Warning: Spoilers for Futurama season 11, episode 2!
Summary
- The revival of Futurama season 11 may complicate Fry and Leela's relationship by introducing questions about whether they want children.
- The episode "Children of a Lesser Bog" hinted at Fry's desire for kids, and Leela seemed open to the prospect.
- Despite the potential for a dramatic storyline, it may not be fitting for Fry and Leela to become parents, as it would overshadow Amy and Kif's parenting plot and may not align with their personalities.
After a 10-year hiatus, new episodes of Futurama season 11 are wasting no time in teasing a crucial Fry/Leela storyline that was ignored for years. In the tradition of sitcom romances, Fry and Leela's relationship was inconsistent. However, the on-again/off-again couple's story was even harder to follow thanks to Futurama’s messy history — both in the world of the show and on air. As season 11 pokes fun at, Futurama was canceled and un-canceled a grand total of four times, further complicating Fry and Leela's relationship.
In Futurama’s brilliant series finale, the show finally confirmed that Fry and Leela end up together. Of course, Hulu's unexpected Futurama season 11 revival has complicated things. Wisely, the revival didn’t break up the happy couple for the umpteenth time. Instead, the series seems more interested in tackling core relationship questions it never had the space to interrogate before. Futurama season 11, episode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog,” introduced a question that could complicate the seemingly blissful Fry/Leela relationship. Somehow, the series never properly addressed whether Fry and Leela want children, but episode 2 hinted that kids might be in their future.
Futurama Season 11, Episode 2 Implied Fry & Leela May Want Kids
In “Children of a Lesser Bog,” Leela spent most of the episode’s story struggling to look after Amy’s kids. Thanks to a quirk of Kif’s bizarre biology, the children technically have Leela’s DNA. Even though Leela just stepped in to relieve an exhausted Amy while Kif was away, it quickly became clear that the children loved babysitter Leela. Despite her disinterest in parenting Amy and Kif's kids, Leela was happy to see the family reunited at the episode's end, which led to a surprising twist.
Fry embraced Leela and made a thoughtful comment about Amy and Kif’s children in the episode’s closing moments, noting that the family's bond was strong. Fry's wistful tone made it seem like he might want children of his own someday. For her part, Leela did not seem uncomfortable with the prospect. Not only did she find Amy, Kif, and the kids' reunion heartwarming, but Leela discovered unexpected joy in her babysitting stint. That said, if the pair can work out what they want, there's a chance that Futurama’s main couple may have children in season 11.
Why Fry and Leela Have No Kids In Futurama
Fry and Leela’s will-they-won't-they romance lasted so long that the pair were never together long enough to consider the possibility of children. Although they did date throughout Futurama’s many seasons, their relationship was anything but stable, especially given that Fry was comically irresponsible. Although Leela was never as ludicrously childish as Fry, she had an immature streak that would have made parenting seem like an odd fit. Meanwhile, the dangerous nature of Planet Express makes the prospect of having kids an even more high-risk endeavor.
Given that Futurama’s season 11 revival began with a meta episode about Fry attempting to binge-watch every TV show ever made, it's fair to say that he hasn't grown up yet. Similarly, when Leela wasn’t babysitting Amy’s kids, she spent the rest of “Children of a Lesser Bog” stealing the jelly filling from the office’s communal box of donuts. As such, there's an argument to be made that neither Fry nor Leela has matured enough to consider parenting, which made Fry’s comment at the episode’s end an even bigger surprise.
Futurama Season 11 Still Shouldn’t Make Fry & Leela Parents
Although there's a lot of dramatic potential in a plot line that sees Fry and Leela having kids, it doesn't mean Futurama season 11 should necessarily go through with it. While having kids seems like the next step in their story, Fry and Leela have never been a traditional pair. Not only does becoming parents not fit with their personalities, but if Fry and Leela were to have kids, their story would completely overshadow Amy and Kif's parenting plot. Futurama’s season 11 trailer promised more topical satire, which means the show likely won't have time to explore a Fry/Leela parenting thread in Futurama’s 10-episode run on Hulu.
New episodes of Futurama release Mondays on Hulu.
