![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matt_zimmerAlso a review for the Fantagraphics collection Mickey Mouse: Lost In Lands Of Long Ago.
Upcoming reviews include The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete Series, Phineas And Ferb: Star Wars, Big Hero 6 (Blu-Ray), Tangled, Muppets Most Wanted: Extended Edition, Lego DC Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League, Teen Titans Go!: Appetite For Disruption, Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts, Justice League: Throne Of Atlantis, Batman vs Robin, Revolution: Season 2, Almost Human: The Complete Series, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 1, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (Blu-Ray), The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug: Extended Edition, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, Police Squad: The Complete Series, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Turbo: Volume 2, Power Rangers In Space Volume 1, Power Rangers In Space: Volume 2, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Showdown In Dimension X, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Under The Dome: Season 2, Samurai Jack: Season 4, The Wonder Years: Season 2, The Wonder Years: Season 3, Bob's Burgers: Season 4, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part 1.
Family Guy: Volume Eight
I am almost inclined to say it: this is the greatest group of Family Guy episodes ever released on DVD. "Extra Large Medium" has the greatest musical number in the show's history, and punked Sarah Palin in real life controversy. And "And Then There Were Fewer" and "Brian And Stewie" blew the franchise wide open in the types of experimental episodes the show was willing to do. So, I'm really inclined to give this volume five stars.
Except it contains "Excellence In Broadcasting", the single worst episode the show has ever produced. I have to knock off an entire star off because of it. It is that bad. Volume Overall: ****.
Business Guy:
House. Road House. Pretty good, pretty good. "Does the name Lacey Chabert mean anything to you?" "I'll behave myself." "Yes, you WILL." The Swamp Monster is almost as bad of an ending as Crab People. I love Lady Scream In A Box. "Finally, a scream that's right for me!" Cheeseburger Helper was hilarious. Stewie wanting to be a racecar driver when he grows up will never get old. Quagmire used to be a hippie! Well, he IS 60. Women co-workers who go to strip clubs with the guys are exactly that pathetic. They ruined the two foreign guys. There is no part of them that almost sounds American anymore. German fairytales are exactly that gruesome. I love that one of Carter's prepared death scenarios in his video will was the ending to Back To The Future, Part III. I love the African American Heart Monitor. Peggy, can you move that 3:00PM fart up to now. Remote control racecars... that glow in the dark?! I love Carter's Big Bang Theory party too. The visual of Carter eating seed out of that guy's hand was hilarious. I liked this. ***1/2.
Big Man On Hippocampus:
The Family Feud part was golden. I loved Lois living a dream with Richard Dawson, and Stewie's answers in the bonus round. Show me Picard's flute! Peter's clinical line reading describing the flute and the episode it appeared in never fails to make me laugh. I liked the Bob Crane joke and the fact that Peter was the only one who laughed at it. But Quagmire, man. I'm sorry, but he is NOT better than Brian (even if it is confirmed he works at the shelter). Dwayne Johnson looked positively confused. I really disliked the amnesia sex joke involving the family. I feel like what Meg said was actually not as objectionable as what Peter said. Because she was joking and he was serious. It's much worse. Good to see the Giant Chicken again. I think Tiffany Amber-Theissen's character design was beyond cruel. Speaking of which, I don't find the Robin Williams bit funny, but then I thought it was a weak cutaway over the air too. I liked the porcupine hitting on the pineapple and the giant mutant rat. He's gonna leave his poops in your kicks. And Surfin' Bird returns. Shut up, Greg. Love the Adult Swim bumper. Both Peter O'Toole's first and last names are slang words for penis. Gene Siskel's Pretty Woman review made me sad. I liked the Paul Hogan joke. I want to see more of him and then suddenly none of him. Forever. Pooping a diaper into another diaper is how you wind up in another dimension. I liked Peter learning how to drive by playing 8 hours of Grand Theft Auto. Parts of this episode were funny and parts of it were icky. ***.
Dial Meg For Murder:
I gotta say, seeing Meg beat up all of those people who have been torturing her for seasons on end was not as horrifying as the producers were intending it to be. When she breaks Peter's teeth by curb stomping him my reaction is "This was long overdue." Same to her beating Connie D'Amico over the head with a sack of sodas. Listen to how clueless Connie is in that scene. She was literally begging for it. And I feel VERY uncomfortable that the series made me feel that way. That is how badly Meg has been abused and I didn't realize until I saw this episode how much it bothered me. The episode was great otherwise. "Hey, can that be a thing? Can we call TV Guide 'The Guide'? You know what? That's not even a question, that's what we're doing." The stock photo joke was incredibly spot-on, and when the guy feigned surprise that the class was being taught outside, I kind of realized how much our society sucks, and how much we're been conditioned to accept the fact it sucks. There is NO scenario in which those stock photos should still be used today and they are. And this episode said "It's not normal, it's lame." Fight the beast. I loved the slam at Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy. I hate the two of them SO much. The stuff with the bull made me cringe. That went too far, although for some reason I didn't feel that way about Peter and Meg's shower. I liked Stewie's line on the uncensored version of wondering if he was the only one thinking she was getting f***ed up there. The uncensored version has a joke in it that I think is MUCH less funny than the producers are hoping. Meg's boyfriend says her kisses taste much better than a guy's penis. I was like... that's stupid. And obvious. Even for this show. I like Stewie both when he's cranky and when he's playing realistic house with dolls, this time at a resort. I didn't know they twisted the bull's nuts before the rodeo. That's sick. I liked both the Goofy in the eternal pit of fire, and the tried to vote in Ohio jokes. I also like Stewie's "Oh, now you all can understand me." "You there. Punch your baby in the face." "What can I do for you four fine young black gentlemen today?" I won't pretend I didn't laugh at that last one. Good episode. ****.
Extra Large Medium:
Classic episode. The song is brilliant enough, but the episode gets bonus points for baiting perpetual victim Sarah Palin into making an even bigger jackass of herself in real life than usual. A little background on this: When Sarah Palin heard about the slam on the show, she accused the Family Guy writers of attacking her helpless son with Down Syndrome. But she didn't realize that MacFarlane had cast Andrea Fay Friedman as Ellen, an actress with Down Syndrome who was on "Life Goes On". And Friedman? She tore Palin a new @$$hole. It was a thing of beauty. Friedman accused Palin of using Trig like a prop and lugging him around like a loaf of bread. Her exact words. She LIKED doing the Family Guy episode. It was fun and Palin had no idea what she was talking about. It was a masterful trap, which is NOT a hallmark of Seth MacFarlane's politics, so that made it extra sweet. I would not be surprised if she and Seth talked about the fact that something like this might happen and to be ready. And boy, was she. Good on her. And Palin fell right into it. Her butt-sniffing fans took to Twitter to accuse Friedman of faking her Down Syndrome. Yes, this is exactly how intelligent Sarah Palin supporters are. Does anyone else see the irony here? I actually think the moral of this episode is probably the kindest moral I have EVER seen about people with Down Syndrome. In this episode's opinion, people with Down Syndrome aren't "special". They're just a bunch of @$$holes like everybody else. As cruel as that sounds, it is an exceedingly positive message that you NEVER hear. On every other earlier TV show or movie with a character with Down Syndrome the character earns the term "special" by being a saint who improves the lives of the people they come into contact with. But this message is WAY better. Because it states that people with Down Syndrome are normal and deserve to be treated as such. Family Guy NEVER has positive messages, so the fact that it was this show that so clearly laid that out for the first time is fabulous. Now: "Down Syndrome Girl". Never seen Glee (which apparently is also kind in it's portrayal of a character with Down Syndrome) so I can't judge it by those standards. But this was the single best musical number I have every seen created for TV. Disney has done a ton of better stuff in films, but this was easily the best TV musical of all time. It had everything. Smooth choreography, impossible rhyming and super fast singing, as well as a beautiful crescendo and pay-off. You put those last three together and you are going to bring down the house. Perfection. Howard Ashman level lyrics. No fake. I also like that this episode just sort of said "Screw it, Chris can understand Stewie, all the time." That's about right. If you have to fudge the rule half the time, it's better to just do away with it altogether. I also loved the Stewie Defeats Truman gag. Terrific groaner. Do you know what else I liked? The first thing Stewie does upon being found is give Lois a hug! The writers didn't draw a TON of attention to it, but the loving look on his face was not lost on me. That's cool. The Thorton Melon gag was great too. This is why the other countries are crushing us! The Adam West One Question gag is one of those old corny jokes I have been using all my life, so I was tickled to see it on-screen. "I'm guessing this one had a bunny, but not anymore." Ellen had the best line: "If you want access to this temple you'd better pay the proper tribute." I love that line because it's something a Popular Mean Girl like Cordelia Chase would say, and it ties into the moral of disabled people being no better than anyone else. I have to confess the psychic stuff was the weak link of the episode (even if the Lou Costello bit was funny). Just because South Park did the definitive smack-down with John Edward that this seemed quite unnecessary. The thing that was so great about South Park's attack was how specific is was, and how it let everybody understand the tricks involved. And Stan was the Masked Magician. Anyone who has ever seen that South Park episode will never believe in a psychic again. Or if they do, they will at least pretend they've never seen the South Park episode. Because if you've seen the South Park episode and STILL aren't convinced John Edward is full of s*** you are a very stupid person. Family Guy didn't quite get there here. And I kind of think that the whole plot made Peter an even bigger butthole than usual. As Brian pointed out, it was one thing to fleece some idiots, it was another to waste time on a life and death matter for kicks. And I have never heard of ANY infant having pierced ears, much less any black baby that does. This strikes me as one of those stereotypes that the writers heard about second-hand without verifying whether or not it was true. Because I'm guessing it isn't. They ALWAYS have Cleveland saying randomly weird cr*p like that too, as if they are privy to the ugly, little-known secrets of black culture, and I always think by the end of those jokes, that they STILL aren't actually privy to those secrets. But in truth, none of that matters. The episode delivered one of the finest musical numbers I have ever seen, and embarrassed Sarah Palin, or would have if she possessed shame. What's not to love? *****.
