I’d say “not quite.”

(Slight spoilers ahead)

The A plot involves NFTs which was pretty lame.

But the B plot involved Bender returning to Mexico and reconnecting with his roots, which wasn’t bad, mainly because it didn’t depend on pop culture references. Danny Trejo was pretty good as a guest star.

(Spoiler end)

I think the reason the pop culture references seem so tired now is because our lives are filled with people making fun of pop culture on social media/the internet. All the NFT jokes have been made already, like a year ago. The writers need to stick to original, engaging plots that don’t rely on criticizing pop culture or rehashing old plotlines.

Fair enough. But I dont know if I’d compare it to a resurrected corpse. The gang is mostly intact, they’re still trying to make a good show, it’s just not fueled by the same fresh, youthful inspiration it once was.

I liked the last season for the most part, but the episodes were very hit or miss. And I feel like this one was another miss. Hopefully the other episodes will be better.

It’s available. Might need to look for S09E01 though, because no one uses broadcast order.