33 out of 33 people found this review helpful.
Now Family Guy Can Get Some Respect, and it Will Finally Be Seen on DVD!!!
Date of Review: Apr 15, 2003
The Bottom Line: The funniest animated series is on DVD... 28 episodes, 1st/2nd seasons. Better than The Simpsons, funnier than South Park. If you want to laugh a lot, get this set.
Family Guy is the best comedy show I've ever seen. Better than South Park, smarter and a lot funnier than The Simpsons, and more absurd at times than Seinfeld. To this date I have never laughed so hard at anything like I do for this show. Even though I've sen all of these episodes tons of times apiece, the show never fails to amuse me and make me laugh.
Lets meet the Griffins. They are a white middle class family that lives in Quahog, Rhode Island. Peter, the father, is a fat oafish man who always says and does the wrong things in what he thinks is in the best interests of the family. Hes like a Homer Simpson and Eric Cartman combined. Lois, the mother, is the only really normal one in the whole show. If we're comparing her to other TV moms, shes not annoying like Marge Simpson. Meg, the oldest daughter - 16 years old, is kinda pudgy and is always concerned about her appearance and status. Chris, the middle aged child - 13 years old, has an evil monkey in his closet and is very simple and child-like. Then there is Stewie, 1 year old, and already plotting to take over the world. His foul mouth, schemes of world domination and the killing of his mother highlight some of the funniest bits of the show. Then there is Brian, the very intelligent, seemingly only one with a real conscience, talking dog. Oh and lets not forget the supporting cast. The neighbors are Joe, a handicapped police officer, and his family; Cleveland, a well off African American man, and his family; and Quagmire, a sex crazed single.
Family Guy was a show that, like other FOX shows we know, didn't get a good life on FOX. It was first shown after the Superbowl in 1999, then it moved to Sunday after The Simpsons for a few months. Then it was moved to Tuesday nights, then Thursday nights at 8pm versus Friends. Not only that, but they were aired at such weird times, that a lot of the people who watched it originally lost the show in FOX's constant timeslot changes.
The show was also plagued by activists and poor advertiser support due to some of the content and nature of the show. Family Guy always amazed me with some of the things said and some of the things done, and thats what I loved about it. It was a show not afraid to go overboard, and certainly not afraid to offend people.
It has been more than a year now since Family Guy was cancelled for a second time by FOX. Finally at least, the cult following of the show can continue on in repeats of the show on DVD.
Heres a run down of the complete 1st and 2nd second season which comprise this Volume One boxset. 28 episodes on 4 discs:
DISC ONE
Death Has A Shadow - The first episode, it premiered after the Super Bowl in 1999. In this episode, Peter gets fired from his job after a night of drinking and goes on welfare. But an error in his favor makes the family very rich. When Lois finds out about the whole ordeal, Peter decides to give the money back to the taxpayers buy renting a blimp and dumping it over the superbowl crowd. Peter and Brian get arrested and then go to court. Rating 5 out of 5.
I Never Met the Dead Man - TV-aholic Peter crashes into a satellite dish after taking Meg to her driving test, and he makes her take the blame. Without TV, Peter begins to go a little crazy. Eventually, Peter decides he doesnt need TV and decides to just live life. William Shatner and Peter go to a Bovarian Folk Festival and when they run without shoes back home, Meg hits and kills old Bill. Rating 5 out of 5.
Chitty Chitty Death Bang - Its Stewie's first birthday, and to make sure she doesn't miss this momentus occaision, Lois makes reservations for the party at "Cheesy Charlie's". All Peter has to do is put a payment down on it. But leave it to Peter to screw that up...s o he decides to kidnap a circus. Meanwhile, Stewie thinks that the day signifies his return to the womb, and so he develops a scheme to defeat the "man in white". Meg also finds friendship with nice people in a cult. Rating 4 out of 5.
Mind Over Murder - Peter punches what he thinks is a man but turns out to be a pregnant woman at a soccer game. He goes under house arrest, and decides to build a bar in his basement so that he and his buddies can hang out. But when the bar turns into a singing club for Lois, Peter turns indifferent. Stewie also designs a time machine that will move time so he can over his pain from teething. Rating 3 out of 5.
A Hero Sits Next Door - The Griffins meet their new next door neighbors, the Swansons. When Joe, a handicapped policeman turns out to be a hero, Peter gets jealous and tries to reach his level by breaking up a bank robbery...but we all know Peter can't do anything right. Rating 4 out of 5.
