Family Guy

I saw that DMOS, and I just have this to say, you must not find very little comedy today funny if you can't handle that, something which obviously isn't supposed to be taken seriously.

I don't mean that rudely but really, that's what it comes down to.

edited 30th Mar '15 1:05:51 PM by LSBK

I could say what I honestly think of the D Mo S pages, but then that would lead to a horrible, horrible derailing.

Is it that it's mostly baseless whining? Because that's my impression of about 90% of the entries I've read.

I'm able to take most of the jokes on Family Guy... there was a point where most of them stopped being funny to me, but I laugh at far more than you assume. I practically doubled over at the Prom Nite Dumpster Baby sequence, for example, BECAUSE it was so over the top...

It's just something about the whole "Sterotypical Native American Future" didn't sit well with me for some reason. Maybe like the dumpster-baby thing it needed more stupid for me to find it funny rather than to come away feeling suspicion of the writers having nuggets of actual racism. I'm not Native American. It's just something I was surprised that I never saw a lot of people commenting about, as if it were forgotten in the light of killing Brian. It seems like a thing that would get more commentary and didn't because "Oh, noes, major character death happens later!"

edited 30th Mar '15 9:57:27 PM by Shadsie

Perhaps people aren't discussing it, because every single racial group gets poked fun at on this show? Native Americans aren't being singled out.

Yeah, Family Guy is an equal opportunity offender if nothing else. Unless I'm just misremembering all the jokes about Jews, Blacks, Hispanics, WAS Ps, Italians, Portuguese, Asians, and various other groups that don't fall under racial or ethnic labels.

Unless you think the writers hate everybody I'm not sure why you would take this one more seriously than those. And that doesn't even mean you have to find the jokes funny, just acknowledge them for what they are, jokes that most likely aren't meant to be taken seriously.

edited 1st Apr '15 6:44:26 PM by LSBK

13 seasons deep, it seems fair to go through each episode.

Season 1

Overall a very decent season in which the characters' basic personalities are well established. These personalities wouldn't last, however. Still, this is a very good, nostalgic season.

1. Death Has a Shadow - A pretty basic plot and crude animation, but a funny start to the series. Plenty of classic moments.

2. I Never Met the Dead Man - We get to know Peter and Stewie in the pilot, but in this one we become more familiar with Meg—-who, to put it lightly, was not the Butt-Monkey she is today. Not much else to say. Oh, and we find out Quagmire's name, and that he's the Griffins' neighbor.

3. Chitty Chitty Death Bang - A classic Stewie episode, but again, one where we get to know Meg better. Again—-completely different Meg. Plenty of good moments in this one.

4. Mind Over Murder - Boy, Lois was really sympathetic back then! This is her first spotlight episode, as well as a first for a few other things. It's the first time we really get to know Peter's friends, the first time we have singing in the series, and the first time time-travel is used. A+!

5. A Hero Sits Next Door - The debut of Joe, and the debut of the regular, non-death-related episode title. A good introduction episode, albeit with a backstory that ends up being written off.

6. The Son Also Draws - We get to know Chris a little more in this episode. It's a simple enough storyline, but one that works fairly well.

7. Brian: Portrait of a Dog - For a fairly normal season, this episode was pretty depressing. Not that Family Guy wouldn't do that later, but they'd do it better. On a side note, this is where Stewie has some Character Development and starts being decent to Brian.

Season 2

Season 2 is pretty much season 1, just with some Brian and Stewie interaction and Mila Kunis taking over as Meg. So while not quite as nostalgic as season 1, it's still pretty good.

8. Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater - The episode where we get to know a bit more about Lois' background, and how she and Peter met. The storyline is pretty simple, but finding this stuff out makes it pretty decent.

9. Holy Crap - We already know a bit about Peter's mom being an abusive parent, but here we find out about his dad, who, thankfully, isn't quite as bad as Cotton Hill.

10. Da Boom - The final episode of the 90's, and boy, do they end it with a bang. While the episode does end up being a dream, it's a really creative dream that goes all out. The episode features the most characters of any episode so far, and is the first in which Mila Kunis voices Meg. And yes, it's the debut of the long-going fight between Peter and the giant chicken.

