Family Guy, Volume Seven

Written by Fumo Verde

To be honest here, I have just gotten into this show a little over nine months ago, before then I tried but it never seemed to click. It took a few episodes, along with the Trix Rabbit pulling some Bruce Lee moves to get some cereal, to get to really see the genius behind the drawings. I’m not yet a regular viewer so getting a chance to review this three-disc set was an offer I couldn’t pass up. I have to admit there are still times when I find myself wondering about the joke that just passed over my head, but there are those rare moments that send me into a roar with tears pouring out of my eyes while my stomach hurts from laughing so hard I can’t breath.

Such was the episode where Chris met the cute girl at the vet. Two scenes stick out for me right off the bat. One is where Peter tries to cheer Chris up since his girl dumped him by buying him a frog. Instead of putting holes in the shoebox Peter put them in the frog, hence it was dead and this is where I lost it. The dead frog drops out of the box and Peter attempts to pick it up and throw it out the window without touching it with his hands. Using the box and its lid, he scoops and scoops yet the limp dead frog just won’t go back in the box. I, like others, have tried to get rid of a dead something while keeping it as far from our bodies as possible. The second scene in this same episode that got me howling happens as Peter and Chris sit in an out door café. Peter states, “I don’t know where your blind date is Chris. She answered the ad,” while Stewie enters dressed like a teenage girl. His reaction is a quick, “Oh no,” as he slips off the way he came. My sides are still aching from that one.

Fans who have already seen the episodes will be looking for the extras, like the deleted scenes of the Jewish Waltons or how Lois teaches Chris about the birds and the bees with the help of a turkey and a turkey baster. The visual made Brian’s mouth drop while Stewie wonders why the baster has to go into the dirty turkey. Again, some scenes I got and others went over my head. Another special feature is where the director speaks along with some of the crew. Three shows offer this: “Love Basically,” “Long John Peter,” and “The Man with Two Brians.” Other special features are the song “Take Me Out to Place Tonight” and how it came to be, and Frank Sinatra, Jr. even tells his part of this story.

For the true fans you will not be disappointed because even a clownshoe such as I, found myself laughing more often than not and repeating these little stories to others, like people did to me before I started watching. Some will say this show steals from The Simpsons, another show I never got into, but from what I have seen from both shows The Simpsons brushes up to the line, but Family Guy goes over that line and sometimes beyond. Seth MacFarlane is a genius and the team he has put together are true professionals. This chemistry brings out one of the smartest shows on television right now, and for a guy like me who is just getting into it, I’m glad I gave it another chance.