The crew of the Planet Express has been enjoying interplanetary adventures in the animated sci-fi sitcomFuturamafor 12 seasons now, with even more to come. The seriesfollows pizza-delivery boy Fry(Billy West) after being accidentally cryogenically frozen in 1999 and waking up 1,000 years later. The show has famously been canceled multiple times—it first premiered onFoxin 1999 and ran for four seasons, then moved toComedy Centraland was eventually rebooted by streaming serviceHulu.
Among the characters Fry metwhen he wakes up in the future is Turanga Leela (Katey Sagal), the tough purple-haired Cyclops and captain of Planet Express, with whom he has often had an on-again, off-again relationship. Over the course of the show’s 12 seasons and counting,some ofFuturama’s best episodes have centered on Leela, as well as her relationship with Fry, highlighting not just her character but a beautiful love story.
Futurama follows the exploits of Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from 1999 who is cryogenically frozen for 1000 years. Waking up in the year 3000, Fry befriends a cyclops named Leela and a roguish robot named Bender, and the three find employment with Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery service. Their work takes them to all corners of the universe, exploring space and the future as imagined by Matt Groening and the creators of The Simpsons.
10"The Problem with Popplers"
Season 2, Episode 15
In “The Problem with Popplers,” Fry and Bender (John DiMaggio) think an Omicronian nesting ground is actually filled with snack food they called “Popplers”. After discovering they are highly addictive, the Planet Express crew see them as a new business venture and begin selling them, to great success. A group of protesters inform them of the truth—that they are really infant Omicronians—and Leela eventually joins their cause. Meanwhile, the Omicronians announce they will begin eating the people of Earth as revenge.
“The Problem with Popplers” was a great example of Leela’s strong sense of morals. Although she is the first to discover and love eating Popplers, she changes her mind quickly when she learns the truth. However, it gets her nowhere and she beomes the first intended meal of the Omicronians. Above all, it’s just a hilarious episodewith memorable lines and jokesfrom beginning to end. The episode’s title is also a play on theStar Trekepisode “The Problem with Tribbles.”
9"I Second That Emotion"
Season 2, Episode 1
In the Season 2 premiere “I Second That Emotion,” Bender, annoyed with the attention Nibbler (Frank Welker) was getting during his birthday party, flushes Nibbler down the toilet, leading Leela to wish Bender could feel what she felt. Professor Farnsworth (West) makes her wish a reality by forcibly implanting Bender with a chip which allows him to feel emotions—specifically Leela’s, as it’s connected to her emotions, meaning he could feel whatever she did. Overwhelmed by the feeling of loss, Bender sets out to find and rescue Nibbler.
“I Second That Emotion” was a great episode for both Leela and Bender.It was a perfect example of Bender’' selfishness and Leela’s emotional side, highlighting how drastically different the two characters can be from each other, as well as the ways each could learn from the other. In Leela’s case, she’s so scared that her fear paralyzes Bender, leading him and Fry to persuade her that there are some benefits to not always considering others' feelings.
8"Teenage Mutant Leela’s Hurdles"
Season 4, Episode 9
In “Teenage Mutant Leela’s Hurdles,” hoping to make the Professor a little happier, younger and less forgetful, the Planet Express crew uses the anti-aging effects of a pool at a day spa; after they all fall in, it makes everyone younger. Farnsworth becomes middle-aged, while the others all become teenagers. While the others seek to reverse the effects, Leela spends time with her parents, enjoying the teen years she never got to experience with them.
Reliving one’s teenage years sounds like a nightmare, but for Leela, it was anything but.“Teenage Mutant Leela’s Hurdles” gave her the tumultuous teen years with her parents she never had.Her desire to use the aging mishap to her advantage in a way that gives her time with her parents is sweet, as is her relationship with Fry playing out as a teenage romance. It was also a wonderfully funny episode all around.
7"A Bicyclops Built for Two"
Season 2, Episode 9
In “A Bicyclops Built for Two,” Leela meets a man on the Internet named Alcazar (David Herman), who she believes is the last of their species. She’s invited to visit him on his home planet. She chooses to sleep with him in the hopes of continuing their species, but afterward, he becomes abusive. She feels she has to stay with him for the good of their species and is about to marry him until Fry reveals he isn’t who he claimed to be.
“A Bicyclops Built for Two” was a fun look at Leela’s character—Leela was willing to carry on their species and was even willing to tolerate being treated horribly to do so, at least up to a point. The episode is a fun nod to Sagal’s role as Peg Bundy in the sitcomMarried… with Children, and it also teases the truth about Leela’s parents, which is later revealed in Season 4.