11. Brian in Love - Gary Janetti once again heads into rather depressing territory, again involving Brian. In addition, it gives us what, at the time, was a Crack Pairing.

12. Love Thy Trophy - One of the best episodes of the series. It brings the entire neighborhood together both in bad and good ways, while giving Meg and Stewie a good part as well. A+!

13. Death is a Bitch - Another excellent episode. Intended to be a Halloween episode, it introduces us to Death, played (sadly, just this once) by Norm Macdonald, and the writing is again solid throughout. A clear winner.

14. The King Is Dead - A really good episode that looks into Peter and Lois' relationship, yet gives everyone else a chance to shine. No complaints here!

15. I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar - Freakin' hilarious. Squick, violence, and insane humor—-yes. But it's definitely another winner.

16. If I'm Dying, I'm Lying - Seth has written this one off as not being funny, but it's not too bad. It's an interesting way of showing how a lie can spin out of control.

17. Running Mates - Another good Peter and Lois episode. Nothing too special, just a solid piece of work.

18. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Bucks - Another Chris-centered episode, it's nice to see one taking place in the big apple. Not too many memorable gags, but a memorable music number.

19. Fifteen Minutes of Shame - An enjoyable Meg episode showing that while her life may suck, her family does love her deep down. Also, the first appearence of Mayor West.

20. Road to Rhode Island - Stewie and Brian had sort of been growing closer during this season, and that came to a head here. At the time, it was merely interesting to see the two characters interact with each other. Now it's a critical part of the show, of course, but it's nice to look back to a time when it was a new thing. It's a good storyline that is backed up by an also-strong B-plot.

21. Let's Go To The Hop - A pre-cancellation classic. I don't need to say anymore.

22. Dammit, Janet - A really funny Stewie-centered episode...that has a rather depressing ending. Oh well. At least we find out what Quagmire's job is, and are introduced to the evil monkey.

23. There's Something About Paulie - I didn't really get into this one much until the end, but understandably so, considering the Crowning Moment Of Heartwarming. Still, it's a pretty solid Peter and Lois episode.

24. He's Too Sexy For His Fat - Freakin' hilarious. Even if Stewie's storyline gets no proper resolution, it's a pretty good episode.

25. E. Peterbus Unum - Not my favorite, but the whole "Petoria" concept is still pretty funny, not to mention the ending.

26. The Story On Page One - Fan Disservice aside, it's a fairly decent episode. Stewie's storyline is the funniest part of it, but the A-plot is worth watching, too.

27. Wasted Talent - The episode is pretty much two halves—-the Charlie and the Chocolate Parody that makes up the first and is pretty funny, and the title plot. The "Peter hurts his knee" joke was pretty good, and all-in-all it stacks up pretty well.

28. Fore Father - A nice Peter and Chris storyline that closes the season on a quiet but nice note. Unfortunately, this wasn't the way they should have ended the season if they wanted viewers to keep watching.

Season 3

A lot of Family Guy's flanderization is accused of being post-cancellation, but there are a lot of hints in this season as to what lay around the corner. As a result, it's a very uneven season, with a lot of misses and fewer winners.

29. The Thin White Line - Part 1. Brian was a pretty boring character back then, and this episode shows it. It has some good gags, but is just sort of boring.

30. Brian Does Hollywood - Part 2. Janetti gives it another shot, and while it's not too depressing, it's just boring, again.

31. Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington - Eh, again, just OK. The "nude on ice" joke and the opening scene aside, it's pretty forgettable.

32. One If By Clam, Two if By Sea - A fun episode involving the guys (not that the wives are forgotten), and with a good Stewie B-plot. Enjoyable.

33. And the Weiner Is - Eh, this one is OK. The Meg storyline is good, but the A-plot just feels repetitive and like it could maybe be used better.

34. Death Lives - A cute episode about Peter and Lois' anniversary, in which Death returns. The kind of thing that could only happen pre-cancellation.

35. Lethal Weapons - Things start to change starting here. Prior to this, we'd had little violence in Family Guy, but this episode notably changes things, and it's Lois of all characters who ignites it. Not a bad episode, but definitely a step in a different direction.

