Review: Family Guy “Regarding Carter”

After the last brilliant episode can Family Guy keep up the pace?

Overview:

 

Lois’s birthday takes a strange turn when her father gives her a gun as a gift.  After realizing that guns are more complication than protection she tries to return it.  Unfortunately, she ends up shooting her father and ends up giving him severe head trauma.  It is up to the Griffins to bring him into their home and take care of him.  After getting back on his feet he decides to change his ways and tries to be a quality father and grandfather.  But, Peter gets upset when he realizes that it is going to cost them their massive inheritance.

 

Our Take:

 

Family Guy gets back into the swing of things after a slow start to the season, and one of the best episodes in a long while coming a couple of weeks ago.  This week, it is back to the sitcom-style storyline with full interjections of quick sketches and random references.  The formula that has carried the show through all of these years works, so why mess with it?  From Peter getting beat up at a Rush concert to Chris performing on the voice, this episode is full of the out-of-nowhere jokes that make Family Guy great.

The idea of Family Guy getting back onto pace is valuable.  The first few episodes of the year were disappointing, and although the latest show was above expectations, it was uncertain if it could save the season.  So, having a strong episode using the traditional formula seemed like the only thing that could get fans on board again.  I don’t think anybody would be devastated if Family Guy wrapped up soon, but it is an integral part of Fox’s Sunday night lineup.  If one show gets canceled what will happen to the other ones like The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers?  Cable television is already in such trouble.

I loved that there were lots of references and clips in this episode.  I feel like that is one of the things that has been lacking from the series.  It was those out of the box clips that made Family Guy popular, to begin with, and has carried it through the years.  But, when an episode isn’t filled with randomness it kind of gets boring.  It is vital to the show to bring out references to anything from Kids in the Hall to Gargamel from The Smurfs.

Despite all the nice things that I have had to say, the show was not without its flaws.  Even though they managed to add all of the things that I feel have been lacking, there is something about the series overall that feels like there is nothing fresh or new.  On this same evening, The Simpsons managed to release a show that was on topics that are relevant to people today like self-driving cars.  Family Guy has been lacking that same relevance and opting for more sitcom storytelling.  It comes down to the fact that the humour of this adult animation is much more important to whether or not Lois gets along with her father.

Score
7/10