The Why of Fry

"The Why of Fry" is the sixty-fourth episode of Futurama, the tenth of the fourth production season and the eighth of the fifth broadcast season. It aired 6 April, 2003 on FOX. It guest stars Bob Odenkirk as Chaz.

The Brain Spawn are at it again (destroying the universe), and only Philip J. Fry can stop them. Nibbler brings Fry to the Infosphere, where the brains intend to learn every fact in the universe, and then destroy it so there is nothing more to learn. Inside Fry finds out that his trip to the future was not so accidental.

Act I: Without me, there IS no mission!
Fry is disappointed because Leela and Bender went on a mission without him (and without his services as Delivery Boy), and because Leela is going out with another man - Chaz, the Mayor's aide. Fry is down in the dumps because he thinks himself unimportant. Meanwhile, Leela and Chaz are going to Elzar's Fine Cuisine, where Chaz manages to get a table without a reservation - Leela is genuinely impressed. Fry has adjourned to O'Zorgnax Pub to drown his depression in alcohol, however, Leela and Chaz enter and Leela tells him she may not make it back to her appartment tonight, and she needs him to walk Nibbler. Fry gets fined as Nibbler unloads a pile of Dark Matter on the sidewalk, just in time for Chaz to make a showy appearance in his car with Leela. Nibbler, however, reveals his intelligence to Fry and takes him to his spaceship, both leave Earth and head for Planet Eternium where the Nibblonian Council informs Fry that he is the most important person in the universe, for the fate of the universe rests with him.

Act II: Now it's personal!
Fry is told that due to his lack of the Delta Brain Wave, caused by a genetic anomaly because he is his own grandfather, he is immune to the attacks of the Brain Spawn and therefore the only hope of the universe. The Brains have constructed the Infosphere, a monstrous memory bank that contains all information in the universe. Once they have acquired all information, they will make sure that there is no new information by destroying the universe. Fry is to infiltrate the Infosphere and plant a Quantum Interphase Bomb inside that will blast the sphere into an alternate universe from which there is no return, then escape the blast on a Scooty-Puff, jr. (Who's ready for safe fun?), a clockwork-powered scooter. As the Infosphere opens itself for a final self-scan, Fry can enter the structure undetected as the Brains cannot perceive him because of his special thought processes. Fry plants the bomb, but hesitates to trigger it as he wants some answers on intriguing questions, like what postal stamp glue is made of (toad mucus) and what really killed the dinosaurs (the giant brain at the center of the sphere). The unauthorized access triggers the alarm, and as Fry tries to make his getaway, the scooter breaks. The brains become aware of his presence, among them the Big Brain. Fry now triggers the bomb, leaving sixty seconds to detonation. Fry is pleased that he is helping good triumph over evil, or so he thinks. The brains in turn show him what really happened on the night of 31 December, 1999 when Fry got frozen - Nibbler gave Fry's chair a push so he fell into the cryogenic tube. Fry is furious with the Nibblonians for wrecking his past life, but before they can elaborate on the subject, the bomb goes off and transfers the Infosphere to the alternate universe.

Act III: Here I come, future!
The Brains think of a way for Fry to return to December 31st 1999, so he can prevent Nibbler from shoving him into the tube and thus stop the Nibblonians from thwarting the Brain's plan to understand and destroy the universe. Meanwhile, Chaz has taken Leela to the Rocket Skating Rink that he has reserved just for them - impressing her once more. But the reservation means that the orphans from the Cookieville Minimum Security Orphanarium can't take their turn on the rocket skating rink as planned and are missing out. Leela asks Chaz if the orphans can join them, but he refuses as he wants to impress her with his amazing influence. This leaves Leela extremely testy, and she makes him eat his own badge - the romance is over. Fry is transferred by the Brain Spawn to Old New York, to the night he was frozen, where Nibbler is then busy ordering a pizza as I. C. Wiener at Panucci's Pizza to the address of Applied Cryogenics. Fry materializes behind Nibbler under the desk his other self is sitting at and seizes him, telling him what brought him there. Nibbler explains that he did not come back in time, and that Fry is needed in a thousand years time, and that the Nibblonians were afraid he might refuse being frozen. Fry, on the other hand, loves the future and has nothing against being frozen, but is still mad because he does not like being used. Nibbler now tells Fry what happens now is his choice, and asks Fry if there is nothing in the future that he wants, and Fry answers that it is Leela - but that she doesn't think much of him. Nibbler thinks she may be the Other, and tells Fry not to give up on her - he offers his help in the matter. Fry is now left to choose between saving himself or the universe - and Leela. He makes his decision and tips the chair his other self is sitting on, sending him into the cryogenic tube - the future is saved... unfortunately, it means he's going back to the other Universe and the Infosphere. Fry has just enough time to say that Scooty-Puff, Jr. sucks before he fades - and so, a thousand years later, Fry manages to escape the vanishing Infosphere on the Scooty-Puff, Sr. (The Doom-Bringer). Nibbler brings Fry back to Earth and then deletes his memory of the incident to maintain his cover. Before that, he gives Fry a flower that he in turn gives to Leela, and for a moment, she is happy to see him, although he is not the most important person in the universe. As she gives him a kiss, Fry's final utterance is "YES!"

