258 thoughts on “just in case you wanted to talk about tonight’s TNG reunion on Family Guy…”
Actually, the conversation went something like this:
Seth: “Do you know this line?”
Me: “OMG From Caddyshack! YES! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES, YES!”
Seth: “Oh, good, so I don’t have to explain it to you.”
Me: “I may have watched the scene it’s taken from last night, just to make sure that I got the cadence and delivery down correctly.”
Seth: “That’s … awesome.”
Forehead, meet palm.
Of course! How did I miss that? Even better 🙂
For anyone like me who had forgotten that line from Caddyshack:
I know it’s a cartoon. I said that twice in my own post. I get that this cartoon uses irony. I’m fine with irony. What bothered me was that Wil, being vegetarian, was OK with speaking those lines, even if they were just lines from another movie. As I said, though, I don’t know Wil’s reason for being vegetarian. Also as I said, saying things like that – even as a joke – gives people the wrong idea about ethical vegans/vegetarians (as opposed to those who eat that way for health reasons). And probably nobody else in the world (except for one poster above) even realized the… discrepancy, for lack of a better word. Having said all that, I realize that all this bothering me is *my* problem, not Wil’s or anybody else’s. But since we’re talking about this episode here, as Wil has so graciously provided us the space to do, I felt compelled to put in my 2 cents.
-Alicia (@aliciawag)
I don’t eat meat primarily for health and environmental reasons, and I don’t have a problem with omnivores. I’m not going to pass on a chance to participate in great joke, referencing one of my favorite movies, ever, because of what I do and don’t choose to eat.
Well, knowing Wil as well as I do (which, of course, is not at all except from his writing), I’d have to guess that he enjoys irony, doesn’t take life too seriously, and is not one to make some sort of grand statement about vegetarianism. He also loves Family Guy, has a lot of respect for Seth and his humor, and judging from everything I have read that has come from Wil’s head, is an absolute sucker for pop-culture references.
So, it doesn’t surprise me that he didn’t have a problem with the hamburger line.
I appreciate your $0.02, Alicia, and I’m not saying you are wrong. If Family Guy has taught me anything, it’s tolerance of people’s wrong ideas.
KIDDING! ;-P
Peace, Love, and Naked Bunnies. 🙂
Wil, you were (of course) under no obligation to satisfy my curiosity about why you don’t eat meat, so thank you for doing so anyway. Your answer explains a lot. 🙂
m_k_glass – I appreciate your appreciation of my 2 cents, LOL. Peace, Love, & Naked Bunnies right back atcha. 🙂
-Alicia (@aliciawag)
Ahhhh (delivered in the tone of a Heart of Gold door)
I really don’t think it’s possible for Family Guy to jump the shark, in the truest sense of the phrase. Everything Seth writes is a potential Shark Jumping moment, and it always comes off as ironic and funny. That’s what makes TFG so good!
The episode was called “Not All Dogs Go to Heaven.” The show was about Meg, and you could have taken Peter’s offer to grab the remote. The TNG part was the sub-plot. Would it have been cool to have that as the main plot? Sure. But I think it’s very cool he wrote it at all, and especially awesome that all of the cast members offered their voices. Good things come in small packages.
I saw parallels being drawn between the ‘religion’ part of the story and the ‘TNG fan’ part of the story. Especially at the beginning where fans were asking for all kinds of real world advice from the TNG cast. They were, in effect, looking to Star Trek to tell them how to live. Sounded like religion to me.
But the episode is obviously about extremes. And Stewie’s treknapping is just as extreme as either of the two religious viewpoints that were highlighted, while being a bit more blatantly absurd.
I laughed for the rest of the episode after Stewie’s “Whhil Whheaton” bit. I wondered how many times they were going to say your name. 🙂
LOL I see what you did there…
-Alicia (@aliciawag)
I’m late to this party but I’ll throw my $0.02 in. I thought the Meg/Bryan storyline was good but when one brings in the entire cast from a very popular show, especially a popular geeky show, I think the episode should mostly revolve around the special guests. That said I thought the Meg/Bryan story was quite thoughtful and worth watching. The TNG storyline was outrageously funny, of course.
“Oh, hey! That sounds like fun! Ow!”
