Family Guy: S08E03 – “Spies Reminiscent of Us”
Written by Brando Calrissian on November 9, 2009
Alright, just a quick note on the third episode of Family Guy from this season since it’s not very fresh in my mind, but I want to put something out there. I liked this episode quite a bit. I thought it was better than most Season 7 episodes and also definitely better than episode 2 of the current season (Family Goy). The episode centers around Dan Akroyd and Chevy Chase moving into Cleveland’s old home and using it as a hidden tunnel to the secret government agency DUMPF (though, the “F” is silent…like the “K” in knife, they tell us).
Basically the episode plays off as a call back to all of the movies in the 80s when the Russians were the bad guys and the world Unites States was afraid of all things communism. It’s a little Spies Like Us, a little War Games, a little Rocky 4, and a lot of Family Guy…which really isn’t a bad formula if you ask me. Plus I almost always love the use of Adam West in Family Guy and this is episode is no different. Mayor Adam West is activated as a planted communist spy and it’s up to Stewie, Brian, Chevy, and Dan to stop him from blowing up the US. Much like Road to the Multiverse I think Brian and Stewie work well together here. They have some of the best character chemistry in Family Guy. Is it weird to refer to cartoon characters as having chemistry?
The side story, or B Plot really wasn’t all that great. Peter makes his comedy heroes Chevy Chase and Dan Akroyd laugh at dinner and so Peter thinks then that he is born for comedy. He, Quagmire, and Joe create an improv troupe and perform a show for the citizens of Quahog. Peter is shown pretty quickly to only have one gag, so that’s kind of funny. What’s even funnier is Quagmire being shown as a complete theater/improv snob, clearly having been involved in the theater world before. His theater snobbery reminded me of some people I went to high school with so I got kind of a kick out of that, but otherwise this side plot was really just decent. Not a whole lot going wrong with it, but not a whole lot going right with it either.
One of my favorite parts of the episode was actually the very very end. Through code words Meg is activated and revealed to be a Russian spy as well. She goes to the phone and (presumably) dials up a Russian cohort and speaks in perfect Russian. It’s a great use of the real life abilities of Mila Kunis, who grew up speaking Russian. The movie Max Payne (which was a ball of suck) also wisely used this skill of Mila’s. Always fun to see. I ran a Google search on what Meg actually said and people out there have translated it…it’s nice to see they actually had her saying stuff that pertained to the plot as opposed to just rattling off some Russian gibberish.
