Family Guy 905

This week's episode was not very good. It was short on good jokes and classic Family Guy flashbacks. There was also the inexcusable and ill-fated neglect of all characters not named Peter or Louis. Most upsetting however was that the episode was pretty much a boxing redo of a season three karate episode. Of course the writers did take some measures to protect themselves from claims of self plagiarism: This time when Lois discovers her punishing prowess she doesn't lose herself to narcissistic vainglory. Very original Mr. MacFarlane, very original indeed. Sad times are upon us when the whacky world of Family Guy approaches its asymptotic limits of creativity.

Episode Rating:
3 (Bad TV)

Episode's Best Line:
"Coming up next, a boxing match where the fighters are bleeding before the fight!" - Tom Tucker

Family Guy 904

Its been called 'trite' as well as 'tried and true'. Either way, the fact is that Family Guy is a very formulaic production (and God bless the manatees for it). There is TV you watch and TV you see, and while there was was a time when its novelty made Family Guy a show to be watched, that time has passed. Still, Peter and the gang manage to mildly amuse on a fantastically consistent basis. I will say however that this episode was a far cry from the show's heyday and that it disappointed on the promise of its halloween theme. As far as I'm concerned Stewie and Brian together make up the engine that powers the show, and in this episode, sadly, they fell victim to creative negligence on the parts of the writers. Seeable though.

Episode Rating:
4 (Acceptably mediocre TV)

Episode's Best line:
"I didn't feel anything. But you did." - Joe (To Quagmire)