Felix Reviews: February 2019

Family Guy Pre-Cancellation Era (1999-2002)

Death Has a Shadow (Seth MacFarlane/Peter Shin)
Ah, the first episode of Family Guy, which got a callback episode about it for season 10. Normally, pilot aren't that good especially live action sitcoms, but they introduced the characters with dignity, even if all of them are totally different today. The pacing and Peter's inconsistent character are my only main flaws, but other than that, it was quite the memorable pilot. We are established with pop culture references, cutaway gags, and dialogue humor right off the bat. Most of the cutaways here served as flashbacks, something that we rarely see nowadays. the episode is at its best delivering memorable lines, especially from Peter and Stewie. At its worst, it's a tad irregular in placing (especially with the plot going from Peter having a stag party to finding different jobs), but not enough to bore me or turn me off from it. All in all, it's a good start for an iconic adult cartoon.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag: Drunk Peter montage

Writing: B
Plot: B-
Characters: A-
Humor: B+
Emotion: A-
OVERALL SCORE: 8/10 (B)

I Never Met the Dead Man (Chris Sheridan/Michael Dante DiMartino)
Watching this episode again in 2018 can make it feel any relevant. I was without cable for an unusually longer period of time and I can relate to Peter here. While act two dragged it down due to Meg being the scapegoat for the whole situation, it was a fine episode. It had slightly better pacing and storytelling while never losing focus. Personally, Stewie provide the best scenes as usual, but that's also what I can relate to: I hate broccoli as a kid until I ate it with cheese and now it's tolerable. We are also introduced with MacFarlane's interests in stuff like Star Trek here. There's some really good visual gags here as well to make it a pleasant watch.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag: Scooby Doo

Writing: A-
Plot: B- / A
Characters: B
Humor: A-
Emotion: B
8/10

Mind Over Murder (Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan/Roy Allen Smith)
To prove to all of you that the first three seasons weren't just constant 9/10 or 10/10 scores, this episode (and The Son Also Draws) exist. It's not bad by any means, but it's too much on the slow paced side. I was never wowed by the main plot that much as it's nothing much to write home about. Only memorable things about it was the first musical numbers, Cleveland's first lines, and maybe some amusing dialogue, but that's it. Stewie, as usual, is the MVP, as you except for an early episode and he saved this episode from being a snorefest. Interesting how he built a time travel and we won't be seeing that until a good 6 more seasons.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: C
Plot: C / A
Characters: B-
Humor: C+
Emotion: B-
7/10

ChittyChitty Death Bang (Danny Smith/Dominic Polcino)
This episode held up just as much as it did many years ago. Although, it's not really a perfect one since Meg's subplot went nowhere in execution (I wasn't fond at how it ended...apparently the juice was poisonous and everyone died from drinking it). You can guess what I liked about this episode: anything involving Stewie, as always. Although Peter's plot was amusing to watch as well (such as the three little pigs sequence, the Cheesy Charlie dream sequence). Heartwarming moments were there, but Meg could've been written a bit better (she came off as entitled in a few scenes), which is why the execution isn't flawless. On an interesting note, Bruce debuted here, but he doesn't appear that much at this point.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: A-
Plot: B
Characters: A-
Humor: A-
Emotion: B+
9/10

A Hero Sits Next Door (Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman/Monte Young)
Ah, yes, this is where we were introduced to the Swansons. Joe was so different back then. He was a badass handicapped person, with some anger issues. I sure miss do this portrayal of Joe, before he was reduced to a wheelchair joke (and Quagmire stole his temper from him much later on for no real reason). It's not as dull as Mind Over Murder, but what hurts the score somewhat is Peter. While not a huge douchebag as he is in some certain episodes, I just don't like how is portrayed here, especially towards Joe. The last few minutes of it was just confusing to follow through with the whole "trying to save the day by stopping a bank robbery." Such a shame that awesome Grinch fight sequence turns out to be fake this whole time many years later with the episode Joe's Revenge.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: B-
Plot: B
Characters: B-
Humor: B
Emotion: B-
7/10

The Son Also Draws (Ricky Blitt/Neil Affleck)
The first Chris episode and man, it's such a chore to watch to be honest. I actually find it tolerable until Peter convinced the Indian casino staff that he's an Indian (which is one of the many antics he'll do to change his background for the sake of a plot). Granted, even the first half feel slow paced and dull at times, but at least there were some jokes. The cold opening is one of the funniest scenes in the whole episode and it's totally irrelevant to the whole thing. I did like that Chris was meant to be an artist (and a better sequel was followed up a season later), but sadly, it vanished like Lois being a piano player. Brian didn't played a big role, so he was excluded in the whole story, making it one of his smallest role in the show at that point. The last several minutes dragged on with rather lazy written scenes, especially the ending. Honestly, this is the worst episode for the first season imo.

