The show that’s run for two decades and offended countless people, Family Guy, returned with its 22nd episode today, the first episode being titled “Fertilized Megg.” We knew this was going to be a ‘Meg Episode’ from the get-go, but a show that’s long been known for its offensive yet hilarious humor, seemed to be a little mellowed down. Coming back from the writer’s strike that had affected the entire USA, the first episode of the 22nd season presents two main takeaways, so here’s a detailed recap of the latest episode of Family Guy.
Why does Meg take Stewie to the bowling alley? The family is back after a long break, and they’re gathered around the breakfast table discussing their plans. The former evil genius-turned-sweet baby, Stewie, is busy making a birthday card for his friend Gurt, and the party is supposed to be at a bowling alley. Of course, both Lois and Peter shirk their responsibilities as parents to take their infant to a party and make their teenage Daughter Meg take him instead. Imagine Meg’s displeasure to find Peter already there at the place with his buddies, but at this point, we can’t expect any better from him. Nothing eventful as such happens at the party, except Stewie losing out on hitting any of the pins in the alley and being one-upped by some other kid. Then again, we all know the initial few minutes of modern Family Guy. are just a bunch of random jokes crammed in, hoping at least one of them lands.
Spoilers Ahead
What Does Meg Decide?
During closing time, Meg and her former boyfriend Bruce, who’s since been known to be in a relationship with Jeffrey, get to talking. Bruce talks about their desire to have a child, but two gay men can’t have one unless they find a surrogate mother. We all know where the plot is going from here on, and Meg comes home to announce to her parents that she’s going to be a surrogate mother to Bruce and Jeffrey’s child. Peter, as usual, couldn’t care less about his daughter making a massive decision that will alter her life forever because he’s been degraded to a psychopath in the latest years. Lois, however, to her credit, objects to this decision sternly, but Meg throws all caution to the wind and gets pregnant anyway. Interestingly, when Meg gets her pregnant hunger cravings, it’s Peter who goes all the way up to the owner of Papa John’s Pizza’s mansion and gets a pizza for his pregnant daughter. Not even hardcore Family Guy fans will be able to remember the last time Peter did anything to Meg that wasn’t abusive, insulting, hurtful, or just plain disgusting.
What Happens During The 9 Months?
The B-story or the side plot is largely missing in this episode, unless we can count Peter’s meth-abusing gag that runs through the latter part of the episode. Meg has nine months to go till she gives birth, so Lois breaks the fourth wall to announce that they should skip till that time. In the meantime, we see Meg getting progressively more pregnant as Peter continues sinking to the bottom of his meth addiction, looking further and further grotesque. Finally, Peter returns healthy, just in time to see his daughter give birth to her surrogate daughter. Meg immediately falls in love with the daughter she gives birth to, while Bruce and Jeffrey, the two dads for whom Meg spent these nine months carrying around a child, are irked by the sounds of their daughter’s cries. Funnily enough, Meg can give birth to a baby in 9 months, but Stewie remains an infant all the same. It looks like they’ve decided that aging doesn’t impact the main characters after all.
How Does Meg Become A Caring Person?
Meg dedicates herself to caring for the child with her entire heart, while Lois has her own thing going. Upon being told that she’s the hottest grandma in town by Brian, she can’t find time to stop strutting around to care for her grandchild. The strangest thing about all this, though, is that Peter comes through and actually plays with his granddaughter, and this is the most parental we’ve seen him in years. Meanwhile, Bruce and Jeffrey are apparently neglecting their responsibility to take their daughter away from Meg and are constantly stalling. However, it’s pleasant to see Meg being so caring for her daughter and nursing her daughter with unseen maternity. Bruce and Jeffrey do come in and ask for their daughter, and when Lois chides them for shirking their responsibilities, they retort that it’s Meg who hasn’t asked them to come. After all, it does make sense that Meg would devote her life to caring for someone if they need her, even for the littlest while, because she’s the poster child of abuse and ill-treatment. It does take her a while to come to terms with the fact that she raised a surrogate daughter, and she needs to give her away after all. Jeffrey and Bruce finally accept their responsibilities and understand what they need to do.
What Happens To Meg’s Baby?
Meg decides to hand over her surrogate daughter to Bruce and Jeffrey, and they take her home. As it turns out, the two dads have learned how to calm their child down, and they’re also very impressed to hear their daughter babble names of gay celebrities. While Bruce hums club bass beats to put their daughter to sleep, Jeffrey prepares to dress her in political t-shirts that she’ll understand nothing about. In the end, the episode achieves two major things: it gives Meg a storyline that’s different from just being harassed and treated like garbage and shows that she can be a fantastic caregiver if provided a chance. Secondly, Seth McFarlane showcases that he’s no longer willing to use his show to hate or offend members of the LGBTQ community, where the guys have often been seen making fun of gay people. By letting Bruce and Jeffrey adopt a daughter, given birth by Peter’s daughter, the show clears its stance on the rights of gay people to adopt, much like heterosexual couples. Even if the jokes have lost their touch and the best characters (Brian and Stewie) are largely sidelined, the first episode of the 22nd season shows that even FG writers can change.
