3. The Wife-Beating Episode
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5qyHEYeGNM America was shocked and appalled when Family Guy aired an episode in which a character was portrayed as a violent wife beater with a hair-trigger temper. The episode made the news the day after airing, with most commentators furious at the way in which the female character rationalised and made excuses for her boyfriend's behaviour. Did they go too far? Family Guy does occasionally drop the satire and the cutaway gags and show moments of surprisingly dark drama I recall an episode where Stewie and Brian being trapped in a bank vault together where the dog opens up about his depression and the likelihood that he'll one day commit suicide. It was a jolting and unexpected moment, but worked surprisingly well. The topic of domestic abuse is a hot one to handle, and I don't personally believe that the portrayal of the girlfriend was in any way played for laughs or intended as satire. It was one of those instances where Family Guy played a straight bat of what is a depressingly realistic situation, something which was lost on some of the more hysterical commentators in one of the show's most controversial episodes.
Barry Marshall
Contributor
I am a freelance writer, currently residing in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. I was raised by wolves in the woodlands of Northumberland, but am still posher than Colin Firth having dinner with The Queen. I write all of my pieces by swallowing a cocktail of scrabble tiles and vodka, then regurgitating them over my jotter. Hope this explains the typos.
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