Memorable Quotes
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: C-
Plot: C-
Characters: B
Humor: B-
Emotion: C+
6/10

Brian: Portrait of a Dog (Gary Janetti/Michael Dante DiMartino)
Brian's first episode and it's written by the masser of his snd Stewie's character development. Remember when he used to write really good episoses instead of seeing the two be stuck in a bank, Brian writing a bestseller, Stewie getting pregnant and having Stewie talk about his sexuality? While there's nothing much to talk about, it does remind you for the first time (aside from his sitting pose) that Brian is actually a dog, but he actually prefer to be human. And there's a flashback scene of how he was found. My only major flaw is Brian is treated unfairly throughout the story. Yes, I know, I hate dogs and all, but you can kinda sympathize with him here, something that is not common these days. It's a well written story nevertheless.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: A-
Plot: B
Characters: B+
Humor: A
Emotion: A-
9/10

Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater (Chris Sheridan/Jeff Myers)
Before I continue the reviews, I want to say I'm watching the whole show in production order. It works better this way since I know Adult Swim used to air their shows this way. And plus, early Family Guy was aired out of order, it messed up a lot of the premiere schedules. Anyway, this was one of the earliest gems the show had to offer. We are treated with the first amazing song of the series, which is freaking sweet. All the family members got their equal screentime (though, the kids were slightly underused), making good usage of their plots. Only flaw I have is how much the story change from being about the family living in a mansion to everyone suddenly struggling their lives.

Memorable Quotes: "his house is freakin' swee"
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: A
Plot: A-
Characters: A
Humor: A
Emotion: A-
9/10

Running Mates (Neil Goldman&Garrett Donovan/John Holmquist)
Family Guy's first moments of politics and it was okay...I'm not really a fan of these type of stories. Here, I'm not fond of the main plot as well, since Peter is running against his own wife because of school reasons. Surprisingly, Stewie has a little subplot and Brian mostly interact with him throughout it. He spent the episode missing Lois instead of killing her, making a foreshadowing on his softer side. While the political plot didn't interest me that much, it was constantly funny, for all cutaway gags and characters were decent here.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: B-
Plot: B-
Characters: B
Humor: B+
Emotion: B-
7/10

There's Something About Paulie (Ricky Blitt/Monte Young)
An interesting note to point out this episode, but it was produced so late in the second broadcast season that Meg was voiced by Mila Kunis, while still having season 1 animation. It wasn't my biggest cup of tea, as the plot can get repetitive at times. The whole Lois trying to get shot (gun violence is present, but the way Paulie was killed off wasn't graphic as it would be later on) was dumb, and the Don sure loves saying "the day of my daughter's wedding" a lot. Paulie himself was a good character, though. Once he got shot, the episode start to fall apart. To be fair, the beginning a tad slow as well. It's close to being forgettable, but like with Running Mates, a lot of the humor come from the cutaways instead of the actual episode.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: C+
Plot: B-
Characters: B
Humor: B
Emotion: B-
7/10

Holy Crap (Danny Smith/Neil Affleck)
I find this one to be one of the weakest episodes during the first three seasons. This introduced Francis, Peter's not so real father. This wasn't the best appearance he had in the entire show. He spent most of the episode being a control freak over religion (it can be amusing sometimes, but otherwise it comes off as contrived). Danny Smith is fond of religious themes while writing his episodes on the show, including Christmas. Luckily, this wasn't the worst episode from 1999-2002 (you'll find out next season, despite the improvement). Either way, this one is something I won't look at, due to how unmemorable it is. Also, it introduced Vern the annoying guy, but at least he doesn't have his partner.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: C
Plot: B-
Characters: B-
Humor: B
Emotion: C+
6/10

If I'm Lyin' I'm Dyin' (Cbris Sberidan/Swinton O Scott III)
Seth MacFarlane reveal that this is one of his least favorite episodes.I can understand why he isn't fond of this. It's funnier than Holy Crap and The Son Also Draws, but the plot is crappy. I am not into plots that require lying to get to the point. Admittedly, the first half was stronger, but the moment Peter was caught lying, things start to go downhill. I was more interested with the whole "Chris is dying" stuff than him trying to be part of a boy scout, since there were more humorous moments. Oddly enough, Brian actually gave a damn about God. I sure miss his old characterization so much. The last few minutes become very bizarre and that's how the episode ends.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: B-
Plot: C
Characters: B-
Humor: A-
Emotion: B-
7/10

Love Thy Trophy (Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman/Jack Dyer)
The first plot featuring Peter and his friends all together in a adventure, or rather a conflict over a trophy. I'd consider this to be an almost flawless episode, but the subplot hurt it since it's pretty dumb to have Meg pretend to be a mother and say that Stewie eats nothing but pancakes. It's worth noting that this was Tara Strong's first voice role on the show, voicing the foreign babies (and when you think about it, it does kinda feels like I'm watching Rugrats towards the end, since she already had a recurring role on the show). Every single character on the main plot were enjoyable with good intentions over who get to keep the trophy. The good thing is...it's not your typical "let's stop being friends" so the whole story doesn't end up being one cliche storm. Though in the end, it's shocking to know that Brian was the one that prevented from the Spooner Street neighbor to have a falling out.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: B
Plot: B / C
Characters: B
Humor: A-
Emotion: B
8/10

Death is a Bitch (Ricky Blitt/Michael Dante DiMartino)
Don't let the title of the first episode Death Has a Shadow fool you (it was the way how the first few episodes were titled). Death made his hilarious debut here. He is voiced by Norm MacDonald, although he is uncredited and will be replaced by another voice actor (I like them, but MacDonald gave Death a lot of hilarious lines). He and Stewie made this episode. You can tell that this is produced for season 1, because Stewie is still thinking about taking over the world and killing Lois, which he spent the entire episode doing so. Peter's plot was pretty hilarious as well and what do you know? Family Guy manage to do this before the Simpsons even did 3 years later, though debunking the beliefs that Simpsons always beat every show to the plots. All in all, best episode produced for season 1 ever.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: A+
Plot: A
Characters: A+
Humor: A+
Emotion: A
10/10

