Family Guy: Partial Terms of Endearment

Written by Pirata Hermosa

Finally, the episode too controversial for television is released on DVD. If you know anything about the show, you can make a pretty good guess what the story is about.

When Lois (Alex Borstein) returns to her college reunion, she runs into her former roommate she once experimented with. When Peter (Seth MacFarlane) finds out, he expects a threesome, but much to his chagrin she wants Lois to be her surrogate. Against the wishes and opinions of the rest of the family, Lois decides to go ahead with the idea. But as soon as she becomes pregnant she hears that her friend and her friend’s husband were killed in an automobile accident. That leaves her with the difficult decision of what to do with the child now that she would be responsible for taking caring of the baby. And of course, everyone in the family has an opinion. Thus starts the abortion debate.

It’s pretty obvious why this one episode isn’t allowed on network television, but compared to a lot of other things they deal with on Family Guy it seems pretty mild. And if you compare it to an episode of South Park, it’s extremely tame. Overall it’s not worth all of the hype it gets or the “Banned From TV!” headline. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from any other episode other than the fact that they deal with the abortion issue, which is always a hot topic.

The DVD only contains this one half-hour episode from the series. There are also a handful of extras and a commentary with MacFarlane and the cast.

“Seth and Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show” – A half-hour variety show that aired in 2009 with MacFarlane. There is some animation, musical numbers, and guest stars while both actors do impressions and comedy skits. It’s just okay and a little odd watching MacFarlane doing all the different voices.

“Live and Uncensored Table Read” – The cast sits in director chairs in front of an audience and does a table read of the Partial Terms episode.

“Animatic” – The storyboard presentation of the episode. It’s a very rough drawing and includes some additional jokes that were cut out or changed in the final edit.

“Family Guy Songs” – You can place the DVD into your computer and download nine songs used on the show in the MP3 format. The songs are “Drunken Irish Dad”, “The Friendship Song”, “Give Up the Toad”, “Me And Jesus”, “My Fat Baby Loves to Eat”, “Prom Night Dumpster Baby”, “You and I Are So Awfully Different”, “You Do”, and “You Have AIDS”.

If you’re a collector and have to have every episode, then you’ll most likely go out and get Partial Terms of Endearment. But if you’re just a casual viewer it’s probably a good idea to weigh the price versus getting just one episode.

Article first published as DVD Review: Family Guy - Partial Terms of Endearment on Blogcritics.

FAMILY GUY - Volume Eight

Written by Pirata Hermosa

The Griffin family is back for another 15 episodes on DVD. No, it’s not a full season. It’s the last seven episodes from season seven and the first eight episodes from season eight, a little frustrating for some fans that like to purchase and collect entire seasons at once. There are still plenty of episodes on the discs and each one can be played in either the original-airing mode or the uncut version.

People can argue about whether or not Family Guy is a good show, or that it’s lost that special magic it once had before its original cancellation. Even so, it’s still entertaining millions of people and on this DVD release has at least three standout episodes worth having.

“Not All Dogs Go To Heaven” reunites the entire original cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation after Stewie builds a working transporter and beams them all into his bedroom. Not only is this fun for fans of both shows, but it’s truly awesome to see Patrick Stewart slapping Wil Wheaton around and saying, "F*ck you" to Michael Dorn.

“Road to the Multiverse” follows Brian and Stewie as they journey through alternate realities entering worlds created by Disney as well as the world of The Flintstones, Robot Chicken, and many more. While other shows have had similar storylines, this episode is one of the best.

“Hannah Banana” is when everyone finds out all of the secrets about the evil monkey who lives in Chris’ closet and why he is really there. As an added bonus you also get to watch a cyborg Miley Cyrus get shot down off a skyscraper in homage to the famous King Kong films.

Along with the two versions of each episode, many of them have the usual director’s commentary. There is a deleted scenes section that contains several clips that could have just been added to the uncut versions. There is a karaoke feature that contains many of the various Family Guy songs throughout the entire series, a small booklet that contains the entire script to the “Road to the Multiverse” episode, and finally a featurette that discusses the making of that same episode.

Fans will be happy to add this three-disc set to their collection as it continues with its normal formulaic style and trademark stream-of-consciousness brand of humor.


Article first published as DVD Review: Family Guy - Volume Eight on Blogcritics.

