Family Guy - General Discussion

[Clare]

I thought this was interesting.  I enjoyed it.  Stewie is my favourite character and I normally like his bottle episodes, normally with Brian.  I thought it was strange that they promoted as discussing Stewie's sexuality though.  They pushed up against it a little with the talk of the other little boy but I don't think they said anything new.  

The stuff abut the accent was interesting. 

The Bethenny Frankel stuff made me laugh. 

[rmontro]

I thought it was interesting.  My favorite part was Stewie doing the song from "Hamilton".  Could have done without the mucus though.

[ganesh]

I thought it was all right. I like when a show tries something different. 

Running through all the voices was really funny. Did Seth do the "real" voice? The whole snipping about the accent was a good gag. 

I actually liked the ending because they did the meta-joke about not being into world domination, and that kind of fit with that. 

I liked the cold read of Cecil.

[Writing Wrongs]

My favorite bit was about the Dunkin' Donuts cup. 

[ganesh]

Dunkin' is good coffee!

[OnceSane]

17 hours ago, ganesh said:

I liked the cold read of Cecil.

That was my favorite part, well, that and Stewie letting him die.

[Galileo908]

This gimmick episode was better than last week's gimmick episode, at least. This is a nice change of pace, and I liked how the mystery was ultimately solved.

Of course Chris plays Queen Victoria, and Meg being a murder victim.

Oh look, Benny Hill AND Bill Cosby jokes within the first four minutes. Plus dead Kenny from South Park.

[ganesh]

I don't think this is technically a Dickens-themed episode since he died nearly 30 years before the episode took place. 

I'm surprised they never did a Sherlock Holmes episode before. It's a good fit. I like the opening credits. I could watch another few episodes in this. 

I did like that the cutaways were in context.

[AAEBoiler]

A guaranteed laugh from me is when you throw in the stock footage of the old ladies clapping from Monty Python! Well done!

(Also, I happened to watch a repeat of a "Viewers Mail" episode where they used the "old ladies" clip again during the "British Version" of Family Guy segment. I laughed then too.)

[ganesh]

I thought the old ladies were used on Benny Hill. I thought it was a callback to the earlier joke. 

[Gothish520]

One of my first favorite lines was Stewie saying to Lois "Why don't you burn in hell!" - it's really the scene that sold the show for me in the first season. 

Others that I quote/discuss often:

When the Vietnam vet guy makes an appearance: "I've seen some things, man, and some stuff - I wouldn't recommend it!"

Peter talking about Bed Bath and Beyond: "Watch out for that Beyond section!" Cut to Peter going through a door, floating through space and landing at a display table; "Oh, HERE are the coffee mugs!"

The fantasy nightmare of Stewie destroying The Neighborhood of Make-Believe on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood - "That's right, all dead!"

Chris at the grocery store when security thought he was shoplifting and lifted up his shirt: "I need an adult! I need an adult!"

@BooksRule, I agree about the getting sick, which is why I had to stop watching the show after awhile - they started relying on it way too much. But for the first five or six years, this show was one of my favorites.

@ShadowSixx, the HandiQuacks scene is hilarious!

And this scene will always be one of my absolute favorites from a tv show, ever:

Edited March 27, 2018 by Gothish520

[Ubiquitous]

Am i right in assuming the contrived solution to the mystery was mocking the source material?

I wasn't impressed with this one but I liked the Monty Python clip and the young Benny Hill cutaway which ended about three notes into "Yackity Yak". Heh.

[Galileo908]

Well, there's the one episode a season we see Cleveland's family.

I do appreciate that they remembered that Quagmire used to be in the navy, and that he's the only person who takes the Coast Guard job seriously.

Not many shows make fun of Namor The Sub-Mariner. The only superhero lamer than Aquaman. And I liked that cutaway with Kenny Loggins.

And a Leeroy Jenkins joke in 2018. Yep, it's Family Guy. And take that, Olive Garden. They do stink.

Edited April 2, 2018 by Galileo908

[VCRTracking]

Okay, the Olive Garden running joke and the guys getting sick of the food by the third time eating was funny.

Also love that they pointed out as lame as Aquaman(the blonde gold shirt wearing version) was, Namor the Submariner is even lamer!

Edited April 2, 2018 by VCRTracking

[Ubiquitous]

I was amused that it took so long for people to realize that Navy cap came from a TV show, but appreciated them remembering Quagmire was a formal Navy guy. I admit, I laughed more than I should when his father thought the town was snickering at him b/c of his son.

[ganesh]

18 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

Okay, the Olive Garden running joke and the guys getting sick of the food by the third time eating was funny.

This was killing me. They even shot Quagmire so they didn't have to go back. Peter's worn out expression at the restaurant had me dying. 

