'Futurama' Season 9, Episode 5 Recap - 'Zapp Dingbat'

Opening Credits Gag: "Cancel/Ok." What if they had pressed cancel? What would we have watched? Another "South Park" rerun?

The Highlights:

It all starts at the 40th anniversary party for Leela's parents, Morris and Munda, where things take a turn as the couple gets into a lover's quarrel big enough to split them up. Like, divorce split. But the two are now free to pursue their dreams, which includes surfing the world's sewers for Morris, and seeing space for Munda.

It is there, in space, where Munda meets Zapp Branagan, saving his butt from being vaporized by some Karkarons by using her exolinguistics skills. Yes, the writers didn't forget about the fact that Munda mentions her degree in exolinguistics in "Leela's Homeworld." Continuity! Yay!

Zapp and Munda totally hit it off, which is kinda gross for everyone involved. Leela is convinced that it's just so Zapp can get to her, at least until she tries to seduce him and it fails. Instead of going for it, Zapp ends up proposing to Munda.

The wedding is on just long enough for Zapp to show how much of a jerk he is: the signing of a peace treaty with the Karkarons interrups the wedding, and Munda (as Zapp's translator) goes along with him to find that he's tricking the Karkarons into signing a war declaration, after which he'll vaporize their fleet.

The wedding is off, Morris shows up and surfs the Nimbus to safety, and all is well again.

The Heartstrings:

Of course there's Leela's reconciliation with her mother, but none of the Turanga family stuff will every be as heartwarming as it was in "Leela's Homeworld" (which still gets me teary-eyed).

But the real "aww" gem in here is when Fry convinces Leela that Munda actually seems happy, and Leela surprisingly agrees that he's right. When Fry suggests that maybe he is marriage material after all, Leela gives him a smooch and a hopeful "you're getting there." There you go, Leela/Fry 'shippers!

Notes & Quotes:

- "It's the battle of Pacos Tacos all over again!"

- "After all these years, I'm going places I've never been. And having sex there!"

- Leprechaunorrhea. Ha.

- Zapp's pronunciation of "parm-eh-zee-ahn cheese"

- "Careful, that's glass!"