Like its forbearer The Simpsons, the early seasons of Futurama contain consistently vintage episodes, some of which carry a particularly powerful emotional punch (looking at you ‘Jurassic Bark’. I could’ve discussed you in this post, but you’re just too darn sad, especially since Seymour’s design is based on a border terrier, my favourite dog breed). Luck of the Fryish definitely falls into this category. Fry seeks revenge against older brother Yancy after believing that he stole his precious four-leaf clover and lived the life he always wanted.
After arriving at the gravesite of his supposed brother and announcing that ‘It’s Cloverin’ time’ (referencing the catchphrase from Marvel character The Thing), Fry’s shovel accidentally hits the gravestone, revealing extra text hidden beneath the moss. We then switch to a flashback with Yancy and his wife, where Yancy gives his son the four-leaf clover that he found in Fry’s safe and names him after his missing younger brother, ultimately revealing that the grave belongs to Fry’s grandson. The flashback then switches back to Fry reading the revealed text. After some amusingly inappropriate graverobbing from Bender, Leela leads him away to give Fry a moment to himself. Fry looks at the four-leaf clover he dug up, prompting Simple Minds’ classic ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ to blare out, and tears up as he puts it back in his grandson’s grave, kneeling and smiling down at it as the camera zooms away. It’s a pretty amazing achievement that a cartoon can have this much emotional impact, no doubt in part to this great tune.
The song itself is definitely more well known for its use in the final scene of John Hughes’ The Breakfast Clubas the teen misfits leave school, ending with the particularly iconic image of Judd Nelson’s John Bender punching his fist into the air (fun fact: Bender is apparently named after the actor). I never really got all the hype with that film, though, and it has a much more powerful impact at the end of Luck of the Fryish. Controversial opinion? Perhaps.