REVIEW: FAMILY GUY “Chris Cross”
Spoilers Below
Its not all the time when you can say when you feel empathetic with an animated character, but when Chris gets teased at school for wearing off-brand shoes, he feels compelled to ask his parents for cash to purchase new ones. However, times are tough, and money is tight at the Griffin house so Chris needs to find a way to pay for his own shoes. He does this by stealing cash from Lois’ purse, but Meg catches him red-handed! As a result, Meg orders Chris to do a bunch of menial tasks, but it gets to the point that Chris can’t take it anymore so he runs away to live with Herbert. At first, Herbert thinks this is the greatest thing ever, but after Chris makes a mess of his umm private film collection and of his living room, Herbert kicks Chris’ fat ass out, but Meg is there to welcome him back with open arms and no more bossing attitude.
Stewie discovers Anne Murray and is absolutely blown away. Its not long before this turns to an obsession not too unlike Peter’s ‘Bird is the Word’ one, but probably a bit more toned down and educated than his fathers’ deal. At first, Brian talks up on how much he can’t stand Anne Murray, but after a bit of an epiphany courtesy of Stewie, Brian reaches a state of euphoria and he too becomes entranced by all that is Anne. Eventually, the two become such big fans that like all fans they argue about stupid details in subject matter and that’s exactly what happens here. Turns out the two had a disagreement over a song called, “Snowbird” that they set off to meet the singer-songwriter herself so that they can figure the true meaning of the song. This is where Stewie learns the wonders of the pop-music business, that Anne didn’t even write the song or any of her music for that matter, and that she even has her own opinion of the meaning behind the lyrics but isn’t entirely sure and thinks that they should find the songwriter. This causes Stewie to flip the fuck out, as he ties up Anne and holds her at gunpoint. Scene ends with Anne trying to sing her hit song, albeit with a gag in her mouth.
Cutaway Gags
Teslik Shoes, Skinny Chris, Condoms, Vacuum sales, Shoes make the man, Fast Times
I friggin’ love Herbert in a non-gay way, I think he’s the funniest character in animated television, but I was rather disappointed with his involvement in tonight’s episode. I prefer Herbert more so when he’s trying to win over Chris, so when he starts to turn on him, I think we just get a high-pitched Lois complaining about the way her son lives. That said, the real winner tonight was the plot with Anne Murray, as I mentioned earlier, Stewie learns the truth about the music biz, and surprisingly enough Anne was a great sport about the whole thing. I also wonder if the writers wrote this entire deal with Anne in mind, or if they could have inserted every pop star and just go to town. Either way, the plot was funny, and I couldn’t help but to think that Brian was a tad adorable as a little puppy when we cutaway to his moment with Anne. Stewie had great music-inspired moments too, with his adorable face being used in sunflowers and owls. Awwwwwww! That said, the vinegar of the Chris episode mixing with the water that is the life that Anne Murray brings, means this week’s episode just stands still and as a result was never meant to be mixed.
(7.0 out of 10)
