Family Guy: 5 Episodes With Terrible Lessons

Every member of the Griffin household has at least one signature gimmick. Unfortunately for Meg she is the family's punching bag, often on the receiving end of cruel pranks and treated with complete disregard.

With the family stuck in the house due to a severe thunderstorm, it all comes to a head. After the usual abuse, Meg finally has had enough and stands up for herself, calling out Chris, Lois, and Peter for their mistreatment and flaws. It turns out their abuse of Meg stems from their inability to confront the problems they have with themselves.

Well, after the others implode Meg comes to the realization that the family cannot function unless there is a lightning rod for all of the dysfunction. She apologizes to the rest of her family so they can go back to business as usual.

Even with all of the hostility, this could have been true growth moment for the entire family. Instead Meg, who has endured years of abuse, accepts her role as scapegoat. I'm not sure how this is better or more comforting than Peter, Lois and Chris actually dealing with their problems.

Something is unsettling about Meg finding comfort in her abuse. It is clear the writers wanted Meg's shtick to remain intact, but maybe they should've avoided giving it any context at all.