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.

Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade Of Cartoon Comedy

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade Of Cartoon Comedy is 54 minutes of cartoon shorts where nothing is off limits as “Family Guy” creator MacFarlane and crew pop off and give their off-kilter look at the world. In 50 uncensored shorts nothing is safe from the flying poop attack these comic monkeys hurl. The animation is the same found on the hit television show except that his main characters are missing, replaced by all sorts of subjects from the cartoon world as well as the real one. It’s pretty much a Family Guy episode without the plot but that’s OK as most of the shorts are funny and hold their own.

Some of the better shorts are the twisted looks at the “Frog Prince;” “Super Mario Saves The Princess;” “Die, Roadrunner, Die;” and “Fred and Barney at the Club.” “Frog” is just a jerk who gets off on having stupid chicks fondle him, while “Super Mario” can’t even get a kiss from the prissy princess. “Roadrunner” is a look at what happens when the coyote actually catches that damn bird, not at all worth the catch. “Fred And Barney” is a glimpse of what hell it would be for those two to try and get into a modern hipster nightclub.

Other top offers are the funny “Sex With…” that takes a look at what sex would be like with various names in the news and pop culture such as Mr. Sulu, a folk singer, Dick Cheney, Gilbert Gottfried, and a midget. More hilarity ensues as a gay knight who refuses to fight the dragon, backstage with Bob Dylan, and two Persians try to pick up chicks. MacFarlane also gives us a further look into his atheism beliefs in “Monkeys Talk Religion.”

Some of this stuff is just really painful to watch. A short list includes “Flintstone Shit” which is just a stupid scene of Fred in a stall as he takes a dump. Some kid finding out he’s adopted is pretty bad to boot but the worst is sitting as AIDS Patient Zero meets and has sex with a monkey. It has its giggles when I think about it but the short is just wrong and at the moment simply seemed horrid.

Overall, Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade Of Cartoon Comedy is an entertaining hour to sit and watch even if you are stunned at times and have to pick up your jaw after shaking your head and saying, “Really?” Again, it is from the creator of Family Guy and follows the humor laid down by said show so everyone should know more or less what to expect. So if you’re truly offended, then it’s your own damn fault.

Family Guy: Blue Harvest

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Family Guy Meets Star Wars in a very entertaining forty-five minutes of laughter and fun that had me rolling from beginning to end. It might seem that one has nothing to do with the other and anything of this nature would be pure nonsense and a disaster. Not so, as Family Guy creator and lifetime Star Wars nerd Seth MacFarlane proves along with his wonderfully talented writing staff. Merging the two works well in his hands and bares the stamp of approval from Mr. Lucas himself, who is a long-time Family Guy fan and was pleased to let McFarlane run amuck in his far away universe of long ago.

MacFarlane wisely chose the space epics true beginning Episode IV: A New Hope as the stomping ground for his characters to retell this tale in their own comic style, which includes many over-the-top jokes and gags at other television shows expense. His choice of “casting” is great as well; MacFarlane perfectly matches his characters with Lucas’. Mother Lois plays Princess Leia while father Peter is placed as smuggler captain Han Solo. Son Chris is young Luke Skywalker and baby genius Stewie is simply masterful as Darth Vader, while daughter Meg, who is the constant “butt” of jokes, is only seen as the garbage compactor creature. Rounding out the space players are the perverted Quagmire as C-3PO, Cleveland as R2-D2, family dog Brian as Wookiee Chewbacca, and Herbert (the creepy old neighbor) as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The story begins with a power outage that causes the family to focus on each other. Rather than light candles and read or tell the story of Meg’s birth, Peter steps up to tell a tale of “Love and loss, fathers and sons, and the foresight to secure international merchandising rights.” Thus begins the retelling of SW:Episode IV. The Family Guy crew does a fine job in recreating the storyline by bringing to cartoon life the moments that captured the world thirty years earlier. The Mos Eisley cantina scene where we meet Han Solo and witness his ever-popular shootout with Greedo is a hoot as well as the opening shot of Darth Vader walking through the halls of the rebel base. The opening sequence is fun for the fact that Leia is having problems saving her message to Obi-Wan on R2’s hard drive. Throughout there are these sorts of pokes at modern technology and how they could have applied and malfunctioned in the Star Wars universe.

