Review: Family Guy “White Meg Can’t Jump”

Overview

Meg insults, lava sequence, David Hyde Pierce, multiple personality disorder, Gilbert Gottfried

Family Guy sticks with the sports premises which has been working for the show for a while now in an attempt to get FOX fans who are tuning in earlier for either NASCAR or the NFL which works well with the producers and their expansive knowledge of the various leagues. This week, we actually get a hilarious contrast from normal sports episodes where parents continue to think all of their kids are the next pro star and instead get Peter in the stands hilariously using his Meg slander to good use. EVERY jeer from Peter had me howling in gut-busting laughter to the point of pain.

As for Stewie’s bit, I think I would’ve preferred to see how a Peter or Chris would’ve handled YouTube conspiracy theories because typically the only people who are able to read/watch anything online and deem it all 100% factual are those with an IQ equal to that of a toothpick, which has me thinking Stewie is too smart of a character. That said, had it NOT been for Stewie being the lead character, we would not have gotten this Emmy-deserving Seth MacFarlane contribution…more on that in a bit.

I first wanted to shout out the quick bits featuring David Hyde Pierce and Gilbert Gottfried, the latter of whom got a well-deserved sendoff from the show that featured the legendary comedian on more than a few occasions. Admittedly, I was in tears during the end credits card because Gilbert is one of those comedians I truly cherished.

Back to MacFarlane groveling. If it isn’t apparent that Seth MacFarlane is still one of the best voice actors of all-time, this episode should help. It’s one thing to be able to do a ton of voices. It’s another to do a ton of voices, and then pitch them up or down. We’ve seen him do this for years with Roger on American Dad and his various personas, but this week’s episode of Family Guy saw Seth somehow pull-off voicing both a voice-less Peter AND multiple personalities for Stewie. A jaw-dropping comedic performance, with the latter character being featured in an excellent “floor is lava” sequence that led to a hilarious climax that I think most kids can relate to. Add in a sinister cutaway gag featuring Britney Spears, and you’ve got yourself one of the stronger episodes of Family Guy in 2023.