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A great example of a sci-fi TV series with a memorable pilot, Futurama tells sci-fi storylines with heart and heart. Two episodes feature the What If Machine, which allows the main characters to explore some goofy yet serious subjects. While there are many intriguing and important devices on Futurama, including the Doomsday Device and the Forwards Time Machine, the What If Machine is one of the most compelling because of how intensely Fry (Billy West) and the others react to it. This device allows Futurama to tell a relatable yet unique story.
The What If Machine on Futurama is one of the most unforgettable parts of the popular series, and there's a lot to know about its background and the characters use it.
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What Is The What If Machine On Futurama?
Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) invents the What If Machine, which answers philosophical questions for the characters. While he is a smart character who has always loved science, he is older than 160, which causes problems for him sometimes. There are a lot of unique features of the What If Machine. It looks like a TV, which makes it intriguing, and the characters can only use it three times each year. Like Lars on Futurama, Farnsworth is a crucial character who viewers never forget about because he has so many compelling inventions.
What Questions Do The Characters Ask The Futurama What If Machine?
- What If Bender Was Taller?
- What If Leela Was A Little More Impulsive?
- What If Fry Stayed In 2000?
- What If Professor Farnsworth Invented The Fing-Longer?
The Futurama characters ask the What If Machine four questions, and they are all humorous yet fascinating. Bender says, "As a robot living among humans, I've never really felt accepted at parties or nude beaches. So I've always secretly wondered: What if I was 500-feet tall?" The answer is that Fry and Bender (John DiMaggio) would be friends if that happened. However, a bigger Zoidberg (Billy West) would kill Bender by throwing him onto the Empire State Building.
Leela (Katey Sagal) and Fry's questions have dark and eerie answers, and while they are both curious about what life would be like if things were different, they are exactly where they need to be. Leela wants to be "just a little... not too much" more impulsive. This deep question proves why Futurama is such an intelligent TV series. While the What If Machine isn't included in the saddest Futurama episodes, this device does allow the characters to explore what they want out of life. Leela is a confident but relatable character who wonders if she could be more fun and adventurous. The answer is that an impulsive Leela would be a disaster as she would kill Farnsworth. She would also wear green boots, which is a fun detail.
Fry wonders if he could stay in 2000, but this would end the world. While this is a serious and dark topic, he shows his silly personality by asking, "What if Bender was really giant?" When Leela and Farnsworth say that he needs to ask another question, he says, "What if I never fell into that freezer doodle and came to the future jiggy?" Farnsworth says:
"That question is less stupid, though you asked it in a profoundly stupid way. What if Fry never came to the future?"
Finally, Professor Farnsworth asks the What If Machine about the fact that he didn't invent the Fing Longer. This is a more complicated answer and shows that he has regrets, which is relatable.
What Futurama Episodes Have The What If Machine?
The What If Machine appears in the episodes "Anthology of Interest I" and "Anthology of Interest II," which are episodes 16 and 17 of season 2. It's also significant because it includes the popular Futurama character Scruffy, the janitor at Planet Express who turns into a zombie.
Stephen Hawking and Al Gore also played themselves in this Futurama episode, which resulted in some humorous quotes. As Gore says at one point:
"If we don't go back and make that event happen, the entire universe will be destroyed... And as an environmentalist, I'm against that."
The What If Machine on Futurama is a great example of the tone of the TV series: humorous and clever. As co-creator David X. Cohen said in an interview with Light Speed Magazine, he and Matt Groening wanted to make sure that each episode is funny yet emotional. Since Futurama has so many heartwarming storylines, this makes sense. Cohen said:
"as a funny SF show, is it making fun of science fiction? Or is it real science fiction with jokes in it? We weren’t sure ourselves, when we were developing the show. We didn’t have a lot of models to decide what we liked best, so we just started fooling around."
Cohen continued:
"the fans were responding well to the episodes that had more science fiction in them, and if you watch the series again — which I encourage everyone to do — you’ll see we go for more serious SF stories as it goes along."
The Futurama What If Machine fits into this category. Like every Futurama episode that gets better with time, "Anthology of Interest I" and "Anthology of Interest II" feel more meaningful when watched more than once. Through the narrative device of the What if Machine, popular Futurama characters Fry, Leela, Bender, and Professor Farnsworth wonder if they would be happier if circumstances were different, which is a common human experience.
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