The Amy Detail That Had Futurama Fans Pressing The Pause Button
After poking fun at our everyday world in "The Simpsons," Matt Groening would explore a new frontier in comedy with the animated sci-fi comedy sitcom, "Futurama." Following the misadventures of a planetary delivery crew in the year 3000, the show has reached an iconic status to match that of Homer Simpson and company. The program's variety of hilarious characters, side-splitting comedy, and memorable quotes have been filling audiences with laughter since it first ran between 1999 and 2013, and it's sure to keep the laughs going in the 2023 revival.
More than anything, what "Futurama" has excelled at is its uproarious ways of showcasing what the future might be like. Utilizing trends from the present day, the show found endlessly creative ways of both parodying and predicting how these modern aspects of day-to-day life would evolve in ludicrous ways.
Such a premise would require that the show be jam-packed with details that might not be apparent at first viewing. When rewatching episodes, it's always a nice treat for fans to spot those hidden Easter eggs and details that can ultimately aid in giving the comedy more of a punch. One scene, in particular, has had fans return and pause to learn more about the fan-favorite character Amy Wong.
What's going on with Amy's schedule?
A quick detail from the episode "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch" has gotten some attention from fans. In the episode, Amy and her boyfriend, Kif, are expecting after an interaction on the ship causes Kif to feel especially loved, which prompts his species into pregnancy. Throughout the episode, Amy struggles with the idea of being a parent but eventually embraces it.
A Reddit post from user Jezzibell features a screenshot from a brief scene in the episode where Amy brings up that Kif's baby shower is coming up and she needs to add it to her schedule. It is pulled up and we see a series of blink-and-you'll-miss-them details regarding Amy's monthly schedule.
Those responding to the thread found her schedule to be very revealing of Amy's personality. User azngangbuzta pokes fun at it saying, "Lol. Trash Molly with Tina. Trash Tina with Molly. And then find new friends." Between that comical detail, the pity party for the less popular, and the search couch for spare millions, Amy's rich girl upbringings make themselves hilariously present here. In that vein, user SwiftOryx comments, "Hmm, never took Amy for a mean girl." Remember, Amy's parents own the entire western hemisphere of Mars. While she is a sweet-hearted character, she is still portrayed as being unaware of the world around her. This is especially true in how she looks down at the poor, carrying a sense of pride that she's above everyone else.
One detail goes where no easter egg has before
An especially intriguing detail from the moment references an earlier episode of the show. Towards the bottom left corner on day 21 of the calendar, it reads "Hang with Walter Koenig." One user, anonymous_coward69, said of this detail, "Guess that's what he's been up to since Star Trek."
"Futurama" is no stranger to "Star Trek" references, but this one, referring to actor Walter Koenig — who originally portrayed Ensign Pavel Chekov on the original "Star Trek" series — also refers to the Season 4 "Futurama" finale, "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," which saw the beloved actor plays himself.
The special episode was written by David A. Goodman. Surprisingly enough, series creator Matt Groening isn't the biggest fan of "Star Trek," so Goodman was tasked with writing the episode given his especial passion for the franchise. In an interview with the official Star Trek website Goodman says, "Though that staff was made up of Star Trek fans, after being there about a week, David X. Cohen decided I needed to write the Star Trek episode since I was a bigger fan than all of them." He claims that working on the episode was the most fun he's ever had writing. Goodman would go on to work as part of the writing staff of "Star Trek: Enterprise."