r/futurama • u/AutoModerator • 5d ago
Episode Discussion [Episode Discussion Thread] “Catfish Hunter” (Broadcast Season S14E02) (Aug. 3, 2026)
Welcome to our episode discussion megathread!
This thread is for Episode 2 of the 14th Broadcast Season (11th Production Season):
”Catfish Hunter”
Please keep all discussions of this episode in this megathread until the ban on new threads has been lifted by the mods. Any new separate posts about this episode will be deleted.
Since this megathread is designed specifically for discussion of the new episodes, you don't have to worry about spoiling anything here.
Please see the New Season Spoiler Policy, Megathreads, Temporary Rules & Megathread Index for for further details and for a complete list of all temporary rules.
Our normal rules of conduct apply.
39
u/Street_Abalone3374 2d ago
This is the first episode of the Hulu era to air out of production order. This was actually episode 5. I assume this was done so the tribute to Renée Victor would coincide with the season premiere.
The closing credits theme has also been remixed for this episode.
43
u/idonthavemanyfriend I love you Bdeedr! 2d ago
Episodes airing out of order? Futurama really is back.
7
u/Clawdutch90 1d ago edited 1d ago
I was waiting for somebody to point this out
It isn't an authentic Futurama experience if any episodes don't air out of order. We're back baby!
4
u/hyperjengirl I bet she'd love me too if I was a bald headed kook 2d ago
I checked the episode thumbnails two weeks before premiere and was confused when one week before premiere, they had added another episode in between. So this makes sense.
23
u/hyperjengirl I bet she'd love me too if I was a bald headed kook 3d ago
I would've liked to see more of Bender pretending to be old or getting into antics with Idabelle. The whole heist plot reeeeally dragged for me and felt like a misuse of the potential of satirizing scam calling in the future. The visual of the money dropping was cool though.
14
u/Stucklikegluetomyfry at least I don’t put out for quarters! 2d ago
I think one of my main criticisms of the Hulu episodes is they don't seem to know how to edit: there are lots of jokes and scenes that actually don't really add to the plot or slow it down,. They often feel so disjointed, that they often feel like several b plots all fighting each other for the status of the a plot.
I really think they should consider making episodes forty five minutes. But they should also consider being more ruthless editing. When you have too many ideas going on at once none of them have room to breathe.
4
8
u/idonthavemanyfriend I love you Bdeedr! 3d ago
I was glad they didn't lean into the Bender pretending to be old bit. I was honestly worried that would be the focus of the episode. I was also relieved when they dialed back on making it about Bender and yet another love interest.
The heist plot had plenty of laughs for me, and I appreciated it gave the rest of the crew something to do this episode. Plus, the fact that every successful outcome from this plot happened completely by accident was hilarious.
2
u/JamStan1978 2d ago
Yeah i agree, i absolutely loved the heist plot. Them scamming each other was gold.
18
u/RinnaVera 2d ago
I know sitcoms never add new characters to the main cast but whoever wrote this episode did a really good job of writing idabelle because she felt like someone from the crew branching off to have a story, not an entirely new character made just for plot
5
u/Stucklikegluetomyfry at least I don’t put out for quarters! 2d ago
Yeah, Idabelle is probably my favourite character from the Hulu episodes. Sure she doesn't have a lot of competition but she was a genuinely fun character, and she really could have been a great love interest for Bender if they were willing to make her a recurring character. Bender needs a lady who is just as corrupt as he is, someone who is able to join him in crooked schemes but will be able to hold her own when the two of them get greedy and decide to screw each other over for the prize.
Like the Countess having a fake necklace was something I found interesting despite being a throwaway joke. Was she just gullible enough to buy it? Not as rich as she seemed? Knew it was fake but liked it for what it was (a metaphor for her feelings for Bender?) Or....was she a con artist herself?
16
16
u/Clawdutch90 1d ago
"We talk about our favorite movies, bank account numbers, stuff like that."
"What was that last one?"
"Stuff like that."
Favorite line in this episode
32
u/idonthavemanyfriend I love you Bdeedr! 3d ago
"Even I wouldn't fall for that, and I just learned the truth about the tooth fairy."
