A minor maternal figure appears in the episode, on the show within a show The Jolly Farm Revue. Mother Maggie represents an idealized mother, who not only is she fertile, each one of her children receives ample affection, care, and education.
The fact that a violation of a marriage grew the couple closer, called by Ettelbrick the “most venerable, impenetrable, institutions in modern society” illustrates how subversive Family Guy is towards traditional gender roles (317). To consider that an extra-marital act could actually make a marriage stronger violates a severe condition in the tradition of marriage. The woman is supposed to be ever faithful to the husband, who is traditionally (most notably in the Victiorian era) allowed to have mistresses and affairs.
Another cliché addressed in this episode is that of the mother/daughter relationship. Usually regarded as sacred and as how girls become women, this episode turns a relationship of growth into one of competition. In a highly disturbing scene, Lois and Meg discuss the issue of Anthony. Meg tears out one of her teeth, and she recounts the sexual exploits she has had with her boyfriend. The antipathy Meg feels for her mother is practically palpable, and the situation becomes stranger because it is not addressed for the rest of the episode. This inversion of the mother-daughter dynamic makes the show one “that [redefines] family in the twenty first century” (Seely 103).
Works Cited
The fact that a violation of a marriage grew the couple closer, called by Ettelbrick the “most venerable, impenetrable, institutions in modern society” illustrates how subversive Family Guy is towards traditional gender roles (317). To consider that an extra-marital act could actually make a marriage stronger violates a severe condition in the tradition of marriage. The woman is supposed to be ever faithful to the husband, who is traditionally (most notably in the Victiorian era) allowed to have mistresses and affairs.
Another cliché addressed in this episode is that of the mother/daughter relationship. Usually regarded as sacred and as how girls become women, this episode turns a relationship of growth into one of competition. In a highly disturbing scene, Lois and Meg discuss the issue of Anthony. Meg tears out one of her teeth, and she recounts the sexual exploits she has had with her boyfriend. The antipathy Meg feels for her mother is practically palpable, and the situation becomes stranger because it is not addressed for the rest of the episode. This inversion of the mother-daughter dynamic makes the show one “that [redefines] family in the twenty first century” (Seely 103).
Works Cited
Family Guy. FOX. Hulu.com. General Electric, News Corp, The Walt Disney Company. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. "Go Stewie Go" Season 8, Episode 13.
Kirk, Gwyn, and Margo Okazawa-Rey. "Since When Is Marriage a Path to Liberation?" Women's Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
Seely, Megan. Fight like a Girl: How to Be a Fearless Feminist. New York: New York UP, 2007. Print.