“Shut up, Wil!”
“Stop it, Patrick!”
Yeah, the episode made me laugh out loud. A lot. I less than three Patrick Stewart’s Family Guy/American Dad spots. (Also, I saw what they did there and it was awesome.)
Cheers!
Also, Michael Dorn makes me happy – the whole McDLT thing? Awesome.
Aw, poor Tasha. 🙁
It was a Klingon disruptor.
Ah, yes, ok. Even better… since it was a Klingon who replaced her as head of security 🙂
I did feel some pity for Tasha when she was killed for no reason, but I didn’t really like the character much, and I wasn’t a big fan of Denise’s either.
Stewie killing her after one line was quite funny, though.
I don’t have a problem with entertainment shows taking pokes at the more extreme elements of Christianity, including this episode of Family Guy, but I’m a little bit sensitive right now, as I suspect many Christians are, due to the voice that the main stream media has been giving lately to anti-Christian atheists. So my comment probably has more to do with venting about that then anything else.
On the lighter side, I also don’t want to lose perspective. We are talking about a plot line in an animated TV show that even the writers must have thought was weak. I laughed my butt off when Peter pulled out the remote, looked at the audience and practically dared us to change the channel due to the ‘A’ story being about Meg. It is almost as if the writers through some Star Trek meat out so that they could watch us torture ourselves to get at it.
About that comment (black guys vs. white guys):
1. I immediately thought, “So what team do the women join?”
2. This might out me as a TNG super-nerd but I thought it was a play on something Patrick had mentioned in some bonus feature interview on one of the TNG dvd discs. He talked about once, early in the series, when he made some remarkably racist comment and Michael and LeVar politely put him in his place about it. (He then said he’s never said anything like it again since that moment.) I have no real idea, though, why the joke exists there but this is where my mind went.
For what it’s worth I don’t think we can ever get into the mindspace of saying that some text (movie, tv show, print ad, video game, book, etc.) doesn’t merit critical analysis just because it’s supposed to be for fun. Every text that’s created warrants critical analysis. Simply analyzing a show isn’t missing the point. Dialog is always great. *shrugs* I guess I take my media seriously because it’s such an important cultural touchstone for many societies.
Incidentally I think you hit the nail on the head saying the storyline was about Meg’s pushing of her beliefs on others. It’s not like Brian went around pushing his beliefs on others. I didn’t get that the show was bashing on all Christianity – I contend they were critiquing excessive blind faith and perhaps commenting on the laissez-faire attitudes of the rest of the family about religion (God is good because we get presents at Christmas, we don’t go to church and it’s not an important part of our daily lives but it’s not okay to not belief, even half-heartedly, etc). That said I’m really tired of Meg’s “ugliness” and Lois’ “hotness” being used to explain everything that is bad and good, respectively. As if God doesn’t exist because Meg’s not a pin-up model. For seven seasons we’ve been harping on the fact that looks are basically everything in a woman’s life. It gets old. I think Meg bashing has jumped the shark.
/comment thread jack
Cheers!
You know, or his name could be Brian. All these years and I can’t even spell it right. For shame, Angie, for shame!
“Shut up, Wil!” That is going to haunt you for the rest of your life, you know that right?
I only wish it had been longer. As Patrick Stewart’s elegant voice saying “I’ve got girl boobs” made my week, Michael Dorn’s “I have to go to the bathroom” FTW, and Brent should have had a thousand more lines! Also, glad to see you finally got the teddy bear you’d been angling for in the bowling alley!
And yay, you got your own Family Guy shtick (Stewie’s fancy way of saying W’s)!
You are right. I do believe that all shows, even “mindless cartoons,” deserved to be examined on levels deeper than perhaps the creators intended. All creations are a window into the human condition, and those who desire to look through that window should not be summarily dismissed. I certainly did not mean to imply that one shouldn’t take the show seriously.
I personally opt to consume some popped corn, put my feet up on the ottoman, and laugh at the silly (and often crude) jokes. That is what makes humanity so enjoyable: the ability to examine things at whatever level we desire.