The Son Also Draws - Chris gets kicked out of the Boy Scouts for getting no merrit badges in 2 years. Chris doesnt want to be in the scouts anyway, but hes too afraid to disappoint his father. So Peter decides to go to New York to the Boy Scout HQ to get him back in. Unfortunately they get lose don the way and end up at a Native American casino. Lois loses the family station wagon gambling, and Peter, who claims to be a Native American, goes on a vision quest to get the car back. Peter meets the Fonz from Happy Days and learns an important lesson. Rating 5 out of 5.
Brian: Portrait of a Dog - Peter and Brian, long time friends, have a falling out. Peter wants Brian to enter a dog show so that they can get some extra money for an air conditioner. But Brian, a sophisticated, talking dog obviously, sees it as a humiliation. Although he agrees to do it, he didnt realize that Peter would make him beg for a treat, and Brian doesnt do it. Brian decides to move out of the house and live on the streets, where he gets captured by the pound and sentenced to death as a stray. Only Peter can come to the rescue and save him... and a little bribe money helps. Rating 4 out of 5.
DISC TWO
Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater - Lois's rich aunt Margherite passes away and leaves her the Pewterschmidt mansion, Cherrywood Manor, in Newport, RI. Peter sells the family's old house, claiming Lois should live like the "Piece of Schmidt" she is. Peter becomes a dignified man, and spends $100 million on a vase in an auction. In an attempt to sell the Manor for more than its worth, Peter tries to fool the historical society into thinking its worth more than it is. Peter finds out that Cherrywood was a presidential wh*rehouse and he sells the pictures he finds to pay the debt. Rating 5 out of 5.
Holy Crap - Peter's newly retired, deeply religious father visits the family, and causes a ruckus with his super-religious ways. When Peter gets him a job at the toy factory, his dad quickly becomes a supervisor and fires Peter. Peter then kidnaps the Pope to convince his dad that he is a good father. Rating 4 out of 5.
Da Boom - Its December 31, 1999, and Y2K is as disastrous as planned. Peter prepares beforehand due to the wise words of a man in a chicken suit. We follow the family and octopus-mutated Stewie, fused Cleveland and Quagmuire (named Quagland or Clevemire) as they search for the Twinkie factory and create New Quahog. Peter becomes the new mayor, but the people oust the family after he does a poor job keeping it up. In the meantime, Stewie has laid hundreds of eggs that eventually hatch more octopus-Stewies, and they attack New Quahog. At the end of the episode... we get a really really odd live action ending of with Patrick Duffy
and Victoria Principal as Bobby and Pamela Ewing from "Dallas": Bobby is in the shower and Pamela tell him about a bad dream about an episode of Family Guy. Rating 4 out of 5.
Brian In Love - Brian begins to have accidents in the house, which is originally blamed on Stewie. As it turns out, Brian is in love with Lois. Meanwhile, Peter tries to potty train Stewie. Rating 5 out of 5.
Love Thy Trophy - When the residents of Spooner Street come together and win a trophy for having the best float in the Harvest Festival Parade. Since theres only one trophy, they decide to display it outside. When it gets stolen however, the residents turn against each other. At the same time, Meg gets a job waitressing so that she can buy a real Prada bag. She tells the owner of the restaurant that Stewie is her son and that the dad is a deadbeat. But child services gets wind of it and seizes Stewie and puts him in a foster home. Its up to the residents to come back together and get Stewie back. Rating 5 out of 5.
Death is a B*tch - When Lois discovers a lump on Peter's breast, he has to go to the doctor. Although it turns out that Peter is fine, he writes "deceased" on the bill so that he doesnt have to pay it. Death (voiced by Norm MacDonald) comes to claim Peter until he twists his ankle. Now the Griffins have to take care of Death until he heals. Because Death is unable to move, the rules no longer apply, so Peter drinks hundreds of beers, gets shot, and jumps off buildings. Soon everyone realizes death is no longer around, so they all do stupid things. Death, unhappy about all of this, tells Peter that he has to kill the cast of "Dawson's Creek" to make people aware that death still applies. Although he doesnt kill the cast, he kills 2 pilots, and thats good enough. Death leaves after healing saying that he'll be back really soon. Rating 5 out of 5.
The King Is Dead - Lois becomes the director of the Quahog Players, a local theater group, and decides to put on "The King and I". Peter, on the otherhand, who is trying to find an outlet for his ideas, tries sculpting, drawing, and conducting, and soon takes over Lois's job as director. Peter changes "The King and I" to a futuristic setting with robots and partial nudity. Rating 5 out of 5.