Trivia

 * This episode is one of two episodes that do not feature Professor Farnsworth, the other being.
 * The idea of this episode had been planned from before the show started.
 * The connection to "Roswell that Ends Well" was not part of the original plan.
 * Guest star Bob Odenkirk is the brother of Futurama writer Bill Odenkirk
 * The last three bits of information seen going into the Infosphere are "Beavers mate for life", "11 > 4" and "For Quality Carpets, Visit Kaplan's Carpet Warehouse"
 * This episode was named #20 on IGN's list of Top 25 Futurama Episodes.
 * This episode was named #6 on TV.com's list of Top 10 Futurama Episodes.

Continuity

 * We get a lot of flashbacks from this episode, and the shadow from this episode is explained.
 * Nibbler mentions he will be stationed on Vergon 6, where they will meet in the future.
 * "The Why of Fry", along with "Roswell that Ends Well" explains why the universe was destroyed in this episode. Had Fry not been frozen because of his future self, it would create a paradox and destroy the timeline.
 * Using a wind-up toy to fight enemy forces.
 * Nibbler asks Fry if he can remember when he defeated the Brainspawn.
 * Nibbler mentions that Fry is his own grandfather.
 * In this episode, we see two shadows knocking Fry into the tube during a flashback, we get the explanation for the extra shadow in the current episode.
 * A shot of Nibbler's third eye sticking out of a trash can is included as a reference to these events as well, an item which many fans had noticed.
 * The toy in the bag Zoidberg hands Fry looks a lot like the cat on the back of Leela's backpack in this episode.
 * When the commune tells Fry that the fate of the universe depends on him he says "Yeah, I get that a lot", there is also mention of how he lacks a delta brain wave.
 * Nibbler mentions that Fry is his own grandfather.
 * In this episode, we see two shadows knocking Fry into the tube during a flashback, we get the explanation for the extra shadow in the current episode.
 * A shot of Nibbler's third eye sticking out of a trash can is included as a reference to these events as well, an item which many fans had noticed.
 * The toy in the bag Zoidberg hands Fry looks a lot like the cat on the back of Leela's backpack in this episode.
 * When the commune tells Fry that the fate of the universe depends on him he says "Yeah, I get that a lot", there is also mention of how he lacks a delta brain wave.
 * The toy in the bag Zoidberg hands Fry looks a lot like the cat on the back of Leela's backpack in this episode.
 * When the commune tells Fry that the fate of the universe depends on him he says "Yeah, I get that a lot", there is also mention of how he lacks a delta brain wave.
 * When the commune tells Fry that the fate of the universe depends on him he says "Yeah, I get that a lot", there is also mention of how he lacks a delta brain wave.
 * When the commune tells Fry that the fate of the universe depends on him he says "Yeah, I get that a lot", there is also mention of how he lacks a delta brain wave.

