Review: Family Guy “Cutaway Land”

 

 

Overview:

After a lousy day at the beach, Peter and Lois are looking for some much-needed time to themselves. They get their wish after setting up a cutaway that they get transported into.

Realizing they are trapped in a paradox the couple can transfer into any cutaway that they can think of. But getting home may be tougher than they think as they accidentally bring their family into the endless Cutaway Land.

With some help from Joe, the family learns that they must travel to the original Family Guy cutaway if they ever want to return home.

 

Our Take:

It feels like forever since the last special Family Guy episode that broke the traditional format. There is no doubt that most fans of the show had “Cutaway Land” circled on the schedule for season 19.

Unfortunately, we were forced to wait a couple of weeks longer as the Halloween-themed Animation Domination line-up was postponed, replaced by the MLB World Series. The result causing this special episode to air the night after trick-or-treating.

It turns out that anticipation was wasted on this episode. “Cutaway Land” is just as formulaic as a standard Family Guy episode with the addition of some fourth-wall-breaking humour.

Setting the stage for the science fiction took a third of the episode. An extended amount of time was spent with the Griffin family enjoying a day at the beach. Of course, that means that the show has to invest in satirical commentary on why going to the beach is terrible. The amount of time to set up the actual plot made these scenes feel like a time-wasting distraction.

When Peter and Lois do finally make it to the infamous “Cutaway Land” there is plenty of humour to go around. 

Some of the highlights of their adventures include watching Tom Brady in the shower, a fart air balloon, and a trip to the pancake emergency room. There is also a healthy dose of classic Family Guy irrelevant references.

The opportunities did feel wasted. For an episode titled after the show’s most relied upon device, there were not as many cutaways as one would expect. In fact, there are probably a significant number of conventional episodes that include more than a dozen. And this special episode reused a few old jokes from previous seasons.

Perhaps the most disappointing part of “Cutaway Land” is that it was a fabrication of Peter’s subconscious. The show used the old Jacob’s Ladder scenario to rectify the breaking of the fourth wall. Not only is that not necessary, but it also takes away from what makes Family Guy unique. If they cannot pull an episode off like this without explanation, what is this series even doing anymore?

Surprisingly, the best part of this episode is the scenes that took place back home. Joe’s answering machine, Meg and Chris’s party, and the resulting ‘principal party’ delivered more laughs than any of the cutaways.

At times I feel I may be too harsh on this show that has delivered entertainment for pushing on the two-decades worth of content. However, the quality of this special episode is not even a morsel of what this series has been able to accomplish in the past. And they have become much too reliant upon old jokes and wasted screen time.

If this is the highlight of the season, then we are in for a rough ride. The show usually depends on these special episodes to heighten fan’s appreciation and keep viewers talking. Honestly, we would have been happier with an incoherent mess of random cutaways and montages. Pure nonsense is what Family Guy is built on, while these formulaic paths take away from the fun.