One only has to look at Star Trek to grok this. Some choose to see it as a fun romp through space, with adventures along the way. Others like to enjoy the story arcs throughout the series, enjoying the development of the characters as they experience life in 24th century space. Still others love to pick apart every scientific nuance, poring over technical specifications and diagrams, attending conventions, and making Star Trek a large part of their lives.
Everyone has their own level of enjoyment. I am merely attempting to help someone who has a problem viewing the show on one level to perceive it in another way, and perhaps not take it so seriously. Boycotting the show is certainly an option, but maybe taking a breath and looking at things from a different perspective is another good option. I doubt Family Guy will perish because s/he didn’t take my advice 🙂
All the parts with the Star Trek cast were absolutely great and hilarious; but I have to say I was very disappointed in how few of them there were. The Meg/Religion subplot took up too much time. I’m not arguing about whether it was good or about religion or anything; just saying I was sold on the idea of a “Star Trek” episode, and wanted more Star Trek. Especially since they went to the trouble of assembling all those actors to do the voices, you’d think they’d have taken advantage of that opportunity more.
Great episode, but only 20 f•••ing minutes?!?!?!!
This is quite honestly the best episode of Family Guy EVAR!
I love what they did with WHHHHEATON 😛 They Made Patrick a Dick, which seems unlike him 😛
I am seriously buying this episode somewhere, and I rarely buy tv episodes.
Personally, I would love to see a “Blue Harvest”-esque episode featuring the cast of TFG working alongside the cast of TNG
“You’ll get nothing and you’ll like it!”
hahahahahahahaha
loved it!
Very funny! I totally wanted more Trek though! Oh well better some than none!
Agreed
Now THAT would have been a great way to tie the two storylines together! I agree … Good Call!
Wil is a vegetarian, but maybe Whil isn’t 😉
OK, God as Flash Gordon was pretty good. That was about the only good part of the A-side subplot
Sadly, the Q&A scene with the non-sequiter questions was the only scene that made me roll my eyes. I found it lame.
Thanks for filling me in. I was half paying attention and half medicating my son when that scene played
Russell http://www.prayforaidan.com
Larry the Cucumber reference?
*bowing*
WE’RE NOT WORTHY! WE’RE NOT WORTHY! WE’RE NOT WORTHY!
*bowing ends*
Yeah, I totally love the D&D podcast. Make me wish I was playing again 🙁
What about the metal looking thing that’s in front of the bear and between Patrick and LeVar?
Don’t forget “Look! I’ve got girl boobs!”
The more hilarious part of that was when she tried to grab the cross and Brian growled, which then mutated into NKOTB’s “The Right Stuff”!
Great, that makes TWO funny bits I found in that subplot. Someone save me before I find more in that subplot than the TNG subplot … hurry!
I would have loved to been in the room at that moment 🙂
wHen Patrick StewHart delivered the bowling balls/boobs line, I was immediately reminded of his excellent guest appearance on Extras.
(wHile I thought I wHas tired of the “wH” gag, I loved it’s use in this episode!!)
Wonder why they didn’t put her in red instead of Whil (bonus points for the reference)? 😉
Spiner is a brilliant actor in his own right and on my Top 4 list of faves from the series (watch “Becoming Dorothy Dandridge” and you will see what I mean :-)), along with Whil, Patrick, and Jonathan.
Touche! A trombone reference would have been great.
If they had made the whole episode TNG-themed, Stewie could have held them hostage and then used the house as a production studio to film a brand new episode in an attempt to revive the series! 🙂
[BTW, I’m claiming that as my own original idea. Make sure McFarlane doesn’t steal it from me while I work on the screenplay ;-)]
Wow … I’m gonna have to watch again with that running through the back of my mind.
why did they cut the scene where gates makes out with lois? maybe that was just in my head…
oh well….
this show has really been calling it in lately, so this was a breath of fresh air, thanks to you hwil hwheaton…
cheers!
I loved the whole episode, AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obviously they exist. What I object to is setting up a false dichotomy, where you’re either smart enough to refuse to be taken in by organized religion’s conspiracy to brainwash the masses (like Brian), or you’re an intolerant book-burner who thinks all non-religious people should be beaten into submission (like Meg). If I thought it was an isolated incident, I wouldn’t be so disappointed, but it’s not.
