Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles 4ACV09

Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles
March 30, 2003

Writer: Jeff Westbrook
Director: Bret Haaland
Production Code: 4ACV26 
Original Air Date: March 30, 2003
Guest Voices: N/A
Collected On: Season 4

NOW INTERACTIVE! Joystick Controls Fry's Left Ear

After Farnsworth starts to really act his age the other Planet Express employees decide to take him to the Bubbling Geezer Hot Springs Spa to be youthesized. While sitting in a pit of youth mud Bender decides to kick the pump up another notch and douses the entire Planet Express crew. Soon they realize that they all have reversed aged all the way back to their teen years. Farnsworth tries to reverse the reverse aging mud but only succeeds in further reversing everyone ages back to childhood. The problem is that the now it cannot be stopped and all are in danger of suffering the fate of pre-life. And then death.

While Farnsworth tries to come up with a way to get everyone back to their original ages, Leela decides to move back home with her parents so that she can experience growing up with them. She 'dates' Fry and they get into a crazy race in the sewers which they eventually win and after the gang is reverted back to even younger versions of themselves she becomes their baby sitter. While babby sitting she comes across an old fable about the Fountain of Aging and tells Farnsworth about it so they go off in search of it. They are able to find it and none too soon as everyone, including Bender, have reverted back to tiny baby in the womb creatures and so they jump in the fountain. Farnsworth cannot hold onto the ledge and so they are plunged deeper into the fountain and are now at risk of aging too rapidly all the way past their deaths. Leela jumps in and is able to save everyone except Farnsworth and in the process she loses her one chance to experience growing up with her parents. Farnsworth is still floating in the fountain when he is rescued by... well, you will have to watch the episode yourself to find that out.

Similar to Less Than Hero this episode is based more on wackiness and less on what Futurama has typically been about. That is OK though as the beginning scenes with Farnsworth are great and seeing everyone go through their various early stages was hilarious. For having so many storylines going in one show it never felt rushed and everyone got pretty equal time enough to get the point across. Really fun episode.