The King is Dead (Craig Hoffman/Monte Young)t
Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

You know its still a season one production episode that have the word "death" or "dead" somewhere in the title, but it's the end of the production line. It's also the last episode produced to have the unfitting voice of Lacey Chabert speaking in Meg's mouth (no offense, and can these new episodes knock it off with these jabs directly at her?). I would called it a perfect episode to watch, but there's some predictable gags (have I told you that the Brick Joke are actually the worst kind of jokes in the pre-cancelation era, because of how predictable and common they were?). It also gave one of my favorite recurring characters some screentime (that's Diane Simmons), but sadly, she quit due to Peter's meddling. Peter being "Anna" and the whole musical aspect was hilarious though. A great way to end the 1ACX code. I still enjoy this production season, but man, the quiet voice acting make it hard for me to rewatch, even if the jokes are still funny.

Memorable Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: A-
Plot: B
Characters: B+
Humor: A
Emotion: A-
9/10

Season 2
Brian in Love (Gary Janetti/Jack Dyer)

Oh yes, the original Brian falls in love episode. But this time, he was developing a crush on Lois for some reason, and he only confess this to his therapist (otherwise, it would've been very awkward if Peter found out). Although at one episode, he would marry Lois. But I should really stop doing these foreshadowing. The episode itself isn't that special, but I've seen worse Gary Janetti scripts.Peter and Stewie provided most of the humor here, with some good dialogue humor from them. It can be a bit slow and repetitve and its a decent to the second production cycle season (which means Mila Kunis is now offically Meg if you're watching it in production order).

Best Quotes: "OH MY GOD! YOU CAN TALK!"
Favorite Cutaway Gag: Bored at the drive-in
Writing: B
Plot: B-
Characters: B+
Humor: B+
Emotion: B
7/10

I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar (Chris Sheridan/Monte Young)
I see the original franchise sins were starting to rear its ugly head (Peter being sexism and change of pace). Jokes aside, it had a great beginning. Peter was consistently funny as well. It also had the only time where you saw the same scene repeated twice. While I'm no sexist myself, Peter's antics were harmless compared to his later persona. (Well, he is more violent, but sexism seems to vanish afterwards) Once Peter became a feminist, the episode became somewhat lesser, but it had a great fight scene towards the end. While the writing was consistent, the plot should've been better (and I don't find Stewie sucking Peter's nipples funny anymore).

Best Quotes: "Of course a man made it. It's a commercial, Lois, not a delicious Thanksgiving dinner."
Favorite Cutaway Gag: Huck Griffin
Writing: A-
Plot: B+
Characters: B
Humor: A-
Emotion: B
8/10

Christmas (Danny Smith/Brian Hogan)
For some reason, this got delayed to 2001, instead of the intended 1999 release date. Hence, why it didn't air until 2001, during the third season, when the animation style has already changed by the time it aired. It still holds up today, but like most early episodes, it's not as great as it was when I watched it many years ago. Though, it seems to be the typical "Christmas gone wrong" plot, most of the episode was entertaining. This was the only Christmas episode the show done until 2010 and I think there's a couple better ones, that I'll tell you many seasons later. Surprisingly, there's low on cutaway gags here since it's mostly focused on the story, which is a rarity. Lois going crazy towards the end was the highlight and we are treated with a play of Jesus' birth. In the end, it was just a typical Chistmas special, but with some wits.

Best Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: B+
Plot: B
Characters: A
Humor: B-
Emotion: A-
8/10

Let's Go to the Hop (Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman/Glen Hill)
It starts off surrealistic with two Colombian pilot (whom their Spanish speech is overlapped with Korean subtitled) flying off their planes, and then there's a bunch of toads that is treated like drugs. So we are introduced with three new characters: Neil Goldman, Connie D'Amico, and Principal Shepard (the latter two had different voice actors). Peter being Lando Griffin was cool to watch, especially the "Give Up the Toad" song. However, I can't take the song sequence seriously because apparently Peter was shrinking throughout out, which is a sign of off-model. While Meg is still written like an awkward teenager, she actually got a happy ending, something that is rare nowadays. Also, this episode had one of the most clever cutaway gag: live action Family Guy.

Best Quotes: "Holy crap, I am freaking out!"
Favorite Cutaway Gag: Live action Peter

Writing: B+
Plot: B
Characters: A
Humor: B-
Emotion: A-
8/10

When You Wish a Weinstein (Ricky Blitt/Dan Povenmire)
Once again, pre-cancellation Family Guy shows its big problem, in that this episode wasn't even aired on FOX (outside of its network premiere in 2004). Also, it was the last episode to air before its revival, yet it's really produced for season 2 (the writer left in 2000, and there's still the old art style before it got refined towards the end of the original run). This episode also the directorial debut of Dan Povenmire - in production order anyway. We are treated with Peter singing about of getting a Jew, which continued Povenmire's love for musical numbers. Apparently, that is why the episode got banned in the first place. No wonder why it was the last episode from the original run that I seen (reruns were pulled until 2009). The story itself was fine, although I don't follow it that much since I'm not Jewish myself. Chris had some good writing though, something that is not present in the newer episodes (instead of being a second Peter). In the end, it's just another one of those "Peter wants to change his background for the plot" episodes.

