The following contains spoilers for Futurama season 12 episode 2, “Quids Game,” now streaming on Hulu
Summary
Futuramajust played out their own version ofSquid Game, and I’m convinced it might have some edges over the original. Just like countless other viewers across the globe, I was enamored withSquid Gamewhen it debuted on Netflix. The social satire turns children’s games into gauntlets of death, all centered around a dwindling cast of compelling characters. It’s been poked fun at plenty since it was released, but thebest parody yet of Netflix’sSquid Gamecan be found inFuturama, which has a long history of filtering other pop culture hits through its idiosyncratic approach to sci-fi.
However, theSquid Gameparody inFuturamaseason 12, “Quids Game,” is more than just a simple riff on the source material.The episode works really well as a tragic stand-alone episode ofFuturama, throwing a cast of goofy and familiar oddballs into a series of deadly games. This actually benefits the story and gives it a particularly tragic edge that improves upon in the original. In a few key ways, “Quids Games” actually does a few things better thanSquid Game, and highlights some of heartbreaking storytelling directions that future seasons of the Netflix drama should take going forward.
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Futurama’s Squid Game Parody Makes Every Death Matter
Futurama’s Version OfSquid GamesBrings Back Plenty Of Fan Favorites (To Kill)
I love howFuturama’s parody ofSquid Gamemakes some pretty clever additions to the narrative, ensuring that the drama and horror of the situation are clearer than ever. InSquid Game, there are 456 competitors who either abandon the game early or are steadily whittled down until there’s only one survivor left. For the most part, the players don’t know one another, giving them more reason to embrace their inhumanity for the sake of victory. However,Futuramainstead assembles dozens of characters who’ve been fixtures of the show — the result being that almost every death feels more personally consequential.
While it’s clear from the on-set that the sci-fi show will find a way to reverse these deaths, almost each fatality is played for genuine tragedy. Leela and Amy openly sob over the deaths of their families, while characters like Zoidberg and Scruffy barely have enough time to recognize their fates before they are killed.This gives the episode an internal sense of emotional stakes that I don’t thinkSquid Gamecan as easily match. The real drama ofSquid Gamecomes from strangers testing their humanity, while “Quid Games” forces players to potentially kill their loved ones to survive.
Futurama’s Quids Game Is Scarier Than Squid Game
The Challenges In “Quids Game” Are Way More Unfair Than InSquid Game
One of the more unsettling elements of “Quids Game” is the way the story actually adds some frightening elements toSquid Game. In the latter, the games are treated with a cold efficiency and sense of fairness. Any cheating is met with a swift death. By contrast,“Quids Game” takesFuturama’s chaotic approach to comedy and mines genuine terror out of it, with some devilish games worse than the ones inSquid Game. The best is Musical Chairs, forcing the players to walk in a circle non-stop for six hours before being forced to watch the losers get eaten alive.
The threat of being suddenly shot or falling to your death is frightening, but I think “Quids Game” adds something by introducing complicating factors. Some games are decided by a single player’s endurance or strength — leaving the fates of everyone else in the hands of a few players.The hosts are cruel and vindictive, hiding the rules from the players in some cases and outright murdering others for speaking out of line. There’s a greater sense of hopeless desperation in the parody, which only adds to the growing tension and terror as the cast is picked off one by one.
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Futurama’s Squid Game Breaks The Central Trio
How “Quids Game” Splinters The Show’s Central Characters To Strong Effect
One of the things I really like about “Quids Game” is the wayit works as one ofFuturama’s most tragic episodes by undermining the central bonds of the show. In almosteveryFuturamaepisode, Fry will be a happy-go-lucky idiot, Leela is a thick-skinned leader, and Bender is a rouge with a heart of gold. “Quids Game” subverts this by breaking each of their spirits in turn. Bender’s faith in Fry is frequently tested and ultimately broken during the last challenge. Leela is shaken by the death of her family in the first round, leaving her fearful and sobbing.
The worst arc awaits Fry, who takes a hard stand on not cheating during the games. This sets off the conflict with Bender, who’d initially hoped to use any advantage he could to ensure their extended survival. However, this commitment to principals is made worse when Leela tearfully begs for his help, and Fry sadly refuses.Squid Gamehad plenty of tragic moments, butLeela crying in fear and sad acceptance after the man she loves refuses to help is more heartbreaking. The fact that Fry’s commitment to his principles ultimately gets both of them killed only makes it sadder.
Mining Character Connections Could MakeSquid GamesSeason 2 Even More Harrowing
Squid Gamehas already been confirmed for a season 2 and 3, promising further expansion and exploration of that universe. With Seong Gi-hun set to return, the show could use the audience’s concern for him to great effect. Similar to the wayFuturamauses the emotional stakes to illicit more drama,Squid Gamecould use more established emotional connections to play up the tension of the story. Taking more power out of the player’s hands and introducing games that they have to survive rather than win could be a great source of tension and separate it from the first season.
“Quids Game” is one of the bestFuturamaparodies in years, and it takes some interesting choices thatSquid Gamecould replicate. The masked manipulators behind the game could be more present in the story, escalating the show’s themes of the powerful lording over the poor like the alien gods of “Quids Game” over mortals. “Quids Game” takes the powerful drama ofSquid Gameand reimagines it through a more frightening lense, adding specific character tragedy to adjust for the shift in thematic focus. It’s an impressive episode ofFuturama, and improves on the source material in a cool way.
Futurama
Cast
Futurama is an animated science fiction series that follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from late-20th-century New York City. He is accidentally cryogenically frozen for a thousand years and becomes an employee at Planet Express, a delivery service in the retro-futuristic 31st century.
