The Bottom Line
- Fabulous bonus features.
- Sharp episodes like "PTV" and "You May Now Kiss The… Uh… Guy Who Receives"
- Fans will start to find episodes to be formulaic.
- I'm not crazy about these half-season DVD releases.
Description
- Watch Family Guy video clip - "Hey Kid, I Hope Your Blood Type is Pee"
- Watch Family Guy video clip - "The Fat Guy Strangler"
- Watch Family Guy video clip - "Say Goodbye to Manhood"
- Watch Family Guy video clip - "Lesbian Alliance Club"
- Watch Family Guy video clip - "I Love You Mayor Chapstick"
- Watch Family Guy video clip - "We’ve Got Company"
- Multi-Angle Scene of "Brian Goes Back To College," "Patriot Games" and "Sibling Rivalry."
- "A Tour Of The Family Guy Offices," "A Director’s Life: Debunking The Myth" and "Peter Shin Draws Stewie" featurette.
- Extended version with optional censored audio on "You May Now Kiss The…Uh…Guy Who Receives"” and "Petergeist."
- Extended version optional audio track of "Brian Sings and Swings," "Brian Goes Back To College," and "The Fat Guy Strangler."
Guide Review - Family Guy Volume Four DVD
Family Guy Volume Four finds television's the Griffins in all sorts of comically compromising situations, including Chris doing chores for a dirty old man, Meg working as Mayor West’s intern, Lois reuniting with her homicidal brother, Brian attending college, Stewie attacked by a poltergeist and Peter starting his own religion.
My favorite episode from this batch are "PTV," where Peter starts airs his own shows on public access (my favorite of which is the Side Boob show) and the FCC cracks down on him, not only on TV but in his own life.
Another favorite episode of mine is "The Fat Guy Strangler." Being prejudiced against fat people just isn't talked about, but this episode sheds a harsh light on that problem. At times the episode tries to show people who are fat as being victims of unfair bias, but other times just out and out makes fun of them.
These kinds of episodes of Family Guy are the ones I relish because they make you wince when you watch them. There are episodes in this volume, however, that feel phoned in. Family Guy is becoming a greased wheel, churning out shows too easily, with no edge, a la The Simpsons in recent years.
But the bonus features are the real stars of this DVD set. The commentaries are chock full of great insider stories, and include a wide variety of folks, even guest stars. There are extended versions of episodes, deleted scenes, and fun featurettes. I especially liked watching "A Director’s Life: Debunking The Myth" featurette to learn more about the animation process.
