HBO is preparing to air the final two episodes of their acclaimed anthology series Room 104, beginning on October 2nd at 11 P.M. Eastern with the show’s first animated episode, TV Line reports. This unique installment, entitled “Fur,” is female-centric werewolf transformation story reportedly set in 1987, as reported by TV Line. HBO Latin America’s PR team has already posted several screenshots on Twitter in advance of the premiere.
The two main characters of “Fur” will be voiced by Jordyn Lucas (Black Pumpkin) and Natasha Perez (Lady in the Water). The episode is written and directed by Mel Eslyn (Rocketmen, Hoarders). She performed those same creative duties on Season 3’s “The Specimen Collector” and the Season 4 episode “Oh, Harry!” Eslyn is reportedly massive animation fan; her impetus for becoming a content creator originated with a viewing of the music video for Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram’s version of “Somewhere Out There,” from Don Bluth’s 1980’s animated children’s classic An American Tail, as reported by The Seattle Times. Esyln told The Seattle Times that the clip had a palpable emotional impact on her: “I just remember… crying my eyes out and and being like, ‘I don’t know what is happening… inside of me, but I want to make other people feel that’ and knowing this is what I want to do.”
The HBO Max official website describes Room 104 as an “anthology series… that peeks inside room at an average American corporate motel, exploring the stories of the characters who pass through it on any given night.” Co-creator Mark Duplass (Creep, Togetherness) described the thought process behind “Fur” to TV Line: “We had this idea for long time about a werewolf story, and how it is oddly reminiscent of puberty… As soon as we said that, [Mel] was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to put two girls in the room and tell a feminist story with werewolves.’ She loves corny old animation, she loves karaoke and dancing, and she’s a kickass feminist. I was like, ‘Mel, go make an animated episode where you just go bonkers.’ ” In an interview with The Knockturnal, Eslyn talked about how, even though “Fur” has a vintage vibe, she feels that its themes are very relevant to a contemporary audience: “By placing it in an animation style that was a hybrid of old and new, and then setting it in the 80’s- I was also making a statement on how certain things haven’t changed at all. The creeps of the world haven’t gone away.”
“Fur” debuts on HBO on October 2nd. HBO will release “Generations,” the final episode of Room 104, on October 9th. All previously aired episodes of Room 104 from Season 1 onward are available to stream with an HBO or HBO Max subscription.