Go, Stewie, Go!:
What a group of unpleasant people. Let's start with Lois. People complained about how she was portrayed this episode, but I think it was perfectly in character. This is Lois. This is who she has ALWAYS been and anyone who thinks differently hasn't been paying attention. The fact that Brian puts this woman on a pedestal is a laughable joke. She is NOT too good for Peter. And good for Meg for pegging her "I never meant to steal him away from you" "apology" as a way to say she was superior to here. Raging insincerity and vanity was going on from Lois' end in that moment. The fact that Meg is a psychopath is besides the point. She actually gave the kid a schedule for her menstrual cycle. I'm sorry, I know the female body is a magnificent thing of beauty, but that is just plain gross. Now we get to Brian. I love that Stewie just does NOT want to engage, man. I don't think Brian is a bad person because he had a baby touch his wiener. I think Brian is a bad person because he thinks it is perfectly acceptable to move a woman he has known for less that 60 seconds' hand down there in the first place. Brian is just a major creep and that move would have been just as appalling, even if it weren't Stewie. "We both know I touched it. Now if you want to keep that just between us, you'll sit right back down." I'll give Brian this. He seemed properly concerned when he saw Stewie had been abused by a photographer in the uncut version. I don't see too many examples of Brian being an adult and I noticed and appreciated that. And finally, Peter. Do I even have to say it? Nobody should ever forgive him for any of his actions because he is never sorry, and lying when he says he is. The fact that Lois is NOT too good for this dump of a man says something horrible about her. He's attracted to his daughter now? What a sicko. And that whole "Bonnie had an affair" thing really bugs me considering what they set up later. I would have liked some consistency. The thing I liked was the sweet romance with Stewie. When he say "But I AM a boy" it just breaks your heart. I also love Stewie throwing feminist ideals into Jolly Farm, and I love even more that they became quite popular. That's cool. The James Earl Jones joke was funny, as was Jesus with the dodgeball. Why are Penelope Ann Miller and Nancy Travis movie stars anyways? Travis is particularly inexplicable because she still gets steady work. Miller was considerate enough to fade away into nothingness. I loved the cutaway of Carter playing Russian roulette with Meg in the car. "That was a stop sign!" Classic. I like Bernie and Gert. They use their fists. There is something seriously wrong with your family when the homicidal baby is the only decent one of the lot. **1/2.
Peter-Assment:
If Peter HAD cheated on Lois, she would have deserved it. Lois is an anti-feminist character and always has been. She is NOT too good for Peter. Even worse, she doesn't care when Meg tells her she's being molested. I hate her so much. I loved Jared: "You don't have any gummi bears on you, do you? It'd be a lot cooler if you did, ha HA!" Stewie and his friends are very lucky. The whole Terry Schiavo play didn't work though. When Peter called harassing a celebrity and calling it news journalism, I thought "In that one moment Peter is smarter than Brian." Peter neglected to mention Angela was a total dumpster fire. Some friend, huh? And Quagmire STILL leaves a resume. Are you serving fish? Then my dinner guest has arrived. I want to know which MacFarlane family member Rene Russo killed. Because I can't think of another reason they keep going back to her. I remember Rubik the Amazing Cube. What an incredibly awkward premise for a TV series. The best way to solve a Rubik's Cube is to peel off the stickers. So-so. **1/2.
Brian Griffin's House Of Payne:
James Woods! He has some schoolbus seats to sniff, and he banged that chick and she was well under 18 years old. I loved Seth Green's lining readings on both "You gonna hurry off to your job? Yeah," and "They look like little robbers". The uncensored version has a ghastly but hilarious joke: Chris says he knows they aren't going to do it but that it might be better at this point if they cut up Stewie and flushed him down the toilet. I loved the reaction shot of everyone turning their heads slowly in unison after seeing the theme song to Class Holes. Well timed. So were the spaceship battles at the beginning. What great CGI animation. Stewie's wound was gross but the plot didn't really offend me the way it did some fans. Just because Stewie's kind of horrible. I loved Stewie's confused reaction to Peter doing Rupert's voice. And this show DOES take a lot of digs at Two and a Half Men (although it deserves it). That whole casting session was a nightmare. It seem authentic to how phony and self-congratulatory those things probably are. I've always liked this episode. ****.
April In Quahog:
Peter is the worst. A decent parent (not to mention person) would want to COMFORT their children when they're dying, not "be honest" with them. This is why I hate everybody forgiving Peter at the end of every episode. The rapacious cavalry men joke is another reason he sucks. And he thinks Meg's period is one of her interests. And wanting to go to a black neighborhood and be crown King of the Black People for saying the N word is Seth MacFarlane's biggest fantasy. It says something bad about the writers if this is a "privilege" they actually want. I won't lie and say it isn't a funny and subversive joke, although I would be remiss to point out that it is funnier when Peter said the "You know what word" over the air instead of "N word". The more specific is was, the less funny it was. Tom Tucker sucks too with his Megan Fox bit. And I want to sympathize with Meg. Her "Shut up, Dad!" was righteous and she seems to be leading the other kids in anger with their father. But she strangles cats. How am I supposed to like her after that? I liked Stewie's line reading of "C'mon Meg and Chris, let's get out of here" as well as him making fun of Brian for praying: "You're disingenuous." Brian was funny as Muttley too. The Jesus and Mort joke was never funny but for some reason the stigmata joke on the uncensored version is quite chilling. I love that Meg was the first person to laugh at Peter for being excited for jury duty and Peter's reactions to the evidence all being things he wanted to, but wasn't allowed to touch. There is some awesome stuff in the garbage. I like the first television broadcast. I thought it was funny they got Jason Mraz to voice himself. Both of Stewie's toy playing scenes were funny. How is that kid exclusively seems to have toys made in the '80's? He-Man's sick abs are making me hungry, and the Care Bear is just a Care Bear. So-so. ***.
Brian And Stewie:
This has always been one of my favorite episodes but the uncensored, extended DVD version is ten times better. There was a lot more existential conversation near the end and Stewie bemoaning that he is a people pleaser when he lied on the phone and said he liked The Bounty Hunter. Stewie and Brian also apologize to each other when the bullets are flying in the extended version which is cool. God, so much greatness. Stewie claiming he uses Brian was interesting because you know on some level it is true. The uncut version also points out the camera in the vault and that it caught Brian licking Stewie's butt and Stewie gleefully says that people are going to be searching for that footage on YouTube. Also on the uncut version Stewie warns about Brian trying anything when they're drunk, and Brian asks what he's worrying about since he already practically rimmed him. Stewie then points out there was no practically about it! There is a slam on Illeanna Douglas on the uncut version. I haven't seen her in anything in awhile. Brian sucks because he voted for McCain. And he's a homophobe. Brian's talk about suicide was incredibly moving to me, especially considering how much I loathe the character. Having a way out makes a lot of sense. It also explains why what Stewie said offended him so much: because he was right. Stewie telling Brian he loved him was such a great moment. I do disagree with Stewie about one thing: that Brian wanting to kill himself is selfish. People always say that, and it is always b.s.. In fact, the people who say it are the selfish ones. It's a way for certain people to make other's people's pain all about themselves. And if there is one reason I'm glad Robin Williams died, it's that people have begun to question this truism after some clueless newsreaders spouted it off and offended people who've lost loved ones to suicide. It used to be a given. And it shouldn't be. It's not true. At all. This episode was one of Seth MacFarlane's most amazing performances ever. As the people on the commentary noted he is pretty much the greatest voice actor who ever lived. I personally hate the dude but that is absolutely 100% true. This is one of my favorite episodes and the DVD somehow managed to make it even better! My one complaint is that the over the air extras (deleted scenes and musical numbers and the like) are not on the DVD. That's a shame because there is actual new animation of Brian and Stewie hosting those things. But it being gone didn't hurt the quality of the episode itself so it still gets five stars. *****.
Quagmire's Dad:
"Hey. I f***ed your Dad." Oh, it's on now! The uncensored version is better just because the line reading on the f-bomb is so harsh and perfect. The bleep actually takes something away which isn't always the case. The weird thing about seeing Quagmire beat up Brian is that Brian didn't actually do anything wrong. Why am I happy to see this dog abused for having consensual sex with an interested woman? I felt REALLY weird being on Quagmire's side and yet Brian is so horrible that I am. Can you believe Brian charged the drinks to Ida's room? "You're a sponge. You pay for nothing." Repeat after me: Brian is a USER. And yet, part of me is glad to see Brian fight back a little. He never asked Quagmire to hate him, despite the fact that he is a douche. Maybe at this point he can stop trying to be his friend. That's probably for the best. Peter and Lois were inexplicably cruel to both Brian and Quagmire this episode. As bad as they were, I still guffawed at their reaction to seeing Brian's camera pic. "This is the best day ever!" And even if I don't agree with Quagmire being so judgmental, his struggle was REALLY relatable in a way in might not have been if they hadn't been more careful. Quagmire doesn't exactly sound like a bigot when he says "This is too hard. You're asking me to accept an awful lot." Because it was also kind of true. Once Quagmire was in the bargaining stage of grief ("Oh, c'mon, just be gay,") I knew it would be a good episode. I loved Meg's "You just burned your last friend in this room." And Arthur Curry is pretty much the worst superhero secret I.D. ever. He doesn't even wear glasses or color his hair. Who is he fooling? What people in his life are that stupid? And anytime someone takes a shot at Ann Coulter I smile. Good for them for not going to a specific place considering the subject matter, but Coulter does NOT get slammed enough. Even Limbaugh is the butt of a ton of jokes. Coulter gets a pass because nobody knows who she is. And that's wrong. And even if the phoque jokes didn't pass muster on Fox, it is STILL a bit shocking to see them on TBS and Adult Swim. Even still, Fox let 'em get away with "Your dad used to drink me under the table." The parents in massive debt joke was actually a bit frightening, because I'm betting that is true for many people. They aren't psychotic abusers, but their options are so bad they think murder / suicide is the best one. It's terrifying to think that it can happen to perfectly sane people, because that means it could happen to you. Eats more pie than Kirstie Alley. Ha ha ha! What?! My biggest complaint is having Ida walk out of the operating room in a dress, wig, heels, and make-up. I strongly feel that if the episode wants to milk serious drama from the premise and actually explore it, they shouldn't be treating it as a cartoon. That was the one false note to me. Everything else was great. The commentary had two interesting notes. First, that the only real complaint they got about the episode was Brian's reaction upon learning Ida's identity and puking everywhere. Here's the thing: Brian is a shallow, horrible person. I never felt that the show was actually endorsing that by having him do that. I think they were showing that as far as a liberal goes, he is a phony. I DO love it when Brian yells just because it's funny to see his lower lip go over his collar. They did NOT think out the designs when creating the show. The second thing on the commentary that interested me is the observation that Quagmire's pad is SUPER colorful and festive and that it is possible Quagmire knew deep down his father was struggling with his sexuality, and overcompensated with his own behavior in the other direction. They retconned that interpretation after introducing Quagmire's mom, but it still plays that way here. ****.
