Surprisingly Not Awful

Family Guy, S11E08

Peter told the family the story of the first Christmas, starting from the first meeting of Joseph and Mary.

When I saw the promos for this episode, I was really wary.  After all, I wasn't sure how badly they were going to spoof this story, nor how inappropriate they would make it.  But I have to say that it wasn't that bad at all.  It's not my favorite (it reminded me that The Simpsons had done the same thing a while ago, although it wasn't great either), but I don't think it was too offensive.  I feel like they mostly poked fun at how primitive life was back then and how harsh it was (such as Peter sneezing blood and Lois claiming she had to poop in the open streets).

Before Peter got into the story, there was a really good joke about Northwest Airlines.  They basically said that if you didn't want to see your family during the holidays, then their airline is the perfect one to use.  I really liked the guy's line at the end of the joke:

Thanks, Northwest. I hate my family.

Another joke that I liked was when Joseph was at the inn with Mary, trying to convince the innkeeper to give them a room:

But, sir, please, my wife is with child and about to give birth.  And I am with burrito and about to do the same.

The last joke I found pretty funny was when the Wise Men arrived at the stable and explained how they got there:

[Wise Man] Hello, we are the three wise men.  We came here following a star.
[Joseph] Those two statements contradict each other.

I did also enjoy that the Southern guy (can't remember his name) was the angel.  He's just an all-around funny guy no matter what he's doing.  Apparently, thanks to him offering God some "cheeses" is why Jesus got his name.  Not funny enough to make me laugh, but a good try.

It was a little messed up that Peter told that story and then sent away a pregnant woman and her husband at his door.  It was predictable, though.  I knew once Lois was talking about people coming together and such that someone would pop up to show how the Griffin family could do the opposite.  But I wondered why that couple didn't just run to another house?  They have so many neighbors.  I know she was going into labor, but they had the opportunity to knock at everyone's door they could.

It's nice to see that even if I expect the worst of this show, they might surprise me and not go too overboard.  Although, I think anyone who would really be outraged with this show's version of the first Christmas shouldn't be watching this show in the first place.  It pokes fun at everything and everyone, so it's not the best thing to watch if you're sensitive.  It was a little funny overall, but not incredibly funny.  I don't think this would be one I would be able to laugh at again if I rewatched it, but I also wouldn't put in my list of "never watch again."  In general, it was still a much better Christmas story than any other sappy stories they try to shove down people's throats during the holidays.