The Series Has Landed
| "The Series Has Landed" | |
|---|---|
| Futurama episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Peter Avanzino |
| Written by | Ken Keeler |
| Production code | 1ACV02 |
| Original air date | April 4, 1999 |
| Opening caption | "In Hypno-Vision" |
| Opening cartoon | "Baby Bottleneck" (1946) |
"The Series Has Landed" is the second episode of the first season of Futurama. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 4, 1999. The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Peter Avanzino. In this episode, several main characters, including Doctor Zoidberg, Amy Wong, and Hermes Conrad are first introduced, and the crew goes on their first mission. After completing their delivery a series of mishaps occurs which puts Fry and Leela's lives in danger and nearly leaves all of them trapped on the moon.
Settling into their new jobs, Fry, Leela, and Bender are introduced to the other Planet Express employees: Doctor John A. Zoidberg, intern Amy Wong, and bureaucrat Hermes Conrad. It becomes apparent that the ship needs a captain, and Leela is chosen. On their first mission, a delivery to the Moon, Fry undergoes severe culture shock. No longer a daring voyage of exploration, lunar travel has become a day trip to an amusement park called Luna Park. By the 31st century, the actual details of Project Apollo are lost and have been replaced by musicals about whalers on the moon and goofy gophers. This upsets Fry, who wants to see the real moon.
In spite of Leela's orders to the contrary, Fry hijacks a car from the lunar rover ride and forces it off its track, taking Leela with him. They fall into a crater, forcing Leela to use up most of their oxygen to save them. Meanwhile, Amy loses the keys to the ship and has to recover them from a video arcade claw game. Bender attempts to help her, but he is caught reaching through the prize slot and ejected from the park, leaving him stranded on the Moon's surface. Running low on oxygen, Fry and Leela take refuge on a hydroponic farm. Bender arrives and seduces one of the farmer's robot daughters and he, Fry, and Leela end up on the run, trying to out-distance both the farmer's shotgun and the lunar terminator. Leela berates Fry for refusing to accept that, apart from the amusement park, the moon is nothing but a wasteland. As night falls on the Moon, Fry and Leela find the Apollo 11 lander and take shelter inside it. Fry apologizes to Leela for hijacking the car from the ride and explains his childhood dream of being an astronaut. Leela sympathizes, and they watch an Earthrise together. Eventually, Amy manages to rescue all three with her newly developed crane operation skills, just before the farmer can kill them.
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