`GUY' LATEST 'TOON ODE TO FAMILY DYSFUNCTION.Byline: Caryn James The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Little Stewie sits in his highchair playing with something that looks like a toy ray gun. It is, in fact, the mind-control device he is inventing. ``Stewie, I said no toys at the table,'' his mother says as she takes it away. ``Damn you, vile woman!'' Stewie answers in his plummy plum·my adj. plum·mi·er, plum·mi·est 1. a. Filled with plums. b. Smelling or tasting of plums. 2. Choice; desirable: a plummy leading role; a plummy job. British accent, his eyes narrowing with his sinister thoughts. ``You've impeded my work since the day I escaped from your wretched womb. When you least expect it, your uppance will come.'' The misfit mis·fit n. 1. Something of the wrong size or shape for its purpose. 2. One who is unable to adjust to one's environment or circumstances or is considered to be disturbingly different from others. child in a typical New England New England, name applied to the region comprising six states of the NE United States—Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The region is thought to have been so named by Capt. family, Stewie the Killer Baby may be the most intelligent and wry television character since Frasier Crane. Unlike Frasier, though, Stewie shoots at his mother from a high-tech weapon hidden in his tuna sandwich, all part of his dastardly das·tard·ly adj. Cowardly and malicious; base. das  tard·li·ness n. plot to take over the world. A baby can dream, can't he? Stewie is the funniest character in the risky, rude, hilarious new animated series ``Family Guy.'' And with the once-sterling ``Frasier'' in a slump this season, ``Family Guy'' stands to become the best satire of all-American dysfunction next to ``The Simpsons.'' If comparisons to ``Frasier'' and ``The Simpsons'' seem equally comfortable, that suggests how well-written ``Family Guy'' is, and how limiting it would be to see the series merely as part of the copycat glut of prime-time animation (at least seven shows and counting). Like ``Frasier,'' the series is a satire of class and culture in America. And like ``The Simpsons,'' it takes full advantage of the freedom animation offers: humans act on their ids and worst impulses yet remain likable. Whatever its similarities to other shows, ``Family Guy'' feels wholly original. Stretching humanity to the breaking point, the series reflects and at the same time explodes the image of the American family. Today that image is more likely to be dysfunctional than idealized i·de·al·ize v. i·de·al·ized, i·de·al·iz·ing, i·de·al·iz·es v.tr. 1. To regard as ideal. 2. To make or envision as ideal. v.intr. 1. , and to be shaped by movies and television as much as by real-life neighbors. So the series' opening song echoes the off-key Archie-Edith duet that began ``All in the Family.'' Sitting around the piano are Peter Griffin, the portly port·ly adj. port·li·er, port·li·est 1. Comfortably stout; corpulent. See Synonyms at fat. 2. Archaic Stately; majestic; imposing. [From port5. , bumbling guy of the title, and Lois, his kind but nasal-voiced wife, singing, ``Where are those good old-fashioned values?'' Laden with such swift jabs at pop culture, the first episode begins with the Griffins watching ``The Brady Bunch,'' perfectly drawn right down to Brady's ludicrous 1970s permed hair.The Brady Bunch from hell is a pretty good setup for ``Family Guy.'' Peter is underemployed un·der·em·ployed adj. 1. Employed only part-time when one needs and desires full-time employment. 2. Inadequately employed, especially employed at a low-paying job that requires less skill or training than one possesses. and basically underqualified for life. His 13-year-old son, Chris, shows every sign of becoming a beer-swilling oaf to make his father proud. Meg, the frumpy frump n. 1. A girl or woman regarded as dull, plain, or unfashionable. 2. A person regarded as colorless and primly sedate. teen-age daughter, dreams of collagen injections for her lips. Brian is the family's talking dog, who raps Peter on the nose with a newspaper to knock some sense into him. If attempted matricide mat·ri·cide n. The act of killing one's mother. mat  ri·cidal adj. isn't rough enough, ``Family Guy'' takes a politically incorrect approach to ethnic jokes. Some work: When a black woman wearing a kerchief appears outside the window offering pancakes, Peter points her out as one of those ``Jemima's witnesses'' who are always showing up. Less inventive is the ``G.I. Jew'' doll who complains about bagels. But a few misfired jokes are worth it; most of the risks in ``Family Guy'' pay off. THE FACTS The show: ``Family Guy.'' The stars: The voices of Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein and Seth Green. Where: Fox, KTTV (Channel 11). When: 7 tonight (time approximate, following Super Bowl). Begins regular run in March. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Stewie the Killer Baby is a pivotal character in Fox's new animated series ``Family Guy,'' a satire of class and culture in America. |
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