Futurama Season 12 Calls Itself Out For Continuing A Leela Problem That I Really Hope Ends

The following contains spoilers for Futurama season 12 “Beauty And The Bug,” now streaming on Hulu

Summary

• Leela is out of character in “Beauty And The Bug” by not engaging in wildlife activism.
• The episode focuses more on Amy and Bender, shifting away from Leela’s usual animal rights activism.
• Fans can only hope Futurama episodes in season 12 will give Leela more attention and character development.

Futurama is poking fun at itself for a season 12 problem with Leela, and I really hope things change in new episodes. Leela is one of the bedrock characters of Futurama, introduced in the show’s first episode and playing a major role in the series as a whole. I’d argue Leela is the show’s third most important character, and often the most emotionally resonant. Leela’s love story with Fry, moral stances and determined personality have made her one of the show’s primary protagonists, as opposed to the more goofy episodic adventures that Bender usually embarks on.

As a result, Leela has gotten plenty of episodes focused on her over the years. However, she hasn’t really been getting as much of a turn in the spotlight in Futurama‘s Hulu revival. Instead, one of my favorite characters in the show has been released largely to supporting roles that keep her important but not at the center of the story. This trend continues into “Beauty and the Bug,” which feels like a big missed opportunity, considering the way it would have fit perfectly alongside her past episodes.

Leela Feels Very Out Of Character In Futurama’s “Beauty And The Bug”

Leela Isn’t An Activist For Once, And It Feels Weird

Leela is strangely absent from the central plot of “Beauty and the Bug,” which is very surprising given her past characterization. For much of Futurama, Leela has been defined in part by her activism on behalf of wild animals. Several great episodes have centered their plots around this activism, including the Omicronian-heavy season 2 episode “The Problem With Popplers” and season 5’s “Into the Wild Green Yonder.” However, she offers no defense of the Buggalo in “Beauty and the Bug,” in a decision that feels out of character to me.

While Leela has never been established as a vegetarian, she often rallies against the mistreatment of the natural world. This makes her lack of relevancy in “The Beauty and the Bug” all the more surprising. Season 9’s “31st Century Fox” even saw Leela protest the act of fox hunting, a functionally similar pasttime to the Buggalo fights at the center of the episode. What makes it even more surprising is that the show recognizes it. Amy brings up the same points, asking Leela why she isn’t getting involved. Leela’s claims that she doesn’t care ring hollow for the character.

Why Beauty And The Bug Is More About Amy Than Leela (Despite Futurama’s Past Animal Storylines)

Amy’s History & Bender’s Romance Keep Any Focus In “Beauty And The Bug” Off Of Leela

Despite Leela being one of the show’s primary animal activist characters, the plotline of “Beauty and the Bug” does offer some explanation why Leela isn’t at the heart of the episode. Amy’s previous connection to the Buggalo justifies placing her at the heart of the episode, effectively filling the activist role that I’d typically expect to see Leela in. The rest of the episode is dedicated to Bender, giving him a genuinely interesting romantic subplot. Overstuffing the episode with an additional focus on Leela would have distracted from the episode’s strengths, so I understand moving her to the sidelines.

Still, it’s a surprising decision. So many previous episodes have underscored Leela’s drive to protect animals, and many of them have been among the show’s best episodes. Episodes like “The Problem With Popplers” and season 3’s “The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz” made this activism a core element of the character. Even though she’s often subverted expectations in this regard by eating animals or excusing hunting for robots, Leela’s commitment to animals has been a long-standing aspect of the show. It’s why I’m so shocked season 12 didn’t focus their animal-activist plot around her.

I Really Hope Futurama Season 12 Gives Leela A Bigger Focus After Episode 4

Despite Being A Main Character, Leela Hasn’t Taken Center-Stage In Season 12

Leela really hasn’t gotten a huge amount of focus in season 12 so far, which is a shame. As one of Futurama‘s lead characters, it’s surprising to see her relegated to supporting roles. Four episodes into a ten-episode season, Leela was a side character in “The One Amigo” and had supporting roles in “Beauty and the Bug.” While Leela and her relationship with Fry does get strong material in Futurama‘s Squid Game parody in “Quids Game” and “The Temp,” it’s in service of the Fry-centric storylines. Leela hasn’t been a main character in season 12 yet.

The synopsis for the next episode, “One Is Silicon, And The Other Gold” suggests that it will focus on Leela and her personal life, which hopefully should give the character a bit more of the spotlight she’s been missing. It still remains an odd decision though to not give Leela a more important role in the animal activist episode, especially given previous storylines focused on her. So far, it feels like season 12 is underserving Leela. When even Futurama is poking fun at itself for this out-of-character beat, it’s clear that it feels like a missed opportunity.