Review: Family Guy “Cat Fight”

Overview:

Quagmire has decided to capitalize on the recent popularity of cat cafes by opening his own in Quahog. Brian takes insult to the business and starts an active protest which effectively gets Bartista-Cats shut down. Unfortunately, everything backfires on Brian when, as a dog, he is no longer allowed to enter his favourite establishments.

Meanwhile, after the kids have been caught at school for cheating, Lois decides she needs to do something drastic. At the advice of targeted Google ads, she takes the kids to a Christian family camp. However, after realizing how overbearing the religious practices are, she must break her family out.

Our Take:

Every time Family Guy drops an episode as offbeat and original as last weeks “Disney’s the Reboot” expectations get lifted for the series again. However, we should know by now that these special episodes are typically followed by a more sitcom-style drama. And, this week’s episode follows the pattern. Despite some amusing cutscenes, there is nothing to help separate this episode from the mundane stories that Family Guy has fallen into in recent years.

This franchise is best known for taking on some of the most stigmatized social issues. No topic has been safe from Family Guy, enough so that it has been kept off of the upcoming Disney streaming service, Disney+. How else would they keep up their status as the sitcom that isn’t afraid to share its opinion on the world if they didn’t take on hot subjects like tonight’s episode, cat cafes?

Sure, there is a debate that a café that allows animals to roam freely would be breaking some sort of health code. However, the one time I have been in an establishment such as this, the animals and food service area were well separated from one another. So, to say this whole plot is a bit of a stretch would be an understatement. Though, on that point, how would they finally get Brian to wear an emotional support animal vest?

The big thing this episode seems to be leading up to is a showdown between Quagmire and Brian. Their rivalry has been brewing for some time now, and Quagmire has not shied away from expressing his distaste for the dog. This was only escalated further this season when Brian began a full-fledged relationship with Quagmire’s transgender father in “Bri-Da”. With Brian causing the downfall of Quagmire’s latest investment, it seemed like this was finally going to be the episode where this conflict came to a head. Unfortunately, the battle that starts in this episode comes to an abrupt end, and their relationship continues as is, if not more well-formed.

Some great moments in the episode should not be overlooked. Mayor Adam West makes a reappearance as a ghost, only to be captured via Ghostbusters weapons. Another cutscene showcases Peter trying to up-show a camp counsellor around the firepit. As dull as that sound, it does offer some pretty funny lines to the star character. Also, Quagmire, as a full-fledged cat lady only got better the more it went along. The oversized Minnie Mouse sweater was one thing, but picking up his dead cats with a pitchfork made the whole episode worth it. Of course, my favourite part about this episode compared to many others we have received from Family Guy as of late is there is an actual fortified conclusion. I love when they can actually wrap things up instead of not knowing what they are doing.

“Cat Fight” is as average an episode as you can get from this series. There was nothing monumental that altered the canon of the show going forward. There was nothing original to add to the slew of television sitcoms. And, again, it is the odd humorous joke that carried the whole story. It’s surprising that the show’s creatives even went ahead with a plot based on nothing more than a cat café. If this would have been an epic showdown between Brian and Quagmire, one to outdo even Peter’s rivalry with the chicken, then we would have had something worthy of an entire episode. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough to set this episode apart, and it will be quickly forgotten and lost in the mire of other average Family Guy plots.