07.20.2012

Posted by in Review, sports of the future, TV programs | 0 Comments

The simple rules of Butterfly Derby (plus review: Futurama, “The Butterjunk Effect”)

Though not currently based in North America, BuckBokai couldn’t wait to get his hands on this week’s episode of Futurama, the horrifically-titled “The Butterjunk Effect,” promising as it did another science-fiction sport to record in the annals.

Masters of the online science-fiction editorial universe io9, via reviewer Esther Inglis-Arkell, trashed the ep. Inglis-Arkell noted the out-of-character dialogue and action pressed upon Leela and Amy, and yes, BuckBokai must agree that a lot of the early stuff with catty remarks about shoes and weight seems like character-unspecific stuff written in somebody’s sleep. The io9 scribe did note some good bits to be hand in “the throwaway lines and sight gags that Futurama always excels at”; concurrence on this as well, then.

Plus, Bender is as deadly hilarious as always.

But onto “The Butterjunk Effect…” (Seriously, how terrible is that title?)

The episode moves along nicely enough after the aforementioned throwaway dialogue between the ladies and a complete unfunny overdoing of the meowing catfight bit – a schtick which, like so many American TV bits, was perfected by Seinfeld in 1990s and thus may be retired from the teleplay writer’s bag.

But after just 2½ minutes in, though, BuckBokai gets what he, um, paid for: Butterfly Derby!
Butterfly Derby is akin to roller derby, with two sides of two women competing in a cylindrical-shaped space. Equipment required consists of two wings for each player, with which the players are kept aloft in the Moon’s low gravity. Though the requirement of “light, skimpy outfits” is a “necessity of the sport”, such is not an official rule per se because, as a local Moon resident explains to Fry, Bender et al, the rules are as follows: “See that right there? That’s a floor. Once a butterfly hits that, she’s out. Last team flying wins.”

Through a Simpsons-like series of events, Leela and Amy form a team in the Luna City league called the Wingnuts; reigning champions are the Murderflies; and the sport is presided over by commissioner Abner Doubledeal (though, looking at this guy, you gotta figure the McMahon clan snuck some genes in the ‘pool within 1,000 years).

As master TV sports news commentator Sportsbot 5000 would succinctly say, “That’s pretty much it.” (Riveting stuff.)

All in all, BuckBokai wouldn’t give “The Butterjunk Effect” quite a negative review on the level of io9’s, but clearly much (*much*) more could have been done on the subject of steroids beyond a few lame gender-reversal jokes. So the Futurama folks didn’t need to go full “Limitless” (another failure in commenting on performance-enhancers, incidentally) for a single episode, but isn’t there some material here? Where’s the trademark Groening Factory bite?

On the other hand, it’s so easy to forgive the occasional toothless episode in this so frequently hilarious series – not to mention the franchise that gave us Blernsball – particularly with so many nicely barbed gags.

The “Monsanto Yokel Dome” and “sex vs. wholesome family-friendly violence are wickedly funny/depressing. The wonderful exclamation from Amy, “A chemical that might help us win?”, wittily harkens back to Jim Bouton’s dictum that “if there was a pill that could guarantee you would win 20 games but would take five years off of your life, players would take it.” And a reference to MacGruff the Crime Dog? Dude!

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