Great pop culture gags is what Family Guy is known for and Blue Harvest is stacked with them. Restored scenes on the DVD present Judd Nelson briefly reprising his role as John Bender from Breakfast Club giving his attitude at detention while adding on future Saturdays in the library. During the assault on the Death Star we get to see a “red role call” of a different kind that includes Red Foxx, Red Buttons and Simply Red. Smaller sight gags may be missed if one is not watching closely. For example, during the stormtrooper wedding Jesus along with everyone else has a stormtrooper helmet on. Keep yours eyes open for the unwanted advances of one soldier to another as the Millennium Falcon is being pulled into the Death Star and keep an ear out for the numerous Airplane jokes made along the way, including the quick appearance of Leslie Neilson.

Special features stand out on the DVD as well. The audio commentary is hilarious and gives insight into the warped minds of the Family Guy crew while providing behind the scenes secrets. The making of Blue Harvest is where we get to see that the entire production crew is comprised of gigantic Star Wars nerds and how that brings them all together. Yet the mother of all extras is the sit-down interview that Seth MacFarlane has with George Lucas. You can see it on MacFarlane’s face that he’s like a child sitting next to his big-screen idol. It is a good laugh to see MacFarlane stump Lucas on his game of “match the music to the scene” where MacFarlane will hum a few bars of music and ask if Lucas can remember where it goes in the film. It is here as well that Lucas revels that he is a big Family Guy fan giving MacFarlane more reason to look like a kid in awe of his hero.

Family Guy: Blue Harvest is a complete joy to watch from start to finish the movie itself is great and the DVD extras are worth watching a few times more. So be you a Star Wars nerd, a Family Guy freak or both (like Fantasma) you’ll dig the imaginative merging of what seem to be two different worlds.

Family Guy Live! in Chicago

Written by Tío Esqueleto

Seth MacFarlane, the creator/writer/producer of Family Guy, took his show on the road for two packed shows at the beautiful Chicago Theatre. MacFarlane, the voice of family guy Peter Griffin, as well as fan favorites Brian the dog and baby Stewie, to name a few, brought the entire “family” with him for a mini variety show of sorts, aptly titled Family Guy Live! The show consisted of a live table reading, musical numbers, a sneak preview of things to come, Q & A, as well as plenty of R-rated insight into both the characters, and the folks who bring them to life.

The stage was set with nine director’s chairs, an overhead screen, and various life-sized cutouts of the Griffins and friends. After a brief clip reel of greatest bits, MacFarlane took the stage, drink in hand, and welcomed everyone to the ten o’clock show or, “the one we don’t remember tomorrow.” If you’ve never seen him, he is your average 30-something, white male, his voice baring a close resemblance to that of his own “man’s best friend,” Brian.

Next, he introduced us to the rest of the team, which included voice regulars Alex Borstein (Lois Griffin), Mila Kunis (Meg Griffin), Seth Green (Chris Griffin), and Mike Henry, the voice of Peter’s friend Cleveland, and fan favorites: the greased-up deaf guy and the neighborhood senior citizen pedophile, Herbert. Filling out the rest of the chairs were executive producer and writer, Danny Smith, voice actors Alexandra Breckenridge and H. John Benjamin, as well as show writer and voice talent John Viener.

Everybody seemed genuinely excited to be there. Kunis appeared to be a little under the weather, but excited nonetheless. Most of them carried their beer of choice onto the stage with them (no less than three bottles at a time), with Green taking the half-full, fifth of Jack Daniels approach. Borstein, a Chicago area native, came out in a Bears jersey, smack-talked QB Rex Grossman (I know the words “hairy” and “vagina” were thrown around), and instantly had the crowd in her pocket.

They then transitioned into the meat and potatoes of the evening’s festivities: the table read. Viener played the part of narrator, reading the stage directions, while the rest of the cast worked their usual magic. They chose an episode from last season titled “Whistle While Your Wife Works,” in which Lois ends up having to work for Peter as he has blown off some fingers in an earlier seen fireworks accident. For the regular “Brian and Stewie” subplot, this particular episode finds baby and dog feuding over Brian’s new extremely stupid, yet forgivingly hot, girlfriend. As usual, the subplot in this one steals the show. They added a third storyline especially for the night’s event in which Meg and Chris start to work at the same place. The material will be aired in an episode later this season. They were looking for audience reaction to see if tweaks needed to be made down the road. I thought it was a nice touch. It gave the audience a feeling of exclusivity, as well as the cast an opportunity for some much-appreciated improv.

