After fourteen years, seven seasons, four movies, a cancellation, and a rebirth, Futurama has aired is series finale on Comedy Central. It has been a long and strange journey for the Planet Express crew, but that journey has finally reached its end. For those of you who haven’t had the chance to watch it yet, I suggest you stop reading here because this review contains spoilers.

“Meanwhile” started with a trip down memory lane, as the Planet Express crew delivered a package to the Moon. This of course is an ode to the crew’s first delivery from the second episode in the series. While on the moon, Leela is sucked into space and lost forever. Fry decides he can’t live without her and decided to marry her. The Professor invents a “Time Button” that allows you to go back in time ten seconds. He uses the seemingly useless device to play a trick on Zoidberg, but Fry realizes he can use the time button for his proposal.

Fry uses the button to get the perfect ring for Leela and tells her to meet him at the top of the Vampire State Building with her answer. When she doesn’t show up, Fry attempts to jump off the building only to realize his watch was wrong and Leela was on time. Fry falls into a time loop, which has him splattering on the pavement over and over again. While attempting to save them, the Professor is killed. It isn’t until Bender comes to the rescue with his air bag. The plan backfires, as Fry is saved, but he destroys the time button leaving everyone in the world frozen in time.

Fry and Leela are the only ones left unfrozen and they decide to live out the rest of their lives together. They get married, and travel the world together as they get older. They end up back at the Vampire State Building, so they can enjoy the champagne that was left there years ago. When suddenly a wormhole opens up revealing the Professor. He fixes the time button and tells them they can return to the past and relive their lives again. Fry asks Leela, “What do you say? Want to go around again?” Leela responds, “I do.” Thus, leaving the series open for the possibility of another season or (more likely) movie.

I never wanted to write the review for the Futurama series finale, mainly because I never wanted to see this show end. It has always been my favorite animated comedy and will likely always remain that way. These characters have been around since I was eight years old. I only started watching and appreciating them when I was in high school. Although they have been around for fourteen years, I still believe I didn’t get enough time with them.

As for the finale, I believe they did a fantastic job of simultaneously ending the series and leaving it open for the possibility of it returning in some way. Viewers were able to see all of their favorite characters one last time, just not in the way they thought it was going to happen. All the characters were frozen in time, so we able to see fan favorites like Morbo and Scruffy, all while keeping the focus on Fry and Leela. Watching these two characters grow old together was one of the most rewarding television experiences I have ever witnessed. While Fry has always liked Leela, Leela had never felt quit the same way. Viewers had always wanted to see them together and it was rewarding to see their relationship mature over time and not just have them get together in the finale minutes of the series. Overall, the series finale was one of the best episodes of the shows impressive run. It was heartfelt and felt very final, but also left the door open for more adventures with the Planet Express crew.

8.8/10 Great