Equal parts The Car and The Shining, "The Honking" is a wonderful tribute to the horror film genre that inspired it. And like any great horror mystery, it presents you with a slew of twists and turns before putting the spotlight onto the character that you never expected. All the standard tricks of the horror movie trade are accounted for, and DiMaggio's performance of Bender as the Were-Car is absolutely perfect. There's also some great development in the friendship between Bender and Fry, as well, with some more of that subversive Futurama wit. The curse of the Were-Car killing a best friend results in Bender's murderous attempt on Leela, prompting a charming anger from Fry that he didn't attempt to murder him. It's classic Futurama, combining elements of pop culture with a mockery of narrative tropes.
43. The Why Of Fry
"The Why of Fry" puts even more emphasis on Fry's fateful final day in the year 2000, retroactively showing that he was destined for his 1000 year nap. It's a classic tale, but one that always works; a simple man that doesn't have much to offer on the outside is actually the true hero of the story, and Fry's distinct lack of intelligence ultimately saves the entire universe. It's a great commentary on what our own choices mean for us, whether or not we'll be willing to push ourselves into a cryotube and sacrifice everything in order to save the universe. The episode is stacked with gut-busting one-liners and humor, but it always comes back to the heart of Fry's story about a small man making a huge difference.
