REVIEW - Futurama - S07E22 - 'Leela and the Genestalk'

This week's episode of Futurama, 'Leela and the Genestalk', while not amazing, was certainly better than the last couple of episodes we have seen. More familiar faces return, Fry is his usual silly self, and we get to see the Planet Express crew line-dancing.

Leela comes down with a condition called "squidification", which means she will soon turn into a giant squid as a result of her mutant DNA. There is a medical procedure which can be used to delay Leela's squidification, but it is very expensive. The Planet Express crew wants to help, and the Professor lets Fry sell "Old Bessie" (the Planet Express Ship). Fry sells the ship for giant "magic" beans. Leela, realising she now has no hope of returning to normal, decides to live in the sewers with her parents and the rest of the mutants. Just as she is about to descend into the sewers, she notices a giant beanstalk and decides to climb it. On top of a cloud, Leela finds Mom and her "floating genetic engineering facility". Mom decides to imprison Leela and use her DNA in some experiments. Fry and Bender realise that Leela has gone missing, and make it their mission to save her. But even if they are able to save Leela from Mom, can she be rescued from her squidification?

Overall, I enjoyed this episode. It was nice to see Mom and her three sons up to no good again, and the fairy tale references were worth a smile or two. Though it may not have been the best episode of this season, this week's episode was still better than the last few we have seen, so hopefully this means Futurama is on the improve as the series draws to a close.

Review by Heather Bale.