Was it just me or was today's episode of family guy a little more ADD than usual? And it seemed like they could have squeezed more humor out of their topics this week.
Down Syndrome
Chris goes out with a girl with Down syndrome named Ellen. She also turns out to be kind of a bitch, which was amusing but I don't really get the joke... is it just that girls are bitchy? Or is it supposed to be funny that Chris gets owned by someone who's special ed? All the "Chris do this" "Chris do that" were more annoying than funny, especially because the delivery was slower than usual do to Ellen's vocal characterization.
The only joke they really got out of Ellen was that she has a tight grip and may kill pets or loved ones she is trying to hug. And they said that joke like three times. Kind of lazy writing there.
And they made a Sarah Palin joke. Well, not really a joke. They just inserted the fact that she has a Down syndrome child. Funny.
OH AND THE SONG AND DANCE. that was JUST SO FUNNY. THANK YOU FAMILY GUY FOR THOSE THREE AND A HALF MINUTES I WILL NEVER GET BACK. And can I just say that cartoons tap dancing IS NOT A SHOWCASE OF TALENT IN ANY WAY. I am not impressed that Chris and Stewie illustrations are coordinated tap dancers. That is not impressive to me. It is a waste of airtime.
Psychic
Again I can't help but think Peter being psychic could have been funnier. It was entertaining at least. I think the episode would have been better overall if they had picked this plot line and spent more time fleshing it out and adding in more humor. Instead they just sort of squeezed it into the last third of the episode and didn't do that much with it.
Also they wasted airtime with Lois falling for a psychic and Brian explaining that psychics are frauds. bla bla bla how many times have we heard Brian say "You actually believe in ____? You know it's just a farce/lie/fake designed to make you ____!" They should have condensed that process down to one second and then made Peter a fake psychic for the whole episode.
Also Meg queefed in the tub and terrorized Stewie. Bla. Srsly Meg go to China.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Family Guy "Dial Meg for Murder"
Today's episode of Family Guy was pretty entertaining. There were no long fight scenes, no drawn-out song and dance sequences, and most of the jokes were short and snappy.
The Long Jokes
I like that Family Guy plays with the timing of jokes. The writers like the push the envelope, which is admirable. In the past, the long jokes have been less effective. They drag on too long, people get bored, the show comes off as lazy or eating up air time.
Today's joke about the fly, however, was an example of this style being used effectively. We've all spent time watching a fly try to get out the window. We want it to fly out, sometimes we've even OPENED the window for it, and yet it is still too dumb too leave.
Family Guy evokes our feelings of frustration by dragging out the viewer's time focused on the fly. Even though this joke is long (but still not very long by Family Guy standards), the fly is continuously talking, bringing up new dialog, and Peter is talking back to/over the fly. The fly gives up and goes upstairs, making the last 25 seconds just a waste of time. This effectively annoys the viewer without being boring.
The Sex Jokes
Rape was the joke of the half-hour. The bull rapes Peter, Meg rapes Peter with a loofah, Luke makes the obligatory prison rape joke, the bull implicitly rapes Peter again, and old pedophile neighbor buys roofies from the drug store. Family Guy has never been known for having good taste, but maybe spread the jokes out a little? Again we have the writers push push pushing the envelope.
Meg is a Badass
Good for her. She ain't taking no shit. That was hella amusing until the end of the episode, when she reverts back to "whipping girl" Meg. Meg episodes always depress me a little bit. I wonder if the show would be better if she DID go somewhere faraway like China.
-Rachel
The Long Jokes
I like that Family Guy plays with the timing of jokes. The writers like the push the envelope, which is admirable. In the past, the long jokes have been less effective. They drag on too long, people get bored, the show comes off as lazy or eating up air time.
Today's joke about the fly, however, was an example of this style being used effectively. We've all spent time watching a fly try to get out the window. We want it to fly out, sometimes we've even OPENED the window for it, and yet it is still too dumb too leave.
Family Guy evokes our feelings of frustration by dragging out the viewer's time focused on the fly. Even though this joke is long (but still not very long by Family Guy standards), the fly is continuously talking, bringing up new dialog, and Peter is talking back to/over the fly. The fly gives up and goes upstairs, making the last 25 seconds just a waste of time. This effectively annoys the viewer without being boring.
The Sex Jokes
Rape was the joke of the half-hour. The bull rapes Peter, Meg rapes Peter with a loofah, Luke makes the obligatory prison rape joke, the bull implicitly rapes Peter again, and old pedophile neighbor buys roofies from the drug store. Family Guy has never been known for having good taste, but maybe spread the jokes out a little? Again we have the writers push push pushing the envelope.
Meg is a Badass
Good for her. She ain't taking no shit. That was hella amusing until the end of the episode, when she reverts back to "whipping girl" Meg. Meg episodes always depress me a little bit. I wonder if the show would be better if she DID go somewhere faraway like China.
-Rachel
Monday, February 1, 2010
Desperate Housewives "The Glamorous Life"
Robin with the Heart of Gold
I kind of loved Julie Benz when she was Darla on Angel. And here she is in this episode of Desperate Housewives as Robin, a stripper who likes to read and wants to change. And apparently she's going to be a regular because Susan asked her to move in.
