, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/25 "2010-08-08T01:32:24Z")
Katz reminded me of Stewie, too. In fact, I wondered if Seth MacFarlane had been signed to do the voice. And yes, I now know it was Billy West. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/26 "2010-08-08T01:44:13Z")
Why didn’t Nibbler just eat him? He gulps down moose with no problem, so why should eating a little pu… err, cat, bother him? ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/27 "2010-08-08T01:47:48Z")
> [@RandMcnally](#): > > Hedonism Bot has quickly become one of my favorite characters. Hedonism Bot has ALWAYS been my favorite character. I apologise for nothing!. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/28 "2010-08-08T01:56:00Z")
I just finished watching it. One of the better episodes in the new series, IMO. The overall story was a little slow, but all the little jokes were pretty well done. Plus cats are adorable. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/29 "2010-08-08T04:27:42Z")
Where was the lolcat poster? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/30 "2010-08-08T04:53:52Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Where was the lolcat poster? It was on the wall beside the elevator to the basement, where nothing sinister was being built. Amy, being catless, was not allowed to board. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/31 "2010-08-08T12:28:53Z")
Well, I loved it. My husband was decidedly ‘‘meh.’’ He said the entire premise of the episode is that cats are irresistibly cute (they are, duh) so if you’re not on board with the premise, the comedy is mostly lost. I say if you don’t love cats, you _deserve_ to be bored. ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/32 "2010-08-08T14:09:21Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Well, I loved it. My husband was decidedly ‘‘meh.’’ He said the entire premise of the episode is that cats are irresistibly cute (they are, duh) so if you’re not on board with the premise, the comedy is mostly lost. I say if you don’t love cats, you _deserve_ to be bored. For me, the premise of the episode was that cats act irresistibly cute because they have Ulterior Motives. I suspect a cat-hater would therefore enjoy the episode just as much as a cat-lover. Only the cat-indifferent will find it unamusing. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/33 "2010-08-08T14:22:32Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Why didn’t Nibbler just eat him? He gulps down moose with no problem, so why should eating a little pu… err, cat, bother him? Hair Balls. And are we allowed to use “you can kiss my hairy \*” here on the SDMB now? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/34 "2010-08-08T14:28:27Z")
I liked it, But now we have had an Amy episode, a Hermes heavy episode, a Professor heavy episode, but no Zoidberg episode!! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/35 "2010-08-08T17:17:42Z")
> [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](#): > > Is it just me, or did the cat sound and act like Stewie from Family Guy? Stewie is supposedly based on Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (I haven’t seen the movie). Katz sounded like James Mason to me. On re-watching this one I still didn’t think it was a great episode but I did think it’s a fantastic James Mason impression. And if I’m right about that, it’s a clever choice because apparently [James Mason really loved cats.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mason#Private_life) By the way, Professor Katz was voiced by Billy West, but [the evil cat _was_ Maurice LaMarche](http://theinfosphere.org/Thubanian_leader). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/36 "2010-08-08T17:27:12Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > I liked it, But now we have had an Amy episode, a Hermes heavy episode, a Professor heavy episode, > > but no Zoidberg episode!! During the last episode, when Zoidberg was sitting on the couch all red and sweating, I was waiting for someone to tell him he smelled delicious. It was an obvious joke. The episode had some good sight gags and jokes, but overall was pretty weak. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/37 "2010-08-08T17:32:49Z")
> [@Tanbarkie](#): > > For me, the premise of the episode was that cats act irresistibly cute because they have Ulterior Motives. I suspect a cat-hater would therefore enjoy the episode just as much as a cat-lover. Only the cat-indifferent will find it unamusing. I love cats, but the “evil motives” bit is a tad overplayed at the moment, especially with the _Cats vs Dogs_ sequel being heavily advertised. Besides, in other episode appearances, cats _aren’t_ played as having hidden intelligence (i.e. _Less Than Hero_) and this episode runs counter to the mock history of ancient Egypt presented in _A Pharaoh to Remember_, which would not be that big a deal, but generally _Futurama_ mocks hokum ideas like the Egyptians being inspired by aliens (in this case, alien felines). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/38 "2010-08-08T19:44:06Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Besides, in other episode appearances, cats _aren’t_ played as having hidden intelligence (i.e. _Less Than Hero_) I thought they tried to explain that by saying the cats got fat and stupid over time. > [@](#): > > this episode runs counter to the mock history of ancient Egypt presented in _A Pharaoh to Remember_ Not exactly. The way I remember it, the aliens in that episode adopted the culture of the ancient Egyptians, which was a nice reversal on the idea of ancient Egypt making the pyramids with the assistance of aliens. Here it turns out that culture was influenced by the cat aliens - who designed the pyramids - but the other elements were already in place. Maybe they were just ignoring continuity but I sort of like the idea that multiple alien civilizations visited ancient Egypt but they were not aware of each other, and they didn’t alter Egyptian culture very much. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/39 "2010-08-08T19:55:50Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Katz sounded like James Mason to me. Nah. The character was an obvious homage to John Houseman as Professor Kingsfield, from [The Paper Chase](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070509/). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378/40 "2010-08-08T19:59:35Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Not exactly. The way I remember it, the aliens in that episode adopted the culture of the ancient Egyptians, which was a nice reversal on the idea of ancient Egypt making the pyramids with the assistance of aliens. Here it turns out that culture was influenced by the cat aliens - who designed the pyramids - but the other elements were already in place. Maybe they were just ignoring continuity but I sort of like the idea that multiple alien civilizations visited ancient Egypt but they were not aware of each other, and they didn’t alter Egyptian culture very much. Well, my point was rather than make fun of the idea of aliens influencing the Egyptians (as in the earlier episode), _Futurama_ just casually embraced it. This, I thought, ran somewhat counter to the norm, where _Futurama_ consistently ridicules anything New Agey and pseudoscientific (the “You’ve got a degree in baloney!” bit kills me every time). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/futurama-that-darn-katz/549378.md?page=3)