It seems today like all you see is reboots in movies and crossovers on TV. I remember when this episode was announced way back in July. But it was too far off to really get excited about, so I shoved it to the back of my mind. It did take super long to make, as on top of the animation work that had to go into animating all the characters in their distinct styles (plus a particular sequence at the end that was very animation-heavy) I'm guessing they went through a ton of rewrites to mesh the styles of both shows. Ultimately the humor seems a little family guy-heavy, with more arbitrary pop culture references and digs at other shows (but with thankfully no cutaway gags). I swear at times it seemed like Bart or Homer was spouting Family Guy dialogue, although it did go the other direction at points when Family Guy characters were made to be less sociopathic and more like a real family than usual.
Now to examine the frankly obvious pairings that were made between the two families equivalents. Homer and Peter obviously worked well, and managed to get into some actual situations that made me laugh, unlike the other pairings. However I do have to say that when compared side by side Homer seems much less intelligent despite Peter being the one that is supposedly mentally disabled. Marge and Lois had practically nothing to do except that "passive aggressive wives that pretend to like each other thing" that TV writers always come up with. I thought Meg and Lisa was legitimately funny, both of them being neglected children but Lisa still finding Meg disgusting and Meg latching on to any kindness shown in a desperate manner. Finally, Bart and Stewie?? OK, obviously these are the characters that are most dissimilar in terms of personality, Bart's probably more like Chris in terms of being picked on, being a slacker, etc. But these are both their respective shows most heavily merchandised and at this point probably most loved. So we get some interesting juxtapositions of what Conan's buddies in 1990 thought was badass and what Seth MacFarlane in the 2004 reboot thought was badass.
Overall, it's probably the best episode Family Guy has had since the 11th Season, and if it was technically a Simpsons episode and if I were a Simpsons reviewer I'd probably give it an A+ after wading through so much schlock. It's a good episode and I recommend you watch it. It does drag on after the 30 minute mark and in all honesty they could have condensed it but who knows, I might be wanting more. I can't say I'd be excited for another crossover, but give me a few years and I might start craving one. In the meantime, why not do a crossover with Bob's Burgers? That 5-second cameo was one of the funniest parts of the episode.
6 eyes.
Now to examine the frankly obvious pairings that were made between the two families equivalents. Homer and Peter obviously worked well, and managed to get into some actual situations that made me laugh, unlike the other pairings. However I do have to say that when compared side by side Homer seems much less intelligent despite Peter being the one that is supposedly mentally disabled. Marge and Lois had practically nothing to do except that "passive aggressive wives that pretend to like each other thing" that TV writers always come up with. I thought Meg and Lisa was legitimately funny, both of them being neglected children but Lisa still finding Meg disgusting and Meg latching on to any kindness shown in a desperate manner. Finally, Bart and Stewie?? OK, obviously these are the characters that are most dissimilar in terms of personality, Bart's probably more like Chris in terms of being picked on, being a slacker, etc. But these are both their respective shows most heavily merchandised and at this point probably most loved. So we get some interesting juxtapositions of what Conan's buddies in 1990 thought was badass and what Seth MacFarlane in the 2004 reboot thought was badass.
Overall, it's probably the best episode Family Guy has had since the 11th Season, and if it was technically a Simpsons episode and if I were a Simpsons reviewer I'd probably give it an A+ after wading through so much schlock. It's a good episode and I recommend you watch it. It does drag on after the 30 minute mark and in all honesty they could have condensed it but who knows, I might be wanting more. I can't say I'd be excited for another crossover, but give me a few years and I might start craving one. In the meantime, why not do a crossover with Bob's Burgers? That 5-second cameo was one of the funniest parts of the episode.
6 eyes.
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