6"Anthology of Interest I"
Season 2, Episode 16
Farnsworth builds a What-If machine in “Anthology of Interest I,” which allows users to view a simulation of a hypothetical situation after asking a “what if” question. It answers four questions—in the segment “Dial L for Leela,” Leela uses it to find out what she would be like if she were more impulsive and sees herself going on a killing spree, starting with the Professor. The only person left is Fry.
“Anthology of Interest I”was an entertaining episode, and each segment was a great piece ofFuturamastorytelling. It was a great way to explore possible scenarios and, best of all, different versions ofFuturama’s characters.The episode presents a drastically different Leela, one prone to violence in the name of being impulsive; but, one of those impulsive decisions was sleeping with Fry. This version of Leela proves being more impulsive wouldn’t be a good thing.
5"The Late Philip J. Fry"
Season 6, Episode 7
“The Late Philip J. Fry” sees the Professor creating a time machine which can only move forward in time. Fry, desperate to make up for his habitual lateness on his dates with Leela, agrees to test the machine by moving forward one minute at a time and explains his lateness in a video birthday card to her. However, they accidentally travel far further in time than intended, with no way to go back.
“The Late Philip J, Fry” isa quintessential episode ofFuturama. While the plot largely focuses on Fry and the Professor moving through the future, it also shows Leela’s life in their absence. She proves to be a successful businesswoman as she takes over Planet Express, but she never stops missing Fry and never experiences love like she had with him.Leela acknowledges her time with Fry as the best time of her life.
4"The Sting"
Season 4, Episode 12
The crew attempts to collect the honey made by ferocious space bees in “The Sting”—a job which killed the Professor’s previous crew. When they are attacked by a baby queen bee, Leela is taken back with them. Fry sacrifices himself to save her, sending her into mourning for him. In the end, it is revealed that Leela had actually been in a coma the whole time, with Fry sitting by her bedside.
“The Sting” was an emotional episode with a compelling twist. Although it’s a commonly used one,Futuramapulls it off beautifully. Leela’s experiences, while she’s in the coma, highlight her caring, maternal side. Like a few of her best episodes, it also happens to deal with her relationship with Fry, specifically her feelings for him, as opposed to the other way around. It touches on how impactful emotional bonds can be between two people.
3"The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings"
Season 4, Episode 18
In an attempt to impress Leela, Fry tries to learn how to play the holophonor in the Season 4 finale (and the final episode ofFuturama’s run on Fox) “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings.” Hoping to improve, he and Bender visit Robot Hell, where the Robot Devil (Dan Castellaneta) allows him to exchange hands with a robot chosen at random by spinning a wheel, but the wheel just so happens to selectthe hands of the Robot Devilhimself.
“The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings” was an important episode not just for Leela, but for her and Fry as a couple.It was also a sweet episode for Fry, demonstrating the lengths he is willing to go to win Leela’s heart. It’s regarded not just as a great episode for her but as one of the best in the series and served as a great finale, even if it didn’t take.
2"Leela’s Homeworld"
Season 4, Episode 2
The orphanage where Leela was raised wants to honor her accomplishments as a starship captain and name her Orphan of the Year in “Leela’s Homeworld.” Despite delivering an inspiring speech, Leela still struggles with not having parents in her life. Unbeknownst to her, her parents had been secretly watching her nearby and had been for her entire life. The episode also reveals that Leela is a mutant, not an alien as previously thought.
“Leela’s Homeworld” was a moving episode which offered more information about Leela’s pastand, most importantly, her parents in one of the series' long-running storylines. The reveal that they had always been watching her is particularly sweet, as is the episode’s final montage of Leela’s childhood. Overall, it’s a touching episode that dealt with the lengths parents will go to protect their children and give them a good, happy life.
1"Meanwhile"
Season 7, Episode 26
In the Season 7 finale—and final episode of the show’s second run—“Meanwhile,” the Professor invents a device which allows its users to travel back in time by ten seconds. After a close call which could’ve killed Leela, Fry decides to propose to her. Intending to use the time-travel device to craft the perfect proposal, he accidentally freezes time instead for everyone but the two of them.
Futuramahas often presented a beautiful love story when it’s focused on Fry and Leela.“Meanwhile” was a sweet episode and a perfect (temporary) ending about Fry and Leela and their relationship, with a touching look at their lives together, plus the chance to do it all again. For the run of the series at that point, it was satisfying to see them truly happy. “Meanwhile” is heartfelt and moving,with a perfect ending, including some of the best ending dialogue in a TV finale.
