Quagmire's Dad

There's nothing shocking about this episode. This is the sort of thing the series has been doing since day one. What's shocking is anyone taking it seriously or literally. Family Guy hates on EVERYONE and it is done so blatantly and unreasonably that it simply cannot be taken seriously. We laugh at the stupidity and the ignorance. If you can't see through something that transparent, this certainly isn't the show for you. It's been well documented that they're simply holding a mirror up to society and saying "Hey! Do you see how stupid you are?". Those of us that know better laugh, because that's not us. I can't help but wonder why someone would watch the show knowing full well that everyone and everything is fair game. Was it OK until they picked on something near and dear to your heart? The show has touched on many subjects I can relate to and they've made fun of it mercilessly. But, again, I realize it's designed to make society take a look at themselves and realize just how stupid some of us are. And then they throw in some fart jokes and tangents just for good measure. Really, this was one of the more tame episodes in terms of bigotry and stereotypes. It also provided some TRUE information regarding Transgenders, and if you listen for it, you'll hear it.

I am a transsexual who is constantly faced with threats, violence, discrimination, and horrors which one could not imagine. I receive death threats on a weekly basis, have had to fight to keep my job and my child and my sanity. Imagine my horror when I see my favorite show glamorizing violence and hatred toward transsexuals. The rest of the world works on a daily basis trying to invalidate our existence. With your show tonight you created more hatred and perpetual bigotry and you helped spread inequality. I know of a lot of people who will no longer be watching your show after tonight, myself included. This show did nothing but portray us as the child molesters and violent criminals which we are not. Thank you so much for helping spread hate. Next time I return home with a black eye or a broken wrist and I am turned away at the emergency room or laughed at by the police I will know who to blame.

I won't go into the plot as it's already detailed in the synopsis, and in other reviews, but I will point to what I found to be the major issues of this episode.

For me, it basically stems from the fact that when the family are laughing about quagmire's parent, there isn't the voice of reason we come to expect in the family dynamic. Usually, their ignorance will either be shown for what it is by events, or one of the more liberal characters - usually Brian, will point out how narrow-minded Peter (usually) is being. With this episode, we have Brian being the one portrayed as being ''wronged'' so to a degree, I can understand him not being the voice of reason - though even then I'd have expected Brian to be angry/simply shocked, rather than the whole vomit sequence.

In addition, until this episode, Lois had never really come across as being this against ''alternative'' lifestyles, or rather, I'd always seen her as fairly liberal-minded, even if not a card-carrying liberal. Her speech about Quagmire's dad basically being gay, even though he is now a she just seemed ignorant, and no one in the show actually pointed this out. It was made worse because it was delivered in such a matter- of-fact manner that anyone watching it would/could only view it as an opinion by the writers.

A lot of people watching this wouldn't know much about gender dysmorphism, so the lack of knowledge exhibited by the characters led to the whole sensibility of the episode feeling very one-sided. I also think having Brian in the situation he ended up in was pandering to the myth of transsexuals 'trapping' men they pick up, perpetuated by various programs (Seen at least two crime shows have the victim be either pre or post-op MtF transsexual that got killed due to their 'trapping' practise's - including one particular episode of Diagnosis Murder where she was sleeping with her ex squaddies, only to 'reveal' to them her pre-op status, and then bribe them for money, only then to be killed by their ex out of envy, or something similar. The issue with this is that even if it were something that happens, it'd be a very tiny minority, and so to use that stereotype as the basis for supposedly trying to show up bigotry feels inept.

On a side note, I also dislike how little notice Dan gives Quagmire before he transitions... Well, rather than transitioning, he goes into a building dressed as a man, then leaves as a woman in what seem like seconds. I'm not entirely sure how the system works in America, but I assume it still takes at -least- a year of transitioning before doctors would accept you as ready for surgery, which again, is something a lot of TV manages to forget - South Park did the same thing with Garrison just going to have an op, but at least under their approach, it was more to do with Garrison not speaking to his partner until after he'd gone through with it (I'll not touch the Dolphin episode).

Anyway, to sum up: I really think the writers need to properly understand their target before writing what in this case simply came across as hugely misguided, and incredibly unpleasant viewing. I'm a transsexual, and I'd not even say I was offended. Rather, that I was deeply disappointed that a show I normally respect essentially dropped the ball. and if in trying to tackle an issue, you only anger/disappoint/offend those you're supposed to be talking about, then perhaps you need to rethink your strategy.

I simply didn't feel as though they were on my side.

The funniest episode ever in my opinion. To all these people bashing this episode, if you don't like it don't watch it. like someone else said IT'S A CARTOON! I'm so sick of all these groups complaining about how all these things are hatred, & bigotry, misunderstood minority, blah, blah, blah. This is an adult comedy that walks the line. always has been, always will be. The problem is people go so far with all of these "special groups" rights that they invade on others rights. There is a right to free speech. Just like pornography, nobody makes you watch it. If you don't like it or are offended, don't watch it. maybe some people are offended by transsexuals, maybe it against their religious beliefs. they have a right to their beliefs just like you do. They have no right to make people stop being transsexual & transsexuals have no right to make people stop making jokes about them. there are religious jokes, ethnic jokes, political jokes. the very thing that protects peoples rights to make episodes like this are the same rights that allow you to be a transsexual, people seem to forget that. there has been hatred for different religious groups & sexual orientation around for longer than this show. They crucified Jesus 2000 years ago because of his beliefs. But if transsexuals get beat up from now on, "you know who to blame" (family guy)? Please, get a grip. I'm certainly not saying it's right to discriminate against anyone, but to blame it on this 1 episode of a cartoon show is absolutely Preposterous. I watched it & i didn't suddenly get the urge to beat up a transsexual. if you want life & morality lessons in your TV show, watch re-runs of David & Goliath, not Family Guy.

They had me ballin for the last 6 minutes of the episode.