Best Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: B
Plot: B
Characters: A-
Humor: B
Emotion: B
8/10

DaBoom (Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan/Bob Jacques)
This is without, a debut, the most surrealistic Family Guy has ever been at this point. They ended their brief life in the 90s with a relevant plot: the Y2K theory. True to its tone, the whole thing ended up being a dream, with a live-action sequence that actually had a purpose.Despite this, it also gave us the first chicken fight in the whole show. I really hate how overly long gags dominate the show since then, but these fights kept me interested, instead of begging for it to end. This fight in particular was just shorter than usual and was shown through flashback. The plot was unique at the time, considering majority of the TV episodes by the end of the 1990s involved time travelling or some sort of future view of a world (hence, Y2K). It was interesting to see to Quahog after the incident. The whole world became an apocalypse, which resulted into cool looking backgrounds. My only major flaw for the episode is that the Griffins got kicked out too soon in New Quahog. Either way, it was a nice way to end the 1990s, even though I was too young to watch this show. On an interesting note, this aired in 1999, but it was a second season produced episode, while the rest of the episode aired were 1ACX produced.

Best Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: A
Plot: A+
Characters: A
Humor: A
Emotion: A-
9/10

A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Bucks (Craig Hoffman/Gavin Dell)
To tell you the truth, this is one of the least memorable episodes from the first three seasons, despite the fact that it's a better episode than its predecessor, The Son Also Draws. Funnily enough, both episodes involved the Griffins going to New York. Like that one, it had a better beginning, but as the episode went on, it became somewhat weaker and less interesting. Also, Peter all of a sudden wants to bond with Meg, which feels out of character if this was written in 2005 or later. And that song he sang, he literally held his note for so long, it went straight from act two to act three. A shame that we don't see much of Chris' artistic skills anymore since his personality has became worse over the past recent years.

Best Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: B
Plot: B-
Characters: B+
Humor: B
Emotion: B-
8/10

Fifteen Minutes of Shame (Steve Callaghan/Scott Wood)
The plot for this episode sounded mundane on paper. But for the end result, you'll get a Meg episode, who she happens to be embarrassed by her family. You'll notice that this is Steve Callaghan's writing debut on the show and soon he'll become the most prolific writer, having done 20 scripts so far (and ran the show for almost 8 years). it gave us an interesting history of Quahog. And most importantly, Adam West as a mayor made his debut (may he rest in peace). The episode itself is the first time seeing the whole family act dysfunctional thanks to Meg's awkwardness being exaggerated throughout. Her being replaced by a sexy version of herself is even more when you realize she shared the same voice actress as Connie D'Amico. The other Griffin replacements were funny to watch and Fran Drescher being replacement Lois made even more sense, considering what her old voice sounded like. In the end, Meg actually needed her family to embarrass in order to communicate, which gives us a funny ending: Stewie edit Meg's story the whole time.

Best Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: A-
Plot: B
Characters: B+
Humor: A
Emotion: A-
9/10

Dammit Janet! (Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman/Bert Ring)
Stewie gets his first major role all by himself and it wasn't the best thing ever. Here, he developed a crush on a girl named Janet (who is Tara Strong's first major role in the show, but not her first time doing a voice). To tell you the truth, she wasn't really that memorable of a character and would only want Stewie a piece of cookie. There's better characters to come for Stewie's possible love interest, but we'll get to that when we get to that. I like how they recycled a gag from an earlier episode where it's actually Brian that teased Stewie for being in fall while biting an apple. As the subplot, I has to say, it was the funnier plot in this installment. Peter and Lois are airplane members. I'm surprised Quagmire is no near to be found in the airplane sequences. Overall, it was just an average love-themed episode, but there will be far better Stewie plots in the future.

Best Quotes:
Favorite Cutaway Gag:

Writing: B-
Plot: C+
Characters: B
Humor: B
Emotion: C+
7/10

He's Too Sexy for His Fat (Chris Sheridan/Glen Hill)
This is among one of the funniest episodes of the first few seasons. We are treated with one badass beginning of the exterminator getting of the fleas with some excellent Ron Jones music. (and a random dream sequence before that) the episode plays off like one those Simpsons plots where Homer tries to lose weight, but with Peter getting skinnier and then muscular. Seeing Stewie fat while Chris struggle to lost weight was just priceless. And Peter himself become narcissism over his good looks. if Family Guy only has 50 episodes, this would've been my top 10 favorite episodes, as it's relatable and hilarious nonstop.

Writing: A+
Plot: A
Characters: A
Humor: A+
Emotion: A
10/10

Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington (Ricky Blitt/Brian Hogan)
Anyone finds it funny that this is produced right after He's too Sexy for His Fat and they both had a dream sequence in the very beginning? A random start as Peter plays hooky and somehow he bumped into Mr Weed in a baseball game. then the episode shift a political and business theme: smoking. King of the Hill did it a few years earlier, but honestly both shows tackled them equally. A lot of hilarity ensures. Brian suddenly become skeptical at whole idea and it's so out of character of him this early, but it works because he isn't harming anyone. there are some few dull moments and not all scenes worked. Also, there was one random live action sequences and apparently a celebrity responded back. Alyssa Milano's name may sound familiar...she's everything on twitter. Also, one of the only time back then when they end with a PSA in the old days.
Writing: B+
Plot: B
Characters: A-
Humor: A-
Emotion: B
8/10

