Reviews

This is probably one of the best episodes I've seen in quite a while, and the trend continues for the new season to keep delivering fresh comedy we haven't seen on this particular level in quite a long time. In fact, compared to the last two episodes, the comedy has built itself up to prime levels. It seems as though either new writers were hired, or the signature ones have taken comedy classes to find out what's actually funny and what works best with comedic writing styles. Joke after joke after joke delivers great satisfaction and much joy. Family Guy seems to be finally listening to its audience and taking pride in breathing new life into itself.

The only clunker of this episode is one mystifying thing: Joe is paraplegic, which means he's paralyzed from the waist down. So how would the nerves be functional for him to even achieve an erection in the first place? Maybe that's the point of the joke where humor can be found, much like the Maga bit in the Blockbuster episode. Or may I just like my humor to be based in realism. Either way, there was so much enjoyable about this episode. My favorite bits were when Peter sat on Chris's face in his wrestling unitard and the bit at the end with Peter dressed as a Chippendale while Lois was dressed as a nurse. Seems as though FG is taking notes from its counterpart American Dad by using more of the sexy parent trope to spice up the funny. I greatly approve!

The parts with Stewie and Brian going along with the car adventures was spitfire funny. I loved every single gag about that one. I also love that there is more being done with Chris and that he's interacting more with the other characters in a way that's actually funny. Again, the writers are definitely getting better at delivering what the audience wants.

Overall, I'd say this episode is an 8.5 out of ten. Absolutely fantastic! Keep it up, Family Guy!

Compared to the season premiere, this one felt a little bit like something was missing. But it wasn't entirely horrible either. The jokes were great throughout, and I commend the new voice actor behind Cleveland for sounding almost identical to Mike Henry's version. This episode feels like a great conversation starter between Gen-X/Millennials and Gen Z, as any one of us born between 1963 and somewhere in the early to mid 1990s can teach today's youth about Blockbuster and video stores in general. I am a Millennial myself, born in 1988. While the town I grew up in didn't have a Blockbuster, we did have Movie Gallery. Those times were definitely great to go to a video store and browse for movies long before things like RedBox and streaming services took over. I think what would have made a wonderful joke is if there has been an exchange between Peter and Chris about the adult video section, because EVERY video store had one!

The diner scene with the Maga hats was funny, but I found what they were talking was to be incomprehensible. But maybe that was the point of the joke. I thought the Dominos joke was spot on, but it seems like the show is on more of a 90s joke kick in the last few seasons, so I'm surprised they didn't decide to go with Pizza Hut instead. Because let's face it, 1990s Pizza Hut was one of the places to be when it came to fast food (other than Burger King and McDonald's)!

Another joke I found entertaining was the hot air balloon bit. It definitely rounded out the solid caliber of joke delivery for this episode. This is one of those episodes that may be considered a bit of a clunker over time, but could possibly gain a cult following in the future. I think it's on trend that the season is going to be including a lot of 90s references more so than 80s, which is definitely refreshing. This episode brought some solid laughs, but was missing a few moments of going the extra mile.

After a lackluster season finale back in May for Season 20, the 21st season of Family Guy kicks off fresh with a great episode paying homage to three classic films of the 1990s: Silence of the Lambs, American Beauty, and Forrest Gump. The jokes are great and sling fast one right after the other, and each of the characters fit well with the movie characters they're spoofing. I laughed at least seven times, which is pretty good for a 22 minute episode. This is the kind of humor that has been missed in Family Guy for at least the last five years. I hope they stick with it and that there aren't any clunkers like the first few episodes tend to be each season. By the way, Chris looks really good with black hair on the spoof of American Beauty.

Sam Elliot is by far one of the most boring characters to ever grace the screen as portrayal of Quahog's mayor. I feel like going to sleep every time he's on screen. Too bad Adam West is dead, because I'm missing when he was mayor of Quahog. The only time Sam Elliot was interesting as mayor was when he wore a sling mankini for the Halloween episode from this season.

The highlight of this episode as usual we're the bits with Brian and Stewie. Their dynamic is the only saving grace post Season 12, with the exception of plots centering around Meg. Honestly, rather than renewing Family Guy every few years, there should just be a spin-off starring Stewie and Brian because it seems like all the best episodes from the last decade have centered around them.

First off, how in the actual hell would it be feasible for Peter and Quagmire to switch underwear in the first place? Peter is so fat at roughly 5'9" and 270 lbs, he is at least two and a half times the total body weight of Quagmire himself. There's no feasible way they could fit into each other's underwear due to size difference. Secondly, as obvious as the pun was about Planes vs Hanes (oh haha, how stale...Quagmire works as a pilot and wears a brand of undies called Planes. Predictable much?), I don't find it feasible that Glen would ever wear anything other than the usual leopard print bikini style unless it was something kinky that suited his personality. A pair of tighty whities would be far too basic and vanilla for him.

This show is really taking a stretch when it comes to trying to get us to laugh at the flanderization of logic. Like the episode from last season where the Millennial couple confuse Peter and Lois for being in the same age gap as them. Again, HOW....just how in the flying *#$@ could anyone make that mistake??? Between the fashion choices and hairstyles of the entire Griffin family, their overall aesthetic is so clearly outdated Gen-X that no Millennial would ever confuse them for being in their 30s. Perhaps it's because of those look choices that Chris and Meg are so unpopular because even though they are cartoon characters, the fact that the animators haven't changed their looks in the last twenty years makes them stick out like sore thumbs.

Please lose the Doug character. He's not funny. He's simply condescending and arrogant. Have Stewie regain his sense of devilish villainous ways and kill Doug in an epic battle fight scene like with Penelope or when Stewie fought Lois in "Lois Kills Stewie". That was one of the best episodes from FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, and was LIGHT YEARS better than this crap!!!!!

This show has gone on for too long. It should have stopped after Season 12. You know it, I know it, Seth MacFarlane has long past admitted to it. Pull the damn plug already. It's so goddamn stale, that not even the flattest tasting seltzer water could be worse than this.