"Jurassic Bark" is the sixty-first episode of Futurama, the seventh of the fourth production season and the second of the fifth broadcast season. It aired on 17 November, 2002, on Fox. Bender grows jealous when Fry attempts to clone his beloved fossilized dog.

The Story

Act I: "That's like digging up Lassie and putting her on display in the Louvre!"

Bender and Fry are practicing some magic tricks, which involves a newspaper. From this paper Fry learns that an intact 20th century pizzeria has been unearthed under New New York, and the two of them go visit the exhibition in the museum that shows the findings. It sports a complete pizzeria reconstruction, and Fry realizes it is actually Panucci's Pizza, the place he used to work at before he was frozen. He tells the Tour Guide he recognizes all the stuff. Among the exhibits are the fossilized remains of a dog that Fry recognizes to be his own. He first met him in August 1997 when he was making a delivery to a prank address (Seymour Asses), and fed a piece of the surplus pizza to the dog that in turn started to follow him around and recognize him as master. The dog aquired the name of the prank address, Seymour Asses or Seymour for short. Fry tries to take the remains of Seymour with him, but is caught and thrown out of the museum. Fry is organizing some protesters to put up public pressure so he can have his dog back. He keeps dancing in front of the museum for three days in ghastly weather, until the museum asks him some questions about the dog and then agrees to return it to him. The Professor finds out that Seymour was fast-fossilized, preserving the cellular structure and making it possible to clone him. Fry can't wait to get his best friend back, which leaves Bender sad and worried.

Act II: "Know ye now what feels like to be Dog God!"

The Professor needs a while to reset the Clone-O-Mat from human mode to dog mode. When the cloning is complete, Seymour will be resurrected with all his memories as he was at the time of his death. In a flashback to 31 December 1999, we see that Seymour did not want to let Fry go on the fateful delivery trip to Applied Cryogenics, but Fry consoled him and told him that he would not be gone for long and that Seymour should await his return in front of Panucci's Pizza. Meanwhile, Fry starts his preparations for the awaited return of his pet - he buys dog toys, a collar and dog food, much to the dismay of Bender who feels he is not getting enough attention from Fry. He is trying to talk Fry out of resurrecting his dog and at the same time seems to pick up some dog characteristics himself. In another flashback, this time to 1 January 2000, we learn that Seymour tried to lead Fry's family to him, but Fry's father would not leave his home because of his fear of Y2K. Meanwhile, Amy and Leela are practicing hand to hand fighting in rather revealing outfits, during which Amy is getting her cute butt kicked bigtime. Bender introduces a kind of dog of his own, Robo-Puppy, which does not have the desired effect of making Fry jealous. Just then, the Professor announces that the Clone-O-Mat is ready. The process takes up a lot of energy which is to be provided by molten lava in the sub-basement of the Planet Express Building, where indeed a lava pit is boiling. Right in the middle of the cloning process, Bender enters and tries to persuade Fry to go to the talent show with him that they have been practicing magic tricks for, but Fry tells him to leave him alone. In a fit of jealous rage, Bender grabs Seymour's remains and hurls it into the lava pit, thinking that Fry will now be his friend again.

Act III: "Professor! Lava! Hot!"

Fry is of course mad at Bender, but the Professor tells him that the dog may survive the lava because the fossil was made of dolomite, an immensely tough and heat-resistant rock. Fry is about to dive into the lava pit, because he figures Seymour would have come after him too - and indeed, in a further flashback to 1 January 2000, we see Seymour looking for Fry everywhere and eventually locating his frozen body at Applied Cryogenics. Back in 3004, Fry is fielded by Amy and Leela before he reaches the pit, and breaks down crying. Bender then realizes that Fry really loved this dog and did not just toy with his emotions. He decides to dive into the lava pit himself, calculating he has a chance of survival because he is 40% dolomite. In yet another flashback to 2000, we see the Fry family enter Applied Cryogenics where the Cryogenicist tells them their dog is there madly scrabbling at Fry's cryogenic tube. They drag Seymour away to find their son without realizing Fry is in that tube. Again in 3004, when Bender takes a long time to reappear, Leela is getting ready to dive after him into the lava, as Bender reappears through the floor of the sub-basement, glowing red-hot and with Seymour's remains in his arms. The cloning process is restarted and Fry learns that Seymour was fifteen years old when he died, meaning that he lived on for twelve years after he was frozen. Fry then refuses to continue the cloning, thinking that Seymour had forgotten him. In the closing shot, we see - in one final flashback - Seymour sitting outside Panucci's Pizza for years and years, always waiting for his master's return as he was told, while around him the world changes and he grows old until he lies down and closes his eyes.

Reception

This episode was named #7 on IGN's list of top 25 Futurama episodes and #2 on TV.com's list of top 10 Futurama episodes.

Additional Info

Trivia

Quotes

Speaker: I hope in time you will realize what an idiot you've been.

Fry: I wouldn't count on it! Bender: [eyeing fossilized Seymour] Blech, that's the least appetizing calzone I've ever seen. Crowd: What do you want?

Fry: Fry's dog!

Crowd: When do you want it?

Fry: Fry's dog! Bender: [referring to Robo-Puppy] I was out walking him. Yes, you can walk him. Of course, after he goes, you have to refill the canisters. Professor Farnsworth: [after Leela nearly rips off her skimpy wrestling outfit to dive in and save Bender] Professor! Lava! Hot!!

Continuity

Allusions

Star Trek Fry makes the Vulcan signal and says live long and prosper to Seymour when they first meet.

Shaft Farnsworth mentions that Dolomite is the "Tough black mineral that won't cop out when there's heat all about", much like Shaft's description in the film's theme song - "... The cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about".

The Simpsons During Seymour's searching montage, he passes a mini-golf course that has the sign: "Because someone inconsiderate created an unsanitary condition, the windmill green is closed until further notice," referencing the episodes "I Married Marge" and "Natural Born Kissers," which featured Homer and Marge having sex at a mini-golf course (in "I Married Marge," it was how Bart was conceived).

Dolemite The dolomite scenes mainly reference the blaxploitation flick Dolemite.

Bender's Robo-Puppy is based on the electronic toy "Tekno the Robotic Puppy", the original model of which came out in the year 2000.

Goofs

The shorts on Amy's tights disappear in some shots.

The rope on the handle of the Clone-O-Mat changes to a chain the second time Farnsworth pulls it.

The characters stand right next to the magma (Amy and Leela even sit on the rim) without getting hurt; in reality, even approaching within a few yards would burn them severely.

During the final cloning scene prior to the last flashback of Seymour waiting for Fry, both Amy and Leela revert to their usual clothing instead of the wrestling outfits they were wearing earlier.

The score of the Rose Bowl was reversed in the game, Stanford was leading 9-3 at halftime in the actual game.

Fry's assumption of how long Seymour lived after Fry was frozen seems based on an assumption that Seymour was 0 when Fry met him, however, this is never firmly established. However, the montage at the end of the episode seems to confirm this.

When Bender enters the lounge with Robo-Puppy, he is holding him on a leash, yet after he says the line "Of course, after he goes you have to refill the canisters.", the leash completely vanishes.

The lava reflected Fry's image like water, in reality lava does not reflect.

Characters