I'm excited to see where this plot line takes us. It seems that Robin has already showed some signs of being irresponsible. The predictable thing for the writers to do is have Robin end up being too low-class/uneducated/childish to be "salvageable". Someone who the optimistic Susan took a chance on who wasn't worth it. I'd be disappointed if that ended up happening.
I had some outrage about Robin being fired for her past as a stripper. Talk about sexism... the man who frequents strip clubs has the financial power to prevent his previous eye-candy from getting out of the business and finding a less objectifying career. Also, I'm pretty sure the principal's remarks about how she can "break a five by shaking out her underwear" are grounds for a lawsuit, just saying.
Angie: Recycla-Nazi
It is revealed that Angie's dark and sinister past is somehow related to her outrage over environmental negligence. Gotta say, kind of a let down. We've known for a while she accidentally got someone killed in an act of terrorism for some cause. Our next big reveal is that her "cause" is loving the Earth? That's one scary villain.
Also I love her "Stay away from my kid" warnings while threatening violence. She's done it at least twice already, but each time its so badass I can't get too annoyed at the repetitive writing.
Gaby and Ana have the Sex Talk
And by that I mean, Gaby bribes Ana to not do it with an unsigned check. My, do they understand each other.
Orson's Suicide
Does not come to pass. How much better would the episode had been if he'd taken that plunge into the pool? Imagine:
As Bree watches the happily married couple celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, she realizes she perhaps can access her old feelings for Orson. She watches them dance, her eyes softening with hope for a future like that with him. Meanwhile, Orson hears Bree's words in his head. The"I care deeply for you" and her unsaid "but I do not love you" echo in his head as he contemplates the pool. With resolve on his face, he takes that final roll and falls in. We hear the soft music drifting out through the patio doors as we watch the bubbles stop coming up from his drowning body. The camera goes back to Bree, the look of hope still plain on her face. We watch her, knowing she will never fulfill that dream.
Now that would have been worth watching. Instead Bree comes out in the nick of time, mushy bla bla bla and I'm bored.
But if Orson had died, then Bree would be a widow again, and haven't we done that already? It's already kind of macabre thinking about what happens to her lovers. Rex is dead, George is dead, Karl is dead, and Orson is considering suicide. So bleak.
Overall, I was entertained but not blown away. The Angie plot line seems to be puttering down predictable lane, so hopefully the writers will spice that up a bit before the finale.
I kind of loved Julie Benz when she was Darla on Angel. And here she is in this episode of Desperate Housewives as Robin, a stripper who likes to read and wants to change. And apparently she's going to be a regular because Susan asked her to move in.
I'm excited to see where this plot line takes us. It seems that Robin has already showed some signs of being irresponsible. The predictable thing for the writers to do is have Robin end up being too low-class/uneducated/childish to be "salvageable". Someone who the optimistic Susan took a chance on who wasn't worth it. I'd be disappointed if that ended up happening.
I had some outrage about Robin being fired for her past as a stripper. Talk about sexism... the man who frequents strip clubs has the financial power to prevent his previous eye-candy from getting out of the business and finding a less objectifying career. Also, I'm pretty sure the principal's remarks about how she can "break a five by shaking out her underwear" are grounds for a lawsuit, just saying.
Angie: Recycla-Nazi
It is revealed that Angie's dark and sinister past is somehow related to her outrage over environmental negligence. Gotta say, kind of a let down. We've known for a while she accidentally got someone killed in an act of terrorism for some cause. Our next big reveal is that her "cause" is loving the Earth? That's one scary villain.
Also I love her "Stay away from my kid" warnings while threatening violence. She's done it at least twice already, but each time its so badass I can't get too annoyed at the repetitive writing.
Gaby and Ana have the Sex Talk
And by that I mean, Gaby bribes Ana to not do it with an unsigned check. My, do they understand each other.
Orson's Suicide
Does not come to pass. How much better would the episode had been if he'd taken that plunge into the pool? Imagine:
As Bree watches the happily married couple celebrate their fiftieth anniversary, she realizes she perhaps can access her old feelings for Orson. She watches them dance, her eyes softening with hope for a future like that with him. Meanwhile, Orson hears Bree's words in his head. The"I care deeply for you" and her unsaid "but I do not love you" echo in his head as he contemplates the pool. With resolve on his face, he takes that final roll and falls in. We hear the soft music drifting out through the patio doors as we watch the bubbles stop coming up from his drowning body. The camera goes back to Bree, the look of hope still plain on her face. We watch her, knowing she will never fulfill that dream.
Now that would have been worth watching. Instead Bree comes out in the nick of time, mushy bla bla bla and I'm bored.
But if Orson had died, then Bree would be a widow again, and haven't we done that already? It's already kind of macabre thinking about what happens to her lovers. Rex is dead, George is dead, Karl is dead, and Orson is considering suicide. So bleak.
Overall, I was entertained but not blown away. The Angie plot line seems to be puttering down predictable lane, so hopefully the writers will spice that up a bit before the finale.