[s4e1] Roswell That Ends Well -

The Subversion of Time Travel Tropes in Futurama

: The episode is dense with references to other works:

A Satirical Deconstruction of the Roswell Incident I. Introduction [S4E1] Roswell That Ends Well

: 1947 Roswell, New Mexico. The crew doesn't just witness the Roswell Incident; they are the incident. Bender : Mistaken for the crashed UFO. Zoidberg : Captured and interrogated as the "alien." III. Thematic Analysis: The Grandfather Paradox

: The episode suggests a closed-loop timeline where Fry was always his own grandfather. The Subversion of Time Travel Tropes in Futurama

: Explain the "rare" cause of time travel—a supernova's red radiation reacting with blue radiation from a microwave—which ensures the crew can't simply travel back whenever they want.

: Note that this is the 51st episode produced (a nod to Area 51) and won the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program . II. Plot Summary & Context Bender : Mistaken for the crashed UFO

: Unlike other sci-fi where characters must avoid their ancestors, Fry accidentally kills his "grandfather" Enos.