Futurama, Fox's forgotten adult-animated series, might not be the most well-known or the most factually correct, but the show's writers always knew how to pull on the heartstrings. And in one particular episode, they hit a note that still resonates the same today.
In Season 7, Episode 4, "Jurassic Bark," Fry discovers that the old pizzeria he worked at is still intact. The prehistoric store is later converted into a museum that he visits, and it's where he finds the fossilized remains of his dog Seymour. The archeologists who dug up the site won't give Seymour up to Fry, but they eventually agree, conveniently after Fry shares a meaningless piece of information with them.
Once he has the fossilized dog in hand, Fry takes it back to the Professor's laboratory for cloning. They have to deal with a jealous Bender and problematic technology, but eventually, Farnsworth gets the cloning machine to work.
When Professor Farnsworth begins the process, his computer performs an analysis of the Seymour fossil. The results retrieved reveal that Fry's dog died at the ripe age of 15 years old, and as soon as Fry learns the truth, he smashes the Professor's machine to prevent the cloning from being completed.
Fry Lets Seymour Go Without Cloning Him
With everyone shocked, Fry has to explain that Seymour lived twelve years without him and likely forgot all about him during that time. But what Fry doesn't know is Seymour waited in the same spot, never moving. A flashback at the episode's end shows the seasons passing as Seymour sits patiently in front of the pizzeria.
There's a lot to unpack in the ending of Fry and Seymour's story. For one, would they have gone through with the cloning if they'd known the loyal dog waited in the same spot?
Planet Express's lone delivery boy was under the impression that his pet lived an entirely new life without him, but that's not technically true. While Seymour did live until the year 2012, his existence was a stagnant one that had little to no purpose. The final scene puts that fact into perspective, showing time pass as nothing else changes for Seymour, except his age.
Fry, unfortunately, doesn't know his friend from the past spent almost his entire life waiting for him. Of course, if he had, Fry would've likely requested that the Professor revive Seymour instead of allowing the fossil to remain dormant.
What's strange is the concept of animals waiting for their dead owners isn't a fictional one. Hachiko, a loyal Japanese Akita dog, is widely known as the dog that waited nine years for his owner's return.
The Story Of Hachiko
A man by the name of Ueno adopted Hachiko in 1923 and would walk side-by-side with him to and from the nearby train station, where he boarded to go to work. They did so every day without skipping a beat, until one day, Ueno didn't come home.
Sadly, Ueno reportedly died from a brain hemorrhage. His dog had no idea what happened, and all it could do was go back to the train station. There, Hachiko would wait for the trains to roll in and search them endlessly, hoping to see his owner again. The dog would repeat the same routine for nine years until his passing on March 8, 1935.
Hachiko and Seymour's stories both ended in under less than ideal circumstances, but there's a silver lining here. While both dogs spent their lives waiting for someone they cared for to return, that level of dedication shows they shared a deep bond with their respective owners. And while neither pair got the opportunity to share long lives together, their limited time proved meaningful to both pairs.
The bright side is dogs and pets, in general, bring a sense of joy to people's lives, and individuals who cherish their animal friends, tend to hold on to happy memories even after a pet's passing. Those memories can elicit an array of reactions from sadness to joy to serenity, though the one thing most people will agree with is that it's a bittersweet feeling.
Having to reflect on an animal's passing is painful, but there's a sense of relief that comes along with it. We as people can't neglect the good times, so while thinking of a dog's death may bring tears to our eyes, a faint smile usually accompanies it.
Futurama's Fry shines a spotlight on this difficult but purposeful point of existence, giving us a reason to think a little more. All in all, the sci-fi series deserves more credit than it's been given. Perhaps the time is right for a revival. Fans have been asking for one for years, the fandom is still alive and well on Twitter and Facebook, and the cast returned for a podcast back in 2017, as well as a crossover with The Simpsons in 2014. That said, there's reason enough to bring the show back. The question is, should it happen on Fox alongside The Simpsons or on another platform?