At the heart of Futurama's often ridiculous sci-fi comedy is the people who work at Planet Express and ground the ever-bizarre cult comedy. One of the most enduring of these characters was Doctor John Zoidberg, the often put-upon medical "expert" of the cast. And while he may have been the subject of plenty of comical scorn over the years, he also slowly developed one of the show's best friendships with someone who otherwise outright hated him -- Hermes Conrad.
For most of Futurama, Zoidberg is treated as a joke by his co-workers. At best, many of them are annoyed with his tendencies and lack of knowledge about human anatomy, despite being more or less their entire medical staff. At worst, they're like Bender, who constantly mocks Zoidberg and is quick to exploit him for a buck. Even his best friend, Professor Farnsworth, is only too willing to play jokes on him or take what little money he has on him. However, no one in the staff grows to despise Zoidberg more than Hermes. The Planet Express Burrecratic Officer, Hermes is generally kind to most of his co-workers. But despite his occasional hints of resentment toward others in the company, Zoidberg openly angers him.
In Season 2's "The Deep South," Hermes is quick to suggest Zoidberg as the member of the crew the group should eat if they run out of food, even having an entire book on how to properly cook Zoidberg. In Season 2's "Bender Gets Made," he blames Zoidberg for a blind Leela flying the Planet Express Ship through the building, claiming all the damages will be paid for by taking money from Zoidberg's checks.
In Season 3's "Insane in the Mainframe," Hermes can barely bring any energy to Zoidberg's company anniversary, angrily yelling at him about failing to put any money away in his personal IRA. But despite all these occurrences (and many others), a briefly telepathic Fry learns in Season 5's "Into The Wild Green Yonder" that Hermes finds Zoidberg pathetic but endearing.
The relationship between the pair was further explored in Season 7 during "The Six Millon Dollar Mon" and "Murder on the Planet Express." In "The Six Million Dollar Mon," Hermes increasingly has himself converted into a cyborg after being traumatized by Roberto. As he becomes more robotic, his hatred for Zoidberg -- which Zoidberg considers to be friendly ribbing -- fades away, saddening Zoidberg. Zoidberg eventually helps restore Hermes and saves his life, leading Hermes' wife LaBarabra to order him to thank his friend. In "Murder on the Planet Express," the two are paired together as part of a team-building exercise and even eventually work together -- although they are both then promptly "killed" by the space monster loose in the ship.
Hermes' hate for Zoidberg was an amusing by-product of Futurama's comedic disdain for the latter. But as it grew more specific and heated, it makes sense to take a step back and have Hermes develop something of a fondness for the crustacean. While Zoidberg has plenty of problems, he's often shown to be a dedicated friend, risking his life and well-being for those who often ridicule and demean him. Hermes' evolution is surprisingly sweet, tracking with his general development into a more open and personable member of the crew, while also providing Zoidberg with a much-needed win.
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