Okay! The long-awaited, hour-long, Family Guy and Simpsons crossover finally took place! And, well, it didn't suck.
Family Guy Season 13 Episode 1 contained plenty of humorous moments, featuring distinct contributions from each show, but was short on any laugh out loud scenarios. What we got instead were a bunch of slight nods and expected angles. But at least we got to see Homer Simpson bite Peter Griffin on the dick.
There probably wasn't a job better suited for Peter than a cartoonist. And, because he's Peter Griffin, he pisses off a horde of women and forces his family to skip town almost immediately. The "For Pete's Sake" cartoons are deemed sexist and unfunny by many women who claim to have "a great sense of humor," and the ensuing protests force the Griffin's to leave town for a while. They flee in a hurry, only to be car-jacked while in the colorful world of Springfield.
The hour in Springfield started off in poignant, self-referential fashion, with Seth MacFarlane and co. recognizing that this was probably a "one time shot."
Cue the slew of Easter eggs and references for fans of The Simpsons, and the fan-service is appreciated for the most part. There are guest appearances from Apu (once in his natural habitat, and once as Stewie's prisoner), and hilarious scenes with the likes of Cleveland and Quagmire meeting their Simpson counterparts.
The entire premise of this episode (an attempt to put the rumors of any Family Guy vs The Simpsons feud to rest) hinges on each show taking some low blows and wearing it's respective heart on it's sleeve.
Whether it's The Simpsons (or Duff Brewery's) longevity, which invites criticism about it's consistency, or Family Guy's (and Pawtucket Brewery's) questionable originality and knack for what may seem like "pale imitation," this episode takes stabs at both parties involved. The argument begins in a bar at the start of the third act, and spirals out of control into an absurd, and probably overlong, classic chicken fight.
"I used to love Duff when I was younger, but I haven't even had it in like 13 years."
Peter
Now, while this was all very on the nose - it was also expected. There were a few genuinely clever moments (Fred Flintstone's cameo; a quote by Krusty the clown: "TV violence is fine as long as you don't show a nipple"), and Homer did bite Peter's dick, but a majority of the episode was pretty straightforward.
Bart and Stewie are a match made in hell, and the latter finds a mentor in the former's extensive weapons closet and prank phone calls. Stewie isn't without his own special traits to offer Bart, and knocks the bully, Nelson Muntz, who's been beating up poor Bart for "24 years" now, down a peg or two. Of course it escalates into full-on revenge torture porn, in typical Stewie style, and creeps Bart out.
Lisa tried to help Meg overcome her insecurities, by attempt to find something she's actually good at. I'd like to think she succeeds, since Meg ends up carving Lisa's name into her arm in order to always remember her. Also, who knew Meg was a natural born saxophonist?
"I cut your name into my arm so I can always remember you."
Meg
And, somewhere in the middle of all this, Brian met Santa's Little Helper, lost him, and found him again - learning what it means to be a real dog in the process (and kind of just killing air time and taking up space).
So, just like that, the Simpsons/Family Guy crossover extravaganza has come and gone. With many individual moments that make the hour worthwhile, it definitely wasn't a flop - but it would be difficult to ignore all the hot air.
The afterthoughts, like Maggie and Chris with their pacifiers, Lois and Marge with their catty banter and Brian losing Santa's Little Helper, are all entertaining enough, the rapid fire one-off jokes are still abundant (even if all of them don't hit), and there's always at least one hilarious "f**k you" to Meg ("My dad gave me a gun to hide.").
But, overall, I can't help but feel like this episode was too much of Family Guy trying to be off-the-cuff - when, in reality, they seemed too afraid to embrace their own premise wholeheartedly. Honestly, it was pretty great when everything was clicking, and seeing both worlds merge wasn't nearly as jarring as I thought it would be. So I'm left wishing they did more with it.
Regardless, I'm glad it happened and there's definitely nothing to apologize for. Watch Family Guy online in order to relive the mayhem.
Did you love the various callbacks and shout-outs (or Peter commenting on someone's "cool hat" but "weird nose")? Or did you feel as if MacFarlane owed us more? Or maybe it's a mix of both (as it usually is). Watch it again and let us know below!
Also, feel free to check out the Family Guy Quotes page for some hilarious one-liners from tonight's episode!
