Meg-hatin'

[smiling bandit]

There's one joke on Family Guy that I just nver got. What's with the Meg-hatin'? Their repeated lines about Meg being really ugly or boring never really caught on with me. She seemed to be as interesting as the rest of the Griffin's, and not really insane like the rest. Indeed, the fact that she was "ordinary" was a point in her favor. besides, they've shown her with several unique gifts on the show. While she is a little thick (physically, not mentally), she probably just hasn't grown enough yet.

PS: who is older, Meg or Chris?

[audiobottle]

Meg is older. As for the Meg-hatin', it's because it's always funny to have somebody everybody else beats down on. Look at the superhero episode, where they all gain superpowers. What was Meg's? She could grow her fingernails really long. Now if that's not comedic gold, I don't know what is.

[Binarydrone]

One of the things that I find so funny about Family Guy is the reality disconnect. Look at how many times Peter is referred to as attractive. It's funny simply because it lacks motivation.

[Revtim]

Originally Posted by smiling bandit

She seemed to be as interesting as the rest of the Griffin's, and not really insane like the rest.

That is a contradiction, IMO.

[Podkayne]

Meg is a key part of the familial continuum, I think. She's smarter than Chris and Peter, and self-aware of what a weirdo she is, but she's not as smart as Lois, so she's unable to hide her weirdness and basically goes through life with a "Kick Me" sign on her back.

Her interaction with the family just taps into a deep vein of FG humor: denying sitcom expectations. When Chris takes a cheap shot, that's expected, because that's what siblings do. But Peter or Lois is supposed to step in and be the adult, and make Chris apologize. [Studio audience]Awwwwww.[/studio audience] But they don't, they pile on. And sometimes they're just flat-out mean in a way even Rosanne never was. Lois reading aloud from Meg's diary and mocking it was one of the greatest so-painful-you-must-laugh moments in the series. They couldn't beat up on Chris that way, because for one thing, he's too easy a target, and for another, he wouldn't be self-aware enough to take it to heart like Meg does.

I think Meg, who is, as you say, the sanest of them all, is in part meant for the audience to identify with. She reacts to the family's weirdness the way we might. But at the same time, she's the embodiment of everything that us geeks hate about ourselves, and especially our adolescent selves: the awkwardness, the inability to fit in, the eagerness to please. By laughing at her, we can distance ourselves from that time of our lives and those parts of our personalities.

This is especially true because there's a certain inevitabilty in the Meg-plots. When she gets kicked, you can see it coming from a mile away, because she had it coming. You see her firmly affix the "Kick Me" sign, and you have time to steel yourself in anticipation of the next humiliation. After the blow has fallen, she invariably whines about it, or bawls, or both—never any pluckiness or strength of character that might make us rally to her. She's a punching bag, and you don't care about her.

[Smeghead]

Yeah, to me the joke has always been a mockery of the usual sitcom situation. There's so often an insecure teenage girl in the family that the parents have to work to make feel good about herself. Well, here, we have an insecure teenage girl that the parents just slam whenever possible.

[smiling bandit]

Ah, that sort of explains it. It's still not very funny to me, because I kind of like Meg.

[Nonsuch]

I was wondering if I was the only one. I have a soft spot for Meg—I like dorky girls, at least on TV—but I think too much of the Meg-situations on the show are the result of simple laziness, i.e., the writers don't really have her figured out and so just pile on the abuse in order to get laughs. It might sort of work if Meg really were drawn ugly, or if she showed some sign that she liked being who she was, even if her life is wretched most of the time. But Meg isn't ugly enough for the ugly jokes to work (though the sight of various people immolating themselves in front of her was pretty damn funny), and she isn't developed enough to carry an interesting story. At least now she isn't; "Fifteen Minutes of Shame" was a good Meg story, but it seems she's actually taken a step backward since then.

I always thought that if they just explained why she wears her hat all the time, even as she desperately tries to fit in, they'll have Meg figured out. Doesn't sound too hard ...

(Though I must say I liked Podkayne's take.)

[Podkayne]

You mentioned that you like her because she's the most normal of the Griffins. What are the special gifts she's displayed? Are there other things you like about her?

I don't intend to debate, or anything. Just curious about your perspective. I kind of like her, too, but mostly I end up just wanting to shake her and shout "GET A SPINE, GIRLFRIEND!"

Okay, not really. I don't call people "girlfriend."

But I really liked the cult episode, "Chitty Chitty Death Bang." She showed some actual character in that one, as I recall.

[The Controvert]

I think there's some irony in the fact that "plain looking" Meg is voiced by Mila Kunis. If you close your eyes, she turns into the hot brunette from That 70's Show.

[Nobody]

I could never see what was supposed to be wrong with Meg. But then again, back in high school, I was never part of the popular crowd, so that may be why.
I don't think she's drawn ugly, she seems pretty smart, and has a decent personality. At least, as decent as you're gonna get in a Seth Mcfarlane cartoon.
Yeah, you might make the argument that she's a tad hipocritical in not liking the way the poular kids reject her, yet, she totally rejects Neil Goldman. On the other hand, she never goes out of her way to humiliate him like the popular kids do to to her.
Anyway, I don't see anything wrong with Meg, but the Family Guy writters think it's funny to have her crying all the time, and getting rejected and picked on, so they put it in the script.