On The Simpsons, there are a variety of religious characters, but even though there have been several times when their hypocrisy or extremism has been pointed out (e.g. Rev. Lovejoy and Ned Flanders), there have also been acknowledgements that these characters are doing their best, and in some cases their religious beliefs make them act more admirably than the other characters. God, when He appears on the show, is universally portrayed as a Being who cares about the people of Springfield, and loving dispenses wisdom and help when genuinely asked.
On Family Guy, God is a lecher and a drunkard, who cares about nothing but getting his rocks off. Jesus ain’t any better. Being religious is generally portrayed as a flaw in a person’s character, unless watered down to the point where it doesn’t affect their decisions at all. (For example, it’s okay for Lois to believe in God, but whenever she takes action on a religiously-motivated decision, it’s a bad move on her part, e.g. commanding Brian to believe in God, refusing to let Brian’s gay cousin marry in her house – I won’t even go into that video the priest shows her. It’s as if the creators can’t imagine, or won’t acknowledge, how religion can be a force for anything but evil.)
So yeah, it’s not just the isolated incident, it’s the whole pattern of behavior. On The Simpsons, the flaws of religious people are pointed out, but with the understanding that they are imperfect expressions of the religion, not the religion the way it’s meant to be practiced. On Family Guy, religion is always bad, and religious people are always intolerant. It’s Seth’s show, he can do whatever he wants with it, but it’s just not true.
I think the disappointment was all the more keen because I was so looking forward to hearing Wil and the gang, and thought that was going to be the focus of the episode.
Btw, thanks for letting us have this conversation on your blog, Wil!
You are only marginally successful in the masking of your principal point.
No worries, I’m used to it. Carry on.
I definitely wanted more Star Trek. The whole religion kick was rather unnecessary.
caught the episode by complete accident. loved every minute of it!
“we all should be nicer to Wil Wheaton.”
You know of the awesome that is Larry?! Hooray! Yes, we are clearly using more than 10% gray matter. We speak to the veggies, and they speak back. Lol ^_^
Actually, the conversation went something like this:
Seth: “Do you know this line?”
Me: “OMG From Caddyshack! YES! YES! A THOUSAND TIMES, YES!”
Seth: “Oh, good, so I don’t have to explain it to you.”
Me: “I may have watched the scene it’s taken from last night, just to make sure that I got the cadence and delivery down correctly.”
Seth: “That’s … awesome.”
Forehead, meet palm.
Of course! How did I miss that? Even better 🙂
For anyone like me who had forgotten that line from Caddyshack:
I know it’s a cartoon. I said that twice in my own post. I get that this cartoon uses irony. I’m fine with irony. What bothered me was that Wil, being vegetarian, was OK with speaking those lines, even if they were just lines from another movie. As I said, though, I don’t know Wil’s reason for being vegetarian. Also as I said, saying things like that – even as a joke – gives people the wrong idea about ethical vegans/vegetarians (as opposed to those who eat that way for health reasons). And probably nobody else in the world (except for one poster above) even realized the… discrepancy, for lack of a better word. Having said all that, I realize that all this bothering me is *my* problem, not Wil’s or anybody else’s. But since we’re talking about this episode here, as Wil has so graciously provided us the space to do, I felt compelled to put in my 2 cents.
-Alicia (@aliciawag)
I don’t eat meat primarily for health and environmental reasons, and I don’t have a problem with omnivores. I’m not going to pass on a chance to participate in great joke, referencing one of my favorite movies, ever, because of what I do and don’t choose to eat.
Well, knowing Wil as well as I do (which, of course, is not at all except from his writing), I’d have to guess that he enjoys irony, doesn’t take life too seriously, and is not one to make some sort of grand statement about vegetarianism. He also loves Family Guy, has a lot of respect for Seth and his humor, and judging from everything I have read that has come from Wil’s head, is an absolute sucker for pop-culture references.
So, it doesn’t surprise me that he didn’t have a problem with the hamburger line.
I appreciate your $0.02, Alicia, and I’m not saying you are wrong. If Family Guy has taught me anything, it’s tolerance of people’s wrong ideas.