Road to Rhode Island (Gary Janetti/Dan Povenmire)
the very first road to/Brian and Stewie episode and no surprise that the idea came from Gary Janetti who was the master of their characters. It's slightly focused more on Brian due to his backstory. We'll be seeing these two together a lot more often in the future. The A plot is story driven with some hearts involved, while the B plot is a wacky Peter story. involving sex. It comes off as surprising that Brian originated from Austin, Texas. We also saw the first appearance of Lois' parents outside of a cutaway gag, although those two won't be having more appearance until season 3. And the review is not complete without the mention of the titular episode song. We're Off to Road Island is probably my top 5 favorite songs on the entire show because it's so catchy. Who knew Seth MacFarlane would eventually have a singing career? In the end, this is one of the best early episodes I've seen.
Writing: A+
Plot: A+
Characters: A+
Humor: A+
Emotion: A+
10/10

E Peterbus Unum (Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan/Rob Renzetti)
Believe it or not, the same guy who worked on some Cartoon Network shows and creating My Life as a Teenage Robot directed a couple episodes in this show. Makes sense considering the connection between MacFarlane. Story is something I haven't in any other TV shows: a house is considered to be its own country. Adam West made his second appearance and then there was a sequence of him enjoying a piece of taffy. While there isn't much else to talk about, the best part of it was the Can't touch this song sequence. One of the 80s musical numbers on the show. the second half of the episode change tone as it focus on a conflict between Peter, his family, and other countries. Also, the episode ends with a meta scene with a futuristic student asking about

Writing: A-
Plot: B+
Characters: A
Humor: A-
Emotion: A-
9/10

The Story on Page One (Craig Hoffman/Gavin Dell)
It's a Meg episode while it does feels like one of those episodes where Peter sabotage her life, it somehow worked by a solution. Meanwhile, Stewie gets a hilarious subplot that is kinda how Season 1 Stewie, except he wants to be bigger. In the same episode, where it started, it revealed Brian used to attend college, but apparently he got kicked out too soon. That would be a plot for a later episode. While the whole setup for the main plot was inconsistent, the whole thing made sense in the end. Adam West was the funniest part of it, although Peter trying to prove Luke Perry is gay was priceless.

Writing: B
Plot: B-
Characters: B
Humor: B+
Emotion: B
8/10

Wasted Talent (Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman, based on a story by Dave Collard & Ken Goin/Bert Ring)
In the entire 20 years of Family Guy's run, this is the only time they had to do a separate story and teleplay credit. We know story by is based on a writers' real life experience, and teleplay means it's adapted from the people who are writing a script. This episode had a rather slow start with very low on laughs, but the madness begins, we are in for a rather well-written and funny episode. I may not be an alcohol person myself even after turning 21 years old, but it was cool seeing Peter and Brian go on a drunk journey. The whole Pawtucket Beer tour was easily the one thing that this episode worth watching. And a very hilarious scene of Peter tripping and wincing. It became a meme last year and one of the only old episodes to get some memetic attention. The second half is when it starts to live up its episode title where Peter has a wasted talent: playing the piano perfectly while drunk.

Writing: A
Plot: A
Characters: A+
Humor: A
Emotion: A
9/10

Fore Father (Bobby Bowman/Scott Wood)
Seth Macfarlane has went on to say that this was one of the worst episode he did. Personally, while it wasn't as mean-spirited or anything awful, it was just dull as dirt. I will admit that this one of the weakest episodes of the first seasons and probably among the worst episodes between seasons 1-6. The plot is so cliched and nothing special, since it's just Peter trying to bond with Cleveland's son and Chris gets neglected by him. He's arguably sympathetic here, considering that he won't be the same character after 2002 or 2007. Even the beginning was slow nonsense, so it doesn't change my stance on it. And the subplot was alright, although it too abruptly and went nowhere. I will say this, Quagmire was the highlight because his role reminds me that he's never going to a full time pervert nowadays. Him bonding with Chris was interesting. Despite the slowness, it does had a sweet ending. A shame it was so forgettable, even the cutaway and jokes felt off.

Writing: C
Plot: D
Characters: B-
Humor:C
Emotion: C-
6/10

The Thin White Line (Steve Callaghan/Glen Hill)
The show gets its first two parter and it was a well written plot with some good comedy. Brian was sympathetic, in which other writers besides Janetti can develop his personality a a bit. He doesn't come off as overly arrogant throughout and regret his habits. I do miss these type of episode for him, since he has changed a lot since this aired. One of the most adult episodes in the early episodes. It featured a lot of usage of drugs, having 14 woman giving birth to babies, and at one time, there was an F bomb dropped in the episode. In the end, it turns Brian wanted to go to LA, thus ending in a cliffhanger. I believe this is the first time Brian and Stewie mentioned their name in the show.

Writing: A
Plot: B+
Characters: A-
Humor: A
Emotion: B
8/10

Lethal Weapons (Chris Sheridan/Brian Hogan)
One of the most violent episode of the earlier seasons and it didn't even get a "V" rating if you watching it on Adult Swim. I have to say, this was when Lois was at her most badass. A damn shame she somehow forgot her karate skills later on. The thing happened because a bunch of New Yorkers invaded Quahog. Also, we get to see Susie in action but Bonnie's baby won't be born until 2009. Like the Washington episode, Stewie become the source of a conflict when he is caught by beating up Peter. A lot of memorable moments especially towards the end. That fight sequence was just the best part of it. Also, it ends with Peter saying this line: "What are they're going to do, cut our budget?" and then stiffly walked away. Something tells they did slashed the budget later on, which explains the constant complaints on the animation nowadays.

