Synchromystic Analysis of Futurama - A Fishful of Dollars

Sunday, July 27, 2008

I saw Episode 6 of Futurama last night, titled A Fishful of Dollars, and I noticed quite a few synchs.

Here is a synopsis of the episode and some screenshots:

"A Fishful of Dollars" is episode six in the first season of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on April 27, 1999. The episode was written by Patric Verrone and directed by Ron Hughart and Gregg Vanzo. Pamela Anderson guest stars as her own preserved head in a jar. This episode marks the first appearance of the character Mom, the series' recurring antagonist. The title of the episode is a play on name of the film A Fistful of Dollars.[1]

http://www.gotfuturama.com/Multimedia/FrameGrabs/1ACV06/Grabs/pic00532.jpg

Fry's Nemesis: "Mom"
Fry's Nemesis: "Mom"

http://www.gotfuturama.com/Multimedia/FrameGrabs/1ACV06/Grabs/pic00144.jpg
The whole character of Mom and her use to sell products was a major synch to me. She has a heart-shaped hair-do, her advertisements have bright pink, thus associating consumerism with receiving a mother's love. For more on this, see this YouTube video.

An excerpt from the script during Mom's advertisement follows:

               MOM
Call me old fashioned, but when my
robot starts to squeak like an old screen
door well, that's when I reach for a
can of Mom's Old Fashioned Robot Oil.



BENDER
Mmm, tasty!


MOM
And remember: Mom's oil is made with
10% more love than the next leading
brand!


[She smiles.]


ANNOUNCER
"Mom", "love" and "screen door" are
registered trademarks of Mom Corp.


One of the themes was advertising, and it's revealed that in the future advertisements are implanted in peoples' dreams. When asked how this works, the professor says, "It's very simple. The ad gets into your brain just like this liquid gets into this egg," and he injects and egg with liquid from a hypodermic needle. The egg explodes on the crew, then the professor continues, "But in reality, it isn't liquid, but gamma radiation."

So, advertisers of the future use microwave devices (ala HAARP) to beam ads into peoples' dreams? Serious mind control theme here. In fact, the very next line is Fry exclaiming, "That's awful, it's like brainwashing!" The Futurama opening also says "Presented in Brain Control where available", parodying the normal "Presented in Closed Captions where available" message.


Some of the synchs I noticed were:

  • The number 1077 seems prominent in the episode as Fry makes a point of saying it again and again, even though it is his "secret" PIN number. It is also the price of a cheese pizza and a large soda at Panucci's Pizza, the New York restaurant where he worked in the year 2000.

  • Fry had 93 cents in his account at Big Apple Bank but 1000 years later this accrued to 4.3 billion, due to the 2.25% interest rate.

  • Dialogue from the episode:

     LEELA
    You're Fry's relative. Do you have any
    idea how he got so crazy?


    FARNSWORTH
    Uh, wha? Oh, yes, they say madness runs
    in our family. Some even call me mad!
    And why? Because I dared to dream of
    my own race of atomic monsters. Atomic
    supermen with octagonal-shaped bodies
    that suck blood out of...


    [He walks out still blabbering. Enter Fry.]


http://www.gotfuturama.com/Multimedia/FrameGrabs/1ACV06/Grabs/pic00039.jpg
Fry has a nightmare where he is in a class on Ancient Egyptian algebra. This probably has zero relevance but my ears perk up any time Ancient Egypt is mentioned (which is quite a lot!) so I thought I should mention it.


http://www.gotfuturama.com/Multimedia/FrameGrabs/1ACV06/Grabs/pic00439.jpg
Mom explains that they can take a slice of this DNA from a sardine ...

http://www.gotfuturama.com/Multimedia/FrameGrabs/1ACV06/Grabs/pic00441.jpg
And combine it with DNA from third-world children to make .... Oil! Genetically engineering third-world children to make them easily "convertable" into oil that can be used by robots. Pretty blatant commentary on the mentality of profiteering capitalists who will commit atrocities in third-world countries just to get rich.

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