KIDDING! ;-P
Peace, Love, and Naked Bunnies. 🙂
Wil, you were (of course) under no obligation to satisfy my curiosity about why you don’t eat meat, so thank you for doing so anyway. Your answer explains a lot. 🙂
m_k_glass – I appreciate your appreciation of my 2 cents, LOL. Peace, Love, & Naked Bunnies right back atcha. 🙂
-Alicia (@aliciawag)
Ahhhh (delivered in the tone of a Heart of Gold door)
I really don’t think it’s possible for Family Guy to jump the shark, in the truest sense of the phrase. Everything Seth writes is a potential Shark Jumping moment, and it always comes off as ironic and funny. That’s what makes TFG so good!
The episode was called “Not All Dogs Go to Heaven.” The show was about Meg, and you could have taken Peter’s offer to grab the remote. The TNG part was the sub-plot. Would it have been cool to have that as the main plot? Sure. But I think it’s very cool he wrote it at all, and especially awesome that all of the cast members offered their voices. Good things come in small packages.
I saw parallels being drawn between the ‘religion’ part of the story and the ‘TNG fan’ part of the story. Especially at the beginning where fans were asking for all kinds of real world advice from the TNG cast. They were, in effect, looking to Star Trek to tell them how to live. Sounded like religion to me.
But the episode is obviously about extremes. And Stewie’s treknapping is just as extreme as either of the two religious viewpoints that were highlighted, while being a bit more blatantly absurd.
I laughed for the rest of the episode after Stewie’s “Whhil Whheaton” bit. I wondered how many times they were going to say your name. 🙂
LOL I see what you did there…
-Alicia (@aliciawag)
I’m late to this party but I’ll throw my $0.02 in. I thought the Meg/Bryan storyline was good but when one brings in the entire cast from a very popular show, especially a popular geeky show, I think the episode should mostly revolve around the special guests. That said I thought the Meg/Bryan story was quite thoughtful and worth watching. The TNG storyline was outrageously funny, of course.
“Oh, hey! That sounds like fun! Ow!”
“Shut up, Wil!”
“Stop it, Patrick!”
Yeah, the episode made me laugh out loud. A lot. I less than three Patrick Stewart’s Family Guy/American Dad spots. (Also, I saw what they did there and it was awesome.)
Cheers!
Also, Michael Dorn makes me happy – the whole McDLT thing? Awesome.
Aw, poor Tasha. 🙁
It was a Klingon disruptor.
Ah, yes, ok. Even better… since it was a Klingon who replaced her as head of security 🙂
I did feel some pity for Tasha when she was killed for no reason, but I didn’t really like the character much, and I wasn’t a big fan of Denise’s either.
Stewie killing her after one line was quite funny, though.
I don’t have a problem with entertainment shows taking pokes at the more extreme elements of Christianity, including this episode of Family Guy, but I’m a little bit sensitive right now, as I suspect many Christians are, due to the voice that the main stream media has been giving lately to anti-Christian atheists. So my comment probably has more to do with venting about that then anything else.
On the lighter side, I also don’t want to lose perspective. We are talking about a plot line in an animated TV show that even the writers must have thought was weak. I laughed my butt off when Peter pulled out the remote, looked at the audience and practically dared us to change the channel due to the ‘A’ story being about Meg. It is almost as if the writers through some Star Trek meat out so that they could watch us torture ourselves to get at it.
I live in the Netherlands and the Hulu and Fox sites block non-US visitors, so I go to http://www.surfthechannel.com
The specific link to this episode:
http://www.surfthechannel.com/link/71/940414/1536775/0.html
About that comment (black guys vs. white guys):
1. I immediately thought, “So what team do the women join?”
2. This might out me as a TNG super-nerd but I thought it was a play on something Patrick had mentioned in some bonus feature interview on one of the TNG dvd discs. He talked about once, early in the series, when he made some remarkably racist comment and Michael and LeVar politely put him in his place about it. (He then said he’s never said anything like it again since that moment.) I have no real idea, though, why the joke exists there but this is where my mind went.
For what it’s worth I don’t think we can ever get into the mindspace of saying that some text (movie, tv show, print ad, video game, book, etc.) doesn’t merit critical analysis just because it’s supposed to be for fun. Every text that’s created warrants critical analysis. Simply analyzing a show isn’t missing the point. Dialog is always great. *shrugs* I guess I take my media seriously because it’s such an important cultural touchstone for many societies.
