The Science Fiction Review Humor,TV Family Guy Season 6 Premier – Review

Family Guy Season 6 Premier – Review

Family Guy - Blue Harvest
Let met start by saying that if you are a Star Wars fan, you must watch this episode before you can possibly see any spoilers. If you missed the premier, there are links all over on YouTube, or maybe a friend recorded it on their DVR. Just find a way to watch it, then come back and read this review.

First off, the premise for the episode is that power is lost at the Griffin household and Peter must entertain his family with the story of Star Wars. The opening was pretty funny, but the Bush/Cheney bumper sticker on the back of the Star Destroyer really sets the mood for the rest of the episode. The parallels drawn between the oppressive Empire and United States are pretty obvious.

There are really three types of jokes in this episode: 1) dirty jokes, 2) political jokes, and 3) those aimed at inconsistencies in Star Wars. I think that in the end the cheap shots at Star Wars end up being the funniest. My favorite is the bureaucratic approach to exhaust port flaw in the Death Star. Part of the fun in this episode is discovering which character is playing what Star Wars role, assuming you haven’t watched the previews or looked at the posters. Herbert is probably the most obvious foil for Obi-Wan.

Of course the cheap shots aren’t all aimed at Star Wars, as at the conclusion the Family Guy writers criticize themselves for stealing the idea of a special episode from Robot Chicken (which clips can be viewed at Adult Swim). I think that both episodes are hilarious, but come from two totally different angles. The Adult Swim episode is more like a series of skits which cover a variety of scenes from the various Star Wars movies while the Family Guy premier Dark Harvest covers one whole movie from start to finish.

I was amazed at how much content of the movie made it into the approximate 45 minute run time of the episode, 60 minutes if you count commercials. I am not sure if I have just watched Star Wars too many times or not, because it seemed like they covered almost all of the important scenes. Also, the jokes are funny enough laugh at for at least a second time, as I watched this episode again with a friend a few days later and enjoyed myself. So, if you haven’t seen the episode yet, find a way to watch it or else you are missing out on tons of laughs.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please prove you are a human * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Post

Don’t miss the Family Guy Season 6 PremierDon’t miss the Family Guy Season 6 Premier

Titled “Blue Harvest”, this season premier will be a spoof of Star Wars, my favorite movie series. I normally do reviews after the fact, but I wanted to give everyone an heads-up to check it out when it arrives on Sunday Sept 23, at 9/8c. I can’t wait to see it, and will review it in a follow up post. Check out the movie poster.

Family Guy - Blue Harvest

There is a preview of the first 10 minutes out on YouTube, but it is a poor quality Cam version, I’d suggest just waiting until it comes out and watch the whole thing on TV. If you didn’t already know, Family Guy has made many references to Star Wars in the past. As far as I know this is the first episode dedicated to Star Wars. Essentially it will cover Episode IV: A New Hope. Check out the following 9 scenes out on YouTube as a warm-up. These aren’t all of them though. –update– The video is no longer available, probably thanks to a Fox take down notice.

–update–
I’ve finally made time to write out my review for this episode, check it out under my TV section or the direct link here.

Battlestar Galactica is back with Season 4Battlestar Galactica is back with Season 4

I didn’t realize that Battlestar Galactica Season 4 technically started with the Razor double episode. I guess they needed to satisfy starving BSG fans because we’d have to wait until April this year for the rest of the season to pick up. I debated between waiting until season 4 was done, then watching season 1-4 back to back or just watch the new ones as they come out. I discussed this dilemma with my wife, and she suggested I just watch them as they come out, then I could do both. That sounded like a good plan, because I found I don’t have the willpower to wait. I’ve watched the first 2 episodes (following Razor), and I’m hooked once again. At the end of season 3 I was pretty sure who the last Cylon model was, but now anyone seems to be fair game. Many fans have whined about BSG ending with season 4, but I don’t agree with them. I’d rather have 4 good solid seasons than have it dragged out like Stargate SG-1. Check out Sci Fi Channel’s BSG page for more info, or the video page to watch the last 2 full episodes at Sci Fi Rewind. Actually, they have the last 3 episodes of season 3 as well. For Razor, you’ll have to catch it on TV, find recording, or check out the unrated extended dvd.

Falling Skies (2011) on TNTFalling Skies (2011) on TNT

Falling Skies takes place in a near future alternate reality where aliens invaded Earth and just about destroyed everything. The series opens with a kid describing the first contact and subsequent invasion. All of the major cities and most of the military was destroyed all in one swoop. The series follows a group of resistance fighters that are struggling to survive. Some people want to strike back, but the military commander is convinced that splitting up and going to ground is the best move right now. The main character, Tom Mason played by Noah Wyle, happens to be second in command of a small splinter group. He has three sons, one very little, another in his late teens, and the last one has been captured by the aliens. The general feel seems to be something similar to Terminator and the new Battlestar Galactica.

Tom Mason was a US history professor, so quite often he quotes how some historical battles were won by underdogs. His repetition of this got on my nerves a bit. Another thing that bothered me was that his youngest son wanted to wish for everything to go back to the way it was for his birthday. His son asked if that was OK to wish for and Tom said yes. That really bothered me, because the sooner his kid understands nothing will be as it was, the better. Overall I would have to say the premier was mediocre at best. Some of the acting seemed a bit weak, but nothing terrible. I’ll have to watch the next few episodes so I can form a better opinion.