Seth McFarlane

I have to say that I think something is wrong with Seth McFarlane.  I mean, I do, from time to time, watch two of his fiendish brainchildren –  Family Guy and American Dad – because they are often extremely funny, but sometimes the jokes are so disturbing, so breathtakingly and gratuitously sadistic, that for a few moments I feel literally queasy and wonder: “What is wrong with that guy?”  I think the main reason I would never want to be a celebrity (no seriously) is for fear – horrible horrible fear – of ending up as the butt of joke on Family Guy.   In case you think I’m being prudish, let me give you a couple of examples.   It’s not the episode when Peter considers dating his daughter that bothers me, or when the family dog (a talking dog) has sex with a woman or when the gay British toddler tries to seduce the family dog.  These are arguably why a person tunes in to this show.  This is called “pushing the envelope” and adolescents (of whatever age) LOVE to pound and pummel and maul that paper enclosure just for the sake of it.  Fine.  I can appreciate this to a certain point. But there’s something else going on with  McFarlane.  He enjoys, for one hideous example, MAKING GRAPHIC FUN OF MICHAEL J. FOX FOR HAVING PARKINSONS.  Here’s another:  making fun of River Phoenix’s drug overdose and demise.  Repeatedly.  This is not funny and more importantly, IT’S NOT WITHIN THE REALM OF THE NORMAL. I think I do know the word for it, in fact:  sociopathic.  McFarlane is, I believe, a sociopath.  Not all sociopaths  torture and kill people.  They often go through life leaving psychological devastation in their wakes, but never finding a convenient moment to inflict bodily harm.  Here is where I believe McFarlane comes in.  I guess we should all be happy he has these outlets to channel his pathology into.

So why do I watch? As is often true of sociopaths, McFarlane is smart and funny.  One gets tired of excruciatingly dumb material like Flashforward.  Have you seen it?  Oh my God.  Watch it and you’ll understand why I am driven into the arms of Seth McFarlane by the depths of this sobbing, merciless, monstrous stupidity.   And then you’ll forgive me.

(I watch too much hulu.)