Writing: A-
Plot: B+
Characters: A
Humor: A
Emotion: B
9/10

One if by Clam, two if by Sea (Jim Bernstein & Michael Shipley/Dan Povenmire)
Since the show takes place in New England and one of the only cartoon to have that kind of setting, nothing is complete without the invasion of the British. This is the most British episode of Family Guy and that's saying something. They stereotype them as long teeth and a thick accent. It's the first plot where the guys tried to do something to save the drunken clam. And Stewie gets a subplot and he gets in the middle of a conflict with a Tara Strong character, again. It was pretty funny seeing him teach Eliza to speak properly. Also, Nigel and Eliza is a clever reference to the Wild Thornberries. There was one cutaway gag that was done in the CGI animation style, a la Tron. In the end, it was the wives that managed to save the day, which is the most usual thing Loretta and Bonnie has done in the entire show. On a fun fact, Jim Bernstein now works with Dan Povenmire for his shows, which may something he somehow remember after all these years.

Writing: B
Plot: B
Characters: B+
Humor: A-
Emotion: B
8/10

Brian Does Hollywood (Gary Janetti/Gavin Dell)
For some reason, this was produced a few episodes after part one. And there's a rather random cold opening recap, which had nothing to do with the Thin White Line. And now it's revealed wanted to be a movie director and went to Los Angeles to redeem himself after a stoned situation. I suppose it's better than part one, especially in most aspects. It's constantly funny all the way, although seeing Bill Cosby now is going to be pretty awkward after all the crappy situation he been in lately. Kevin Michael Richardson does a good impersonation of him, though. And we finally knew about Jasper, Brian's gay cousin, in which a plot will revolve on him later. Also, I like how the award shows honored Family Guy's composer Walter Murphy and Ron Jones.

Writing: A
Plot: A-
Characters: A
Humor: A
Emotion: A-
9/10

Death Lives (Mike Henry/Rob Renzetti)
Next to Road to Rhode Island, Death Lives is my favorite episodes of Family Guy during the 1999-2002 era. Like that episode, it had a well-written story, some outstanding character development. Death did had two amazing episodes under his belt and that's why he's such a good Grim Reaper character (although there's one kind of Death in animation I like better over him). While Peter went through a near death experiment, he was able to reminisce the old days when he and Lois met, as well as meeting her father, whom Carter immediately hates Peter's guts. I really enjoyed the subplot as well, where the other family members went on a scavenger hunt. I hate to say this, but Family Guy did the whole "husband and wife duo met" story a lot better what Simpsons did with Homer and Marge on The Way We Are.

Writing: A+
Plot: A+
Characters: A+
Humor: A+
Emotion: A+
10/10

And the Wiener Is... (Mike Barker&Matt Weitzman/Bert Ring)
Fun fact: as this is the finale of season 2 production line, this is the last time the Griffins is shown owning a yellow carpet in their house and Chris is seen with earrings. It's a strange episode to end the production cycle line with such a risque subject. I never got the pun of the title until a while back. Both plots are equally decent, but they had their half-assed ending that dragged them down. While the whole "Peter trying to prove he's better than Chris" was fine, it meanders too much and become focused on the gun violence aspect, which might not hold up today. Meg's subplot went nowhere with impressing the alpha bitch and I saw the ending coming with the spin the bottle part.

Writing: B
Plot: B-
Characters: B
Humor: B+
Emotion: B-
8/10

Season 3
Emission Impossible (Dave Collard & Ken Goin/Peter Shin)
Family Guy begins a new production cycle. Because of this, there's a new writing staff and showrunner. Danny Smith and Chris Sheridan don't write and produce during this time as they moved on to other shows at the time. There's only 13 episodes, making it the shortest production cycle of the show. We are introduced to Carol, Lois' sister who gets often gets divorced and gave birth to a baby child. Oddly enough, in one scene, Adam West is seen in the hospital, which may be a foreshadowing for Brothers and Sisters. Afterwards, the episode shift on Peter and Lois trying to have a baby and Stewie going Fantastic Voyage style. It was already a great start, but it got even better. Seeing Stewie killing all the sperms in Peter's mouth was fun to watch. And there's another character introduced and his name is Bertram. He was a cool character and you bet we're going to see him again soon twice. All in all, definitely one of the greatest episodes of the first 3 seasons. It's a sign to come for this new animation style.
10/10

The Kiss Seen Around the World (Mark Hentemann/Pete Michels)

What a weird way to start off the first script and direction for Hentemann and Michels respectively. Personally, I never really cared for this that much because it was such a dull episode to watch all the way through. It's worth noting Peter didn't really had a major role, so he is just limited to mockery. Speaking of, the guy that called him a big fat phony was obnoxious. That joke wasn't funny the first time, it wasn't funny the next time. It was a Meg episode, so it was no wonder why the writing feel half-assed most of it. I'm not a not huge of Neil Goldman, so he just came as annoying (not as annoying as big fat phony guy). The same episode also introduced us to his parents and we are going to see Mort more often in the later seasons. I appreciate seeing Tom Tucker and Diane Simmons get some screentime, but it wasn't enough to make the episode. Meg had a crush on Tom for some reason here, and then suddenly gets annoyed with him in the end. Yeah, such a forettable installment. Not Hentemann's best effort, but not his worst one, surprisingly.
6/10

