Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles

Did You Know?

• The space station the Professor inadvertently destroys is a parody of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's namesake station.
• The producers explained on the DVD commentary that the parody did not mean they disliked Deep Space Nine; they thought it was one of the best Star Trek series.

Plot

Professor Farnsworth briefly chases his escaped gargoyle, Pazuzu, but quickly loses interest and heads to Florida for an early-bird dinner special. Frustrated by his grumpiness, the Planet Express crew drags the 161-year-old to a spa that promises to reduce age. There, he gets a massage and a bath in scorching hot tar. A mishap sends the whole team tumbling into the tar pit, which de-ages the Professor to his mid-fifties and turns the rest into teenagers. Leela moves into the sewers with her parents, hoping to finally have the normal teenage life she missed. A teenage Fry and Leela start dating, while Amy gets mocked back on Mars for her childhood weight. The Professor tries to fix things by removing chronitons—time-altering particles stuck to their DNA—but his plan backfires, making everyone except Leela, who skipped the treatment, grow even younger. After being grounded, Leela sneaks out to help the others find the legendary Fountain of Aging. The fountain’s current is too strong for the shrunken crew, so Leela dives in to rescue them, sacrificing her second chance at youth. She pulls everyone but the Professor to safety, and Pazuzu returns to save him. Everyone reverts to their original ages, and the Professor, pleased to discover he’s actually a few years older than before, sets Pazuzu free. The episode jumps forward in time to show Pazuzu finishing the story to his child while perched atop the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.