The Splendid Source:
Do you know what this episode made me realize? How much I missed those "would you rather?" hypothetical scenarios with Peter and his friends with Cleveland gone. It is the only way the show is worse off for him missing. I have not seem Marc Alaimo in anything since Deep Space Nine went off the air. I loved the first dead baby joke and the open trench one too. Bender does a good Al Harrington. The uncensored version is interesting. Peter tells the entire F-bomb laden joke at the end. It isn't actually funny, and it's a bit appalling he told it to his kids (although to her credit Lois tries to stop him, which she did NOT do with the Sodomy song) but it is a rare example of a TV show actually coming up with a dirty joke. Usually the writers only have to come up with a punchline and let the viewer's imagination do the rest, but this was actually a joke (which AGAIN made Peter s*** himself upon telling it). When you poop in your dreams, you poop for real! No way! Monkey scratch! I liked the jokes at the expense of ROA Speedwagon and Asia. Those guys were good sports. Peter swallowing the intercom was funny for some reason. The whole reason the secret agents went through Crate and Barrel was to get their parking validated! I like Quagmire making fun of Joe's windshield joke: "Oh, come on Joe, that's so dumb." You never hear people dissing wisecracks on TV. I think Lennie Briscoe might have wound up a little self-conscious if he knew people were judging his quips on the merits. Horatio Crane would never be able to open an episode of CSI again either. I like more about this episode than I don't. ***.
And Then There Were Fewer:
One of the greatest Family Guy episodes of all time. The story, the dialogue, the music, the animation, the direction, the performances, all top-notch. The mystery was SO well-constructed and seeing it years later, the continuity is flawless, which is unheard of on this show. When Derek declares his murderer is "the man or woman who has been killing everybody" I thanked the stars Family Guy is a comedy. Most mysteries can't DO that and have to be a LOT more careful with the gender pronouns and Family Guy just made a clever joke out it. I love that the most horrifying thing Lois takes from Diane Simmons' story is that she is 40. Why does she try to make friends with other women? Or that if anyone is gonna take that b**** out, it's going to be Stewie. Or that the people on the bus were mad at Peter LONG before he pooped on the S. Or that Adam West thinks Consuela and Mort are a couple of squares. Or that Mort can think of nothing nice to say about Muriel when he finds her dead. Or everyone making fun of Stephanie's underwear. "Come on guys, can't we all just be glad she's dead?" The extended version covers a major plothole in the aired version: Stewie should have been a prime suspect, and here Brian says he thought it could have been him, and Stewie explains he would have done a better and more artful job of it. I'm with Karl. Jennifer Connelly is still hot. She is still perhaps the hottest woman on the planet. And that probably won't change for at least another fifteen years. Always good to get a reference to Labyrinth. We need more weird puppet movies in the worst way. Do you know why I love the Adrien Brody slam? Because it ticked off Adrien Brody! And he should have been! He did NOT take it all in good humor and give Seth a pass when they met and I think that's awesome. I think if more people in Hollywood told Seth MacFarlane his insults aren't funny he might be pickier with who he targets. I mean really, who has Adrien Brody ticked off ever? Uncalled for. I was alarmed at Herbert telling Chris to burn down his house. I was like "This stopped being funny ages ago and now it is just frightening." Speaking of that, I am very surprised James Woods consented to be in an episode in which it is stated he sexually molested Consuela's nephew. I loved Adam West calling Tom Tucker a ridiculous man because I was considering the source. James Woods would have broken out bigger if he weren't so impossible to work with. Love that he consented to that line too. I knew they didn't kill him off for real and that they'd bring him back at some point. I love Stewie getting mad at Brian's uncalled for insults at the end. "We're in a fight!" was a perfect domestic line for those two, and perfect for their relationship in that moment. I also loved Brian listing off the things the group smelled like. Do you know what was messed up about the interracial panda bear children thing? That is where Karl's imagination took him. The two foreign guys would have been there but they misplaced the invitation. Loved Patrick Stewart's cameo. Seamus poops acorns and they had another joke about him and Dr. Hartman sounding alike. Seamus hopes he, Hartman, and Herbert will still be friends when they see each other in school. The "Aw, they got him" was a funny line for the Find A Jew App. In the extended version Stewie does a pretty brutal and accurate job summoning up why Golden Globes are worthless. It was almost as insightful as South Park destroying John Edward. Not quite. But close. It was made funnier by Stewie whoring for one at the end of the joke anyways. I also liked Stewie making fun of Brian for "Jimmy Woods". Miami Vice starred Donnie Johnny, Phil Mike Tom, and Eddie Jim Olmos. Probably the finest episode the show has ever done. *****.
Excellence In Broadcasting:
This is easily the worst Family Guy episode of all time. By far. And yes, I'm including all of the worst episodes of seasons one and two. Seth has stated in interviews that he did this episode because the show never has the conservative point of view. My response? So what? Who gives a cr*p if Republicans are offended? All they do is say the most disgusting things about liberals all day. Why do they get a chance to use one of our few liberal media outlets in Family Guy to spew their poison? If Seth needs to placate conservatives in any way, it means that he is not truly a liberal. Brian really bothers me this episode. Do you know why? The reason he turned back into a liberal at the end. He just took Rush's word for it. Didn't question if Rush was right or not, but lets such a big decision as his entire political philosophy be decided by another person. As if it is actually up to Rush. That is not a liberal value, and I resent the show bringing him back into the fold that way. Do you know what the worst part was? The very end where him and Limbaugh traded venomous insults and then smiled at one another. As if that sort of abusive discourse is normal. It's not. And I resent the show pretending it is. And I'll go there: I know this was before the Sandra Fluke thing, but Rush has been saying stuff as horrible as that about various targets way before that, and I resent that he is the conservative Seth MacFarlane thinks deserves an outlet for their bile. I think the friendship Seth struck up with him is because he and him have more in common than they don't. They are both racist misogynists who attack people who never did anything to them. And they're bullies. It galls me to realize that MacFarlane is pretty much just admitting that he's the left-wing's Limbaugh. Because that's disgusting and disturbing. Worst episode ever. If Family Guy ever does another one this bad, I'll be surprised. 0.
Welcome Back Carter:
Passable, but the flashback went on for entirely too long. I like Ken Burn's "Street Signs" though. Spot-on. "When I clenched it, you took your finger away. You were right to do that." There are not enough "Ewwws!" in the English language to keep up with Carter's excuses. The Taken joke really made me sad for some reason. I don't buy Quagmire being a marriage nerd for a second. He had an affair with Loretta. It is totally out of character for him to be claiming some sort of high ground there. Carter hates 80's sitcom two-parters. Peter's catchphrases were not terrible. The donkey vagina tattoo joke made me laugh. That just means Peter did a good job. Look what has happened to Jonathan Lipnicki! Loved "Penis" being the thing to make Rahgenald faint. We don't have time for Peter's magic lamp. All right. ***.
The Comical Adventures Of Family Guy - Brian And Stewie: The Lost Phone Call:
Motion comic performed by Seth MacFarlane. It kind of sucks, and would have ruined some of the episode if it were included, but just the fact that is an answering machine is hysterical. ***.
Who Done It? The Making Of "And Then There Were Fewer":
Featurette on the making of the episode. They put in a lot of effort and it shows. ****.
Deleted Scenes:
Business Guy: Adam West at the strip club did not disappoint. I liked the Joan of Arc cutaway. But my favorite part was the tribute to The Daily Show / The Colbert Report with Peter asking Stan Smith what was coming up on American Dad. Swamp monsters? ****.
Big Man On Hippocampus: So apparently Peter tapes over his wedding video for a close-up of his own bum. He thought it would get him on The Apprentice. I liked Tom Tucker, Adam West, and Seamus trying to steal Peter from Quagmire and Joe. Not cool, guys. Stewie's profane shouting match was funny too. ****.
Dial Meg For Murder: The turn of the Century bully was weird, the Joe joke was obvious, but I like the alternate take of Adam West roping Meg. In it Meg's friends can be heard talking about "The Guide" to Stewie's delight. It is SO a thing. ****1/2.
Extra Large Medium: I didn't get the Winnie the Pooh joke, and I think a butterfly was a better bet than a forest whale. But I kind of prefer Quagmire as a manhole cover to Quagmire as a condom. ***.
Go, Stewie, Go!: Neither of these scenes were anything to write home about. **.
Peter-Assment: GREAT Seinfeld reference. "Oh, by the way? They're real, and they're spectacular." ****1/2.
April In Quahog: Tom Tucker is such a passive aggressive ahole. Tricia Takanawa didn't find the prank funny. I liked the first rectal thermometer bit. ***1/2.
The Splendid Source: The Asian magic show was stupid, the invention of rape was stupid, offensive AND unfunny (hat trick). But I like Brian asking Peter if he could roll around in his poop to mask himself to his enemies and Quagmire giving a head's up to the secret agents about his potential AIDS. We're all in this together. And Lois is the worst mother ever. ***.
Excellence In Broadcasting: Brain Bleach. 0.
Welcome Back Carter: Australian guys get all the luck so I think that cutaway was spot-on. I don't think the fat women joke was though. I don't think that was written by a woman because I doubt it is true. **1/2.
Side By Side Animatic - Brian Griffin's House Of Payne:
For the spaceship stuff at the beginning. ****.
Side By Side Animatic - Brian And Stewie:
The diaper and piercing scenes. **1/2.
Side By Side Animatic - Quagmire's Dad:
They are making some seriously strange choices for episodes and scenes to do animatics from. *1/2.
