(S05E03) This is more like it. After two below average episodes to start the season, I thought this third installment of Family Guy was much better. The overall story of the mega-corp superstore coming to town and killing all the other businesses wasn't particularly novel. South Park did that a couple years ago in "Something Wall-Mart This Way Comes". It did serve as a good backdrop for some funny stuff though. And really, any time someone wants to put the boots to Wal-Mart, I'm ok with it. Things started out on a good note with Red Dawn the musical and the who's that kind of drunk bit. I thought the roller skating montage was well done too. And they just kept coming. Pepperidge Farms remembers, the Ice Man's trail to the gay club, and Hummer guy were all good. "Yeah, Rumsfeld!"
I did think it was curious to have the car salesman angle in both American Dad and Family Guy on the same night. And it's worth mentioning that American Dad was solid again. That really wasn't the focus here though. What was great to see was that the jokes were good and so fast. I loved Peter doing the park ranger a favor by killing Yogi, and while the Ghost Whisperer joke was cheap and obvious, it was still pretty funny. Kind of like the Richard Gere joke.
One part of the episode that fell a little flat for me was idiot Peter working at the store. For me, it's a fine line when they go retarded with Peter. Sometimes it plays really funny, and sometimes it just gets annoying. Coloring, plunger nipples, and hiding in the clothes racks were just meh for me. They did pay off well when it led to Meg not firing Peter, and then Peter refusing to acknowledge her at the end of the show.
While not necessarily a critique of this episode, I am a little concerned with the direction of Stewie. More and more he seems to be moving away from the evil genius bent on the destruction of Lois, and more toward just being a weird gay baby. That works on occasion, and the spit on me scene was funny, but I prefer the old Stewie and hope that we see his return soon.
And that will do it for a while. Once again, baseball will rear it's ugly head and there will be no more new Family Guy until the beginning of November.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-25-2006 @ 1:00PM
jq said...
it was better than last weeks, but american dad still got 1st for me. i agree with the weird gay baby, we need evil stewie again with the pidder-padder footsteps when he runs away.
someone should do a 'retro squad' review of the 1st few episodes of the 1st season and see how they stack up.
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9-25-2006 @ 1:02PM
dvddesign said...
They've gone both ways with Stewie before. You see bits and pieces depending on what serves the plot. Frankly, it doesn't concern me at all, since both types are funny to me. I do agree that the evil baby ones are funnier in concept, but unless it's driving the plot (Stewie against Hubert was funny last season), the joke wears thin and the character becomes a one-joke wonder.
There's a reason why they made Bart Simpson more complex than "Ay Carumba", "Don't have a cow, man", and "Do the Bartman!" It was funny at first, and certainly thrilling to the age group that Bart represented, but it got old fast. I think the "I didn't do it kid" episode was proof enough that the Simpsons were aware that they have to be more than just a catchphrase/gimmick to keep the audience interested.
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9-25-2006 @ 1:23PM
Tucker said...
Strange, I found this one to be the weakest so far. I really enjoyed the first two episodes of the season, but this one didn't quite do it for me. Interesting to see how different episodes play with different people.
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9-25-2006 @ 1:54PM
Akbar Fazil said...
Was I the only one who got the "Tank" refernece with Stewie and Brian driving the tank through the store?
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9-25-2006 @ 2:25PM
Brett said...
Hey, good comments. jq, that could be a possibility for the baseball break. I'll look into it.
dvddesign, you make a good point about what has happened with bart. I don't think it's a case of needing to choose one or the other or anything. But I think some of the best Stewie stuff has been born out of the evil persona. The battle with Hubert being a good example.
Tucker, what can I tell you. There's no accounting for taste. I'll let you decide which one of us is lacking. :D
Akbar, if you are talking about the James Garner movie TANK, then yep, totally missed it. But now that you bring it up... I took it as an A-Team reference with Brian being Hannibal, because of the cigar.
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9-25-2006 @ 2:35PM
Akbar Fazil said...
It totally could be a A-Team reference but without the music I didnt think it was. Its been YEARS since I saw Tank but im fairly certain the bandana and cigar where present. Yay for me! Im officially in a very small percentile to remember that!
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9-25-2006 @ 2:37PM
Cartoons for Grown-Ups said...
So did you guys catch the Family Guy f-bomb clip that's up on YouTube?
I disagree regarding Stewie. I doubt they're abandoning the evil baby angle - I just think they're giving it a rest. They're trying not to overplay the characters' stereotyped behaviors. Given that, though, you're right - the "Retarded Peter" angle is old and, in most cases, just plain sad.
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9-25-2006 @ 3:43PM
Aaron said...
Hey I just wanted to ask anyone if the guy in the Hummer driving down the road actually dropped the F-bomb. Because I had to download this episode, because I missed it, and in the download he dropped the F-bomb without a bleep at all, I was really confused. Can anyone clear this up?
Aaron.
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9-25-2006 @ 4:41PM
Cartoons for Grown-Ups said...
Yes, he did. IMDb confirmed it went live in some markets (I'm assuming East coast). I'm sure the PTC has already lodged a complaint with the FCC...both of which, of course, should just STFU.
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