# Future Stock

"Future Stock" is the twenty-first episode in the third season of the American animated television series Futurama, and the 53rd episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 31, 2002.

## Plot

At a Planet Express stockholders' meeting, Hermes Conrad and Professor Farnsworth inform the shareholders that the company is on the verge of bankruptcy and the stock is worthless. Meanwhile, Fry wanders away from the meeting in search of food and finds his way into a support group meeting for cryogenic clients who have been defrosted. There he meets a sleazy 1980s businessman (Who is never named and referred to only as "That Guy" throughout the episode, though called Steve Castle in the script.) who froze himself while awaiting a cure for his terminal "boneitis", having gutted a company that was close to developing a cure for $100,000,000.
When the Planet Express stockholders decide to vote on a new CEO, Fry nominates That Guy and he beats out the Professor by one vote. That Guy names Fry his new Vice Chairman, and sets out to remake Planet Express by giving it an expensive image overhaul. That Guy spends the company funds on creating the image that Planet Express is a success, despite not having made a delivery since his takeover. The rest of the crew grow concerned about the company's trajectory, leading Zoidberg to sell all his stock to That Guy for a sandwich. They voice their concerns to Fry, who reassures them That Guy has all their interests at heart, before That Guy announces that he is selling Planet Express to Mom so she can eliminate them as competitors.
Feeling guilty for letting the company go out of business, Fry vows to block the takeover. The takeover is held at the orbiting Intergalactic Stock Exchange, where all Planet Express employees vote against it, but the stock That Guy bought from Zoidberg gave him a controlling interest and he outvotes them. Mom and her sons vote for the takeover and agree to buy out all outstanding shares in Planet Express at the current market price of $107 a share, which the crew discovers will make them all rich. Before the final approval can take place, That Guy suddenly succumbs to his boneitis, having forgotten to cure the disease, and dies, leaving Fry in control of his shares. Fry then makes a speech having learned that even though money's fine, in the end, what counts is friendship, which is more important. The crew try to stop Fry from doing the right thing and sell the company for their financial gain, but it's too late: as a result of his speech, the stock price has gradually crashed down until it reached $0.03 a share, leaving the stock again worthless. Since they will all now be poor either way, Fry votes against the deal. The staff leaves to spend the weekend in disappointment over the loss of their potential wealth, with Fry content in saving Planet Express.

## Cultural references

The title is wordplay on Future Shock, a book written by the futurist Alvin Toffler in 1970. The Planet Express advert, in which a woman hurls a Planet Express box at a giant glass screen with Mom on it, is a parody of the famous 1984 television advert that introduced the Apple Macintosh. At 'The Big Ape Fight', Calculon uses a similar line from the original Planet of the Apes film in the style of Charlton Heston. The episode also references the 1987 film Wall Street and other 1980s films related to stockbroking.

## Broadcast and reception

In its initial airing, the episode received a Nielsen rating of 2.7/6, placing it 94th among primetime shows for the week of March 25–31, 2002. The episode was given an A by the A.V. Club.