The Cleveland Show "The Way The Cookie Crumbles"
The show sucks, but this episode wasn't too offensive. Although that butterfly cutaway was a manatee joke, full stop. I loved the authentic trailer at the beginning (including the scary violins) and the Six Flags "Your face looks like a buttcrack" song made me laugh. You'll only enjoy The Cleveland Movie high. Freight Train is no mouse cobbler. Michael Winslow needs work. The Bill Cosby sexual harassment joke was pretty alarming and told me that that cr*p has pretty much been an open secret for decades. The rich really are different. David Lynch was used well (as always) too. I love the expression on Donna's face as she was asking Cookie to relate her modeling story. "Go on." The show has done worse. ***.
The History Of The World - According To Family Guy:
These are clips from the show's flashbacks done in a parody of Cosmos, which is ironic considering who produced the reboot. Best jokes are Paul the Elephant / Penguin going the f*** overboard, God not wanting to wear a condom because it's his birthday, and Isaac asking Abraham what the f*** THAT was. Seriously. Abraham is the worst father ever. I cannot believe we were asked to admire this schmuck in Sunday School. I also love the joke of the slave-owner asking the slave if they were cool once he freed them. Why do I feel like every conversation Seth MacFarlane has ever had with a black person ended with those three words? Bad things? The Peter eating potato chips in Anne Frank's attic thing still is NOT funny. At all. And if they were going to do a joke that tasteless the least they could have done was make us laugh. Which they failed to do. ****.
Family Guy At Comic-Con 2010:
Seth MacFarlane is fearless. He actually did a live performance of Down Syndrome Girl. And you KNEW he was gonna blow the ending, but he did it anyways, even knowing that would probably happen. And he did better than I thought he would. Also, he seems to be making an intense, angry face the during the entire song, hinting to me that singing in Stewie's voice takes a LOT out of him. Which is why he is such a gifted voice performer. Alex Borstein knows how stacked she is, and throws it in the crowd's face to enjoy. I think it is truly sad that the writers admitted that they took their frustrations on not knowing how to write a teenage girl out on Meg, until Borstein pointed out something that she as a woman liked: hearing a character voiced by someone as gorgeous as Mila Kunis being repeatedly dumped on for her appearance was personally gratifying to her. That's kind of awesome. Steve Callaghan notes that to make things fair with Sarah Palin, next time he is going to try and offend a smart person for balance. Palin: You just got pwned. Again. And you make it so easy. Patrick Warburton was dressed like a meathead. Warburton is interesting to me because I cannot tell whether he is joking or not when he says certain things in Family Guy offend him as a Christian. He might not actually be jiving. They didn't address this in the panel, but Warburton has the most nightmarish mother alive. She personally is spearheading a campaign to get Family Guy taken off the air for being offensive. And she KNOWS her son works on it and isn't going to quit. That is just an insane Carrie White's Mom level of religious passive aggressiveness. I sincerely think Warburton's mom is a psycho, that she would put her own son in that position, and I kind of feel like in the back of my head that Warburton pretty much escaped an abusive cult. And yet... she's his mom. She had to have passed on SOME of that on to him, so it may be possible he's not entirely kidding. The dog food story was great. It's good he has a good family life with his own kids now. But I still worry about him. I love the questioner asking if Julia-Louis Dreyfuss would ever show up playing an ex-girlfriend of Joe's. That's a great idea! What hasn't that actually happened yet? Anything I didn't like? MacFarlane complimenting Limbaugh. He isn't nice Seth, and you shouldn't for one second pretend he is just because he didn't personally attack you on his show. He is a monster who deserves no special relationship with this show. ***1/2.
The Cleveland Show: Season 2 Trailer: Underwhelming. *.
DVD Menus: Themed by "And Then There Were Fewer". Overall: ****.
Disc 1 DVD Menu: Lois kissing Richard Dawson is the dream of a lifetime. Go girl. ****.
Disc 2 DVD Menu: Brian as Muttley is classic. ****.
Disc 3 DVD Menu: The weakest of the menus. ***1/2.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: "Lost In Lands Of Long Ago" By Floyd Gottfredson
While is it absolutely true that these batch of stories in Gottfredson's run of the strip are slightly subpar (and that the strip never recovered) these stories are for the most part not as offensive as the earlier ones, and thus easier to read. Yes, there is still a ton of sexism but the racist aspects have been toned down a lot. I don't know if they returned passed this volume, but as of these seven stories, it's easier to take.
Best stories is the weird sci-fi / western hybrid (The Bar-None Ranch). Worst is the overpraised "Land Of Long Ago". And even if the story itself is passable, I kind of hate "Love Trouble", just because it puts into focus that Mickey has been treating Minnie like a prostitute the entire strip, and nothing will ever change that. And I didn't realize it until that very story. And now I CAN'T unrealize it. Stories Overall: ***.
"The Bar-None Ranch":
There is a racist panel in this story but other than that I will have to concede the storywise is pretty much otherwise perfect. Just when the foreign doctor tells Mickey off-handedly "I'm not done with you yet" I kind of get chills that you don't tend to get from stories written by Carl Barks or Don Rosa. Now, they are way better than Gottfredson . But they are unable to unsettle me the way Gottfredson does repeatedly (although Romano Scarpa knows how to do it too). Pete's inaccessible well-kept hideout reminded me of the creepy suburban village that housed the Others in "Lost". It is FAR too perfect looking a setting to exist exactly where it does and gives off a creepy vibe. Dr. Einmug's Island In The Sky does the same thing, but Einmug, unlike Pete, is ultimately benign. Having a BAD guy look like he's living in the pleasant suburbs is what REALLY freaks me out. ****1/2.
"Bellhop Detective"
The essayist is right that this story is a mess. But do you know what? It wasn't racist or appalling in this slightest. I'll call that a win. I enjoyed it. It was light and fun. The end gag of Mickey jokingly asking for the $10,000 as a reward was funny too. ***.
"Land Of Long Ago"
Okay, to say the editorial overpraised that is an understatement. The story is just plain unpleasant. Where to begin? What does Goofy do once he learns the Professor's servant is a caveman? Threatens to beat him up. There is just NO way to justify that behavior. It's not even funny or an insightful character moment for Goofy. It is just plain ugly and indefensible. Gottfredson's Goofy literally had no redeeming qualities. He was the Peter Griffin of the 1930's and 40's. Secondly, Mickey cut that rope and let that caveman fall to his death. And we aren't supposed to have a problem with it? Frankly, it's out of character for MICKEY not to have a problem with it. Even if we take Gottfredson's moral of "savages" being nothing but animals at face value, Mickey has ALWAYS been shown to be relatively kind to animals. If he can avoid harming them, he will. He's not enlightened about how to treat them well but he doesn't actually want to hurt them. And let me just say the amnesia thing at the end was the stupidest thing I've ever read. Gottfredson seems to be telling the reader it's so no-one can get back to the island, but then hedges his bets and says Dustibones' memory comes and goes. It was his way of adding an additional twist at the end that meant nothing and was completely unearned. Just because this story was written in 1940 doesn't mean I can't view it through a modern lens. And that is unacceptable storytelling. Any good things? I think Gottfredson did a passable job explaining the inexplicable dream gimmick at the beginning. Because really, that is absolutely lunacy (and needlessly complicated) and he made it plausible within the framework of the Mouseverse. Maybe there were less insane ways for the Professor to contact Mickey and make him think he dreamed the whole thing in case he said no. But it is hardly the craziest thing to ever happen in this strip. **.
"Love Trouble"
Floyd Gottfredson wants me to think Minnie is being a passive-aggressive b*tch here, but honestly? Her anger is righteous. Mickey has NEVER appreciated her, and feels he can drop off the face of the Earth for months at a time, and expect her to be waiting for him when he gets back. That's b.s.. He isn't even getting paid for the adventures, so he can't even claim they are work related. They just seem more fun to him than spending time with Minnie. He expects her to be there for him when he wants her, and gone when he doesn't. Mickey doesn't see Minnie as a girlfriend. He think she's his whore. So, no, Gottfredson, I will NOT give Mickey any credit for "forgiving" Minnie in the end, since he refuses to take any responsibility for how horribly he treated her in the first place. Minnie is not the villain here. It isn't even Monty. It's Mickey. **1/2.
"Mickey Mouse, Supersalesman"
Here is the thing about this story: everybody in it was super manipulative. Everyone is b.s.-ing someone else and the winner is the guy whose b.s. sounds best. We're supposed to think that Mickey is MUCH more honest than Windy, but his low-pressure tactic is STILL a tactic. It just happens to work better. Pretending otherwise is dishonest on Gottfredson's part. Mickey didn't win because he was virtuous. He won because he was the better b.s.-er. All that said, the story was super fun to read and greatly enjoyable. Maybe I should have said that at the outset of my review. ****.
"Mystery At Hidden River"
Interesting things to note: the locals mistake an actual cow for Clarabelle. Pete wants to retire and grow "marihuana". Seriously. That is actually in a Mickey Mouse strip. And Pete's "Where you're going next depends on how you lived your life" is one of the most bad@$$ed, cold-blooded things I've ever heard a bad guy say. Pete might as well have been quoting Ezekiel at Clarabelle. I liked Mickey's friendly relationship with the G-Man too. As for the Indians, I can't get too fussed. Gottfredson has done MUCH worse, and none of the caricatures were actually uncomplimentary. Cliched, yes, but none of the Indians were either drunk or particularly stupid (for this strip). I'll let it slide. ****.
"The Gleam"
While it was super obvious Minnie was the accomplice, what shocked me was the idea that Minnie's aunt and uncle were imposters too! That took an admirable amount of chutzpa. Fun fact: supposedly Minnie's full first name is Minerva but since it's her "Uncle" who says this that might be b.s.. Still, I think I might have heard that in another Gottfredson story before too, so who knows? Mickey doesn't correct him at any rate. Great story. ****.
Behind The Scenes: The Gottfredson Redraws:
This shows some of the panel from famous Gottfredson stories redrawn for 50's comic books by lesser Disney artists like Dick Moore and Paul Murray. They look especially cheap compared to Gottfredson's detailed and surprisingly on-model stuff. *.
"Riddle Of The Red Hat" Art By Carl Barks:
This story is a LOT better upon rereading it than I gave it credit for. It is just as good as the Mickey stories in the book, and seems to have a Gottfredson sensibility to it that every other non-Gottfredson story from back in the day lacked. Vastly underrated. ****1/2.
