Family
Guy: Volume 12
(2014/Fox DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C Episodes: B
Eventually
we will find Family
Guy on
Blu-ray, forcing us to purchase this fantastic series all over again;
but for now we are treated to yet another volume release of the
series in the form of Family
Guy: Volume 12.
Quick
off the heels of the Volume
11 release,
which encompassed most of Season
10,
Volume
12 starts
us into Season
11.
Season
11 is
more of the same; which some may associate as a bad thing, but in
this reviewer's opinion it is a welcome fact. Family
Guy threw
out continuity long ago and opted for unbridled insanity to propel
each episode forward. Whereas each episode has a loose framework,
but the way an episode starts has no relevance on how it ends.
Balancing the witty humor of The
Simpsons and
the self-aware, no one's safe attitude of South
Park,
Family
Guy has
managed to maintain a fine equilibrium that has fantastically
humorous results. The almost chaotic, A.D.D nature of the series has
kept viewers coming back for more to see what the next Griffin Family
adventure might be. The creators, again, made the very conscious
decision to have Peter go off on his own to reap havoc, while Stewie
and Brian teamed up in their own misadventures. And I believe that
is what has get the series so fresh; its sporadic nature that ends
each episode feeling like 12 instead of 1. The audience is treated
to multiple storylines that will have no impact on future events,
while concurrently featuring cut
away
scenes in which we are treated to everything from clever pop culture
references to inexplicable insanity.
Though
the critics and fans of Family
Guy are
very polarized, I don't suspect that Family
Guy is
going anywhere. It continues to rank among top series on television
today and has ingrained itself into pop culture, stealing a piece of
the pie that Homer Simpson had to himself for oh so long now.
The
22 episodes this season include:
Into
Fat Air
Ratings
Guy
The
Old Man and the Big C
Yug
Ylimaf
Joe's
Revenge
Lois
Comes Out of her Shell
Friends
Without Benefits
Jesus,
Mary, and Joseph!
Space
Cadet
Brian's
Play
The
Giggity Wife
Valentine's
Day in Quahog
Chris
Cross
Call
Girl
Turban
Cowboy
12
and a Half Angry Men
Bigfat
Total
Recall
Save
the Clam
Farmer
Guy
Roads
to Vegas
No
Country Club for Old Men
The
technical features this volume set are similar if not exactly the
same as the previous volume release. The
picture is again presented in a clean, clear, crisp 1.78 X 1
Widescreen that demonstrates vibrant colors and a near pristine
image. The sound is a lossless Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track that
is lively, getting the job done without too many issues. Again I am
hoping for future Blu-ray sets to amp up all technical features. The
host of musical numbers remains full of lively action and a packed
orchestral back track that make Family
Guy
a
rather impressive series.
The extras include:
Audio
Commentaries
Deleted
Scenes
200
Episodes Later Featurette
Table
Read of 200th
Episode
Scene
Animatics for the episode Into
Fat Air and
Space
Cadet
2012
Comic Con Panel
-
Michael P. Dougherty II
