(S06E09) "Things don't exist simply because you believe in them, thus sayeth the almighty creature in the sky!" - Dr. Banjo

It's always nice when a television sitcom can manage to be funny and still have something interesting to say. It's like getting a delicious ice cream cone and discovering a healthy stalk of broccoli inside of it.

Last night's episode of 'Futurama' took on the never-ending heated debate between science and creationism in a way that not only got in a couple of good swipes at either side, but did so in a way that didn't detract from the meat of the meatbags' main conflict.

The Planet Express team, who still seem to spend every waking minute doing things except delivering packages, took on the creationist movement, led by science guy Dr. Farnsworth, to find the "missing missing link" in man's evolutionary structure. When the snooty Dr. Banjo one-upped Dr. Farnsworth's one-up, he left Earth for a lifeless planet and accidentally unleashed a brand of evolving robots. The whole structure of the planet seemed destined for a pro-science ending, but it ended with a very interesting dual symmetry of the setup plot that shows no one theory on either side is perfect without beating you over the head with a beaker or a Bible.

The philosophical side of the episode didn't utilize as much humor as the action packed side, featuring the crew in a rapidly evolving robot world designed to perfectly parody "One Million B.C.," from robotic dinosaurs down to Amy's skimpy two-piece cavewoman suit. I've always loved how 'Futurama' tries to make jokes out of things that only a small core of their audience can appreciate and doesn't worry about pleasing everyone with every bit or plot device. It makes you feel like you're sharing inside jokes with your nerdy little buddies without the pain and humiliation of real life.

The subplot between Cubert and Zoidberg, Cubert's godfather, didn't attach itself to the main plot other than they were the two characters who got left behind, so it didn't feel necessary except to fill time and keep the main plot from getting too stale. It wasn't particularly funny and just made me wish it would get back to the battling robotic dinosaur action faster. However, Cubert's mistaking the word "loser" for "Zoidberg" gave me another laugh, even if it made loser -- I mean Zoidberg -- cry again on the inside.

In fact, just about all of the little jokes from the "Wozniak" school sign reference to Bender's new found time to learn how to knit (if you didn't see them, you really missed out) had a clever sense of humor and timing. 'Futurama' always had the best methods for taking a bad situation and making it hilariously worse.

It's far from the best episode of the season, but that's still saying a lot for a show that has managed to find new ways to stay fresh while it's been in the can for so long.