Upcoming reviews include The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete Series, Phineas And Ferb: Star Wars, Big Hero 6 (Blu-Ray), Tangled, Muppets Most Wanted: Extended Edition, Lego DC Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League, Teen Titans Go!: Appetite For Disruption, Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts, Justice League: Throne Of Atlantis, Batman vs Robin, Revolution: Season 2, Almost Human: The Complete Series, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 1, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (Blu-Ray), The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug: Extended Edition, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, Police Squad: The Complete Series, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Turbo: Volume 2, Power Rangers In Space Volume 1, Power Rangers In Space: Volume 2, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Showdown In Dimension X, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Under The Dome: Season 2, Samurai Jack: Season 4, The Wonder Years: Season 2, The Wonder Years: Season 3, Bob's Burgers: Season 4, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part 1.
Family Guy: Volume Eight
I am almost inclined to say it: this is the greatest group of Family Guy episodes ever released on DVD. "Extra Large Medium" has the greatest musical number in the show's history, and punked Sarah Palin in real life controversy. And "And Then There Were Fewer" and "Brian And Stewie" blew the franchise wide open in the types of experimental episodes the show was willing to do. So, I'm really inclined to give this volume five stars.
Except it contains "Excellence In Broadcasting", the single worst episode the show has ever produced. I have to knock off an entire star off because of it. It is that bad. Volume Overall: ****.
Business Guy:
House. Road House. Pretty good, pretty good. "Does the name Lacey Chabert mean anything to you?" "I'll behave myself." "Yes, you WILL." The Swamp Monster is almost as bad of an ending as Crab People. I love Lady Scream In A Box. "Finally, a scream that's right for me!" Cheeseburger Helper was hilarious. Stewie wanting to be a racecar driver when he grows up will never get old. Quagmire used to be a hippie! Well, he IS 60. Women co-workers who go to strip clubs with the guys are exactly that pathetic. They ruined the two foreign guys. There is no part of them that almost sounds American anymore. German fairytales are exactly that gruesome. I love that one of Carter's prepared death scenarios in his video will was the ending to Back To The Future, Part III. I love the African American Heart Monitor. Peggy, can you move that 3:00PM fart up to now. Remote control racecars... that glow in the dark?! I love Carter's Big Bang Theory party too. The visual of Carter eating seed out of that guy's hand was hilarious. I liked this. ***1/2.
Big Man On Hippocampus:
The Family Feud part was golden. I loved Lois living a dream with Richard Dawson, and Stewie's answers in the bonus round. Show me Picard's flute! Peter's clinical line reading describing the flute and the episode it appeared in never fails to make me laugh. I liked the Bob Crane joke and the fact that Peter was the only one who laughed at it. But Quagmire, man. I'm sorry, but he is NOT better than Brian (even if it is confirmed he works at the shelter). Dwayne Johnson looked positively confused. I really disliked the amnesia sex joke involving the family. I feel like what Meg said was actually not as objectionable as what Peter said. Because she was joking and he was serious. It's much worse. Good to see the Giant Chicken again. I think Tiffany Amber-Theissen's character design was beyond cruel. Speaking of which, I don't find the Robin Williams bit funny, but then I thought it was a weak cutaway over the air too. I liked the porcupine hitting on the pineapple and the giant mutant rat. He's gonna leave his poops in your kicks. And Surfin' Bird returns. Shut up, Greg. Love the Adult Swim bumper. Both Peter O'Toole's first and last names are slang words for penis. Gene Siskel's Pretty Woman review made me sad. I liked the Paul Hogan joke. I want to see more of him and then suddenly none of him. Forever. Pooping a diaper into another diaper is how you wind up in another dimension. I liked Peter learning how to drive by playing 8 hours of Grand Theft Auto. Parts of this episode were funny and parts of it were icky. ***.
Dial Meg For Murder:
I gotta say, seeing Meg beat up all of those people who have been torturing her for seasons on end was not as horrifying as the producers were intending it to be. When she breaks Peter's teeth by curb stomping him my reaction is "This was long overdue." Same to her beating Connie D'Amico over the head with a sack of sodas. Listen to how clueless Connie is in that scene. She was literally begging for it. And I feel VERY uncomfortable that the series made me feel that way. That is how badly Meg has been abused and I didn't realize until I saw this episode how much it bothered me. The episode was great otherwise. "Hey, can that be a thing? Can we call TV Guide 'The Guide'? You know what? That's not even a question, that's what we're doing." The stock photo joke was incredibly spot-on, and when the guy feigned surprise that the class was being taught outside, I kind of realized how much our society sucks, and how much we're been conditioned to accept the fact it sucks. There is NO scenario in which those stock photos should still be used today and they are. And this episode said "It's not normal, it's lame." Fight the beast. I loved the slam at Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy. I hate the two of them SO much. The stuff with the bull made me cringe. That went too far, although for some reason I didn't feel that way about Peter and Meg's shower. I liked Stewie's line on the uncensored version of wondering if he was the only one thinking she was getting f***ed up there. The uncensored version has a joke in it that I think is MUCH less funny than the producers are hoping. Meg's boyfriend says her kisses taste much better than a guy's penis. I was like... that's stupid. And obvious. Even for this show. I like Stewie both when he's cranky and when he's playing realistic house with dolls, this time at a resort. I didn't know they twisted the bull's nuts before the rodeo. That's sick. I liked both the Goofy in the eternal pit of fire, and the tried to vote in Ohio jokes. I also like Stewie's "Oh, now you all can understand me." "You there. Punch your baby in the face." "What can I do for you four fine young black gentlemen today?" I won't pretend I didn't laugh at that last one. Good episode. ****.
Extra Large Medium:
Classic episode. The song is brilliant enough, but the episode gets bonus points for baiting perpetual victim Sarah Palin into making an even bigger jackass of herself in real life than usual. A little background on this: When Sarah Palin heard about the slam on the show, she accused the Family Guy writers of attacking her helpless son with Down Syndrome. But she didn't realize that MacFarlane had cast Andrea Fay Friedman as Ellen, an actress with Down Syndrome who was on "Life Goes On". And Friedman? She tore Palin a new @$$hole. It was a thing of beauty. Friedman accused Palin of using Trig like a prop and lugging him around like a loaf of bread. Her exact words. She LIKED doing the Family Guy episode. It was fun and Palin had no idea what she was talking about. It was a masterful trap, which is NOT a hallmark of Seth MacFarlane's politics, so that made it extra sweet. I would not be surprised if she and Seth talked about the fact that something like this might happen and to be ready. And boy, was she. Good on her. And Palin fell right into it. Her butt-sniffing fans took to Twitter to accuse Friedman of faking her Down Syndrome. Yes, this is exactly how intelligent Sarah Palin supporters are. Does anyone else see the irony here? I actually think the moral of this episode is probably the kindest moral I have EVER seen about people with Down Syndrome. In this episode's opinion, people with Down Syndrome aren't "special". They're just a bunch of @$$holes like everybody else. As cruel as that sounds, it is an exceedingly positive message that you NEVER hear. On every other earlier TV show or movie with a character with Down Syndrome the character earns the term "special" by being a saint who improves the lives of the people they come into contact with. But this message is WAY better. Because it states that people with Down Syndrome are normal and deserve to be treated as such. Family Guy NEVER has positive messages, so the fact that it was this show that so clearly laid that out for the first time is fabulous. Now: "Down Syndrome Girl". Never seen Glee (which apparently is also kind in it's portrayal of a character with Down Syndrome) so I can't judge it by those standards. But this was the single best musical number I have every seen created for TV. Disney has done a ton of better stuff in films, but this was easily the best TV musical of all time. It had everything. Smooth choreography, impossible rhyming and super fast singing, as well as a beautiful crescendo and pay-off. You put those last three together and you are going to bring down the house. Perfection. Howard Ashman level lyrics. No fake. I also like that this episode just sort of said "Screw it, Chris can understand Stewie, all the time." That's about right. If you have to fudge the rule half the time, it's better to just do away with it altogether. I also loved the Stewie Defeats Truman gag. Terrific groaner. Do you know what else I liked? The first thing Stewie does upon being found is give Lois a hug! The writers didn't draw a TON of attention to it, but the loving look on his face was not lost on me. That's cool. The Thorton Melon gag was great too. This is why the other countries are crushing us! The Adam West One Question gag is one of those old corny jokes I have been using all my life, so I was tickled to see it on-screen. "I'm guessing this one had a bunny, but not anymore." Ellen had the best line: "If you want access to this temple you'd better pay the proper tribute." I love that line because it's something a Popular Mean Girl like Cordelia Chase would say, and it ties into the moral of disabled people being no better than anyone else. I have to confess the psychic stuff was the weak link of the episode (even if the Lou Costello bit was funny). Just because South Park did the definitive smack-down with John Edward that this seemed quite unnecessary. The thing that was so great about South Park's attack was how specific is was, and how it let everybody understand the tricks involved. And Stan was the Masked Magician. Anyone who has ever seen that South Park episode will never believe in a psychic again. Or if they do, they will at least pretend they've never seen the South Park episode. Because if you've seen the South Park episode and STILL aren't convinced John Edward is full of s*** you are a very stupid person. Family Guy didn't quite get there here. And I kind of think that the whole plot made Peter an even bigger butthole than usual. As Brian pointed out, it was one thing to fleece some idiots, it was another to waste time on a life and death matter for kicks. And I have never heard of ANY infant having pierced ears, much less any black baby that does. This strikes me as one of those stereotypes that the writers heard about second-hand without verifying whether or not it was true. Because I'm guessing it isn't. They ALWAYS have Cleveland saying randomly weird cr*p like that too, as if they are privy to the ugly, little-known secrets of black culture, and I always think by the end of those jokes, that they STILL aren't actually privy to those secrets. But in truth, none of that matters. The episode delivered one of the finest musical numbers I have ever seen, and embarrassed Sarah Palin, or would have if she possessed shame. What's not to love? *****.
