Episode 349 04/17/05: Future-Drama

Simpsons News — Posted 27 Apr, 2005 by MrBurns

Oops, looks like we forgot to write about this episode on the news section. Bart and Lisa find themselves in Prof. Frink's basement and he uses the science of astrology on his new computer to show them their future, eight years from next Tuesday. In this future, Maggie is away on a trip to Alaska; Homer and Marge have separated and Bart and Lisa are getting ready for prom. Lisa's date is Milhouse, who and Bart is dating a skateboard chick named Jenda. Lisa is graduating 2 years early and is going to Yale (now owned by McDonalds) on a scholarship funded by Mr. Burns as punishment for stealing Christmas. Bart is also graduating and is ready to move to the next level of his relationship with Jenda, he wants to marry her but his vision of their future together makes her break it off. Continue...

Working his part-time job at the Kwik-E-Mart, Bart winds up saving Mr. Burns life while delivering groceries. As a reward Mr. Burns gives him the scholarship that Lisa was to receive. Bart is back with Jenda, now that he has a future, but Bart finds his way back in Prof. Frink's old basement and sees Lisa's bleak future with Milhouse. He does the right thing and keeps her from destroying her life.
-----------------
Couch: Several toy forms of transportation come into the living room, only to change Transformers-style into the family.

In this future/alternate future, it seems that Professor Frink met his death by his own hand. A skeleton dressed in his clothes is hanging from a noose, probably as a result of one failed experiment too many.

John DiMaggio reprises his Futurama role as Bender Bending Rodriguez for one brief scene with Homer and Bart.

The Power Plant now has a third cooling tower.

When Bart takes off with Lisa in the hover car, you can hear tires squealing.

So Ralph, who can only now use the toilet, is also graduating two years early? Or is he just at the prom for no reason in particular?

So at what point in time did Skinner become principal of the high school? Or have all 12 grades just been compact into one building?

Look hard as Bart and Lisa fall down the hill. Their backpacks fall off, and then just vanish.

If decompression is necessary to prevent death, then why was Nelson able to leave the underwater house on a turtle in an instant?

Bender Appearance
To answer the question about Bender's appearance, he is NOT there because he was made in the near future, but because of the quantum tunnel. Part of quantum physics dictates that time as well as dementions can be altered depending on MANY factors. It's a cheap gag thrown in by the staff saying Bender was plucked out of wherever he came from, and dumped into the Simpson's world. Plus, Groening said it himself that The Simpsons is fictional, while Futurama is the supposed future. So be default of the creators own words, Bender fell into a cartoon show.

The title is an obvious spoof of creator Matt Groening's other show Futurama.

Professor Frink's computer screen displays several green characters on a black screen, much like the ones seen in The Matrix.

"Lenny's Super-Pet" bears a strong resemblence to Krypto, Superman's dog.

Songs heard in this episode include "Take On Me" by A-ha, & "Bizarre Love Triangle" by New Order.

The couch gag for this episode is a parody of the cartoon characters from the show The Transformers.