Brian Wallows and Peter Swallows (Allison Adler/Dan Povenmire)

The title of this perfectly describes the plot as Brian had a dilemma with dealing an old woman and Peter getting birds under his full grown beard. And though it's one of the most mature plot ever. Keep in mind Brian wasn't actually dating Pearl Burton, since it was a simulator. Also its worth noting that this is the first episode on the show to be written by a woman herself, in which it was her only script. In the beginning, Brian dated a woman named Tina but there already another Tina earlier with exact same voice actress. One of the earliest sign of Brian being interested in a woman, but that doesn't come into play until later on. The plot felt fresh at the time since he was still a good character. The first half did felt weaker with Brian taking of Pearl and struggling with her. But once Brian sees the merit of her past, it become bittersweet (the same applies to Peter's plot). And even with the death scene, it needs to follow up with a punchline from Dr. Hartman. Probably one of the most saddest episodes ever, but I found an episode that even more sadder.

9/10

Mr Saturday Knight (Steve Callaghan/Michael Dante DiMartino)
So in this episode, Peter's boss passed away due to choking on something Brian ate. It was a shame because we should've learned more about him aside from his last name history, in which he changed it to a metaphor of marijuana. Sadly, I found the first half to be rather enjoyable and interesting. Once Peter decides he wants to be a jouster it starts to become a rather dull plot (I will say this, King of the Hill did a few months after this came out and it was slightly better). Most likely because I'm not too fond of medieval stuff. Mort Goldman himself did saved it from act 3 being a snoozefest. All in all, not my cup of tea and should've been done better. I felt like the ending was rushed but that's just me.

7/10

A Fish Out of Water (Alex Borstein & Mike Henry/Bert Ring)
The show's second two-parter, as it follows a depressed Peter who is obese, over being jobless after the events of Mr. Saturday Knight. It was written completely by cast members. Let me just say that it is definitely an improvement over part one. Both plots were good in their own merits, although the main plot suffered for having a rushed and abrupt stop, and the subplot, I'm not a fan of Meg, since she came off as bratty. Peter and his friends goes on a sea adventure and here Seamus was introduced. He is one of those characters that only appeared once or twice early on, so this won't be the last we'll heard of him. What's funny is when they found the fisher, he has Brian Doyle Murray's voice and mentioned Nickelodeon. You can guess what they were watching in the end. In all honestly, I'll say the other two-parter (Thin White Line/Brian Does Hollywood) in the original run was better.

8/10

Peter Griffin: Husband, Father...Brother (Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman/Scott Wood):
An education episode of Family Guy: we were able to learn the Griffins' family history. As you can see, Peter is very Irish, but at the same time, he has a black ancestor. Interestingly enough, Nate Griffin will appear again in a season 4 episode. Stewie's plot was pointless (the 3rd time I wasn't that interested), but still has some decent laughs, like the ending. Though, for some reason, Stewie seems to often get involved into situations with characters voiced by Tara Strong (foreign babies, Janet, and Eliza). Carter made his second recurring role, telling the Griffins kids about his family. Also, Cleveland had his biggest screentime for seasons 1-3. Now he is pretty boring throughout the early seasons, but he was used very well here. It's a matter of time before he start having a personality. And if an episode does involve African Americans, expect Phil LaMarr and Kevin Michael Richardson as recurring voice actors. Even the ending credits was different and Peter goes hip pop. Family Guy was ahead of its time and this was before The Boondocks came out, which was the pinnacle of black culture in animation.

9/10

Ready, Willing, and Disabled (Alex Barnow & Marc Fierk/Andi Klein)
An unusal credits. Barnow and Fierk only wrote this, while the director joined the show this season, she will remains as an animation timer, eventually promoted to timing supervisor. Anyway, we had the first Joe focused episode since his debut and honestly, it should've been written better. It also contained one of the longest overly long gags: Joe crying hysterically and his friends slowly walk away. Honestly, I kinda like the subplot a little better because when have you ever seen the 3 Griffin kids together for a plot? Chris understands Stewie, but not Meg, but even Stewie was involved with whole "greedy" scam. The ending was funny though, with everyone being disappointed, but especially Stewie doing a Peanuts joke. Back to the main plot, the only significant laughs were Tom Tucker on TV telling Peter to look out for the skateboard, wheelchair Steve Hawkings lookalike, and the movie trailer. If it wasn't for the subplot, this wouldn't been a good episode.

8/10

Screwed the Pooch (Dave Collard & Ken Goin/Pete Michels)
Well, look here. Brian actually dated his own kind one time? Yes, it happened with this. If you're tired of Brian dating human women, you can always refer back to this episode. Up until last year, he only had feelings for Seabreeze, Carter's dog. Speaking of Carter, he gets his first major role and we are see more wacky adventures with him, often having Peter involved. These two has great chemistry together, despite their differences. They actually bonded for once until an unfortunate event with two certain dogs. That ending was such a cop-out, which hampered my enjoyment on it, but oh well. We're never going to see a plot like this again until a very long time.