Go, Stewie, Go!:
What a group of unpleasant people. Let's start with Lois. People complained about how she was portrayed this episode, but I think it was perfectly in character. This is Lois. This is who she has ALWAYS been and anyone who thinks differently hasn't been paying attention. The fact that Brian puts this woman on a pedestal is a laughable joke. She is NOT too good for Peter. And good for Meg for pegging her "I never meant to steal him away from you" "apology" as a way to say she was superior to here. Raging insincerity and vanity was going on from Lois' end in that moment. The fact that Meg is a psychopath is besides the point. She actually gave the kid a schedule for her menstrual cycle. I'm sorry, I know the female body is a magnificent thing of beauty, but that is just plain gross. Now we get to Brian. I love that Stewie just does NOT want to engage, man. I don't think Brian is a bad person because he had a baby touch his wiener. I think Brian is a bad person because he thinks it is perfectly acceptable to move a woman he has known for less that 60 seconds' hand down there in the first place. Brian is just a major creep and that move would have been just as appalling, even if it weren't Stewie. "We both know I touched it. Now if you want to keep that just between us, you'll sit right back down." I'll give Brian this. He seemed properly concerned when he saw Stewie had been abused by a photographer in the uncut version. I don't see too many examples of Brian being an adult and I noticed and appreciated that. And finally, Peter. Do I even have to say it? Nobody should ever forgive him for any of his actions because he is never sorry, and lying when he says he is. The fact that Lois is NOT too good for this dump of a man says something horrible about her. He's attracted to his daughter now? What a sicko. And that whole "Bonnie had an affair" thing really bugs me considering what they set up later. I would have liked some consistency. The thing I liked was the sweet romance with Stewie. When he say "But I AM a boy" it just breaks your heart. I also love Stewie throwing feminist ideals into Jolly Farm, and I love even more that they became quite popular. That's cool. The James Earl Jones joke was funny, as was Jesus with the dodgeball. Why are Penelope Ann Miller and Nancy Travis movie stars anyways? Travis is particularly inexplicable because she still gets steady work. Miller was considerate enough to fade away into nothingness. I loved the cutaway of Carter playing Russian roulette with Meg in the car. "That was a stop sign!" Classic. I like Bernie and Gert. They use their fists. There is something seriously wrong with your family when the homicidal baby is the only decent one of the lot. **1/2.
Peter-Assment:
If Peter HAD cheated on Lois, she would have deserved it. Lois is an anti-feminist character and always has been. She is NOT too good for Peter. Even worse, she doesn't care when Meg tells her she's being molested. I hate her so much. I loved Jared: "You don't have any gummi bears on you, do you? It'd be a lot cooler if you did, ha HA!" Stewie and his friends are very lucky. The whole Terry Schiavo play didn't work though. When Peter called harassing a celebrity and calling it news journalism, I thought "In that one moment Peter is smarter than Brian." Peter neglected to mention Angela was a total dumpster fire. Some friend, huh? And Quagmire STILL leaves a resume. Are you serving fish? Then my dinner guest has arrived. I want to know which MacFarlane family member Rene Russo killed. Because I can't think of another reason they keep going back to her. I remember Rubik the Amazing Cube. What an incredibly awkward premise for a TV series. The best way to solve a Rubik's Cube is to peel off the stickers. So-so. **1/2.
Brian Griffin's House Of Payne:
James Woods! He has some schoolbus seats to sniff, and he banged that chick and she was well under 18 years old. I loved Seth Green's lining readings on both "You gonna hurry off to your job? Yeah," and "They look like little robbers". The uncensored version has a ghastly but hilarious joke: Chris says he knows they aren't going to do it but that it might be better at this point if they cut up Stewie and flushed him down the toilet. I loved the reaction shot of everyone turning their heads slowly in unison after seeing the theme song to Class Holes. Well timed. So were the spaceship battles at the beginning. What great CGI animation. Stewie's wound was gross but the plot didn't really offend me the way it did some fans. Just because Stewie's kind of horrible. I loved Stewie's confused reaction to Peter doing Rupert's voice. And this show DOES take a lot of digs at Two and a Half Men (although it deserves it). That whole casting session was a nightmare. It seem authentic to how phony and self-congratulatory those things probably are. I've always liked this episode. ****.
April In Quahog:
Peter is the worst. A decent parent (not to mention person) would want to COMFORT their children when they're dying, not "be honest" with them. This is why I hate everybody forgiving Peter at the end of every episode. The rapacious cavalry men joke is another reason he sucks. And he thinks Meg's period is one of her interests. And wanting to go to a black neighborhood and be crown King of the Black People for saying the N word is Seth MacFarlane's biggest fantasy. It says something bad about the writers if this is a "privilege" they actually want. I won't lie and say it isn't a funny and subversive joke, although I would be remiss to point out that it is funnier when Peter said the "You know what word" over the air instead of "N word". The more specific is was, the less funny it was. Tom Tucker sucks too with his Megan Fox bit. And I want to sympathize with Meg. Her "Shut up, Dad!" was righteous and she seems to be leading the other kids in anger with their father. But she strangles cats. How am I supposed to like her after that? I liked Stewie's line reading of "C'mon Meg and Chris, let's get out of here" as well as him making fun of Brian for praying: "You're disingenuous." Brian was funny as Muttley too. The Jesus and Mort joke was never funny but for some reason the stigmata joke on the uncensored version is quite chilling. I love that Meg was the first person to laugh at Peter for being excited for jury duty and Peter's reactions to the evidence all being things he wanted to, but wasn't allowed to touch. There is some awesome stuff in the garbage. I like the first television broadcast. I thought it was funny they got Jason Mraz to voice himself. Both of Stewie's toy playing scenes were funny. How is that kid exclusively seems to have toys made in the '80's? He-Man's sick abs are making me hungry, and the Care Bear is just a Care Bear. So-so. ***.
Brian And Stewie:
This has always been one of my favorite episodes but the uncensored, extended DVD version is ten times better. There was a lot more existential conversation near the end and Stewie bemoaning that he is a people pleaser when he lied on the phone and said he liked The Bounty Hunter. Stewie and Brian also apologize to each other when the bullets are flying in the extended version which is cool. God, so much greatness. Stewie claiming he uses Brian was interesting because you know on some level it is true. The uncut version also points out the camera in the vault and that it caught Brian licking Stewie's butt and Stewie gleefully says that people are going to be searching for that footage on YouTube. Also on the uncut version Stewie warns about Brian trying anything when they're drunk, and Brian asks what he's worrying about since he already practically rimmed him. Stewie then points out there was no practically about it! There is a slam on Illeanna Douglas on the uncut version. I haven't seen her in anything in awhile. Brian sucks because he voted for McCain. And he's a homophobe. Brian's talk about suicide was incredibly moving to me, especially considering how much I loathe the character. Having a way out makes a lot of sense. It also explains why what Stewie said offended him so much: because he was right. Stewie telling Brian he loved him was such a great moment. I do disagree with Stewie about one thing: that Brian wanting to kill himself is selfish. People always say that, and it is always b.s.. In fact, the people who say it are the selfish ones. It's a way for certain people to make other's people's pain all about themselves. And if there is one reason I'm glad Robin Williams died, it's that people have begun to question this truism after some clueless newsreaders spouted it off and offended people who've lost loved ones to suicide. It used to be a given. And it shouldn't be. It's not true. At all. This episode was one of Seth MacFarlane's most amazing performances ever. As the people on the commentary noted he is pretty much the greatest voice actor who ever lived. I personally hate the dude but that is absolutely 100% true. This is one of my favorite episodes and the DVD somehow managed to make it even better! My one complaint is that the over the air extras (deleted scenes and musical numbers and the like) are not on the DVD. That's a shame because there is actual new animation of Brian and Stewie hosting those things. But it being gone didn't hurt the quality of the episode itself so it still gets five stars. *****.
Quagmire's Dad:
"Hey. I f***ed your Dad." Oh, it's on now! The uncensored version is better just because the line reading on the f-bomb is so harsh and perfect. The bleep actually takes something away which isn't always the case. The weird thing about seeing Quagmire beat up Brian is that Brian didn't actually do anything wrong. Why am I happy to see this dog abused for having consensual sex with an interested woman? I felt REALLY weird being on Quagmire's side and yet Brian is so horrible that I am. Can you believe Brian charged the drinks to Ida's room? "You're a sponge. You pay for nothing." Repeat after me: Brian is a USER. And yet, part of me is glad to see Brian fight back a little. He never asked Quagmire to hate him, despite the fact that he is a douche. Maybe at this point he can stop trying to be his friend. That's probably for the best. Peter and Lois were inexplicably cruel to both Brian and Quagmire this episode. As bad as they were, I still guffawed at their reaction to seeing Brian's camera pic. "This is the best day ever!" And even if I don't agree with Quagmire being so judgmental, his struggle was REALLY relatable in a way in might not have been if they hadn't been more careful. Quagmire doesn't exactly sound like a bigot when he says "This is too hard. You're asking me to accept an awful lot." Because it was also kind of true. Once Quagmire was in the bargaining stage of grief ("Oh, c'mon, just be gay,") I knew it would be a good episode. I loved Meg's "You just burned your last friend in this room." And Arthur Curry is pretty much the worst superhero secret I.D. ever. He doesn't even wear glasses or color his hair. Who is he fooling? What people in his life are that stupid? And anytime someone takes a shot at Ann Coulter I smile. Good for them for not going to a specific place considering the subject matter, but Coulter does NOT get slammed enough. Even Limbaugh is the butt of a ton of jokes. Coulter gets a pass because nobody knows who she is. And that's wrong. And even if the phoque jokes didn't pass muster on Fox, it is STILL a bit shocking to see them on TBS and Adult Swim. Even still, Fox let 'em get away with "Your dad used to drink me under the table." The parents in massive debt joke was actually a bit frightening, because I'm betting that is true for many people. They aren't psychotic abusers, but their options are so bad they think murder / suicide is the best one. It's terrifying to think that it can happen to perfectly sane people, because that means it could happen to you. Eats more pie than Kirstie Alley. Ha ha ha! What?! My biggest complaint is having Ida walk out of the operating room in a dress, wig, heels, and make-up. I strongly feel that if the episode wants to milk serious drama from the premise and actually explore it, they shouldn't be treating it as a cartoon. That was the one false note to me. Everything else was great. The commentary had two interesting notes. First, that the only real complaint they got about the episode was Brian's reaction upon learning Ida's identity and puking everywhere. Here's the thing: Brian is a shallow, horrible person. I never felt that the show was actually endorsing that by having him do that. I think they were showing that as far as a liberal goes, he is a phony. I DO love it when Brian yells just because it's funny to see his lower lip go over his collar. They did NOT think out the designs when creating the show. The second thing on the commentary that interested me is the observation that Quagmire's pad is SUPER colorful and festive and that it is possible Quagmire knew deep down his father was struggling with his sexuality, and overcompensated with his own behavior in the other direction. They retconned that interpretation after introducing Quagmire's mom, but it still plays that way here. ****.
