Review: Family Guy “Quagmire’s Mom”

SPOILERS BELOW

After a short break to watch one of the weirdest Super Bowls in recent memory, we’re finally back on schedule with an all new Family Guy. The episode was an interesting one to say the least, it had its fair share of downs, which I’ll now gladly get into!

“In “Quagmire’s Mom”, Quagmire finds himself in hot water with the law after taking home an under-age girl.”

Simple summary to last night’s episode, and to be fair it was a simple episode. The episode starts off with another one of Peter’s misadventures, and that eats up the better part of the first act. Within it are a few funny interactions and jokes. If your name is “Justin” you either came away from this episode either flattered or offended. But it was a good little appetizer for who the episode is really about, Quagmire. The title of the episode is pretty misleading because the amount of time that Quagmire’s mom is actually in this episode is pretty insignificant. Instead we learn a little bit about how Quagmire became the sexual deviant we’ve grown to laugh at over the years. Like most episodes of Family Guy, the jokes were hit & miss. I thought Stewie really shined in this episode. For an episode not focused on him, he probably had most of the funniest lines.

I think that’s where my positives for this episode end. While I did have a fun time laughing along with whatever I found funny, there were a number of things that stuck out to me that I have to mention. The first thing is Quagmire’s mom, Crystal, who is voiced by the amazingly talented Allison Janney. Her character on last night’s episode fell a little flat for me. While the episode is named after her, the episode didn’t do much to really explain who she was or what she’s like. A sexual deviant, much like Quagmire, who found Jesus Christ. That’s about it. While I may not be looking for the most in depth characters on Family Guy, she also didn’t bring much to the table to support the comedy. When she was around, I didn’t find myself laughing. Another issue I had was with the first act. Peter’s misadventures are beloved by many for good reason. I enjoy them myself usually, but I felt this one dragged on a little too long. If they cut it down just a tad, and introduced Quagmire’s mom earlier, I think this may have felt like a more focused episode. One last little complaint, and this one is less about the episode, and more about the voice cast: bring in Sanaa Lathan to reprise her role as Donna. On the Cleveland show she was such a funny and witty character, but now it’s sad seeing her as a blank face next to Cleveland in every scene. For those of you who read my reviews last season, you know I was excited when they brought Cleveland and the family to Quahog, I thought it would lead to some interesting relationships. But, oh well, that’s just my personal hope for the show.

Overall, not a bad episode in comparison to the rest of the season. I haven’t loved the show much this season, but this one at least struck my funny bone a few times. There were just a few things I felt could have improved the episode for me.

How did you guys like “Quagmire’s Mom”? Love it? Hate it? Somewhere in between, much like myself? Let us know! Enjoy the rest of your week.