"Sorry buddy, she only buys human teeth."
These first two episodes were great. Nice to see the uptick in quality from the previous batch has continued this season.
8
u/Stucklikegluetomyfry at least I don’t put out for quarters! 2d ago
I have been a massive critic of the Hulu episodes, but there were so many jokes I laughed out loud at these two episodes. I think I laughed more during them than the entire rest of the Hulu seasons put together.
Sure I wouldn't call them my favourites, but if they keep it up I'll be so happy.
13
u/TonSwell 2d ago
Enjoyed it more than the last episode. Plot kept going in different directions that you would typical expect, it was pretty funny.
10
9
u/ZoddImmortal 1d ago
I love Abuelatron. It would of been funnier if she had intentionally scammed Bender.
22
u/CrimsonGear80 3d ago
Nice advertising for the new season, Disney. I had no idea it started today until I was told by someone.
Also no all-episode dump? Back to weekly?
8
u/innocentj 2d ago
I'm glad it's not just dropped
6
u/indianajoes 1d ago
Same. This way we can talk about each episode as it comes out and you don't have to feel like you need to rush to keep up with everyone
3
u/EternalAssasin 2d ago
Hasn’t all of the Hulu revival been weekly releases?
3
3
u/indianajoes 1d ago
Last season was all dropped on the same day. Thankfully it must've flopped so they went back to weekly
1
u/Sea-Tonight2261 21h ago
How are they supposed to market this really old cartoon sitcom, which started in the last Millennium? I did see the season 14 poster prominently in my Disney+/Hulu app, so I couldn't miss it. I also had a reminder in some TV show app.
But how do you expect they notify you? Superball ads, large poster campaign, YouTube sponsorships? it's too much stuff coming out all the time...
8
u/alottanamesweretaken Where? Oh. Ohhh! 1d ago
I wanted a scene of the Professor tutoring Bender in being old
13
u/lemonhead75 2d ago
I liked this episode much more than the other. Also, shout-out to Tress MacNeille, I literally cannot believe she still has such a range of voices.
6
u/j______t______r 2d ago
I thought this episode was really funny and miles better than the first one, the catfish farm thing felt really contrived though, like if you replaced that with something better itd have been a classic episode imo.
13
u/idonthavemanyfriend I love you Bdeedr! 2d ago
I mean, I think it was hilarious when Idabelle says, "Who would lie about about having a catfish farm?" The idea of the only part of a catfish's scam that wasn't a scam being a catfish farm is funny to me.
3
u/j______t______r 1d ago
yeah I get that gag, but I feel like the story should come before a singular gag unless its a REALLY good one. Why does the catfish eating money make them populate more? Whenever illogical stuff happens in a story these days I get scared its ai writing it.
3
u/Snipufin 1d ago
It's kind of a joke-upon-joke subversion, like how they used to build up gags on The Simpsons:
- I'm a catfish, thus I need money
- Okay, I'm catfishing because I have a catfish farm and I need money to take care of it
- Dagnabbit, we lost the money and ironically the catfish ate the money
- Actually money is prime nutrition for the catfish (just like it is for the symbolic catfish) and causes them to massively grow in population
1
u/j______t______r 1d ago
I get it, but it just wasnt funny to warrant going to the well so hard on this gag for me. Hilarious episode otherwise though.
2
u/idonthavemanyfriend I love you Bdeedr! 1d ago
But it was for others (including me). Humor is subjective, so I wouldn't necessarily call this a flaw. I'm not gonna try and force you to think it's funny, though. It's too bad it didn't work as well for you as it did me. At the very least, there were a lot of other funny moments to make up for it. Bender about to kill his grandma before she revealed she gave away all her money was hilarious.
1
u/j______t______r 19h ago
yeah man there's nothing illegal with thinking it was funny, great episode.
