# Family Guy May 15th **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-guy-may-15th/304000 "2005-05-16T00:58:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-guy-may-15th/304000/41 "2005-05-16T17:31:33Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > His own father, blinded, getting in bed with him and visibly reaching down to his privates is NOT NEARLY AS BAD as the old perv saying “do you like popsicles?” Well, Peter did jump out as soon as he realized the situation The perv would have stayed. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-guy-may-15th/304000/42 "2005-05-16T17:31:57Z")
> [@Cuckoorex](#): > > I can’t believe some of you are complaining about a weak plot in a Family Guy episode. You watch for the _plot_? I was going to say the same thing. Who the f watches Family Guy for the plots? If you do I’d like to introduce to some shows you might REALLY like. They are based entirely around plots. Their called dramas. Look into it. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-guy-may-15th/304000/43 "2005-05-16T17:39:16Z")
I said it lacked a coherent narrative arc around which the random gags take place. It did. Most Family Guy episodes don’t. They’re the better for it. I stand by that. (Scott\_plaid: You know what ‘concurrent’ means, right?) ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-guy-may-15th/304000/44 "2005-05-16T20:16:32Z")
> [@Gadarene](#): > > You know what ‘concurrent’ means, right?) It’s a Spanish term meaning “with jelly”, right? ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-guy-may-15th/304000/45 "2005-05-16T20:22:59Z")
That’s what I thought, Revtim. But really, what does “occurring or operating at the same time;”, with the additional meaning “contributing to the same event or effect” have to do with anything? You want the a-story to affect the b-story? Since it doesn’t always happen in real life, it seems that your complaining that you would like it to happen here baffles me. ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-guy-may-15th/304000/46 "2005-05-16T20:27:44Z")
> [@](#): > > I said it lacked a coherent narrative arc around which the random gags take place This just cracked me up. I can see the writers of this show stairing at a whiteboard trying to figure out what this means. Personally the lack of, for the most part, any plot arcs is what makes this a funny show. You just never really know what your going to see. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-guy-may-15th/304000/47 "2005-05-16T21:00:40Z")
> [@](#): > > You want the a-story to affect the b-story? As others have said, I want the A-plot to be happening at the same time as the B-plot. I don’t know what’s hard to understand about that. It’s sloppy to have one mini-plot (as they did at the beginning with Quagmire), end it without really resolving it, and just sort of ramble from plot point to plot point in the A-plot for the rest of the episode. Good writing brings the two together – not in that the two plots necessarily affect one another, but in that the story is switching from one to the other. (And, ideally but not as a matter of necessity, they come together in the end.) Look at the Family Guy episode that I mentioned earlier about Meg joining the cult and about Stewie having his birthday party. Perfect example, and executed expertly. > [@](#): > > Personally the lack of, for the most part, any plot arcs is what makes this a funny show. I disagree. The show is at its best when it has a narrative spine. Seth McFarlane is really good at writing both narrative and orthogonal, out-of-nowhere gags; some of the other Family Guy writers clearly aren’t as strong about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-guy-may-15th/304000.md?page=2)