Seeing the cast in action was a sight I will not soon forget. I have a new respect for everyone involved, especially MacFarlane. Most of the time when Peter isn’t interacting with Lois, he’s in a scene with either Brian, or his sex-freak neighbor, Glenn Quagmire. The same goes for Brian. If he’s not in a scene with Stewie, he’s with Peter, and vice versa. Here’s the thing, MacFarlane voices all of these characters, and then some. Watching his face contort back and forth from Peter’s Archie Bunker-like “know it all” speech from the side of his mouth, to Glenn’s wide-eyed “giggity giggity,” to Brian’s deadpan omnipotence, was simply amazing. But it was Stewie, the eyebrow-cocked, purse-lipped nellie, that got the crowd the most. From the minute they first showed Stewie in the opening clip reel, it was quite clear that this was a Stewie crowd. One gets the feeling that there is a Stewie nation out there.

Mike Henry is the cast’s secret weapon. He barely had to glance up from his paper to make the crowd roar. His Cleveland drew thunderous applause with each line, but it was Herbert the pedophile (my, hands down, favorite Quahog resident) that really left them pissing, myself included. He has a way of subtly and precisely whistling each ‘s’ that damn near sounds like an effect done in post production. It is voice-talent gold, and exactly why you came to see it for yourself. Everybody was top notch, but it was MacFarlane and Henry who nabbed the most laughs.

Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly gain any more respect for MacFarlane and his team, they began their brief, but nothing short of fantastic, musical portion of the show. They started off with MacFarlane doing “I Need a Jew” from the controversial episode, “When You Wish Upon a Weinstein.” Seth sang as Peter, while the footage from the original episode played on the overhead screen. It was easy to just watch the original footage, forgetting that it was being sung live on the stage below. The sync was that close, and the vocals that dead on.

Afterwards, Peter and Lois did an X-rated version of “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” that included various call-and-response doozies like “you don’t cup my testes” and “you don’t tongue my asshole.” After which, at a good hour and a half into an already filthy show, they thought it a good time to remind us that if there are kids in the audience, it could get “a little blue” as this is the late show. Brilliant. Finally, they rounded out the musical portion with Herbert the pedophile’s rendition of The Little Shop of Horrors’ “Somewhere That’s Green.” This was a song sung to Chris in an earlier episode and, again, I was brought to body-trembling hysterics. This was the highlight of my night.

There was a sneak preview of the upcoming, Star Wars-themed season opener (airing this Sunday, the 23rd). It was wonderful seeing extended scenes of what looks to be a retelling of Episode IV, with Stewie’s Darth Vader demanding the most applause again.

Rounding out the evening was the dreaded Q & A. I can’t stand these things. They are painfully embarrassing cringe-fests for all involved. If you’ve ever been to a disastrous Comic Con panel, this was right up there with the disastrousest. There was, however, one good question. One we’d all been wondering, and that was what did they think of the South Park episodes dedicated to breaking down Family Guy? Their response? They tiptoed around it, but said they were just thrilled to be featured, and that they have an undying respect for the South Park guys.

Not much, but at least it was covered. And then it was covered again in true, botched Q-&-A fashion when they were asked if they were mad at the South Park guys for calling them dolphins. To which they responded, “It was manatees,” and “Where the hell were you less than five minutes ago when we just covered that?” Q & A’s; I hate them. It pretty much took the rest of the steam right out of the evening, which was actually okay. At this point we were over two hours plus, and it was time to call it an evening.

I have a whole new respect for Seth MacFarlane and the cast of Family Guy. Up until now, I’d always loved the show, but I have to admit, I certainly agreed with South Park’s sizing up of the show on their “Cartoon Wars” episodes. To be fair, they did rip on The Simpsons, but it was Family Guy who was clearly in front of the firing squad for their writing techniques and, further, their use of cutaway jokes that have nothing to do with the plot. It is the Family Guy’s M.O. (along with singing, cursing, and chicken fighting), and it works extremely well for them. Seeing them in action only solidifies this. All I know, is there were nine of the funniest manatees on the planet on that stage that night, and I’m so glad I was there to see it.