Animation Domination on FOX Sunday nights had fallen into a pattern: bore us to death with The Simpsons, then fill up The Cleveland Show with disgusting, unfunny bathroom humor, then all the offensive, catty racial jokes into Family Guy, and then delve in Roger's eccentricities on American Dad.
This division of labor was not in evidence last night. I caught the last few minutes of The Simpsons; then followed The Cleveland Show with some cliched story about the paterfamilias spending money necessary for the children on something frivolous, in this case casino gambling; and then on Family Guy the drinking buddies are reunited with Cleveland on a quest to find the source of the world's dirty jokes. None of these shows are now anywhere near the heights reached in their golden pasts, but these breaks from the usual rut they had fallen into lately was a pleasant break.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Lois not in GLBTA
Is it just me or is Lois on Family Guy getting more and more ignorant? Her attitudes to Brian's various girlfriends are but one indicator. Another is her attitudes towards gays: in "You May Now Kiss the... uh... Guy Who Receives," Lois's initial refusal to allow Jasper's wedding to a Filipino man was not exactly exemplary of tolerance but at least it showed a woman intelligently willing to amend her views.
Last night, in one of the unfunniest Family Guy episodes to date, "Quagmire's Dad," the writers introduce Quagmire's father, a commissioned officer in the Navy, only to have him get a sex change operation. It is not at all surprising that Peter comes to the unmindful conclusion that Quagmire's father feeling like a woman trapped in a man's body is exactly equal to his being gay. But it is surprising—and disappointing—that Lois would come to that same conclusion.
And just for the record, this is the difference, which both Peter and certainly Lois ought to be aware of: a gay man is attracted to other men but has no desire to change his body in any radical way (even if he's usually a "bottom"); a transgendered man may be attracted to either men or women but regardless has a strong compulsion to change his body into a woman's body. Lois apparently learned nothing in "You May Now Kiss the... uh... Guy Who Receives."
Oh, and how could Brian not tell Ida is a post-op transsexual if he's so damn disgusted by the concept?
On another note, it was good to see the animators not putting Private chevrons on every single Navy officer shown (as they have done with police officers in prior episodes), and in fact giving appropriate Navy officer rank insignia to the officers shown. Though there was this one guy whose rank fluctuated between Lieutenant and Commander (two and three solid stripes on the shoulderboard, respectively) but maybe we can chalk that up to the exigencies of animation.
Last night, in one of the unfunniest Family Guy episodes to date, "Quagmire's Dad," the writers introduce Quagmire's father, a commissioned officer in the Navy, only to have him get a sex change operation. It is not at all surprising that Peter comes to the unmindful conclusion that Quagmire's father feeling like a woman trapped in a man's body is exactly equal to his being gay. But it is surprising—and disappointing—that Lois would come to that same conclusion.
And just for the record, this is the difference, which both Peter and certainly Lois ought to be aware of: a gay man is attracted to other men but has no desire to change his body in any radical way (even if he's usually a "bottom"); a transgendered man may be attracted to either men or women but regardless has a strong compulsion to change his body into a woman's body. Lois apparently learned nothing in "You May Now Kiss the... uh... Guy Who Receives."
Oh, and how could Brian not tell Ida is a post-op transsexual if he's so damn disgusted by the concept?
On another note, it was good to see the animators not putting Private chevrons on every single Navy officer shown (as they have done with police officers in prior episodes), and in fact giving appropriate Navy officer rank insignia to the officers shown. Though there was this one guy whose rank fluctuated between Lieutenant and Commander (two and three solid stripes on the shoulderboard, respectively) but maybe we can chalk that up to the exigencies of animation.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Not laughing on the way to the bank
You can forgive the writers of Family Guy all the inconsistencies about Brian and Stewie IF those inconsistencies result in very funny jokes. The latest episode really brought to the forefront how the writers are in a constant state of remembering and forgetting that Brian is a dog and Stewie a baby. So Stewie can go clothes shopping at DSW yet is completely clueless as to how to unfasten his diaper? What do you make of all the suggestions that Stewie engages in a lot of gay sex—does he take his diaper off for that (and what kind of sicko...)? Or is it just some weird kind of bravado? And don't get me started on Brian the sometimes dog.
There were few laughs in the episode, made far more worse by a pretension to profundity. It's one thing setting a live action piece all in one room, but animation frees one to go to any place. I know some of you are going to say something like "But they do go to a different place emotionally." Save it. This episode has nothing on the "Road to" episodes. Nor does it illuminate Brian and Stewie's complicated relationship any better.
(Oh, and great job Wikipedia linking "love" in their article about this episode to "platonic love." Even with just this episode alone you have to realize that Brian and Stewie are way beyond "platonic love" despite Brian's unwillingness. That's how Wikipedia is: slander real people but tread lightly with fictional characters.)
There were few laughs in the episode, made far more worse by a pretension to profundity. It's one thing setting a live action piece all in one room, but animation frees one to go to any place. I know some of you are going to say something like "But they do go to a different place emotionally." Save it. This episode has nothing on the "Road to" episodes. Nor does it illuminate Brian and Stewie's complicated relationship any better.
(Oh, and great job Wikipedia linking "love" in their article about this episode to "platonic love." Even with just this episode alone you have to realize that Brian and Stewie are way beyond "platonic love" despite Brian's unwillingness. That's how Wikipedia is: slander real people but tread lightly with fictional characters.)
About time
It's about time: The Early Show has finally gone to a 16:9 aspect ratio and abandoned its constricted layout employing the extreme close-up on the CBS eye to frame introductory segments. The show had been broadcasting in HD at 4:3 for at least two years now. They're still using a 4:3 title safe, but that's very understandable.
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