Family Guy’s eighteenth season has begun! What a remarkable run for a show that has consistently lagged behind big brother Simpsons. The show has maintained its appeal by deviating from the sitcom formula. Many instances exist, ranging from the Star Wars parodies to the cast commentary episode from the previous season. They occasionally function and serve as a reminder of the ability of the creators. Sometimes it seems as though they are pushing this one to the limit. Whatever the case, the Griffins keep moving forward and pushing the boundaries of what may be stated on television.
Family Guy deserves praise for, among other things, not attempting to be like everyone else. You can’t help but laugh at some jokes since they are played up so much and seem so silly and foolish. This season’s opening episode is chock with of nonsensical material that, for whatever reason, nevertheless makes us laugh.
One reason is that this episode is rife with soft rock allusions. Without Google by our sides, the majority of us won’t be able to understand half of it. I’m not sure why they think making a Kenny Loggins allusion would be funny. But it’s amusing enough that they utilize it. In today’s music, a boat full of performers who nobody really cares about is kind of worthless. They just do it for pleasure; they don’t make references to appeal to modern viewers. Refer to Alan Parsons before Ariana Grande if you must, but as long as they are having fun while writing it, the rest of us will too.
The way that Family Guy handles the third act is another way that the show challenges the status quo of television. The haphazard conclusions have been one of my greatest gripes with this show for the past two seasons. And I can’t help but believe they pay attention to the concerns from critics about the abrupt ends. However, they turn that criticism to their advantage rather than seeing it as an opportunity to do better. Without any sort of ending, this episode jumps right from the most catastrophic of circumstances to everything being resolved. For a little time, I truly believed that there would be a “to be continued,” which would have been much more disappointing. Instead, they simply restored the status quo. It’s amusing but also annoying in its own right. If you can just end the story wherever you want, what’s the point of the rest of it?
Even though I love that Family Guy is different and special, it sometimes have drawbacks. The plot itself wasn’t all that interesting to begin with. It’s not as brilliant as it once was, or they believe it is, to cram it full of arcane, irrelevant references and conclude on a humorous note with no conclusion. Even the numerous sequences for which Family Guy is renowned and adored were absent from this debut. I just hope they have some special episodes in store for fans this season. This show has accomplished tremendous things. Nobody wants to endure 20 or more pointless episodes.