Family Guy: Season 1 Episode 1

Recently I watched the first episode of Family Guy, titled “Death has a Shadow.” In this episode, Peter loses his job due to after he falls asleep at work and lets dangerous toys be distributed. This episode has many literary elements that make it quite hilarious.  The first element that creates comedy is irony. It’s ironic that Peter gets a welfare check for $150,000 a week, which allows him to do a multitude of outlandish things. This is ironic because welfare is normally for low income families, to help pay part of their bills. Another literary element in this episode is allusion to common events in everyday life. An example of this is when Peter’s daughter, Meg, messes with the thermostat after her mother warns her not to. After she turns up the thermostat, Peter, followed by a few other fathers, burst through the door and shout, “Who’s messing with the thermostat.” This creates comedy because almost everyone can remember a time when they messed with the thermostat only to have their father turn it down soon after. Family Guy uses irony and the allusion to daily events to create the humorous show that it’s known as.