Roswell That Ends Well

The concept of time travel excites me because it reminds me of one of my most favorite shows- for once, I'm not talking about Felicity- but instead, the AMAZING Futurama.  If you've never seen this show, you need to start.  It was once on FOX, but was foolishly canceled. Much like Family Guy, after it left the air it gained a huge cult following thanks to Adult Swim (adult programming) on the Cartoon Network.  They have recently released four full-length Futurama feature films straight-to-DVD, but to be honest, the quality is not really the same as the orig. They play the old episodes, as well as the new movies, on Comedy Central, usually at 9PM and 1 AM on weekdays. You will thank me!

Anyway! Here's what the series is about.  It's basically a really funny, satirical, science-fiction cartoon. I am not usually a fan of sci-fi, but I can see why people become obsessed with it. A lot of it involves really interesting story lines and character studies. So the main character in Futurama is Philip Fry.  He is your typical turn-of-the-century twenty-something slacker. On New Year's Eve, 1999, he's delivering a pizza to a lab that cryogenically freezes people, and accidentally get frozen.  He then awakes 1,000 years later and meets a colorful cast of characters who have various adventures in the New New York in the year 3000. Not only is this show incredibly witty and full of social commentary, there is some amazing overarching plot lines going on.  For example, you watch the show for over a year before it's revealed that Fry's freezing was not at all a random accident. Actually, it deals with the fate of the universe. When you realize the planning that went into sketching out the long-term story lines, you can't help but be impressed. I also love many of the stories contained in particular episodes. My very favorite is the one about Fry's brother, Yancy, and what happened to him after Fry went "missing" in the 21st century. And I can't watch the episode about Fry's old dog- it is so moving. Whenever I see the title "Jurassic Bark" in the TV listings, I very swiftly change the channel.

There's one episode in particular that deals with time travel. I forget the scientific reasoning behind how the crew was transported to 1947 New Mexico, but it had something to do with some sort of eclipse and stove-top popcorn being placed in the microwave. Fry is told by the Professor (also a distant nephew of Fry's, although he is a really old man) not to mess with anything in the past because even the smallest action can cause massive changes to the future (don't we all know that?). Fry knows that his grandfather is stationed there, at Roswell Army Base, and decides to spy on him. Then Fry decides that his grandfather is completely unsafe and he needs to save him. I won't totally spoil the ending, but I will say that Fry's involvement leads to some insane consequences. The "B" story line is also extremely entertaining. Dr. Zoidberg, a hideous lobster-man who works with Fry, gets discovered by the Army. He ends up being the alien found in Area 51. I can't explain why it's so funny, you just have to see it.  Anyway, it's one of my faves.

My closing thoughts on time travel are this. I agree with GirlWednesday- you must feel like you are on Mars- time, is in a sense, a place, and traveling through time means you are going somewhere you have never been before. It must be disorienting and scary. But the crux of Futurama is the idea that Fry didn't have things all that great back in 1999. Sometimes he missed "home", but he soon came to realize that in the year 3000, he has people who care about him, and a purpose. The lesson is universal-- home is where, and when, the heart is.