DISC THREE
I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar - Peter gives up a free boat for the contents of a mystery box, which turn out to be tickets to a comedy club. After he goes onstage in a drunken state of mind, he gets the idea that hes funny. One tasteless office joke lands him in a sensitivity class, then a women's retreat when a female co-worker gets offended. After he returns, Peter is not the same, hes a lot more feminine than before. The family tries to get the old Peter back. Rating 5 out of 5.
If I'm Dyin' I'm Lyin' - When Peter and Chris's favorite show "Gumbel 2 Gumbel: Beach Justice" is cancelled, Peter makes up a disease and claims Chris has it and that he will die soon, in hopes that "Gumbel 2 Gumbel" will go back on the air. Its when peter claims he magically cured him when the real problems start, as Peter is worshipped as a god. The real God sends in some plagues and lets it be known that there is only one. Rating 5 out of 5.
Running Mates - Lois runs for School Board President uncontested until Peter runs against her in hopes of getting his favorite teacher his job back after he gets fired for being crazy. Peter runs a dirty race and wins. When Chris gets caught peeping at girls, Peter gives him some pornographic materials. But those same materials get to the kids around school, and Peter, although advised to, can't blame it on Lois. He then resigns. Rating 5 out of 5.
A Picture is Worth 1000 Bucks - Chris gives his dad a painting that he made for his birthday and a gallery owner spots it and wants to make Chris a star. The Griffins travel to New York, and all is fine until Chris learns that if he wants to become a star, he wont be able to see his dad again, as per the gallery owner's stipulation. Rating 4 out of 5.
Fifteen Minutes of Shame - Meg, tired of being humiliated by the family, gets them on a talk show. Network Execs decide they love the family and their story, so they make them a reality TV series. After Meg leaves the show, she is re-cast by a more attractive girl. Once the family realizes that the viewers only care about the new Meg, they all quit, and Tom Arnold and Fran Drescher replace Peter and Lois, and the Olsen Twins replace Stewie and Brian. The old Griffins reunite in a hotel. Rating 5 out of 5.
Road To Rhode Island - After Brian picks up Stewie from his grandparents' house in Palm Springs, they miss their flight due to Brian's drunkeness. After staying in a motel, stealing a car, and hitchhking, they find themselves in Austin, Texas, where Brian was born. Brian views this as his chance to get re-united with his mother. When they get to the farm where Brian was born, they find out that his mother, Biscuit, is dead but stuffed in the living room. Stewie and Brian steal her and give her proper burial. At home, Lois and Peter get some Relationship Communication tapes which turnout to be pornographic. Rating 5 out of 5.
Lets Go To The Hop - After a Columbian plane crashes in Quahog, a bunch of frogs get loose on the town. Soon enough, kids find out that licking the toad creates a euphoric feeling, and it becomes the drug of choice. Peter comes up with the hilarious plan to disguise himself as a 16 year old named Lando Griffin and convince kids not to lick toad. Peter, who becomes the cool kid in school, ditches taking his daughter to the dance so that he can go with the most popular girl in school. In the end, his guilt takes over and he says that Meg turned him down for the dance and left making it seem like he drove a motorcycle off a cliff. Rating 5 out of 5.
DISC FOUR
Dammit Janet - It turns out that Stewie does not interact with other kids very well, so Lois puts him in daycare. He falls in love with a girl named Janet who ends up using him for his cookies. Meanwhile, Lois gets a job as a flight attendant to cure her boredom now that Stewie is gone. Peter, in typical fashion, uses Lois to get free trips all over the world, and when they end up on the same flight, it gets hijacked and they end up in Cuba without passports. They have to raft it back to the United States. Rating 5 out of 5.
There's Something About Paulie - Peter doesnt listen to Lois when buying a second car and Peter buys a lemon. Then he hires the mob to take care of the car and they get a new one. To repay the Don, Peter has to take his nephew Paulie out to the movies. Paulie ends up putting a hit out on Lois so that Peter and him could hang out together more often. Paulie gets killed in a drive by shooting, so Lois and Peter have to attend the Don's daughter's wedding. Rating 2 out of 5.
He's Too Sexy For His Fat - Peter tries to help Chris lose weight, but when it doesnt go as well as planned, they resort to liposuction. Chris refuses it, but Peter does it, and comes out thin and muscular, and with a cleft in his chin. Lois is mad at Peter for doing it, but is deeply attracted to his new good looks. Peter joins the "Quahog Beautiful Peoples' Club" and ditches his "normie" family. When Peter is distracted by his own looks, he crashes his car and ends up in a lard factory, and becomes his old self again. Rating 5 out of 5.
