History Futurama / TropesTToZ

* WhamEpisode: The last few minutes of ''Luck of the Fryrish''. It doesn't get any less shocking or impacting on further re-watches, either.
** The last few minutes of ''Jurassic Bark'' as well.
*** Most likely ''because'' these two episodes are so shocking and emotional, they're considered to be some of the best and most memorable Futurama episodes out there and are frequently included on people's "best of" lists.

* {{Zeerust}}: Some of the parody targets in early episodes are showing signs of this, such as the episode with Kidnappster ("I Dated A Robot").
** The use of floppy disks too. (Although this is intentional in episodes such as ''Murder on the Planet Express''.)
*** Not even the Hulu episodes are safe from this. "Related To Items You've Viewed" is about an Alexa parody taking over the universe.[[https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/11/amazon-alexa-is-a-colossal-failure-on-pace-to-lose-10-billion-this-year/ Alexa was actually deemed a "colossal failure" and a huge financial loser for Amazon 9 months before the episode premiered]], as well as the future of standalone voice assistants generally looking rather bleak.

* TemporalParadox: [[MST3KMantra Thinking]] about ''Bender's Big Score'' [[BellisariosMaxim too much]] is guaranteed to make your head hurt. Paradox-Free Time Travel my (shiny metal) ass!
** More like "paradox correcting". Pretty much every paradox that shows up (The second Nudar, Hermes' body, [[spoiler: Lars]]) gets destroyed ("corrected") by the universe eventually. The one exception may be the [[spoiler: thousands of Benders at the end]]. Not even the Universe could handle that much paradox.

* TimeAbyss: The Nibblonians were 17 years old at the time of the Big Bang, and the Brainspawn came into existence 1 millisecond after.

* TimePassesMontage: In "Space Pilot 3000", we have this type of montage while Fry is frozen. It wouldn't be the last time this trope is utilized.

*** Both of these were among the things [[ContinuityNod nodded to]] in ''Bender's Big Score''. Both times, a time-traveling Bender was responsible. It also shows that the dog was being watched after by an alternate Fry, somewhat lessening the impact of the preceding episode in hindsight.

* TokenEvilTeammate: Bender. The number of times he's sold out his closest friends is ''astounding''. And then there's his FantasticRacism towards humans.
-->'''Bender''': This is a simple matter of justice! And normally, I'm against that.

* UselessAccessory: Bender and many other robots have antenna that serve no apparent purpose, which gets a LampshadeHanging several times. First when the thing turned out to be interfering with the satellite transmission in his new apartment, and Fry says he should just cut it off since it doesn't do anything, after which it's treated as a robot equivalent of his penis. Again when it's suggested he has a toilet somewhere in his body and pushing down on it flushes.
** {{Subverted|Trope}} again when Mom says most people think she puts antenna on her robots just to make them "more [[BuffySpeak science-fictiony]]" but they really let her take control of everything with a remote control.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Bender and Fry, although it's usually Bender who's vitriolic. To a lesser extent, Amy and Leela can be considered this as well; both women insult each other on a regular basis but state they aren't really fighting.

* WeWillHavePerfectHealthInTheFuture: Subverted on a few counts. The Professor's back, memory, and mental stability are often called into question; [[spoiler: Leela is put in danger by giant space bees]], Zapp Brannigan claims to suffer from the "very sexy learning disability" of Sexlexia (though that's most likely a cheesy pick-up line, as this is Zapp Brannigan we're talking about)--even the robots get sick!
** On the other hand, the average human lifespan has been extended to the point where robots collect people when they turn 160, then process them as energy in pods à la ''Film/TheMatrix''.
** Certain conditions that used to be fatal, such as decapitation, can be recovered from pretty easily. On a related note, it seems blood has also been totally replaced by medication and nanobots.

* WhamLine: The end of "Into the Wild Green Yonder" pulls a double whammy:

* [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove What Is This Thing You Call 'Wuv'?]]: The Omicronians' reaction to Valentine's Day.

** In "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences", the gang visits Comic Con. The entire sequence is strewn with subtle [[TakeThat Take Thats]], but the part where the pilot of a new show-- ''Futurella''-- is shown off by its creators takes the cake, as the show is canceled [[ScrewedByTheNetwork five seconds into the intro]].

** In "A Clockwork Origin", the entrance sign for Odulvai Gorge reads "Birthplace of Ryan Seacrest... [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg And The Rest of Mankind]]"

* TechnoBabble: subverted multiple times by many of the main cast. Scenes requiring a pseudo-scientific explanation often invoke the use of gibberish in the place of more traditional, partially plausible AppliedPhlebotinum.

* ThatManIsDead: Made humorously literal in "The Late Phillip J. Fry". When Fry shows up on time for Leela's birthday dinner, she admits she didn't think he'd actually do so. Fry tells her that the Phillip J. Fry that stood her up before is dead... [[spoiler:because through the use of the Professor's forward-only time machine, the Professor, Fry, and Bender have cycled all the way through their universe and an additional one to get back to their relative present, killing the Professor, Fry, and Bender of the latest iteration of the universe upon arrival]].