36. The Kiss Seen Round The World - The look of some things changes here, too. Mainly, though, this is just a fun episode that involves a Meg A-plot and a Stewie B-plot. It's got good gags, good writing, good everything. A+.

37. Mr. Saturday Night - Again, more changes. Mr. Weed is suddenly killed off and the toy factory job is gone, just like that. And it sticks! As for the renaissance fair plot, it's pretty funny.

38. A Fish Out Of Water - Not a ton to say about this one. Peter gets a temporary job that holds him over until after the revival. The Meg and Lois plot was probably the best thing, as it goes to show that Lois does (or did) love her daughter deep down.

39. Emission Impossible - An instant classic. We get to meet Carol, Lois' sister, get to see more of Quagmire's place, and Peter and Lois actually start to go through the Let's Have Another Baby phase. But primarily, this is a Stewie centered episode, and it's a great one.

40. To Love and Die in Dixie - Eh, not that great. This episode is notable for being the debut of John Herbert, the pedophile who lives down the street (who was sort of funny here, when he first appeared), and the moment Brian later got back at Peter for in the following season. Otherwise, a pretty poor episode.

41. Screwed the Pooch - Here, we get to really meet Carter. We've known he's a douche who hates Peter, but with this episode, we get to see him show his true colors to another character (mainly Brian). The episode is all over the place, since it has a lot I could talk about, but overall, in the end, it's most touching to see how much Peter values his friendship with Brian. Oh yeah, and the "fat Brian" Imagine Spot was pretty funny.

42. Peter Griffin: Father, Husband...Brother? - I originally I thought it would be about Peter finding out he had a sibling (apparently that's actually happening next season). Boy, was I wrong. The episode is interesting, to say the least. It shows us more of Carter and how idiotic Peter can be. Stewie's storyline is good but it ends weakly. All-in-all, not that great.

43. Ready, Willing and Disabled - Meh, it's a decent Peter/Joe episode, with a good Meg-Chris-Stewie B-plot, but I don't remember a ton about it and the season would barely suffer without it.

44. A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas - A Family Guy classic. Everything about this one is well-done. Even years later I still find myself chuckling fondly at the "NO...PAPER...TOWELS!!!!!!??????" bit.

45. Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows - Man, this is a poor episode. The first two acts are decent enough, but it goes downhill at the end of the second when it tries to get serious. The overlong musical number and the Sudden Downer Ending just make it fall flat.

46. From Method to Madness - Despite a ton of singing, the A-plot is definitely pretty solid. The B-plot is equally, if not more, memorable. Naked People Are Funny jokes aside, it's nice to see Meg get with a boy who actually likes her for who she is, and espicially touching to see Peter and Lois try to make him feel at home.

47. Stuck Together, Torn Apart - A seemingly innocent conversation with an old boyfriend turns into a Peter and Lois episode that could only fit in pre-cancellation. Meanwhile, you've got an interesting B-plot that is mainly made up of poor gags. Pretty mixed results.

48. European Road Show - Brian and Stewie's second adventure, and again, a very solid episode. The Peter and Lois B-Plot is also a winner.

49. Family Guy Viewer Mail - It's a weird way to end the series original run. Not that it's bad, but it just doesn't feel like the fan-fiction episode I would have liked. Still, plenty of good moments.

50. When You Wish Upon a Weinstein—-A holdover for several years, it's decent enough with some good lines ("Why you sick, sick little moo cow!" and "If I'm a child, Lois, than you're a pedophile!") but a musical number I'd skip through. Not a bad episode, though.

Well, that's it for pre-cancellation. I'll start on Post-cancellation later.

edited 14th Apr '15 10:16:29 PM by WerewolfLupin

Alright, I'm back as promised.

So here we are, post-revival. Season 4 was initially panned for flanderizing the characters, but it's really not that different from season 3. Tellingly, it's since become regarded as the best season. Without further ado, let's take a look at it.

1. North By North Quahog - Family Guy got the show back on the road with a bang by opening with an action-packed second honeymoon episode. It's great, of course, but probably the best part of the episode is the Cold Open. Goes to show how much it took to put the show back on the air.