The Splendid Source:
Do you know what this episode made me realize? How much I missed those "would you rather?" hypothetical scenarios with Peter and his friends with Cleveland gone. It is the only way the show is worse off for him missing. I have not seem Marc Alaimo in anything since Deep Space Nine went off the air. I loved the first dead baby joke and the open trench one too. Bender does a good Al Harrington. The uncensored version is interesting. Peter tells the entire F-bomb laden joke at the end. It isn't actually funny, and it's a bit appalling he told it to his kids (although to her credit Lois tries to stop him, which she did NOT do with the Sodomy song) but it is a rare example of a TV show actually coming up with a dirty joke. Usually the writers only have to come up with a punchline and let the viewer's imagination do the rest, but this was actually a joke (which AGAIN made Peter s*** himself upon telling it). When you poop in your dreams, you poop for real! No way! Monkey scratch! I liked the jokes at the expense of ROA Speedwagon and Asia. Those guys were good sports. Peter swallowing the intercom was funny for some reason. The whole reason the secret agents went through Crate and Barrel was to get their parking validated! I like Quagmire making fun of Joe's windshield joke: "Oh, come on Joe, that's so dumb." You never hear people dissing wisecracks on TV. I think Lennie Briscoe might have wound up a little self-conscious if he knew people were judging his quips on the merits. Horatio Crane would never be able to open an episode of CSI again either. I like more about this episode than I don't. ***.
And Then There Were Fewer:
One of the greatest Family Guy episodes of all time. The story, the dialogue, the music, the animation, the direction, the performances, all top-notch. The mystery was SO well-constructed and seeing it years later, the continuity is flawless, which is unheard of on this show. When Derek declares his murderer is "the man or woman who has been killing everybody" I thanked the stars Family Guy is a comedy. Most mysteries can't DO that and have to be a LOT more careful with the gender pronouns and Family Guy just made a clever joke out it. I love that the most horrifying thing Lois takes from Diane Simmons' story is that she is 40. Why does she try to make friends with other women? Or that if anyone is gonna take that b**** out, it's going to be Stewie. Or that the people on the bus were mad at Peter LONG before he pooped on the S. Or that Adam West thinks Consuela and Mort are a couple of squares. Or that Mort can think of nothing nice to say about Muriel when he finds her dead. Or everyone making fun of Stephanie's underwear. "Come on guys, can't we all just be glad she's dead?" The extended version covers a major plothole in the aired version: Stewie should have been a prime suspect, and here Brian says he thought it could have been him, and Stewie explains he would have done a better and more artful job of it. I'm with Karl. Jennifer Connelly is still hot. She is still perhaps the hottest woman on the planet. And that probably won't change for at least another fifteen years. Always good to get a reference to Labyrinth. We need more weird puppet movies in the worst way. Do you know why I love the Adrien Brody slam? Because it ticked off Adrien Brody! And he should have been! He did NOT take it all in good humor and give Seth a pass when they met and I think that's awesome. I think if more people in Hollywood told Seth MacFarlane his insults aren't funny he might be pickier with who he targets. I mean really, who has Adrien Brody ticked off ever? Uncalled for. I was alarmed at Herbert telling Chris to burn down his house. I was like "This stopped being funny ages ago and now it is just frightening." Speaking of that, I am very surprised James Woods consented to be in an episode in which it is stated he sexually molested Consuela's nephew. I loved Adam West calling Tom Tucker a ridiculous man because I was considering the source. James Woods would have broken out bigger if he weren't so impossible to work with. Love that he consented to that line too. I knew they didn't kill him off for real and that they'd bring him back at some point. I love Stewie getting mad at Brian's uncalled for insults at the end. "We're in a fight!" was a perfect domestic line for those two, and perfect for their relationship in that moment. I also loved Brian listing off the things the group smelled like. Do you know what was messed up about the interracial panda bear children thing? That is where Karl's imagination took him. The two foreign guys would have been there but they misplaced the invitation. Loved Patrick Stewart's cameo. Seamus poops acorns and they had another joke about him and Dr. Hartman sounding alike. Seamus hopes he, Hartman, and Herbert will still be friends when they see each other in school. The "Aw, they got him" was a funny line for the Find A Jew App. In the extended version Stewie does a pretty brutal and accurate job summoning up why Golden Globes are worthless. It was almost as insightful as South Park destroying John Edward. Not quite. But close. It was made funnier by Stewie whoring for one at the end of the joke anyways. I also liked Stewie making fun of Brian for "Jimmy Woods". Miami Vice starred Donnie Johnny, Phil Mike Tom, and Eddie Jim Olmos. Probably the finest episode the show has ever done. *****.
Excellence In Broadcasting:
This is easily the worst Family Guy episode of all time. By far. And yes, I'm including all of the worst episodes of seasons one and two. Seth has stated in interviews that he did this episode because the show never has the conservative point of view. My response? So what? Who gives a cr*p if Republicans are offended? All they do is say the most disgusting things about liberals all day. Why do they get a chance to use one of our few liberal media outlets in Family Guy to spew their poison? If Seth needs to placate conservatives in any way, it means that he is not truly a liberal. Brian really bothers me this episode. Do you know why? The reason he turned back into a liberal at the end. He just took Rush's word for it. Didn't question if Rush was right or not, but lets such a big decision as his entire political philosophy be decided by another person. As if it is actually up to Rush. That is not a liberal value, and I resent the show bringing him back into the fold that way. Do you know what the worst part was? The very end where him and Limbaugh traded venomous insults and then smiled at one another. As if that sort of abusive discourse is normal. It's not. And I resent the show pretending it is. And I'll go there: I know this was before the Sandra Fluke thing, but Rush has been saying stuff as horrible as that about various targets way before that, and I resent that he is the conservative Seth MacFarlane thinks deserves an outlet for their bile. I think the friendship Seth struck up with him is because he and him have more in common than they don't. They are both racist misogynists who attack people who never did anything to them. And they're bullies. It galls me to realize that MacFarlane is pretty much just admitting that he's the left-wing's Limbaugh. Because that's disgusting and disturbing. Worst episode ever. If Family Guy ever does another one this bad, I'll be surprised. 0.
Welcome Back Carter:
Passable, but the flashback went on for entirely too long. I like Ken Burn's "Street Signs" though. Spot-on. "When I clenched it, you took your finger away. You were right to do that." There are not enough "Ewwws!" in the English language to keep up with Carter's excuses. The Taken joke really made me sad for some reason. I don't buy Quagmire being a marriage nerd for a second. He had an affair with Loretta. It is totally out of character for him to be claiming some sort of high ground there. Carter hates 80's sitcom two-parters. Peter's catchphrases were not terrible. The donkey vagina tattoo joke made me laugh. That just means Peter did a good job. Look what has happened to Jonathan Lipnicki! Loved "Penis" being the thing to make Rahgenald faint. We don't have time for Peter's magic lamp. All right. ***.
The Comical Adventures Of Family Guy - Brian And Stewie: The Lost Phone Call:
Motion comic performed by Seth MacFarlane. It kind of sucks, and would have ruined some of the episode if it were included, but just the fact that is an answering machine is hysterical. ***.
Who Done It? The Making Of "And Then There Were Fewer":
Featurette on the making of the episode. They put in a lot of effort and it shows. ****.
Deleted Scenes:
Business Guy: Adam West at the strip club did not disappoint. I liked the Joan of Arc cutaway. But my favorite part was the tribute to The Daily Show / The Colbert Report with Peter asking Stan Smith what was coming up on American Dad. Swamp monsters? ****.
Big Man On Hippocampus: So apparently Peter tapes over his wedding video for a close-up of his own bum. He thought it would get him on The Apprentice. I liked Tom Tucker, Adam West, and Seamus trying to steal Peter from Quagmire and Joe. Not cool, guys. Stewie's profane shouting match was funny too. ****.
Dial Meg For Murder: The turn of the Century bully was weird, the Joe joke was obvious, but I like the alternate take of Adam West roping Meg. In it Meg's friends can be heard talking about "The Guide" to Stewie's delight. It is SO a thing. ****1/2.
Extra Large Medium: I didn't get the Winnie the Pooh joke, and I think a butterfly was a better bet than a forest whale. But I kind of prefer Quagmire as a manhole cover to Quagmire as a condom. ***.
Go, Stewie, Go!: Neither of these scenes were anything to write home about. **.
Peter-Assment: GREAT Seinfeld reference. "Oh, by the way? They're real, and they're spectacular." ****1/2.
April In Quahog: Tom Tucker is such a passive aggressive ahole. Tricia Takanawa didn't find the prank funny. I liked the first rectal thermometer bit. ***1/2.
The Splendid Source: The Asian magic show was stupid, the invention of rape was stupid, offensive AND unfunny (hat trick). But I like Brian asking Peter if he could roll around in his poop to mask himself to his enemies and Quagmire giving a head's up to the secret agents about his potential AIDS. We're all in this together. And Lois is the worst mother ever. ***.
Excellence In Broadcasting: Brain Bleach. 0.
Welcome Back Carter: Australian guys get all the luck so I think that cutaway was spot-on. I don't think the fat women joke was though. I don't think that was written by a woman because I doubt it is true. **1/2.
Side By Side Animatic - Brian Griffin's House Of Payne:
For the spaceship stuff at the beginning. ****.
Side By Side Animatic - Brian And Stewie:
The diaper and piercing scenes. **1/2.
Side By Side Animatic - Quagmire's Dad:
They are making some seriously strange choices for episodes and scenes to do animatics from. *1/2.