* ThatRussianSquatDance: Done by Zoidberg in one episode, with Fry joining in. [[RefugeInAudacity They were singing about "Earthican" freedom mind you]].

-->'''Professor Farnsworth:''' Anyhoo, your net-suits will allow you to experience Fry's worm infested bowels as if you were actually wriggling through them.

* ThrowTheDogABone: [[spoiler: Jurassic Bark, perhaps the most notorious tearjerker in the series so sad that it even brought the crew to tears. The first direct-to-video movie, ''Bender's Big Score'', softened the blow by creating a timeloop where Fry returned to the past and got to live a life with Seymour, so instead of waiting 12 years for Fry to return before getting petrified, Seymour actually got live a happy life.]]

* TimeIsDangerous: The final episode deals with the Professor inventing a ResetButton that reverts ten seconds. He has a time-proof chamber that those outside of the time bubble can sit in to avoid the affects of the jump. A collision of interactions between chronotons and anti-chronotons causes objects from the chamber to disintegrate upon leaving however.

* TitleDrop: At one point after seeing the bad influence he's caused, Bender says, "Bender Should Not Be Allowed On Television."

** In the episode, "The Why of Fry", Leela is on a date with The Mayor's Aide (as he loves to remind everyone). He shows off by using his status (dubiously), culminating in booking the entire ice rink so he and Leela can skate alone. Unfortunately, the children of the local Orphanarium were planning to go skating, and look on sadly. Leela suggests they let them skate, which he scoffs at, shouting at them to get connections. This goes over as well as you'd expect.
* TwoGirlsToATeam: Amy and Leela are the only regular female employees at Planet Express. There have been exceptions, such as Morgan Proctor filling in for Hermes and Labarbara, but it's usually only Amy and Leela.

* UglyGuyHotWife: Hermes and Labarbara Conrad.

* UnexpectedInheritance

* VandalismBackfire: In the beginning of the episode where they go the Ancient Egypt themed planet, Bender graffities a building with a drawing of himself flexing and reading "Bender lives large and kicks butt." When the demolition crews initiate the implosion of the condemned building, the pieces rearrange themselves into the shape of a butt and now reads: "Bender licks butt." Cue raucous laughter from the demolition crew.

* VitriolicBestBuds Bender and Fry, although it's usually Bender who's vitriolic. Less so but Amy and Leela can be considered this as well as both women insult each other on a regular basis but state they aren't really fighting.

* WeHaveReserves: The way that Zapp Branigan defeated the rampaging killbots from the Octillian System. You see, Killbots have a preset kill limit. Knowing their weakness, Zapp sent wave after wave of his own men at them, until they reached their limit and shutdown. Kif, show the tropers the medal he won.

** Guenter got his MBA and became president of the FOX network.

** Similarly, Leonardo Da Vinci in "The Duc-Vinci Code". The way he was treated by the other aliens was pretty horrible, especially considering his long lifespan meant [[FridgeHorror it had been going on for centuries]], and all he did to earn it was be dumber than the rest (but still a super genius by the standards of pretty much all other races), but that doesn't justify attempting to wipe out the whole rest of his species.

%% * WorldsSmallestViolin: In the episode "A Farewell to Arms".

** Bender has sometimes been shown to be willing to cause harm to the elderly Professor Farnsworth, such as bending his spine backwards in "Bendless Love".

** In a more meta example, Producer David X. Cohen said he changed his middle initial from the original "S" (which he used when he worked on The Simpsons) for two reasons: 1) there was another writer that went by the name "David S. Cohen" and Writers' Guild of America union rules state that no two film or TV writers can have the same name, and 2) "X" makes his name sound "science fictiony."

** He saves the Earth from the Brain-Spawn, but no-one else remembers or cares (save Nibbler).
** When time starts skipping, he somehow manages to impress Leela enough for her to marry him. She attacks him at the altar, being convinced that whatever he did must've been underhanded or involved blackmail or emotional manipulation, then quickly divorces him. Also when he finally discovers the thing he did to make Leela fall in love with him, it's immediately destroyed.
** In the first series finale, he manages to make a deal with the Robot Devil, and becomes a holophoner virtuoso... only to give it all up to save Leela, making his fame instantly evaporate. By the time of the first movie, Leela's ignoring him again.
** In the episode "Fry Am The Egg Man" Leela calls Fry her "strictly platonic friend". Fry's reaction is one of great disappointment.
** Another example is in "Fry and Leela's Big Fling" we see Leela's often mentioned ex Sean for the first time in person. Leela states that she and Fry are.."what would you say we are again?" and also doesn't have an issue leaving him to go catch up. Though she is clearly over Sean, it's still a little disrespectful.

* [[YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo You Said You Would Let Me Go]]: Zoidberg's reaction to the Professor after the game of Deathball in, "The Beast With a Billion Backs, Part I".

** And on "The Day The Earth Stood Stupid", Fry confronts the Giant Brain in the "libary".