2. Fast Times At Buddy Cianci Jr. High - Not really a big fan of this one. But hey, at least it got the first fully animated deleted scene of the series.

3. The Blind Side - A pretty decent episode, it does waste a lot of time on the lead-in (which really shows how sick of a pervert Quagmire had become), which is only furthered by the chicken-fight. Still, that's totally worth seeing, and ultimately, you've got a pretty good episode.

4. Don't Make Me Over - AKA "The One Where Meg Gets a Makeover". It's a pretty solid episode, even if it's wrapped up kinda fast. The bit with Stewie and Brian being songwriters had a lot more potential than just being used as a gag, though.

5. The Cleveland-Loretta-Quagmire - AKA "The One Where Loretta Cheated On Cleveland With Quagmire And Got Put on a Bus". It's a shame Loretta had to be written out, since, even if she served little purpose, she was a part of Family Guy's supporting cast.

6. Petarded - So Peter's...not quite right in the head. It's a pretty good episode that shows how Peter finds out and deals with this. Obviousy, he takes advantage of the situation, to disastrous results. I do think the bit about Lois being in the hospital could have gotten more attention. She gets better way too suddenly. Still, pretty satisfying.

7. Brian the Bachelor - A pretty solid Brian episode that properly introduces his feelings for human women (gross? Yeah. Funny? Totally!). You gotta feel sorry for him when he finally wins Brooke only to realize he's been shammed by reality TV.

I liked the last two episodes. It was great seeing Peter get the shit kicked out of him and it was touching to see Stewie care about Lois.

I did find it a bit weird that Lois said cutting that woman's breaks was too much when she suggested smash one of their daughter's kneecaps and was okay with stabbing one of their soon to be son-in-law.

edited 6th May '15 7:12:03 PM by LSBK

I think my main issue with a lot of post-cancellation Family Guy stems from just how mean-spirited it is. Or how offensive it is. I don't recall the show ever being really offensive in the first three seasons. (And before South Park is mentioned, wasn't South Park always like how it is now back when it started?) So, even if stuff like "Seahorse Seashell Party" is meant to be a joke, it doesn't seem to come off as one. Some episodes do end having Unfortunate Implications for some people.

No, South Park wasn't always how it is now. There is a marked difference I'd say between the first 4 seasons and the rest of the series.

It does to the people who know how this show works. It's a Sadist Show.

To be fair, other shows have their pages full of DMOS, so why single out Family guy?

Regardless if it's a joke or not, it's an insulting way to use Status Quo Is God. If it is a joke, then it is not funny and heavily offends people, which this entire show does to no end.

Plus, it can come off as trying to justify Meg's abuse. Unfortunate Implications and all that.

On most of those pages I would go to I would say the same, the difference being the way that Family Guy works it's page has an absolutely ridiculous number of them because there is at least one person who'll take one 10 second cutaway as the most offensive thing ever.

Whether the show is funny or not in entirely subjective, as for offending people, there a ton of shows that do that and don't get the kind of slack as this show because they are deemed funny. Which is fine, personal opinions, just don't treat your opinion on it as objective fact or as if makes you superior. This attitude usually shows up when South Park is considered but also a lot with American Dad. And I'm not talking about you specifically, I'm addressing the attitude in general.

edited 9th May '15 12:00:23 AM by LSBK

Yeah, I'm not saying it makes me superior, it's just my way of saying "this is just not funny. It's too mean-spirited for me to find it funny."

And TBH, the first few seasons weren't that great for me. Sometimes I'll watch them, but it's not gut-bustingly hilarious like early Sponge Bob (bringing it up because FG and Spongebob have a similar history: Both had good 3 seasons, but went downhill after Season 4 for many people.)

And that's fine. I never understood what was supposed to be great about Sponge Bob in the first place but hey...

I think it's because Family Guy may be the most popular out of those shows. Also, it's a Sadist Show and it's very notorious for portraying the jerks and bullies in a sympathetic light, even when they can be vile and at worst, demonic.

