Family Guy: Family Gay
By fred | March 9, 2009
(S07E08) There was basically two stories in this episode, and if the episode was obviously titled after one of them for the easy wordplay, that doesn’t mean it was the one that worked. Because, yes, of the two stories only one of them worked and was funny, while the other one was clearly not to the level of what you’d expect from the show, or even the other story of this very episode.
Which is, again, somewhat disappointing not only because you know this show can be much better, we’ve seen it in the past, but also because it’s been off the air for so long you’d think they took their time to come up with some great, hilarious episodes. Alas, that was not really the case…
Things started good though, as Peter decided to buy a brain damaged horse for some unexplainable reason, and while that lasted the episode was actually funny. Many of the jokes worked, from the simple dead look of this horse, to Peter asking everyone to pee and Stewie commenting how they were an unusual family, to the sugar cube and the look of horror on Stewie’s face as the horse was sucking is head, the horse refusing to move from behind the car which eventually led to Cleveland’s house being destroyed and the poor fellow falling down while in his bathtub for the fourth time (a running joke I still find funny because they haven’t overdone it), to Stewie still eating his cereals even after Peter warned them it might not be milk, to the race of course and how Herbert thought it was a giant mindfuck of course, or how every horse was named after a canceled Fox series!
I loved that, and of course the reveal of Peter’s brain damaged horse’s name : “And bringing up the rear but somehow still in the race, Til Death.” Just awesome, as was Peter’s assessment that he would “take this horse and shove it down America’s throat.” And of course, also awesome was Peter eventually getting ride of the horse by “accident”… “I missed the old days, when it was just a flaming bag of poop, and a hurtful note.”
Then came the medical experiments, and that was still funny. Turning Peter into a squirrel, or Seth Rogen, was funny. But when the “gay gene” was brought up, the episode went into another story that simply failed to be funny. Maybe a joke or two did work, such as Stewie’s disgust for homosexuality :
Stewie: I’m not holding your face with my heterosexuality.
Brian: Uh, no you are not!
But Peter’s clichéd version of what an homosexual is didn’t really work, and despite what James Bond might be telling you kids, 50 no’s and a yes don’t really mean yes, and 50 unfunny jokes and one that works don’t make a good/funny episode. It also seemed that they tried to used that story to have a nice message to say, about how sexual orientation isn’t a choice but a fact, trying to inspire people to be (more) accepting, but that wasn’t a good idea, because unlike South Park - which have become master in the art of putting such messages in the middle of their crazy hilarious episodes – whenever Family Guy tried to do the same, they fail. Case in point, this wasn’t any funny.
Thank God we didn’t end on a bad note though, and our dead friend Til Death made a last minute appearance : “Take back your fucking horse!” Well, at least it ended with laughter.
What did everybody else think?
Posted in Reviews
Shows: Family Guy
This episode wasn’t funny at all. The horse opening was funny and I agree. I think Family Guy is going down the drain. It’s not as funny as it used to be and the humor has been more disgusting than ever. I hate it when they try to stall and hold something long than it should. Remember when Peter holds that “Guilty” word for awhile? It’s not even funny anymore when that repetitve humor comes in. They really have run out of ideas.
Well I strongly disagree, I think they pieced together a nice work of satire with of course the off the wall incoherent sketch humor. Sure i wouldn’t call it the worlds greatest episode or anything but I’m honestly starting to think people are expecting waay too much from family guy these days, with soo many brilliant episodes out there they set the bar pretty damn high, in comparison with everything else on TV out there, every sitcom, every sketch show, family guy is still in a league of its own in terms of laughs.
I’m a bit sick of the constant pushing of the liberal agenda. Is this like the 3rd homosexual related episode now? Enough already. Stop trying to split your fans, and stick to the humor everyone loves. Come on, Seth.
This episode was hilarious. I think it’s great they keep commenting on the hot button issues of our times John. And Family Guy obviously plays to the liberal agenda since that is the main group who watched this show. I just love how all the right-wing nutjobs are trying to get the FCC to fine Fox over this episode. It just shows how out of touch they are.
I feel like every Family Guy episode of 2009 was mostly horrendous with one or two decent ones. I agree with John about Family Guy pushing the liberal agenda, it is unnecessary and, more importantly, not in the show’s best interest. However, MacFarlane is very liberal so viewers have to deal with some liberal references here and there, but to make it a recurrent theme is intolerable. I truly think that the show has lost it way at this point. An example of this is in Stewie’s character development this season… does anyone think that Stewie’s new very blatant homosexuality is funny in any way? Some may find it offensive, I find it unnecessary. They have replaced the show’s classic comedic satire of subtle cultural nuances by making up new character attributes and dialogue that is inexplicable and just painful to sit through. They turned one of the show’s most distinguished, laughable characters, Stewie, into a flat, lewd, misrepresentation of a lifestyle that is in itself questionable. This is just one example of how the show has hit a new low with such changes and episodes of this caliber. Any one with me here?