10 TV Shows That Cleverly Foreshadow What Happens
7. Futurama - Fry's Purpose
Futurama was one of the best-written science fiction series of all time, and the writers had a lot of fun keeping their fans guessing. From an alien alphabet they had to recreate due to fans figuring it out to a real equation created for the show, there's a ton in there for viewers.
One of the aspects of the series that remained a constant was the joke that because Fry was his own grandfather, he possessed a unique mind, which made him immune to the Brain Spawns. That may sound silly and confusing—and it is, but it's also something the series called back to a number of times.
In the season four episode, "The Why of Fry," his purpose was explained by Nibbler, who was forced to freeze Fry in the 20th century so he could be helpful to the universe in the 30th century. Nibbler was shown to be hiding in the shadows under the desk where he gave Fry's chair a little nudge.
The best part of this episode was that it was shown in the series pilot, but it was hard to notice. For just a single frame—maybe two or three, Nibbler's shadow is visible as Fry falls out of his chair into the cryotube. Futurama foreshadowed an event four seasons in advance and got away with it because hardly anyone noticed before "The Why of Fry" hit the airwaves.