I don't know why they decided that everyone in the Coast Guard was bisexual, but it was funny too. 

[Ubiquitous]

20 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

Okay, the Olive Garden running joke and the guys getting sick of the food by the third time eating was funny.

Not as funny as what they happened was more like Beppo di Bucco than Olive Garden.

[immortalfrieza]

On 4/1/2018 at 8:29 PM, Galileo908 said:

Not many shows make fun of Namor The Sub-Mariner. The only superhero lamer than Aquaman.

On 4/2/2018 at 12:41 AM, VCRTracking said:

Also love that they pointed out as lame as Aquaman(the blonde gold shirt wearing version) was, Namor the Submariner is even lamer!

It's even funnier if you take into account how Aquaman has evolved over the decades since the Superfriends and thus become more awesome, he's pretty much just copied Namor.

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, immortalfrieza said:

It's even funnier if you take into account how Aquaman has evolved over the decades since the Superfriends and thus become more awesome, he's pretty much just copied Namor.

I think he became more awesome when they decided to just make him "Underwater Thor" like in Batman: Brave and the Bold cartoon and Justice League.

[OnceSane]

Quote

To help get Brian's life in order, Stewie and Brian swap bodies using a machine that Stewie invents, but chaos quickly ensues around Quahog when the machine goes haywire.

[OnceSane]

Quote

FAMILY GUY is reimagined as a series that’s been on the air for 60 years and, in a special retrospective, it looks back at the cultural events and issues that were tackled on the show in the 1950s, '60s and '70s.

[OnceSane]

Quote

Brian convinces Stewie to teach him how to invest in the stock market after learning Stewie has a knack for making money from it. Meanwhile, Peter, Quagmire, Cleveland, and Joe look after the Drunken Clam while Jerome is away.

[Galileo908]

I surprisingly liked this one.

Well, take that, Stephen Baldwin. And Fidelity (yeah, those commercials are dumb). I really loved how they kept using Life Is A Highway, too.

I liked that whole bit with Gymkata. THAT'S the Family Guy I know. And also, nobody attending Meg's recital. Also strangely liked the whole bit with the Peter puppet, too.

You don't see too many references to Rover Dangerfield, or seeing Herry Monster with Elmo and Cookie Monster.

I always appreciate jokes about Brian being a dog, like chasing his own tail, and that cutaway where Brian is old. That one hit home.

[Ubiquitous]

[ganesh]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

I really loved how they kept using Life Is A Highway, too.

I couldn't stand when the song was all over the radio, so I loved this joke. 

I actually was hoping the bar was successful, and I was surprised they missed an opportunity for a screaming viking joke (Cheers) which should have been right up this show's alley. Just ending it with the bull seemed like they didn't have much of an idea what to do with the plot. 

In the original run the bull in the china shop sight gag was way way better. 

What kind of sex does she like to have? 

[Glenn Byrnes]

They had Brian acting pretty awful in the past few seasons, but this takes the cake. It's bad enough that they have him become greedy enough to invest in illegal protein shake companies, but having invest in one that makes them out of dogs makes a cannibal out of him. I almost wish they did make him into one.

 

The way Brian has been acting lately makes me more and more believe that Quagmire is right about him. He's making me miss Vinnie.

[VCRTracking]

As much as an asshole Brian has been lately, it was sad as hell seeing him old, even if it was a cutaway.

[Ubiquitous]

As soon as I saw how the protein shakes were being made, I knew Brian would somehow become one of the inmates, but I didn't expect him to actually fall for the "does this rag smell like chloroform?" trick. Well, maybe I did, just a little.  I do appreciate that for once, Capitalism was defended at the end when Stewie told Brian he didn't become a greedy bastard after years of playing the market but it happened to Brian after only a couple weeks.

 

I loved the running joke about covers of Life is a Highway.

 

I got the feeling they didn't know how to conclude the bar plot.

[immortalfrieza]

20 hours ago, Glenn Byrnes said:

They had Brian acting pretty awful in the past few seasons, but this takes the cake. It's bad enough that they have him become greedy enough to invest in illegal protein shake companies, but having invest in one that makes them out of dogs makes a cannibal out of him. I almost wish they did make him into one.

 

The way Brian has been acting lately makes me more and more believe that Quagmire is right about him. He's making me miss Vinnie.

Yes. I didn't think I could possibly hate Brian more than I did after the episode where he gave Stewie and Chris herpes intentionally, but this? This is a new low.

 

Brian dies, get brought back and they make him into the more and more of a prick. Sounds like a metaphor for the show itself after it got cancelled and uncancelled twice.

Edited April 10, 2018 by immortalfrieza

[AAEBoiler]

On 4/9/2018 at 4:00 AM, Ubiquitous said:

I got the feeling they didn't know how to conclude the bar plot.

