Family Guy: Long John Peter
By fred | May 5, 2008
(S06E12) First things first, I’m not exactly sure what this was. Some say it was the season finale, while others only refer to it as a mid-season finale. So I’ll be honest, I’m not sure. What is sure is that 22 episodes were originally ordered, and though more than 12 had been written this was the last episode to be produced, and it will be the last one we get in a while.
Whether the remaining episodes will be moved to season 7, or be part of the second half of the current season six remains a bit unclear, though it seems that this season is over, and the remaining episodes from this production cycle will be used as first episodes of the next season. But either way this was a finale, and the last episode of Family Guy we’ll get to see in a while. And season or mid-season finale, the important thing in the end is that it was a good episode, one that I really enjoyed and that was pretty funny, so we’re all good.
This episode was basically made out of two main plots : on the one hand, you had Peter “finding” a parrot - and by “finding” I mean actually stealing from the veterinarian’s office - and deciding that he should become a pirate now, and on the other hand you had Chris finding himself to like the veterinarian’s secretary and going out on a date with her.
Those were the two main plots of the episode, and here’s the funny thing : I didn’t really like either of those. I don’t think any of them was actually bad (well, I guess Peter being a pirate was, and Chris taking advices from Peter was, too…), but it wasn’t really good or funny either. Still, the episode was pretty nicely done, and filled with so many good jokes here & there that I never actually got bored, and maybe I’m in a good mood, but overall I really liked this episode.
Peter being a pirate was pretty dull, but while the car chase bit wasn’t funny it had that video-game feeling to it, and it was as entertaining as the infamous fight between Peter and the Giant Chicken can be (maybe a little less), so it did work. Other than that, thank God it didn’t last.
Chris going out with Anna, well, had nothing funny really. Obviously taking advice from Peter is about the worst idea ever, and I don’t think Chris going out on a date with Peter’s hand in a sock was really funny in any way.
Still, plenty of great stuff had me laughing out loud, including the following :
- Peter meeting with the parrot did make me laugh, yes. So did the fact that the doctor’s name was “Jewish”, Dr. Jewish. Always funny.
- Poor Meg. First she’s doomed to get fat and write Ugly Betty fan fictions, and then Brian just pukes all over the place just by looking at her…
- ET vs Tom Hanks. “Here you go, you’re good. - You didn’t touch me - I don’t want to get AIDS !” Just awesome!
- I’m not really sure the bit about Michael J. Fox as Zorro was funny, probably just mean, but I laughed. Is it bad? Cause, yeah, it was funny…
- “Did he at least die with dignity ? - Well, he convulsed a lot and fell off the operating table. Then he flopped around a little on the floor, then a passing nurse accidentally stepped on him and kicked him into a puddle of urine, which must have frightened him because his bowls released all over himself. I tried to pick him up, but then, I got angry, because some of it got on my thumb. So I threw him against the wall, and that’s where he died.”
- “Kids! Shinny, stretchy, fun, sticky, yummy, bouncy, fun! Fly it, Toss it, Swim it, Eat it! Best Thing Ever ! Kids! Kids!! ahhh!!! It’s so awesome!” Wow that’s some commercial, I loved it. And the cherry on top of it all : Stewie’s reaction watching the ad, “I want it!!”
- “We had what Joe calls sex.”
- Chris isn’t really used to all the terms relating to relationships… “Anna took a dump on me.” And then Lois trying to explain what the difference is with “being dumped”. Okay, not really laughing out loud material, but a little funny still, no?
- Peter trying to get ride of that dead frog, not willing to pick it up using his own hands. Now that was just not funny, and way, way too long, in a pure Family Guy-style. And I have to say that in the end, it did made me smile.
- Stewie showing up as a woman at Chris’ blind date, or in the end kicking Brian while he’s already down on the floor.
See, overall there was some really good stuff, most of it was good, and it was a pretty good episode. I’ve said it before, but I don’t mind nothing but unrelated jokes thrown in one after the other, that’s what Family Guy does best, and whenever they tried to have a full story over the entire episode, well, it pretty much sucked. They should stick with what they do best, focus on being funny, cause that’s what matters most.
And that’s what they did this time. Given how this season we’ve had some pretty bad episodes, I’m pretty happy with this one being the season finale, because at least it was a good one, which made me laugh out loud many times and I had a great time for the full half-hour.
Posted in Reviews
Shows: Family Guy
