‘Futurama’ Fans Remember One of Its Most Heartbreaking Episode

As we come out of the Holiday season, some Futurama fans are looking back at one of the most touching episodes of the animated series.

The episode is “The Luck of the Fryrish.” It focuses on Fry and his relationship with the family he left behind in the 20th century, and his brother, Yancy, in particular.

The episode finds Fry down on his luck in the 31st century. He hopes to turn his luck around by finding the lucky seven-leaf clover he hid away back in the 20th century. He takes Leela and Bender to search for it in the ruins of Old New York.

The episode includes vignettes of Fry and Yancy growing up. It seems like Yancy resented Fry from the day he was born. As they grew up, Yancy stole signatures moves from Fry, including his hook shot in basketball and his dance moves.

When Fry finds the clover is missing from the safe he stored it in, he assumes Yancy stole it. It gets worse when Fry discovers a statue of someone who looks just like Yancy wearing the clover on his lapel. The inscription reads “Philip J. Fry – The Original Martian.”

Fry believes Yancy stole both his clover and his name. He learns that this Philip J. Fry was a national treasure. Determined to take back what’s his, Fry goes to Philip’s grave to dig up the clover. He stops when he sees the headstone reads, “Here Lies Philip J. Fry, named for his uncle, to carry on his spirit.”

In flashback, Yancy finds the clover accidentally on his wedding day. When his son is born, he passes the clover onto him and his wife gives him the okay to name their child after Yancy’s brother, whom he misses very much. Upon realizing the truth, Fry leaves the clover buried with his nephew.

The episode first aired as part of Futurama‘s third season in 2001. It won an Annie Award for “Outstanding individual achievement for writing in an animated television production.” When Comedy Central asked fans to vote for their favorite Futurama episodes to air in a marathon, “Luck of the Fryish” got the third-most votes behind fellow tearjerkers “The Devil’s Hands are Idle Playthings” and “Jurassic Bark.”

While “Jurassic Bark” is generally accepted to be the most heartbreaking episode of Futurama, a quick look at the comments on Reddit show that there’s an argument to made for “The Luck of Fryrish” being just as emotionally resonant, if not more so.

What do you think of “Luck of the Fryrish”? Let us know in the comments!