Fans of Futurama are buzzing about the season 12 finale, "Otherwise," and what it means for a potential Season 13!
The Multiverse Arrives in Futurama
The finale introduced a massive plot device – the Graveyard of Ships, a rip in the multiverse that sends the Planet Express Crew hurtling through different realities. This opens up a ton of creative possibilities but also some serious risks for the show's future.
Futurama's Multiverse Adventures
Imagine Fry, Leela, and Bender bouncing across timelines and dimensions. That's a fun and fresh path for a show known for creative, slightly zany ideas. Even past episodes showed an inclination to this possibility, hinting at other realities. "Otherwise" is special. It sets up this as a huge story and has enough flexibility to keep the series interesting! But what is this new story going to be about?
- It helps to make things exciting as the writers gave an in-universe explanation for inconsistencies and events that had never appeared before in the show!
- There are new adventures, and possibilities for the main characters! If the series doesn't ignore it then this will continue for a lot of new and long time fans.
Avoiding Past Mistakes
Futurama has had some misfires with massive plot shifts before. They've teased universe-altering events in past seasons, like season 6's "Into the Wild Green Yonder" and the finale of season 12's "Attack of the Clothes,", only to pull back. A big chance here is that it has a risk for this show, particularly for the upcoming season 13 to let all that potential for such an epic story. This should help deliver more than the typical episodic story.
The Risks of a Multiverse
Going full multiverse could backfire. Futurama already had a low stake level, as death and big events didn't mean too much in the 31st century. A multiverse would probably make things worse, which means the non-canon, smaller stories really are important!
- A multiverse full of endless alternate versions would diminish stakes
- Character deaths may mean nothing.
These stories, as funny as they were, might make Futurama feel inconsequential! And that’s definitely something to avoid. How could it keep viewers entertained? What really could be changed for the better?
Learning From "Otherwise"
The season 12 finale offers the perfect roadmap. "Otherwise" handled the multiverse amazingly well. What was remarkable, was how it looked at Fry and Leela's relationship. It could've easily felt insignificant but instead gave the alternate versions of the characters their moment!
Focusing on the core characters and giving them a compelling arc will really allow a larger universe!
A Character-Driven Multiverse
Futurama needs to learn from other multiversal shows and franchises and avoid the same pitfalls. Those stories sometimes get so big, that whole worlds are easily wiped out without much impact.That weakens the drama! The multiverse must serve to make Fry, Leela, and Bender even more compelling characters!
If Futurama can focus on that, the multiverse expansion could bring in something spectacular. They could revisit past non-canon shorts and bring in new elements and big baddies, showing new ways of thinking.
The most important ingredient to the Futurama formula has been characters! It seems it may become even better for fans who continue to look forward to watching Fry, Leela, and Bender go on new, exciting, and crazy adventures!
