Review: Family Guy “Secondhand Spoke”

Spoilers Below

I think we should start with applauding last night’s episode of Family Guy for a minute. Why? Well, it isn’t often the show tackles very real issues, and brings them to light. You may have not thought about it but “Secondhand Spoke” actually brought two to the table, smoking and bullying, and it worked out well.

The smoke break. What is used by some to unwind and decompress, others use as an excuse to escape social or professional obligations. When Peter discovers how much work smoking can get him out of, he becomes addicted on more than one level. The family becomes worried of his health, and try to get him to quit, but a man in a suit makes him an offer he just can’t pass up.

Meanwhile, Chris is having a tough time at school because of a group of bullies. Stewie takes notice, and can’t help but try to help his older brother out. Chris ends up keeping Stewie in his backpack so he can use his baby brother as a personal verbal weapon that no bully has a chance against.

“Secondhand Spoke” is one of the more balanced episodes in recent memory. While many episodes usually contain who stories that run adjacent to one another, one usually overshadows the other. This didn’t feel like the case last night. Both stories got a decent amount of time each, and neither felt rushed. The message against smoking and bullying was appreciated, and I felt it gave the episode some heart. A lot of the jokes this episode were really clever, and I gave myself a metaphorical pat on the back. One of my criticisms last week was that Chris was kind of underplayed. This episode resolved that complaint. There was a story about Chris, and he really felt like an important character again (You’re alone again, Meg). It was very much Stewie’s story as well, but I didn’t feel he stole away the spotlight from Chris.

Overall, good episode. I had a fun time watching it. There were some serious issues at hand here, and the writers really put them in a lighter perspective. I’m not hoping that Family Guy should bring light to all of the issues in the world, but in this one episode, it was great. We get to explore the relationship between Chris and Stewie in this episode, something that is quite rare. While I don’t think the chemistry between them is that great, it was a nice reminder that they are siblings who care for one another. I think Family Guy should introduce a new companion character for Chris, whether it be a girlfriend or best friend. I think the show would benefit from something like that, if you ask me. You should definitely check this one out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.