Incidentally I think you hit the nail on the head saying the storyline was about Meg’s pushing of her beliefs on others. It’s not like Brian went around pushing his beliefs on others. I didn’t get that the show was bashing on all Christianity – I contend they were critiquing excessive blind faith and perhaps commenting on the laissez-faire attitudes of the rest of the family about religion (God is good because we get presents at Christmas, we don’t go to church and it’s not an important part of our daily lives but it’s not okay to not belief, even half-heartedly, etc). That said I’m really tired of Meg’s “ugliness” and Lois’ “hotness” being used to explain everything that is bad and good, respectively. As if God doesn’t exist because Meg’s not a pin-up model. For seven seasons we’ve been harping on the fact that looks are basically everything in a woman’s life. It gets old. I think Meg bashing has jumped the shark.
/comment thread jack
Cheers!
You know, or his name could be Brian. All these years and I can’t even spell it right. For shame, Angie, for shame!
“Shut up, Wil!” That is going to haunt you for the rest of your life, you know that right?
I only wish it had been longer. As Patrick Stewart’s elegant voice saying “I’ve got girl boobs” made my week, Michael Dorn’s “I have to go to the bathroom” FTW, and Brent should have had a thousand more lines! Also, glad to see you finally got the teddy bear you’d been angling for in the bowling alley!
And yay, you got your own Family Guy shtick (Stewie’s fancy way of saying W’s)!
You are right. I do believe that all shows, even “mindless cartoons,” deserved to be examined on levels deeper than perhaps the creators intended. All creations are a window into the human condition, and those who desire to look through that window should not be summarily dismissed. I certainly did not mean to imply that one shouldn’t take the show seriously.
I personally opt to consume some popped corn, put my feet up on the ottoman, and laugh at the silly (and often crude) jokes. That is what makes humanity so enjoyable: the ability to examine things at whatever level we desire.
One only has to look at Star Trek to grok this. Some choose to see it as a fun romp through space, with adventures along the way. Others like to enjoy the story arcs throughout the series, enjoying the development of the characters as they experience life in 24th century space. Still others love to pick apart every scientific nuance, poring over technical specifications and diagrams, attending conventions, and making Star Trek a large part of their lives.
Everyone has their own level of enjoyment. I am merely attempting to help someone who has a problem viewing the show on one level to perceive it in another way, and perhaps not take it so seriously. Boycotting the show is certainly an option, but maybe taking a breath and looking at things from a different perspective is another good option. I doubt Family Guy will perish because s/he didn’t take my advice 🙂
All the parts with the Star Trek cast were absolutely great and hilarious; but I have to say I was very disappointed in how few of them there were. The Meg/Religion subplot took up too much time. I’m not arguing about whether it was good or about religion or anything; just saying I was sold on the idea of a “Star Trek” episode, and wanted more Star Trek. Especially since they went to the trouble of assembling all those actors to do the voices, you’d think they’d have taken advantage of that opportunity more.
Great episode, but only 20 f•••ing minutes?!?!?!!
This is quite honestly the best episode of Family Guy EVAR!
I love what they did with WHHHHEATON 😛 They Made Patrick a Dick, which seems unlike him 😛
I am seriously buying this episode somewhere, and I rarely buy tv episodes.
Personally, I would love to see a “Blue Harvest”-esque episode featuring the cast of TFG working alongside the cast of TNG
“You’ll get nothing and you’ll like it!”
hahahahahahahaha
loved it!
Very funny! I totally wanted more Trek though! Oh well better some than none!
Agreed
Now THAT would have been a great way to tie the two storylines together! I agree … Good Call!
Wil is a vegetarian, but maybe Whil isn’t 😉
OK, God as Flash Gordon was pretty good. That was about the only good part of the A-side subplot
Sadly, the Q&A scene with the non-sequiter questions was the only scene that made me roll my eyes. I found it lame.
Thanks for filling me in. I was half paying attention and half medicating my son when that scene played
Russell
http://www.prayforaidan.com
Larry the Cucumber reference?
