It's something that you don't even realize until it happens, but "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles" will likely make you fall in love with the Fry and Leela's relationship right before your very eyes. It's a simple premise, taking your normally adult characters and making them younger to see what would happen, but it works perfectly in this episode. The adorable interactions between teenage Fry and Leela are the real draw here, as well as her stubborn desire to have a real adolescent lifestyle of curfews and rules. It also goes to show a deeper bond between the entire Planet Express crew as Leela sacrifices her one chance to be a teenager in order to return them all to normal, a touching climax to a winning episode.
41. A Leelah Of Her Own
The general reception of "A Leela of Her Own" by fans of Futurama is actually quite low, as it is routinely ridiculed by fans of the show. But while it does tend to take itself rather seriously in comparison to other episodes, it's quite underrated in that it contains some compelling discussion of women's rights, and how corrupting it can turn it into something that hinders equality as opposed to raising awareness. But it isn't just a riff on "A League of Their Own"; in fact, it's very clearly Bad News Bears. Leela's passion to become the greatest Blernsball player of all time is offset by being barely defeated by Jackie Anderson in the final game, echoing the climax of that film and proving that winning isn't everything.
