The Griffins Are Dead...

 

So the big news on the internet right now is that Seth MacFarlane has decided to end his hit TV show, Family Guy. All his fans are grieving over this and are bitching about it in blogs, their facebooks, and twitters. I should say right now that I love this show. It has smart comedic timing, witty one-liners that everyone knows even if they can't remember what episode they came from and unique characters that everyone either relates to or knows a person like them in real life. I love how the show isn't afraid to make fun of our social norms and pop-culture with a few political jokes sprinkled here and there. I have seen every episode and can quote a lot of the popular comedic dialogue. That being said, I think I know what I'm talking about when I say that I agree with Seth MacFarlane. The show has been dragged on for far too long and no longer has the same entertaining affect.

The first eight seasons are awesome. Again, I am a fan, don't crucify me yet! I really do love the show and I still watch the old episodes over and over in my spare time. It's the ninth season that really killed the show for me. The jokes in the ninth season are very weak or full of old gags that have been done to death. The plot lines themselves are being repeated over and over.

The most recent one was the episode where Meg lashes out at her family when everyone is stuck inside during a hurricane. She stands up for herself and doesn't take anymore crap from any of them. By the end of it Chris, Peter, and Louis are hurt by her words which makes Meg feel bad for yelling at them. By the end of the episode she realizes she's supposed to take the abuse as a sort of emotional sponge for them. She apologizes to them and they go back to happily abusing her once more. Oh, and Brian gets high on shrooms and, though not funny, is the most entertaining part of the episode.

The biggest problem I have with this episode is that it has already been done when Meg gets sent to prison for hiding her escaped convict boyfriend in her closet. When she gets out the episode is all about her getting revenge on her family and the bullies at her school. We've already had a "Meg stands up for herself episode" and the first one was much more entertaining and funny. The parallel episode in the ninth season is more of a character study of Meg and what her role in the dysfunctional family means. Which is fine and all, but there isn't supposed to be that much thinking and diving into a character's psyche in Family Guy. In the first eight seasons we accepted everyone's roles as such. The characters were enjoyable for that.

            Another character who has really gotten on my nerves in the ninth season is Stewie. Put the gun down! Let me explain! I love Stewie! He's, hands down, my all time favorite character on the show. He's maniacal, sinister, intelligent, has an awesome accent, and his evil plans for killing Louis and taking over the world are adorably foiled by the fact that he's only a baby. At times he's a likable douche-bag, other times he's a cliché cartoon villain, but I love when we're reminded that he is in fact a baby. That said; this character was ruined in the ninth season.

            I think the character went down hill after the two-part episodes "Stewie Kills Louis" and "Louis Kills Stewie" when it turns out it was just a dream sequence from a machine Stewie had invented to see what would happen if he succeeded in killing Louis. After seeing that it wouldn't go over very well, he decides he's not ready to try to take over the world yet.

            This contradicts the hour long special where Stewie meets his future self who becomes a total loser because Stewie decides not to take over the world! From that point on Stewie's persona changes for the worse. The jokes became more about his sexuality and the fact that he's a baby. There were less and less episodes of him being evil. I enjoyed Stewie for his evilness more than anything. It is especially bad in the ninth season. I was appalled by the episode where Brian purposely writes a bullshit best-selling inspirational book called "Wish It, Want it, Do It". Even the title of the none-existing book disgusts me.

            I'll say this much, the episode was interesting because it did have a social message like all Family Guy episodes do. But there were hardly any jokes and the only ones in the episodes were weak ones based around other jokes people have already made about celebrities and the fact that Brian is a dog. I was especially disappointed in this episode because Stewie's character development took a huge turn for the worse.

            In previous seasons the relationship between Brian and Stewie had always been interesting. They seemed to hate each other but would be there for one another when the time came. They were like brothers in that sense, even with the few hints that Stewie secretly had a crush on Brian. I think this episode plays too much off of that hint towards Stewie's sexuality. I'm not sure, but somehow in this episode Stewie turns into Brian's bitch. In previous seasons Stewie doesn't take crap from anyone, not even Brian. This probably took an odd turn from the episode where Brian and Stewie get stuck in a bank vault. Another episode I didn't particularly enjoy. The episode was in a season with some good episodes and this one where Stewie and Brian bond is completely out of nowhere. It's an interesting character study and I would have let it slip if they had simply gone back to hating each other again.

            A lot of the episodes in the ninth season are forgettable and the jokes are weak. There aren't any good one-liners that people quote from the season. Majority of the season is full of boring episodes, weak jokes, needless character study, and all around uninteresting story-lines.

            A lot of the fans are still clinging onto the show and keeping Seth MacFarlane under pressure to keep the show running. He believes the show should have ended a long time ago on a very high note with an entertaining and memorable finale. I personally agree with him. The show deserved to go out with a bang!

The episodes from season nine aren't bad on their own. If Family Guy was a completely different show the ninth season would be pretty decent. But because that season came after so many awesome seasons it was a huge let down and it shows that Seth MacFarlane doesn't give a crap anymore. If you don't believe me try watching an episode from the most recent season back to back with an episode from the second season. You'll see a huge difference.

            The show is now like a sick dog that needed to be put down months ago, but the fans are like an old lady who is so delusional with their love for the show that they simply will not let it die. I'm not saying you guys are stupid for wanting the show to keep going. I'm just saying I disagree, even though I do love the show, but it has to end before it gets worse.

            The good news is there are rumors of a Family Guy movie that will come out in theaters some time in the future. The series will be ended with a finale sometime around then as well. I say may the Griffins rest in peace and thanks for a fun, entertaining, and bitchin' ride!