"Futurama" The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings (TV Episode 2003) Poster

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10/10
Fry does a deal with the Devil
Tweekums5 September 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This episode harks back to 'Parasites Lost' as we learn that Fry has not given up the holophonor; he is determined to become good enough to woo Leela as he did when he had parasitic worms. He drags Bender to a recital at his class but it is clear that he still has a long way to go as the image he conjures is just frightening. He talks of giving up but Bender has a better idea: why not make a deal with the Devil? He means the Robot Devil of course so they head off to Robot Hell. The Devil has a solution; he will swap Fry's hands for a superior pair taken from a random robot... he did not anticipate that the random robot in question would be himself! Fry is happy with his new hands and quickly becomes a virtuoso of the holophonor; the Devil is far less pleased with his new fleshy hands and sets about finding a devious way to get them back. As Fry's fame spreads Hedonismbot commissions him to write an opera; Fry agrees on condition that it can be about the life of Leela. There is a problem though the Devil has started a train of events that will leave Leela totally deaf! He has a solution... he will give her robotic ears in exchange for her hand. Her failure to read the small print could mean all Fry's attempts to woo her were in vain.

This episode proved to be a great 'final episode'; finally bringing Fry and Leela together in a way that hinted that they would become a couple... of course since then four straight to DVD films and further series have been released but at the time this first aired viewers thought they were watching the last episode. There are plenty of laughs to be had; most provided by Bender... his best moment being when he says 'I'll have a hundred Bucks on Rectal Examining Bot' when the Devil spins the wheel to decide whose hands Fry will get. This is most of all an episode for those fans who believe that Fry and Leela should be together; the romance is played well without getting too cloying for those who don't like 'mushy stuff'. There are also some fun music moments; the best being the final scenes where just about everybody in the Planet Express Crew gets at least one line to sing. When the show does finally come to an end the writers will have quite a task on their hands topping this 'last episode'.
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10/10
A finale for Romantics
abloodshotsonnet31 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
If you've gotten to this last episode after a long journey through every season, there is a powerful catharsis here, especially in the episode's closing moments. The relationship between Fry and Leela had been ebbing and flowing for an eternity with Fry showing his charming side and then promptly undoing any progress he'd made with his gross immaturity. "I love his boyish charm, but I hate his childishness" Leela once said and it perfectly framed their relationship.

The ending of this episode, to me, is the most beautiful piece of television I have personally seen. After all the grandeur of Fry's blossoming holophonist career, it wasn't the majesty of his opera or the dexterity of his new robot hands that brings it together. After losing those hands and regaining the "stupid fingers" that held him back, all he could produce was a crude child-like image of him and Leela kissing and walking away into the horizon for his audience of one, the only one that matters, Leela. Is this not the true crux of romance? Not the grand gestures, but the simple things that hold the most heart and the most power? It would have been so easy to ham-fistedly shoe horn a final image of Fry and Leela finally becoming an item, but the creators managed to give us the long awaited true "kiss" without giving us one at all.

I give this episode a 10/10 not because it ranks up there with the best of Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones, but because the emotions are real and that feeling of catharsis is lightning in a bottle for a beloved series, especially for an obsessive neck beard mom's basement fan.
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10/10
Beautiful
devinbrown-1909118 November 2019
This show is so wonderful, and this is among the 3 most beautiful episodes I have ever seen.
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10/10
a great episode but not a great finale
nerrdrage2 October 2023
One of the classic episodes if you don't require it to be the finale.

It was fun, featuring clever song lyrics and some great voice acting from the Robot Devil (who also is Homer Simpson, by the way) but it wasn't really a satisfying conclusion.

Now it turns out the real finale (Meanwhile) isn't the real finale either because they're still dragging this show out. Except now they're doing it even though the story is over and they have nothing left to say.

Well that's okay, I can ignore those and just go back and rewatch the classic episodes like this one. This marks the end of Futurama's great era and after this, worthwhile episodes are few and far between.
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