The following contains spoilers for Futurama season 12 episode 7, “Planet Espresso,” now streaming on Hulu
Futuramaseason 12 introduces some new secret villains to the 31st century who also amplify the power of the show’s long-running primary threat.Futuramais a lot of things, which helps explain the long-term appeal and adaptability of the series. Episodes can range from romantic and epic to darkly comedic and relentlessly silly. This benefits the show immensely, but it also helps that there are certain elements and supporting characters inFuturamathat can be bedrocks for the show to orbit around.
One of the best examples of this is Mom, the show’s biggest villain. She’s been a recurring threat in the show ever since season 1. Although she’s been given some depth over the years, she remainsFuturama’s most consistent antagonist. Even asseason 12 episodes ofFuturamaintroduce new secretive threats to the world, the plans only increase the power and reach of the show’s true big bad, and highlight what makes her so entertaining and adaptable as a threat.
Futurama Finally Reveals The Tragic Truth Behind Hermes' Origins
Futurama’s exploration of Hermes' backstory fleshes out the character’s origins and connects his previous development to the show’s thematic core.
Futurama Season 12’s Coffee Aliens Are The Show’s Secret New Villain
The Thermose Aliens Reveal Their Secret Plan For Earth
The aliens from Thermose that appear inFuturamaseason 12’s “Planet Espresso” are the latest secretive threat to the sci-fi setting, fitting neatly into the world while simultaneously elevating another long-established villain. “Planet Espresso” delves deeper into Hermes' tragic origins, revealing his father abandoned him to begin a coffee business. After his death,Hermes discovers that the coffee he was brewing was actually brought to Earth by long dead aliensfrom the world of Thermose. Their attempts to broaden amplify humanity’s potential with their powerful coffee came to a halt when their ship crashed millions of years ago.
By the end of the episode, Planet Express and Mom have realized the Thermose ambitions by spreading the amplified coffee around the world. However,this was actually a secretive plan by the Thermose aliens all along. The real power of the coffee is the addictive nature of it, resulting in humanity effectively turning Earth into a coffee mill for the present-day versions of the aliens. Remaining in secret and profiting off the results of humanity’s love for the coffee, the Thermose aliens end the episode victorious. However, they also amplify another villain in the process.
Futurama’s Season 12 Alien Villains Only Make Mom A More Dangerous Threat
How The Thermose Conspiracy Makes Mom Even More Powerful
One of the twists in “Planet Espresso"brings Planet Express into an unlikely partnership with Mom. One ofFuturama’s most powerful industrialists, Mom has repeatedly butted heads with the main characters of the sci-fi comedy. However, the villainous CEO always takes an opportunity to earn more profits, leading her to become a silent partner with their coffee shop. The result is thousands of Planet Espressos being opened across the planet, earning the company a massive amount of money along the way. Mom ultimately earns a huge victory by the end of the episode, buying the company from Hermes.
This allows the main characters to inevitably shift back into the standard status quo. Rather than maintain that business however,Mom sells it for a massive profit to a secret investor, the Thermose aliens. Notably however, this earns Mom a massive payout that will only increase her power on Earth. Even as the Thermose aliens enact their own plans, Mom seems unbothered by any competing conspiracies. This highlights just how powerful Mom has become within the world ofFuturama, with other ancient conspiracies only playing minor roles in her overarching plans.
Futurama Season 12 Has Used The Same Story Twice Within The Last Four Episodes
Futurama season 12, episode 6, “Attack of the Clothes” repeats a major storyline from another season 12 episode, although there is one big difference.
Most Of The Conflicts Confronted By Planet Express Have To Do With Mom
WhileFuturamadoesn’t necessarily have a singular threat behind every problem in the series, Mom has established herself as the most consistent and dangerous enemy of the show’s heroes. Unlike otherFuturamavillains who’ve lost their menance like the Omicronians,Mom remains a consistent and dangerous force to be reckoned with. Her personal connections to characters like Bender and Professor Farnsworth gives her villains actions more emotional grounding, while her grander ambitions mean episodes like season 11’s “Related to Items You’ve Viewed” can endanger the entire universe for the sake of profit.
Mom is a great big bad forFuturama, a nefarious and comically vile character who can be threatening or silly from scene to scene. Even compared to similar archetypes like Mr. Burns fromThe Simpsons, Mom has becomeFuturama’s most genuinely dangerous force. “Planet Espresso” highlights how she can remain in that kind of role, even when taking a backseat to the more active villainy of characters like the Thermose aliens. Mom isFuturama’s big bad for a reason, and it’s exciting to see the character remain consistently in the role through multiple revivals of the show.
Futurama
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Futurama is an animated science fiction series that follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from late-20th-century New York City. He is accidentally cryogenically frozen for a thousand years and becomes an employee at Planet Express, a delivery service in the retro-futuristic 31st century.