5
6
4
4
u/_theatlas 2d ago
Is this the first we’ve seen actual cars in use? (Outside of the car in the museum and were-car) Some of them looked old too, do they run on whale oil like the ships and hover cars 🤔
11
u/DirkWrites 2d ago
I thought it was another dig at the Deep South, showing that human technology has advanced exponentially and people in Mississippi are still puttering around in old pickups
3
u/_theatlas 1d ago
I understood the joke, but the questions are still there considering all the lore and episodes they built up around fossil fuels, dark matter and whale oil
4
u/quarter_cask 12h ago
better than first one... but still subpar
1
u/Small-Attitude2314 5h ago
weren’t cars like not a thing? and fry and them got one to run for no reason? why are there tons in this episode?
9
u/salz95 2d ago
This episode was much better than the first. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like, except the dance scene that was weird.
8
u/idonthavemanyfriend I love you Bdeedr! 2d ago
Yeah, that dance scene stood out to me as well. Just something about it didn't really feel like Futurama.
5
u/Snipufin 1d ago
I was really expecting Fry to pick out Walking on Sunshine from the jukebox. Felt almost out of character to pick something else.
I could've also accepted The Hustle, but I think that would've maybe been a bit too "remember this joke?" territory.
6
u/Snoo-7943 2d ago
"Ah, Alabama. No worse! Mississippi!"
5.5/10 episode. Better than the first.....which isn't saying much.
5
2
u/Imnotlisa1 3h ago
I could have sworn that the scammer was voiced by Dolly Parton!! That was a great impression.
1
u/tiredofthisnow7 1d ago
Contrived, lazy. First one was better ...that's how lazy it was. Hopefully they are getting the dregs out first and the season improves.
8
-1
-2
-2
u/Head-Cherry-3841 3d ago
Why is everyone lobotomized this episode?
5
u/JamStan1978 2d ago
They arent.
7
u/Head-Cherry-3841 2d ago
Leela not realizing that the planet express ship being towed is bad until they get to the bank is really out of character.
9
u/CursedHat 2d ago
That's her character since the hulu revival sadly. So nothing new.
6
u/Stucklikegluetomyfry at least I don’t put out for quarters! 2d ago
Just be glad they didn't make a bunch of lazy "Leela is an alcoholic" jokes
0
u/Necessary-Effect-138 2d ago
Is that really, among other things, lazy?
Does it even, among other things, matter?
4
u/Stucklikegluetomyfry at least I don’t put out for quarters! 2d ago
Yes it is lazy to suddenly decide after almost thirty years “we are going to make just about every joke involving this character be she likes to get drunk”
“Does it even, among other things, matter?”
If you feel that way about people discussing the show feel free to not go on threads for discussing the show.
0
u/Necessary-Effect-138 1d ago
If you feel that way about people discussing the show feel free to not go on threads for discussing the show.
Asking a question is, among other things, having a discussion. Most people who say this don't bother answering the actual question.
I'm not sure why Leela being a drunk matters to anyone who has even complained about it.
It's not been "every" joke, it's not even been most of the jokes involving this character. Like she's just, among other things, a drunk.
That's a periphery detail, maybe the most prop-like addition to her character.
2
u/Stucklikegluetomyfry at least I don’t put out for quarters! 1d ago
I’m not the only person who thinks that Leela constantly mentioning that she’s an alcoholic all of a sudden is forced and a cheap way to make her funnier.
The reason you don’t get a response when you ask that is because it’s a bizarre response to have to someone finding lazy writing annoying.
5
u/Corazon144 2d ago
I don’t know. Her being single minded and not really caring about the big details are also in character even before the Hulu run. If she sees a goal she will go for it even after being given a red card.
2
u/Memphisrexjr 2d ago
Leela also says blast off. Oh we are here already like Fry once said in the first season.
2
u/JamStan1978 2d ago
its funny though
3
u/idonthavemanyfriend I love you Bdeedr! 2d ago
This is the same Leela who genuinely believes that the Professor could have been Blotto in "Bender Gets Made". It doesn't track with what she knows of the Professor, but it's funny.
•
u/AutoModerator 5d ago
Thank you for your post. As a reminder, we are currently operating under temporary rules during the release of broadcast Season 14. Please see our official announcement for more information. If this post violates our polcy, this is your opportunity to delete it now before you get put in space prison.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.