Which made seeing Liam Neeson completely pwn Peter so much more satisfying.

1. I have always found Stewie's habit of torturing Brian one minute then acting like he did nothing wrong later rather annoying. A perfect example of this would be the episode where Stewie teased Brian from his bedroom window while Brian was outside after being skunked. Then, when Brian was finally becoming comfortable outdoors, Stewie tried to bring Brian back in as if he never even taunted him. Because apparently, since he wasn't in the mood to torture Brian, he expected Brian to do whatever he said to make him happy.

2. One of the most recent episodes; the one where Brian was sent to obedience school, really cheesed me off for three reasons: A.) Because Brian was being a complete jerk, and it started when he bit Peter for trying to give him his medication (something that was hinted could keep him alive, since he won't stop drinking) B.) Because, as usual, the episode ends with both Peter and Brian being friends again with neither of them really taking anything from the experience and C.) Because of Joe's comment/Joke about the obedience school. Not only was that sexist and anti-feminist, but they had to try and make a joke out of that by having Quagmire be the one who calls him out on it. This is just as bad as that time Joe made a similarly dirty joke in a casual manner in his first appearance, both comments now echo in my mind.

As hypocritical as Quagmire was when he told Brian off in that one episode, he did make a good point when he says "At least I'm honest with it." People who act like jerks and then act holier than thou are far more annoying than people who act like jerks and are aware & honest about it.

Agreed!!

edited 13th May '15 4:23:34 PM by MsCC93

Honestly I have to disagree with you there. For one thing, Brian is (or at least was) sincere in his desire to be with an intellectual woman, he just also wanted that woman to be physically attractive. I don't think that's really something you can blame him for. And even then, he still feel in love with that old woman because of their common interest and even when it seemed like he was just using Jillian for her body it turned out he actually loved her too. Simply put most of Brian's actual relationships end with him being actually emotionally invested and maybe even loving her. That is verydifferent from what Quagmire does.

But even if that weren't true I find the attitude of "I'm a terrible person but at least I admit it and that makes me less terrible somehow" to be one of the most infuriating character traits every and that's exactly what Quagmire was doing. It's self-righteously proclaiming oneself to not be self-righteous.

That's not even getting on to the subject of Lois, who Brian had legit feelings for which he struggled with constantly compared to Quagmire who just lusts after her as another potential conquest, and unlike Brian, her being Peter's wife doesn't mean a damn thing to him outside of how Peter might beat the shit out of him for him. And then there was the Meg situation...

Really I could go on about how that speech, instead of pointing out Brian's faults, actually makes Quagmire look like an even bigger piece of shit than people already acknowledge him to be but I want because I think you all get the picture.

edited 13th May '15 4:37:48 PM by LSBK

Dude, I already admitted that Quagmire was a hypocrite because he isn't that respectful towards women either. When it comes to Quagmire and Brian, I don't know which side to pick. This is because honestly, I can't stand the both of them sometimes and how both of them have been acting in later seasons of the show.

I just said was that the people who act like jerks and honest are less annoying, not less evil/jerkish. The honest assholes and the Bitch in Sheep's Clothing assholes are both equally bad, but the latter is more annoying because some people never get to see the Bitch in Sheep's Clothing's true colors, whereas you can always see the honest asshole's true colors. It doesn't help that when you try to get others to see the truth about the Bitch in Sheep's Clothing type of jerks, people don't believe you.

I understand you, because I myself have dealt with self-righteous people who have had similar experiences, attributes, and personality traits like mine who have criticized me for having different reactions than them. I hate people like this and this trait as much as you do, because they smugly try to manipulate you and put you down to feel better about themselves by using something you have in common with them to do so.

edited 13th May '15 5:29:38 PM by MsCC93

Never said you didn't. Honestly only the part refuting "at least I admit it" was directed at you the rest is just general problems I had with the speech and Quagmire being the one to give it.

edited 13th May '15 9:31:57 PM by LSBK

I think the speech would have been better if someone else like Joe gave it to Brian. Honestly, nobody on this show is a complete saint. Even Meg and Bonnie aren't saints anymore.

edited 13th May '15 5:47:00 PM by MsCC93