Overview:
Stewie is in terrific health overall.
At daycare, he has received the “Busy Bee” award two weeks in a row, and things could not be going better for him and Rupert. That is, until Stewie learns that Rupert, who formerly went by the moniker of Skippy, was Chris’s friend.
Jealous to the core Rupert is returned to Chris when Stewie breaks off their relationship. Stewie, though, is driven to extremes by this. The infant starts sleeping with brand-new stuffed animals, and soon he embarks on a spiritual adventure that takes him to Bali, Venice, and an Indian monastery.
Stewie does manage to rediscover himself, and as a result, he comes to the conclusion that killing his brother and his former best friend is the only way he can be happy.
Our Opinion:
Stewie is the focus of Family Guy for the second week in a row. The youngest Griffin made his first speech to the family during the season 19 opener last week. As Chris can carry on a discussion with the infant, but nothing seems to have changed with Lois, this may or may not carry any continuity.
We delve deeply into Stewie’s more intimate relationships this week. more specifically, his peculiar, frequently sexual, bond with his cherished plush bear, Rupert.
This power couple has had their share of difficult times in the past. The strongest of partnerships may face trouble now that Stewie has learned about Rupert’s past. The infant has tipped over this time because of that.
An enjoyable second act was following Stewie’s worldwide travels to locations like Bali and Venice. The episode’s climax, however, is when it really shines.
Stewie is one of those odd characters that we support despite the fact that he can be unpleasant and cruel to others. The cruel one-year-old has, however, lost some of his edge in subsequent years. We haven’t seen the darkest sides of his personality in a while, and his attempts to murder his mother have been fewer and farther between.
Stewie put together a complex evening with the purpose of killing his older brother and his former best buddy, and he proved to us tonight that he is still capable of doing it. As Stewie and Chris engage in a fight to the death on a rowboat in the middle of a dark lake, the action intensifies to an intense conclusion. Fortunately, before things get out of hand, Rupert can settle things with his partner.
Many things in this episode are done well. We enjoy stories about Stewie, to start with. Stewie is one of the best elements of the story because, as was already established, he is an anti-hero with layers of complexity.
The full three-act format of this show, though, is what really pays off. When it comes to telling a proper tale with a beginning, middle, and end, Family Guy can become flimsy. Fans get a satisfying story with a tidy three acts in “The Talented Mr. Stewie.” The few cut-scenes that were able to fit into this episode were worth the minor sacrifice of others.
The episode seems average while having all the elements for a strong tale in place, which is frustrating. We want to take maximum advantage of the show as viewers. Unfortunately, Family Guy no longer delivers as well as it once did as a sitcom. Only the episodes that go above and beyond the norm make these dramatic narratives worthwhile to watch. When Family Guy does something radically different, it excels. These kinds of episodes make the special ones more successful.