Review: Family Guy “The Edible Arrangement”

Overview

Lois and Stewie finally understand each other — thanks to Brian’s edibles — and explore and try to explain their complicated relationship.

Cutaways

Xylophone, Dads, Congressman Boebert, Bill Cosby

Our Take

I always felt like pre-manufactured edibles were worse than the home made varieties because at least if you make a fudge you can kind of parcel out a little more whereas with a gummy or a candy you’re at the throes of the manufacturers, neither of which mattered this week as Family Guy kicks off a new season on FOX with one hell of a trippy music video sequence that might make a top five list of the best trip sequences you’re going to see and yes I’ll put it up against the Numero uno in that category of Beavis and Butt-Head: Do America. 

It’s been a minute since Family Guy leaned hard into the “Stewie and Lois” dynamic, and honestly, it’s a pairing that usually yields some of the series’ most grounded—well, as grounded as this show gets—character work. In this week’s outing, the writers tackle the green wave hitting Quahog, and the results are a high-flying mix of suburban paranoia and psychedelic bonding.

The highlight of the episode is undoubtedly the second act. When the substances kick in, the “language barrier” between Stewie and the rest of the family evaporates. Seeing them bond over the shared frustrations of the Griffin household—and Stewie casually admitting to his years of matricidal plots—was a fantastic meta-nod to the show’s origins.

Alex Borstein and Seth MacFarlane have such a seasoned rapport that these scenes felt effortless. The sight of the two of them wandering Quahog and ultimately “leaving a gift” in Joe Swanson’s yard is the kind of low-brow, high-concept humor that Family Guy fans live for.

However, in true sitcom fashion, the status quo is restored by the final credits. While it’s a bit of a letdown that they don’t retain their “telepathic” bond once sober, the final beat—Stewie vowing death over a denied Oreo—reminds us that some things never change.

The new season episode offers a solid episode that proves there’s still plenty of gas in the tank when the show focuses on character pairings rather than just an endless stream of cutaway gags.