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.
2 comments:
I actually disagree. The humour style of "Family Guy" is satire [with a strong bent toward absurdist humour], the very definition of which dictates that while it often HAPPENS to be funny, the goal of satire is not humour but the expression of a point of view. I personally enjoy the social and political commentary intrinsic to the show's structure and this episode was no different. The character of Ellen, voiced by actress Andrea Fay Friedman, was shown to be a highly functioning member of society. The point was that Chris, who may not be classified as having a mental challenge, is the true ignorant/inept individual. Showcasing a Down's syndrome individual in such a light is commendable, and the ultimate commentary on society is perhaps not "laugh out loud" funny, but is funny in a more intellectual way.
I also personally enjoy the musical numbers, and with the traditional animation the series is known for, it actually DOES require talent to both produce the visual product and, of course, the added bonus is the enormously and diversely talented cast that can deliver song and dance numbers.
Was it the best episode ever? No. However, this review seems a tad hasty and superficial.
Okay, I see your point. But the fact that she was "highly functioning" was overshadowed by the fact that she was just straight-up mean and bitchy to Chris. And the question I was posing was: why? Is the only way to present a highly functioning disabled person is by having her assert her dominance through insults and demands? I still don't see the point of that creative choice, as it wasn't funny and there's little intellectual value that isn't problematic.
Also, the musical numbers. I enjoyed them at first, but after a while they do seem lazy. The cast can sing...we know. Whether or not they can dance is not exactly portrayed in this medium. And showing tap dancing characters seems just as difficult as showing characters do other things that require motion (difficult for the illustrators/animators). And when the musical numbers are funny and original, then I do enjoy them (and Family Guy has achieved this in the past). But as it stands, I don't think this song/dance number was worth the airtime.
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