The Cleveland Show "The Way The Cookie Crumbles"
The show sucks, but this episode wasn't too offensive. Although that butterfly cutaway was a manatee joke, full stop. I loved the authentic trailer at the beginning (including the scary violins) and the Six Flags "Your face looks like a buttcrack" song made me laugh. You'll only enjoy The Cleveland Movie high. Freight Train is no mouse cobbler. Michael Winslow needs work. The Bill Cosby sexual harassment joke was pretty alarming and told me that that cr*p has pretty much been an open secret for decades. The rich really are different. David Lynch was used well (as always) too. I love the expression on Donna's face as she was asking Cookie to relate her modeling story. "Go on." The show has done worse. ***.
The History Of The World - According To Family Guy:
These are clips from the show's flashbacks done in a parody of Cosmos, which is ironic considering who produced the reboot. Best jokes are Paul the Elephant / Penguin going the f*** overboard, God not wanting to wear a condom because it's his birthday, and Isaac asking Abraham what the f*** THAT was. Seriously. Abraham is the worst father ever. I cannot believe we were asked to admire this schmuck in Sunday School. I also love the joke of the slave-owner asking the slave if they were cool once he freed them. Why do I feel like every conversation Seth MacFarlane has ever had with a black person ended with those three words? Bad things? The Peter eating potato chips in Anne Frank's attic thing still is NOT funny. At all. And if they were going to do a joke that tasteless the least they could have done was make us laugh. Which they failed to do. ****.
Family Guy At Comic-Con 2010:
Seth MacFarlane is fearless. He actually did a live performance of Down Syndrome Girl. And you KNEW he was gonna blow the ending, but he did it anyways, even knowing that would probably happen. And he did better than I thought he would. Also, he seems to be making an intense, angry face the during the entire song, hinting to me that singing in Stewie's voice takes a LOT out of him. Which is why he is such a gifted voice performer. Alex Borstein knows how stacked she is, and throws it in the crowd's face to enjoy. I think it is truly sad that the writers admitted that they took their frustrations on not knowing how to write a teenage girl out on Meg, until Borstein pointed out something that she as a woman liked: hearing a character voiced by someone as gorgeous as Mila Kunis being repeatedly dumped on for her appearance was personally gratifying to her. That's kind of awesome. Steve Callaghan notes that to make things fair with Sarah Palin, next time he is going to try and offend a smart person for balance. Palin: You just got pwned. Again. And you make it so easy. Patrick Warburton was dressed like a meathead. Warburton is interesting to me because I cannot tell whether he is joking or not when he says certain things in Family Guy offend him as a Christian. He might not actually be jiving. They didn't address this in the panel, but Warburton has the most nightmarish mother alive. She personally is spearheading a campaign to get Family Guy taken off the air for being offensive. And she KNOWS her son works on it and isn't going to quit. That is just an insane Carrie White's Mom level of religious passive aggressiveness. I sincerely think Warburton's mom is a psycho, that she would put her own son in that position, and I kind of feel like in the back of my head that Warburton pretty much escaped an abusive cult. And yet... she's his mom. She had to have passed on SOME of that on to him, so it may be possible he's not entirely kidding. The dog food story was great. It's good he has a good family life with his own kids now. But I still worry about him. I love the questioner asking if Julia-Louis Dreyfuss would ever show up playing an ex-girlfriend of Joe's. That's a great idea! What hasn't that actually happened yet? Anything I didn't like? MacFarlane complimenting Limbaugh. He isn't nice Seth, and you shouldn't for one second pretend he is just because he didn't personally attack you on his show. He is a monster who deserves no special relationship with this show. ***1/2.
The Cleveland Show: Season 2 Trailer: Underwhelming. *.
DVD Menus: Themed by "And Then There Were Fewer". Overall: ****.
Disc 1 DVD Menu: Lois kissing Richard Dawson is the dream of a lifetime. Go girl. ****.
Disc 2 DVD Menu: Brian as Muttley is classic. ****.
Disc 3 DVD Menu: The weakest of the menus. ***1/2.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: "Lost In Lands Of Long Ago" By Floyd Gottfredson
While is it absolutely true that these batch of stories in Gottfredson's run of the strip are slightly subpar (and that the strip never recovered) these stories are for the most part not as offensive as the earlier ones, and thus easier to read. Yes, there is still a ton of sexism but the racist aspects have been toned down a lot. I don't know if they returned passed this volume, but as of these seven stories, it's easier to take.
Best stories is the weird sci-fi / western hybrid (The Bar-None Ranch). Worst is the overpraised "Land Of Long Ago". And even if the story itself is passable, I kind of hate "Love Trouble", just because it puts into focus that Mickey has been treating Minnie like a prostitute the entire strip, and nothing will ever change that. And I didn't realize it until that very story. And now I CAN'T unrealize it. Stories Overall: ***.
"The Bar-None Ranch":
There is a racist panel in this story but other than that I will have to concede the storywise is pretty much otherwise perfect. Just when the foreign doctor tells Mickey off-handedly "I'm not done with you yet" I kind of get chills that you don't tend to get from stories written by Carl Barks or Don Rosa. Now, they are way better than Gottfredson . But they are unable to unsettle me the way Gottfredson does repeatedly (although Romano Scarpa knows how to do it too). Pete's inaccessible well-kept hideout reminded me of the creepy suburban village that housed the Others in "Lost". It is FAR too perfect looking a setting to exist exactly where it does and gives off a creepy vibe. Dr. Einmug's Island In The Sky does the same thing, but Einmug, unlike Pete, is ultimately benign. Having a BAD guy look like he's living in the pleasant suburbs is what REALLY freaks me out. ****1/2.
"Bellhop Detective"
The essayist is right that this story is a mess. But do you know what? It wasn't racist or appalling in this slightest. I'll call that a win. I enjoyed it. It was light and fun. The end gag of Mickey jokingly asking for the $10,000 as a reward was funny too. ***.
"Land Of Long Ago"
Okay, to say the editorial overpraised that is an understatement. The story is just plain unpleasant. Where to begin? What does Goofy do once he learns the Professor's servant is a caveman? Threatens to beat him up. There is just NO way to justify that behavior. It's not even funny or an insightful character moment for Goofy. It is just plain ugly and indefensible. Gottfredson's Goofy literally had no redeeming qualities. He was the Peter Griffin of the 1930's and 40's. Secondly, Mickey cut that rope and let that caveman fall to his death. And we aren't supposed to have a problem with it? Frankly, it's out of character for MICKEY not to have a problem with it. Even if we take Gottfredson's moral of "savages" being nothing but animals at face value, Mickey has ALWAYS been shown to be relatively kind to animals. If he can avoid harming them, he will. He's not enlightened about how to treat them well but he doesn't actually want to hurt them. And let me just say the amnesia thing at the end was the stupidest thing I've ever read. Gottfredson seems to be telling the reader it's so no-one can get back to the island, but then hedges his bets and says Dustibones' memory comes and goes. It was his way of adding an additional twist at the end that meant nothing and was completely unearned. Just because this story was written in 1940 doesn't mean I can't view it through a modern lens. And that is unacceptable storytelling. Any good things? I think Gottfredson did a passable job explaining the inexplicable dream gimmick at the beginning. Because really, that is absolutely lunacy (and needlessly complicated) and he made it plausible within the framework of the Mouseverse. Maybe there were less insane ways for the Professor to contact Mickey and make him think he dreamed the whole thing in case he said no. But it is hardly the craziest thing to ever happen in this strip. **.
"Love Trouble"
Floyd Gottfredson wants me to think Minnie is being a passive-aggressive b*tch here, but honestly? Her anger is righteous. Mickey has NEVER appreciated her, and feels he can drop off the face of the Earth for months at a time, and expect her to be waiting for him when he gets back. That's b.s.. He isn't even getting paid for the adventures, so he can't even claim they are work related. They just seem more fun to him than spending time with Minnie. He expects her to be there for him when he wants her, and gone when he doesn't. Mickey doesn't see Minnie as a girlfriend. He think she's his whore. So, no, Gottfredson, I will NOT give Mickey any credit for "forgiving" Minnie in the end, since he refuses to take any responsibility for how horribly he treated her in the first place. Minnie is not the villain here. It isn't even Monty. It's Mickey. **1/2.
"Mickey Mouse, Supersalesman"
Here is the thing about this story: everybody in it was super manipulative. Everyone is b.s.-ing someone else and the winner is the guy whose b.s. sounds best. We're supposed to think that Mickey is MUCH more honest than Windy, but his low-pressure tactic is STILL a tactic. It just happens to work better. Pretending otherwise is dishonest on Gottfredson's part. Mickey didn't win because he was virtuous. He won because he was the better b.s.-er. All that said, the story was super fun to read and greatly enjoyable. Maybe I should have said that at the outset of my review. ****.
"Mystery At Hidden River"
Interesting things to note: the locals mistake an actual cow for Clarabelle. Pete wants to retire and grow "marihuana". Seriously. That is actually in a Mickey Mouse strip. And Pete's "Where you're going next depends on how you lived your life" is one of the most bad@$$ed, cold-blooded things I've ever heard a bad guy say. Pete might as well have been quoting Ezekiel at Clarabelle. I liked Mickey's friendly relationship with the G-Man too. As for the Indians, I can't get too fussed. Gottfredson has done MUCH worse, and none of the caricatures were actually uncomplimentary. Cliched, yes, but none of the Indians were either drunk or particularly stupid (for this strip). I'll let it slide. ****.
"The Gleam"
While it was super obvious Minnie was the accomplice, what shocked me was the idea that Minnie's aunt and uncle were imposters too! That took an admirable amount of chutzpa. Fun fact: supposedly Minnie's full first name is Minerva but since it's her "Uncle" who says this that might be b.s.. Still, I think I might have heard that in another Gottfredson story before too, so who knows? Mickey doesn't correct him at any rate. Great story. ****.
Behind The Scenes: The Gottfredson Redraws:
This shows some of the panel from famous Gottfredson stories redrawn for 50's comic books by lesser Disney artists like Dick Moore and Paul Murray. They look especially cheap compared to Gottfredson's detailed and surprisingly on-model stuff. *.
"Riddle Of The Red Hat" Art By Carl Barks:
This story is a LOT better upon rereading it than I gave it credit for. It is just as good as the Mickey stories in the book, and seems to have a Gottfredson sensibility to it that every other non-Gottfredson story from back in the day lacked. Vastly underrated. ****1/2.
