Family Guy 11.1 Review - "Into Fat Air"

By Chris Swanson / October 3, 2012

rating: 4

Someone recently implied that Family Guy had pretty much run its course and it was time to just go away, already. I didnt agree. I still think its one of the funniest shows currently airing on TV and certainly one of the few that makes me consistently laugh out loud on a regular basis. Tonights season opener, where the family climbs Mt. Everest, was no exception, touching on such delightful and lighthearted topics as togetherness, dog behavior and cannibalism. The story begins with Lois telling Peter about running into an old flame of hers, and how said old flame had invited her and the family over for dinner. This leads to much hilarity with Peter saying, Im going to stare at his wifes boobs so hard that when they go into the kitchen, it WILL be discussed! Theres also a great scene involving Brian acting like a dog (something Im always a sucker for), when not allowed to sit at the dinner table. During the dinner, the Griffins learn that the Ross family enjoys things like mountain climbing. One thing leads to another and soon the Griffins are climbing Mount Everest. Thats pretty much it for plot, but this being Family Guy, plot takes second place to the rapid-fire jokes, of which there were plenty. I loved that Peter first decided that they needed a donkey for the trip up the mountain and then picks a donkey on the basis that it is wearing sunglasses. I also loved the bit with the GPMS system, Peters vomit-sicle, Brians plans to mark his territory on the top of Everest and I really loved Stewies very dark fantasy about going to a warmer place. Things did get a little darker and a bit less funny, however, when the Griffins are hungry and freezing, and find the dead teenage son of the Ross family. A brief discussion later and theyve eaten the boy. Then they run into the parents looking for him, and things get awkward. It still worked on a slightly more dramatic level (well, as dramatic as Family Guy ever gets), but it certainly wasnt as funny, which is a pity, because (future Oscar host), Seth McFarlane is quite capable of doing dark funny material on cannibalism. That mild criticism aside, this was good, standard Family Guy. Lots of jokes, a few cutaways and more than a fair share of gross-out material. I would have preferred an opener that was more like, say, Road to the Multiverse, but this one was good enough.