8/10

to love and Die in Dixie (Steve Callaghan/Dan Povenmire)
I won't lie that this might be in my top 50 episode, and it's one of the funniest pre-cancelation episodes I've watched. Yet it also gave us our look at that old pedophile named John Herbert, whom his appearance deemed so popular, he will show up a lot after this. In fact the first 3 seasons has established characters that were there from the get-go, but they won't appear that much until revival era. The whole plot happens because of Chris stopping a robber. I normally dont like the stereotype of the Southin media, but to be honest, this is one of the best protryal of it in general. You get to hear a lot of Southern MacFarlane voices. Chris has a bit of a major role here as he bonds with a person named Sam. Cue the "Samus is a Girl" trope when it turns out Sam is a girl. It's a plot twist you never except it, but the female voice gave it away. Peter and Brian bonded a lot throughout to reminds you that this is still the original era. A lot wacky situation happened and I find myself cracking up every time Peter gets attacked by a raccoon.

10/10

Stuck together, torn Apart (Mark Hentemann/Michael Dante DiMartino)
Fun fact: this came out on Family Guy's 3rd year anniversary, even if it was unfortunate that it temporarily stopped production that year. It's one of the very first time we see Peter and Lois struggle at their marriage. Peter has a strong jealousy when Lois is with another other men. It's kinda like the anime term Yandere, but not as exaggerated. It also contained a rare Brian and Stewie at the same time. Now you see why the title is connected, much like Brian Wallows and and Peter Swallows. I preferred the subplot more since it isn't cluttered or ended abruptly. Main plot had a celebrity appearance in Jennifer Love Hewitt. The Goldmans made another appearance and although it is not directly stated, the are Jews. And a reminder that Neil can make an appearance without hitting on Meg. Mort already made his 5th appearance and he had some development. Muriel on the other hand, rarely make an appearance afterwards and I think she only had dialogue for 5 episodes. All in all, a watchable marriage crisis plot that is definitely better than most Simpsons episodes with this plot.

8/10

From Method to Madness (Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman/Bert Ring)
What was supposed to be a Brian episode turned into a Stewie episode. Brian was originally an actor, but now we know him as an author. Here, Olivia Fuller is introduced as one of the newest character and we'll be seeing her 2 more times. Plus, Seth and Rachael are technically talking to each other as well as arguing and singing, so this is the first "incest" pairing of characters they voiced. The song they sang was catchy, although it was a shame their chemistry didn't last long. In the end, Olivia became a Hollywood child star which will be hinted in Chick Cancer. Meanwhile, another recurring characters introduced were the Campbells, aka the nudists. The Griffins' reaction to them was priceless, although no surprise Meg show an interest in their son. Despite Peter and Lois not showing interest in nudists, they were able to go with the flow and did something special to Meg by not having clothes on. Something similar will happen a season later in another subplot of Peter and Lois. Either way, the MacFarlane siblings get to collaborate for once and this was Mike and Matt's last written episode for Family Guy as they prepare themselves co-creating American Dad! a year later.

8/10

FG Viewer Mail No 1
No Bones About It (Gene Lafenburg/Pete Michels)
Supergriffins (Seth MacFarlane/Scott Wood)
Lil Grifs (Michael Shipley & Jim Bernstein/Michael Dante DiMartino)

This is a 3 part story, so I will try to review this in one go. It's the first anthology episode in the show and one of the first experimental episodes. I love it when the writers tried to do something different to the usual formula. First segment was all about Peter making 3 wishes. One, he made something ridiculous to a celebrity. Two, he wishes for his own theme song, which plays when he moves. And last, which is the point of the plot, was wishing for no bones. Seeing Peter with bones was gross to say the least. And the ending was just weird where the other Griffins have disjointed body parts as well. A decent start to the Viewer Mail No 1, but not the most visually appealing one yet. If this was made today, they would've made boneless Peter way grosser. Second segment was my favorite of the whole episode. It helps that Seth MacFarlane himself actually wrote it, which is the only time he wrote a script on the show outside of the "pilots" (North by North Quahog feels like a second pilot, which I'll get to that). So Family Guy manage to do a family with superpowers plot before Brad Bird came up with The Incredibles. It was badass seeing the Griffins using their superheroes for everything, despite breaking their promises. Last segment was my 2nd favorite of the anthology. It was basically the adults being little kids. I like their lil' designs. The whole segment played out like a love story since Peter isn't married to Lois and he and Quagmire wants to win her heart. The whole Scooby Doo Shoutout was cool though and we even got to see little Death for one brief scene.
9/10

Road to Europe (Daniel Palladino/Dan Povenmire))
Imagine if Family Guy ended with a Road to episode in production order. Though Viewer Mail No 1 was the last one to air without counting the Jewish episode. This time, Stewie is the main focus as he wanted to go to the UK for a little kids show he admired. Like the previous Road to, Peter gets a subplot. The main plot was just as great as the last thing ,although Rhode Island was better. For the main plot, we are also treated with a musical number, which is as catchy as We're On the to Road Island. As the episode goes on, it really starts to live up to its title since Brian and Stewie were indeed exploring Europe (but first they stopped at the Middle East) and we go to see how it looks like in distance (a map). All the encounters with other countries were hilarious, especially with German tourist yelling. The last few minutes were a downer, both in general and for Stewie. As the main plot, it's pretty good. The KISS band gets to appear again (which means Peter's interest in them haven't disappeared yet) and Lois messed up a lyrics. We also saw the nudist parents again although this is the last time we'll heard of them again. Apparently "Loose Lois" was an old nickname and another character will addressed as her such. But I keep foreshadowing these events in my reviews so I'll stop now. All in all, it's a great way to end the original 50 episode run and I feel like the show would've been unfinished has it stopped in 2002. But we are thank a certain adult animation block and DVD sales for that one important event.

9/10

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