REVIEW: FAMILY GUY “Viewer Mail #2”

Season 10 finale: One mini-episode introduces a British version of the Griffins. A comedian takes over Quahog in another. And a third views the world from Stewie’s POV.

Viewer Mail#2

Chap of the Manor

Did you know that Family Guy like the Office is based on a British animated television series Chap of the Manor? Its basically the Griffin family with bad teeth, big noses, and weird hair cuts…oh and Stewie has a Southern American hick accent couple with Brian who goes from being a dog to that of a bucking white Bronco. Hell even Cleveland makes a come back for Viewer Mail# 2! We even get treated to (what I think is a) Pigeon pheasant fight with Peter! Granted it only lasts for like 9 seconds…but its there with all the respect and courtesy you would expect in a violent thrashing. Soon, a high speed chase ensues that sees Peter chasing down the Queen for a lock of hair which of course ends in a bloody wreck inside of a tunnel with only Peter and Chris making it out alive.

Fatman & Robin

So, Peter gets really upset that Robin Williams is put on the spot at a recent Comedy Central Roast special(as usual by Jeff Ross) and as a result he goes outside screaming in the middle of a thunderstorm until he gets electrocuted by a bolt of lightning. However, this is no ordinary bolt of lightning rather this bolt gives Peter the power to turn ANYONE he touches into Robin freakin’ Williams! At first its pretty funny, as he turns just about everyone and everything into Robin Williams’ like Joe’s legs, Tom Tucker, and even random doors and cars are turned into riffing monsters. However, just like all good things it usually turns sour and it gets bad when Peter eventually turns his whole family(minus Stewie and Rupert) into Robin Williams’. Hell, he even tries multiple attempts in killing himself but no matter what Peter does nothing seems to work. Eventually, he just shoos them away except for a select five of which he dresses up like the rest of the Griffins but not before he slices both his hands clean off his arm in an attempt to stave off any future Robin Williams’.

Point of Stew

Imagine BEING Stewie! That’s right this short gives us a take on what its like to run around in the little tike’s  sneakers as he goes to the park, goes for rides under Brian’s car, heck he even goes back in time to save Kurt Cobain!

Boy was this a BUNCH of fun. In the vein of Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy or The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror we get to see a bunch of different takes on our favorite Griffin family and they were each hysterically funny. First of all, kudos to the writers for giving the shitty ass sport known as professional soccer a kick in its pants. Also, how that bit ended was all sorts of wrong it was classic Family Guy material right up there with the JFK gags and whatnot. Fatman & Robin was out of friggin control. Imagine a hell with Robin Williams’ anywhere! Not just regular Robin Williams’ but we get to see animated likenesses from Patch Adams, Mork & Mindy, Good Will Hunting, but not Aladdin which according to Stewie Disney didn’t allow. The last act with Point of Stew was funny but I wish there was a tad more meat on the bones but nothing beats a first hand account of what its like going through Stewie’s time machine! This week’s collection of shorts were absolutely off kilter and random that I hope they do more of these.