It was time for a Crazy Professor episode and with Attack of the Clothes this year’s Futurama season gets one in the best way possible. It’s funny, crazy and absolutely ludicrous – and one of the best Farnsworth stories yet. Written by Ariel Ladensohn, who actually is more associated with the Solar Opposites competition and was only involved with one previous Futurama episode, the story still hits all the hallmarks of a Futurama classic. Professor Farnsworth’s shenanigans are always welcome and this entry takes things in a direction that is unusual even for Futurama.

Professor Farnsworth channeling his inner Frankenstein is actually not really new but in Attack of the Clothes it echoes the original closely for the first time. Because that would have been boring, it’s not even the main idea of the story – just the setup for something even crazier. Farnsworth’s monster, with the head of a supemodel actress out of a jar no less, wants better fitting clothes and the Professor obliges by living out his secret passion of being a fashion designer. As luckless he is with his scientific endeavours (Wernstrom!!) the more successful he is with his new line of work, but the story has a very sarcastic science-fiction twist ending.

Attack of the Clothes is classic and new Futurama at the same time, a good old concept taken into a fresh new direction. The fashion angle is a funny and even biting satire of the business and not only brings Tim Gunn as a head in a jar into the future, but also supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne in a bigger guest role as Farnsworth’s ‘monster’. This is not entirely unprecedented, both Claudia Schiffer (who appears in a visual cameo) and Pamela Anderson had small roles in the early days of the series but bringing in a high-profile actress like Delevingne is quite a coup for Futurama. it’s not just a publicity stunt either – Delevingne has a lot of fun with her character and the writing gives her lots of great, snappy dialogue.

While the episode does have a strong storyline, the animation is what makes it really shine. This is not an episode that can rely on familiar visuals – fashion needs creators and the production designers of Attack of the Clothes absolutely outdid themselves with some of the most elegant and crazy clothes and their extravagant surroundings ever drawn on screen. We also get a good dose of spectacular science fiction visuals, among them a flight through a time-wimey trashcan that Doctor Who would be proud of.

While Cara Delevingne has a big role and not just a cameo in this episode, one voice actor steals the show completely: Billy West in his biggest appearance as Professor Farnsworth and of course as Fry and Zoidberg. His voice acrobatics are still absolutely astonishing even though he is now in his early 70s and sometimes sounds a little older. This makes Fry seem a little more hoarse but is of great benefit to Hubert Farnsworth, who sounds gnarlier and more ancient than ever – and livelier! Thanks to the storng script, Billy West can really let the Professor out this time. His fellow actors are doing a great job too, but this is really the Billy West and Cara Delevingne show without neglecting all the regular characters.

Attack of the Clothes is simply fun and a further return to the good old roots of Futurama – crazy, innovative and satirical science-fiction with a Matt Groening twist. As stale and predictable The Simspons have become, the more amazing Futurama is getting.