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.

The New Mrs. Flanders

The Simpsons, S023E21

Edna was revealed to be Ned's wife after he got injured during a passion play.  Marge and Homer threw them a party, where the tension surrounding their differing parenting styles came to a boiling point.  Ned remained angry that someone else was shaping his boys' futures until he saw that Homer and Marge still hadn't agreed upon how to raise their children over the past 10 years.  Ned went to a school assembly and made up with Edna in front of all the children and teachers.

I can't believe that Homer managed to play a decent Jesus.  Of all the years he's spent saying as many sacrilegious things as he could, you would think that Homer might burst into flames if he tried to portray someone so unlike himself (he did get electrocuted playing Jesus outside of the play).  But he had the audience captivated and even got Ned to get over his jealousy and doubt that Homer would do the role justice.  The worst thing that happened was Homer falling off the crucifix and crushing Ned.  That's amazing for Homer.  It let you know early on that this episode wasn't going to be about one of Homer's misadventures.

Instead, the story was focused on Ned and Edna's secret marriage.  Did not see that coming.  I guess it makes sense that Ned wouldn't keep "leading" Edna on and would seal the deal since they love each other enough.  That's refreshing to skip over that part and jump right into how they are living their lives together.  We 've seen enough weddings on this show that one more was certainly not going to be anything special.  But I will admit it was strange to see Edna sitting at the table with Rod and Tod, which they helped make awkward by referring to her as "Cigarette Mommy" and "Do-Over Mommy."  But soon you could see that Edna was really good with the boys, even though as a teacher she has become quite lackluster (no thanks to Bart Simpsons of the world).  I really liked seeing her go to the parent-teacher conference and not tolerate her new sons going to a school where science wasn't taught.  Still, I have my own doubts about the quality of education they can get at Springfield Elementary.

I give credit to Ned for allowing Edna to take the reigns for even a little while concerning his kids; Marge had tried to influence them once and he resisted her much more (than again, she wasn't his wife).  I'm surprised after his Davey and Goliath style nightmare where his kids were studying comparative religious studies at an east coast university that Ned didn't drive to the school that very day and drag them out. It wasn't until the party where Rod and Tod had fake tattoos and used slang like "chillax" that made Ned explode.  He was totally ignoring the positive changes that Edna had already made on those little weirdos he calls sons.  I was worried that he would just stay stubborn and would just put things back the way they were.  Or worse, I thought their fight might end Ned and Edna's marriage before it began.  Thankfully, Ned got perspective after seeing Homer and Marge argue.  I wouldn't think they would be the best examples of any aspect of marriage (not the part that works anyway), but at least it loosened the stick up Ned's butt and made him apologize.  I just don't know why he had to do it in front of all the kids (nor why all the kids cheered when they were making out in front of them).

For a story that was about a non-Simpson family member, it was pretty good.  It's going to be an adjustment to see Ned and Edna go from just dating to full-on marriage.  It'd be nice if it set up more stories of how Rod and Tod might change into a little more typical kids or how they adapt to the Springfield Elementary society.  I've very interested to see how the two would fare against bullies like Nelson walking about or what sort of friends they might make.  Maybe in the next season we'll get to see such a story.