E Peterbus Unim - When Peter tries to build a pool in his yard, he finds out that his property is not even part of the United States. Peter makes his own country and starts invading American soil after he gets treated poorly at the U.N. The US Army comes to his door and Peter repatriates after only one week. And in the end, which takes place in future, some student asks, "So can the family understand the baby... or whats the deal with that?" Rating 5 out of 5.
The Story on Page One - When Meg realizes that she needs more extracurricular activities to get into Brown College, she opts to work for the school newspaper. She tires to get a story from Mayor Adam West (yes, voiced by Adam himself), but he evades the confrontation everytime. She finally gets the interview and writes about how the Mayor spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to find out who steals his water (note: it goes down the drain and gets absorbed by dirt). Peter doesn't think its good, so he re-writes it saying that Luke Perry is gay. Luke Perry (voiced by Luke) finds out and sues the Griffins, and Peter tries to prove that he really is gay. Rating 5 out of 5.
Wasted Talent - This episode is one big reference to "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". Oompa Loompas and all, and a really funny song. Pawtucket Pat puts 4 scrolls into his beer and the finders of them get to take a tour of the factory. Peter wins after drinking for days straight. But he and Brian get kicked out after tasting experimental beer that never goes flat. After this, Lois finds out that Peter can play the piano like a master when he is drunk, and desperate to beat her rival Alexis and get first place, she keeps Peter hopped up for a recital. Rating 5 out of 5.
Fore, Father - Its Spring cleaning time, and Peter gets out of it by taking Chris on a camping trip with Cleveland and Joe and their sons. When its pointed out that Chris is lazy and that Peter's fathering skills may not be that sharp, he sets out to prove them wrong. Trying to be a father, Peter ignores Chris and his success with a job, and tries to teach Cleveland Jr. to become the next Tiger Woods. He fails as usual, and Chris and Peter fix their father-son relationship. Rating 5 out of 5.
EXTRAS
Disc ONE: Commentary on "Death Has a Shadow" and "The Son Also Draws". 7 Internet Promos.
Disc TWO: Commentary on "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater" and "Holy Crap"
Disc THREE: Commentary on "Fifteen Minutes of Shame" and "Let s Go to the Hop"
Disc FOUR: Commentary on "He s Too Sexy for His Fat" and "E. Peterbus Unum"
COMMENTS
This is a really really awesome set overall. 28 episodes on 4 discs. This show is awesome, definitely look into it.
VIDEO - There are some slight aliasing problems going on, but this is the best we'll get from FOX, and to tell you the truth, its better than anything you'll be downloading.
SOUND - Sounds great to me. Hey its a animated TV show...what do you want. Beats hearing poor rips on my computer.
Its good to see this show finally getting some attention, I'm glad FOX finally released it here. As we all know its been out for some time in the UK and Europe.
The GOOD
There are episodes on these discs that shouldn't be missed by anyone who likes comedy. Almost every single episode is awesome. I love this show more than any other TV show out there, past or present. The commentaries are hilarious... Seth McFarlane is a genius.
The Not-So-Good
Alright, its really nothing. The extras are a little weak. Only a few episodes have commentary, and the promos are less than 30 seconds long. The box art is a bit weak as well. Its not art filled like that of Futurama. Its the cover image repeated on the inside, with different color backgrounds.
Final Comments
I've been waiting a long time for this show to come out on DVD. And I can't repeat enough about how much I think this show is more funnier and better than any other. I hope that the length of this review itself shows you how much I like this show. I think this show need to be more mainstream.
Its too bad the Osama bin Laden scene was cut out from "Road to Rhode Island". It was a scene depicting Osama singing show tunes to get past airport security. Its not known whether or not FOX wanted that removed, or if Seth MacFarlane cut it out himself (as he was supposed to be on the flight to LA from Boston on 9/11/01, but missed it due to his secretary mixing up the times). Definitely not something that can be laughed at the same way anymore, but still, I'm a fan of seeing everything preserved in its original form. I learned to love things how they are originally, and when its changed, it changes the work too.
Family Guy is a show jam packed and filled with references to almost anything and everything. You'll find a ton of 80s references, Star Trek ones, Star Wars, Wonder Years, Miami Vice, Kool Aid, SpiderMan, Microsoft... and the list goes on and on. And even though the show is hilarious on its own... its SO much better if you understand the references. Not only does the show contain references all over the place, but it has the most absurd, and most hilarious, crazy random flashbacks ever. No one can possibly be immune to this show.
I have every episode downloaded on my computer. But I had to buy this set. The makers of this show deserve it. I urge any other fans out there who have them on the computer to buy it as well, its worth it.
Sit back, relax, and just enjoy some excellent comedy. You'll laugh, I guarantee it. Buy this set. You won't be disappointed.