*bowing*
WE’RE NOT WORTHY! WE’RE NOT WORTHY! WE’RE NOT WORTHY!
*bowing ends*
Yeah, I totally love the D&D podcast. Make me wish I was playing again 🙁
What about the metal looking thing that’s in front of the bear and between Patrick and LeVar?
Don’t forget “Look! I’ve got girl boobs!”
The more hilarious part of that was when she tried to grab the cross and Brian growled, which then mutated into NKOTB’s “The Right Stuff”!
Great, that makes TWO funny bits I found in that subplot. Someone save me before I find more in that subplot than the TNG subplot … hurry!
I would have loved to been in the room at that moment 🙂
wHen Patrick StewHart delivered the bowling balls/boobs line, I was immediately reminded of his excellent guest appearance on Extras.
(wHile I thought I wHas tired of the “wH” gag, I loved it’s use in this episode!!)
Wonder why they didn’t put her in red instead of Whil (bonus points for the reference)? 😉
Spiner is a brilliant actor in his own right and on my Top 4 list of faves from the series (watch “Becoming Dorothy Dandridge” and you will see what I mean :-)), along with Whil, Patrick, and Jonathan.
Touche! A trombone reference would have been great.
If they had made the whole episode TNG-themed, Stewie could have held them hostage and then used the house as a production studio to film a brand new episode in an attempt to revive the series! 🙂
[BTW, I’m claiming that as my own original idea. Make sure McFarlane doesn’t steal it from me while I work on the screenplay ;-)]
Wow … I’m gonna have to watch again with that running through the back of my mind.
why did they cut the scene where gates makes out with lois? maybe that was just in my head…
oh well….
this show has really been calling it in lately, so this was a breath of fresh air, thanks to you hwil hwheaton…
cheers!
I loved the whole episode, AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obviously they exist. What I object to is setting up a false dichotomy, where you’re either smart enough to refuse to be taken in by organized religion’s conspiracy to brainwash the masses (like Brian), or you’re an intolerant book-burner who thinks all non-religious people should be beaten into submission (like Meg). If I thought it was an isolated incident, I wouldn’t be so disappointed, but it’s not.
On The Simpsons, there are a variety of religious characters, but even though there have been several times when their hypocrisy or extremism has been pointed out (e.g. Rev. Lovejoy and Ned Flanders), there have also been acknowledgements that these characters are doing their best, and in some cases their religious beliefs make them act more admirably than the other characters. God, when He appears on the show, is universally portrayed as a Being who cares about the people of Springfield, and loving dispenses wisdom and help when genuinely asked.
On Family Guy, God is a lecher and a drunkard, who cares about nothing but getting his rocks off. Jesus ain’t any better. Being religious is generally portrayed as a flaw in a person’s character, unless watered down to the point where it doesn’t affect their decisions at all. (For example, it’s okay for Lois to believe in God, but whenever she takes action on a religiously-motivated decision, it’s a bad move on her part, e.g. commanding Brian to believe in God, refusing to let Brian’s gay cousin marry in her house – I won’t even go into that video the priest shows her. It’s as if the creators can’t imagine, or won’t acknowledge, how religion can be a force for anything but evil.)
So yeah, it’s not just the isolated incident, it’s the whole pattern of behavior. On The Simpsons, the flaws of religious people are pointed out, but with the understanding that they are imperfect expressions of the religion, not the religion the way it’s meant to be practiced. On Family Guy, religion is always bad, and religious people are always intolerant. It’s Seth’s show, he can do whatever he wants with it, but it’s just not true.
I think the disappointment was all the more keen because I was so looking forward to hearing Wil and the gang, and thought that was going to be the focus of the episode.
Btw, thanks for letting us have this conversation on your blog, Wil!
You are only marginally successful in the masking of your principal point.
No worries, I’m used to it. Carry on.
I definitely wanted more Star Trek. The whole religion kick was rather unnecessary.
caught the episode by complete accident. loved every minute of it!
“we all should be nicer to Wil Wheaton.”
You know of the awesome that is Larry?! Hooray! Yes, we are clearly using more than 10% gray matter. We speak to the veggies, and they speak back. Lol ^_^