313 Future Boy

[chris-oates]

This episode is another iconic one. I don't quite know what it is about the episode, but it's one of the very few that everyone seems to at least like. No one seems to dislike this episode, and I think that's largely down to Richard Herd who plays Moe Stein/Captain Galaxy.

Future Boy is another great instance of being both funny and touching. Moe's story is honestly one that resonates with me. I'm only 25 years old, and yet I understand what it is to feel regret and longing to spend time with people from the past. I get that. And I think Moe's parallels with Sam is also really interesting. The whole inception of the String Theory at the end really caught me off guard the first time I watched this episode. But when you think about it, it does make sense. Moe very nearly did succeed in travelling through time. It seems to me that the only thing stopping him from succeeding was both the technology of his time and also that he was doing it totally alone, without any kind of funding or helpers.

I find the character of Irene drags the story back a little. I understand that the strained relationship between her and her father was needed for the episode to work, but the way it wraps up seems a tad too neat. She showed no real warmth towards him at all but then just suddenly does a heel face turn. I know Moe's heartfelt speech was supposed to have reawakened her love for him, but I think we needed to see her a little more conflicted beforehand for the ending to completely work.

Best scene. Hands down the Mr Scrubo commercial that Sam has to do. Absolutely hilarious.

My rating. Good. Yet another solid entry for season 3.