Tuesday, November 24, 2009
TBG TV: FOX's Animation Domination – 11/22/2009
Sunday's Rankings (5-3-2-1 scoring)
(1) The Simpsons ("Pranks & Greens") - See what can happen with a relatively Homer-free episode? This was the best Simpsons of the still-young season with Bart in the unfamiliar "voice of reason" role. The secondary story was even better as Marge's repeated attempts to win over the members of her "Mom's Club" with healthy infant snacks hit…a little close to home. The $830 faux Whole Foods bill and immediately decomposing produce was a brilliant bit o' business.
(2) The Cleveland Show ("A Brown Thanksgiving") - I'm kind of hoping the writers have gotten all the vomit and farts out of their system for the season. I expect scatological humor within the confines of unfunny urban comedies featuring real Negroes. Don't need it in sitcoms with make-believe Black people, thanks. This one had its moments: Rallo's profane "sack of sh*t" bit and the talented Kym Whitley killing it as "Auntie Momma".
(3) Family Guy ("Jerome is the New Black") - Alright, white people…help me out here. Are jokes about the size of a Black guy's junk, their insatiable sexual appetite and the threat they might rob you still funny in 2009? I appreciated the "I speak jive" nod to Airplane, but it only served as a 30-year-old reminder on how a satire of Black culture should be done. And, the Quagmire/Brian stuff was just…mean. Even worse, there was no payoff, which seemed like a cop-out considering how far out of character Quagmire was written.
(4) American Dad! ("My Morning Straitjacket") - Yeah…see, here's the thing. I've never seen Almost Famous. Sorry, kids…your ol' Uncle Aaron wasn't exactly in the film's "target demographic". Consequently, the assorted cinematic references fell flat to my unappreciative ears. And, My Morning Jacket does nothing for me as a band, so I wasn't connecting to…well, pretty much every g*ddam moment of this episode.
MVP: Marge Simpson's overnight attraction to organic produce – followed by her immediate conversion back to preservative-laden snack cakes – mirrors the peer pressured decision making of a certain midget wife of mine.
Quote of the Night: "If he lost that giant inhaler, he'd really be in trouble with his parents." – Milhouse (The Simpsons)
Current Standings
The Simpsons – 21
The Cleveland Show – 19
Family Guy – 18
American Dad! – 18
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2 comments:
I agree with you about the rankings. Just caught the Simpsons tonight and loved the whole food$ reference.
The whole Family Guy Jerome thing didn't do it for me. Not to sound too PC, but often when Family Guy makes jokes about stereotypes it doesn't seem to be lampooning those stereotypes (a lá South Park) but instead reveling in them.
The payoff to the Quagmire thing was, in my eyes, everything after he talks about after Brian paying. It's basically my criticism of Seth MacFarlane.
Your points about FG/stereotyping and the criticism of MacFarlane are both spot-on. Especially, the MacFarlane jab - which has me wondering if Quagmire's entire rant at the end was just one giant in-joke.
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