I think Quagmire said it best - "Yeah! B-story!"

[Avaleigh]

I was annoyed that they didn't free the other dogs or at least expose the company for how they're making the shakes. 

It seems like a lot of the episodes this season have been light on using scenes where all of the Griffins are together. Chris and Meg havent been around much and I think Lois was absent here too. 

[ganesh]

That could be due to the actors' availability too. 

[Twilight Man]

and that's when the super intelligent New York Knicks from another planet show up, and help the entire town swap their bodies back.

Stewie:  Well, at least we're not ripping off The Simpsons anymore.

[Galileo908]

Gotta admit, I've been liking the 3 segment episodes. It keeps the pace going quickly.

50s: Yeah, they nailed the tone, and even the sound of 50s entertainment down, especially the sci-fi. Yes, 50s tv ads really were that tedious.

60s: Liked that the intro was a spoof of the Archies, and of course Meg was dressed as Sgt Pepper-era Ringo.

70s: Of course 70s Quahog was grimy. And Quagmire was both a soldier and a stoner. The worst thing about war: the constant playing of "Fortunate Son." 

Gotta admit, I would so watch a Night At The Museum-like movie set at the Paley Center. It'd be like those Book Revue cartoons Looney Tunes would do.

[Spartan Girl]

Is it wrong it made me happy that Peter died in Vietnam?

[Galileo908]

18 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Is it wrong it made me happy that Peter died in Vietnam?

Killed by a Lady-Boy, too.

[Ubiquitous]

That was the ending from Hair, right?

[M. Darcy]

Quote

That was the ending from Hair, right?

It was!   Nice unintended tribute since Miloš Forman just passed away.

I loved Gary Cole doing the Mike Brady speech from the Brady Bunch movie.   Though, I didn't like the joke comparing Robert Reed to a pedophile and child molester.  

[Ubiquitous]

Well, historically, there wasn't much difference back then...

[ganesh]

On 4/23/2018 at 6:51 AM, M. Darcy said:

I loved Gary Cole doing the Mike Brady speech from the Brady Bunch movie.

Gary Cole killed as Mike Brady in the movies. I was dying. I know his iconic role was Office Space but he completely inhabited Reed. 

They sure nailed the 70s decor in the house. 

I did like the callback in the 60s to the cereal. I know the Bruce Jenner joke might be in poor taste but it was true back then. He was all over the place after the Olympics. 

I liked that the other song in Vietnam was "what's happening here". I guessed that one first. Even though there were so many barrels. 

And the Chicken was a pimp! 

Edited April 26, 2018 by ganesh

[M. Darcy]

Quote

I know the Bruce Jenner joke might be in poor taste

That's the nicest they have been to Jenner.  In watching repeats, they have been obsessed with her for years - making the trans jokes even before she announced it. 

Quote

Gary Cole killed as Mike Brady in the movies.

IMO, its his greatest role (along with Jeffrey MacDonald). 

[ganesh]

That's hard for me to say since he's been in 50 billion things. 

[Ubiquitous]

I thought the 1960's and 1970's eps were too similar, plus I don't think disco had been invented until the middle or end of the decade.

So what was the 1970's show opening sppsd to be parodying?

[Galileo908]

On 4/22/2018 at 6:59 PM, Twilight Man said:

Stewie:  Well, at least we're not ripping off The Simpsons anymore.

It was also a Powerpuff Girls episode (where EVERYONE was switched), with a sprinkling of Her at the start. I honestly loved watching all the characters that got swapped, my favorites being Bruce and the Kool-Aid Man. Also, dead characters got switched, too. That was weird.

So good to see Adam West again. 

[Twilight Man]

A while back, on a documentary series that was on TV Land called "Living in TV Land" (how original),

they showed that Adam basically recorded his entire season's worth of appearances in just one day.

(Blink and you'll miss Seth in the first two minutes).

[Galileo908]

1 hour ago, Twilight Man said:

they showed that Adam basically recorded his entire season's worth of appearances in just one day.

Pretty easy when you only have one or two lines per episode. That's all he needed, really.

Edited April 30, 2018 by Galileo908

[Spartan Girl]

I hated the ending where Brian gets to screw Lois in Peter's body. He really is the worst.

[ganesh]

I can't really say this is a rip of anything because body switching episodes have been around forever. I'm actually surprised it took this long for FG. I did like all the characters switched. 

The pairings killed me - so the ostrich goes out for coffee? And what was the Kool-Aid man doing?

[Galileo908]

38 minutes ago, ganesh said:

The pairings killed me - so the ostrich goes out for coffee? And what was the Kool-Aid man doing?

Interrupting Bruce having sex.

[ganesh]

OH NO