Allusions

 * Amy reads the book "Martians are from Mars, Venusians are from Venus", an allusion to Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.
 * The song Insane in the Brain by Cypress Hill is referenced to by one of the Brain Spawn with "are you insane in the membrane?"
 * The flashing light Nibbler uses to erase Fry's memory is a reference to the movie Men in Black. Specifically, it is an allusion to the Neuralyzer.
 * After having his memory erased, Fry asks "Did everything just taste purple for a second?" This is a reference to synesthesia, a neurological condition that is characterized by the mixing of sensory input. Fry does this once before, when he smells the color blue flowing out of the microwave in "Roswell That Ends Well".
 * The giant brain within the Infosphere bears a high resemblance to the final boss from Gradius.
 * In the book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, there's an flashback which tells of a very old race. These people built a giant computer called "Deep Thought" just to finally get an answer to The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything.
 * Star Wars:
 * The Infosphere resembles the Death Star from Star Wars.
 * The mission to destroy the Infosphere (and destruction of it) is reminiscent of the mission to destroy the Death Star.
 * Nibbler states maybe she is the other in reference to Leela, however nothing more about this statement is explained. It is likely it is a reference to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi where Yoda mentions that there is another which too is never explained.  While never explained, it is likely to assume he is referring to Princess Leia, however, it is doubtful that the writers of Futurama are trying to suggest that Fry and Leela are siblings.
 * Nibbler also says "Knows not does he!" Again, this seems to be a reference to Yoda messing up grammatical structures in Star Wars movies.
 * When the Big Brain explains how Fry can return to the past, a light cone diagram is shown on the display, used in general relativity to illustrate the past and future boundaries of an event.
 * When the Nibblonians are telling Fry that he is very important, Fry incredulously asks "So the way I feel when I'm drunk is correct?". The Nibblonians reply: "Yes, except that the Dave Matthews Band doesn't rock".
 * The rocket skates are slightly reminiscient of the ACME rocket skates Wile E. Coyote always buys.
 * "There are guys in the background of Mary Worth comics that are more important than me."
 * After Fry, the Brainspawn and the Infosphere are trapped in the alternate universe, one of the brains mentions that they could spend the rest of eternity singing American Pie; the full version of the song lasts over eight minutes.

Goofs

 * Albert is missing from the group of Orphans.
 * It scans all knowledge in a sequential way. One knowledge chunks is "11 > 4". There are unlimited pairs like that, so the scan could never be completed.
 * When Fry and Nibbler were in the past (December 31st 1999), and under the table, they were talking at normal volume so the Fry in the past sitting in the desks chair would obviously have heard them.
 * When the Nibblonian ship approaches the Infosphere, the female niblonian is on the left hand side (from viewer's perspective) and then when the camera goes into the ship, she and Lord Nibbler have swapped places, she is now on the right.
 * The light in Applied Cryogenics change during the scene. When Future-fry emerge and grabs Nibbler all shadows indicate the only light source is directly above the table. When the countdown on the clock begin the light source is between the table and the cryogenics tube, and finally when past-Fry tumbles over there's an incredible powerful light source at the entrance door.
 * In "Jurassic Bark", we see a Nibblonian eye-stalk in the trash bin, yet in this episode Nibbler is under the desk all the time.
 * When Fry enters the Nibblonian Hall, his jacket is done up, then next shot it is undone again. He would not have had time to undo it.
 * When Fry is flying into the Infosphere, there's a shot of him looking down at his wrist communicator and he isn't wearing a glove. Every other shot shows he is.

Alien Language Sightings
Time: 06:49

Location: Great Hall of Planet Eternium (pillars on either side)

Language: AL2

Translation: Fuzzy Wuzzy

Characters

 * Amy
 * Bender
 * The Big Brain
 * Debut: Chaz
 * Elzar
 * Fiona
 * Fry
 * Ken
 * Leela
 * Narrator
 * Nibbler
 * Smitty and URL
 * Debut: Trash Can
 * Warden Vogel
 * Zoidberg

Episode Credits

 * Writer
 * David X. Cohen
 * Director
 * Wes Archer
 * Voice Actors
 * Billy West
 * Katey Sagal
 * John DiMaggio
 * Frank Welker
 * Bob Odenkirk
 * Maurice LaMarche
 * DVD Commentary
 * Matt Groening
 * David X. Cohen
 * Wes Archer
 * Billy West
 * Maurice LaMarche
 * Special Guest
 * Frank Welker
 * Bob Odenkirk