Anyone else notice how Peter and Lois freeze whenever Stewie talks around them?

[The True Detective]

There's a difference between an absurdist show tackling serious themes and trying to apply logic to a show that has never tried to be internally consistent. I mean, it's a kind of fun exercise if your high with your friends watching it when you were 16, but as an adult it's pretty obvious there's nothing really there to make a theory on.

Except there's tons of internal logic the show tries to follow, Seth MacFarlane and other producers have admitted in interviews they try to not have most adult characters close to the main cast understand Stewie. Peter is stupid, everybody hates Meg, Carter is a greedy rich *******, Quagmire is a pervert, Joe hates his life, etc these are all consistent parts of the show that are rarely strayed from. This isn't Looney Tunes where in 1 short Daffy's a sci-fi hero in the 24th and a half century and the next he's a Dick Tracy parody.

You can't talk about serious issues as much as Family Guy does then hide behind it's just a cartoon when people think deeply about it. Besides the show has established internal logic that everyone understands Brian. So when he's talking to Stewie in a way you'd talk to a much older person you'd expect someone to ask him why he's trying to have an intellectual conversation with a baby.

Asking a question doesn't mean I think this is ultra serious business if you don’t like this thread topic just ignore it, I don't need your condescending "calm down it's just a cartoon" responses. Move on if you think this is a stupid thread.

[thwhtGuardian]

Except there's tons of internal logic the show tries to follow, Seth MacFarlane and other producers have admitted in interviews they try to not have most adult characters close to the main cast understand Stewie. Peter is stupid, everybody hates Meg, Carter is a greedy rich *******, Quagmire is a pervert, Joe hates his life, etc these are all consistent parts of the show that are rarely strayed from. This isn't Looney Tunes where in 1 short Daffy's a sci-fi hero in the 24th and a half century and the next he's a Dick Tracy parody.

You can't talk about serious issues as much as Family Guy does then hide behind it's just a cartoon when people think deeply about it. Besides the show has established internal logic that everyone understands Brian. So when he's talking to Stewie in a way you'd talk to a much older person you'd expect someone to ask him why he's trying to have an intellectual conversation with a baby.

Asking a question doesn't mean I think this is ultra serious business if you don’t like this thread topic just ignore it, I don't need your condescending "calm down it's just a cartoon" responses. Move on if you think this is a stupid thread.

No one's telling you to calm down...it's just that we're not agreeing with your theory and pointing out why trying to connect the dots isn't that helpful in this situation.

Those "consistencies" you're mentioning there aren't consistent plot threads, those are characterizations and there's a world of difference between the two.

[wleakr]

This is a little nitpick that has always bothered me and my siblings but no one else seems to notice it.

It is possible your above observation is true.

[babyblob]

I know but I can't think of any instances that have have happened since the show returned from cancelation in 2005. Scratch that I can't think of any specific instances where Peter has responded to him since the show came back. Of course there's the well known scene where they're arguing about the Godfather and Lois says she agreed with Stewie but other than that I can't think of any other moments of either Peter or Lois responding to Stewie post 2005.

I gave a couple instances. Peter tell Stewie in one episode he does understand him. Then in another he tells the family he can understand parts of what Stewie says. Here are a couple more. Then there is a third time when Stewie makes a smartass comic and Peter punches him. A fourt time he is drunk and wonders about stewies line in the opening song. Says "Laugh and Cry F'ing Cry."

[The True Detective]

It is possible your above observation is true.

True here but not everywhere, I just watched a video where someone examines their thoughts on who can and can't understand Stewie, look into the comment section and lots of people have brought up the same things I have. People are saying they want an episode from the perspective of characters who can't understand Stewie to see what they actually hear when he's talking.

[The True Detective]

I gave a couple instances. Peter tell Stewie in one episode he does understand him. Then in another he tells the family he can understand parts of what Stewie says. Here are a couple more. Then there is a third time when Stewie makes a smartass comic and Peter punches him. A fourt time he is drunk and wonders about stewies line in the opening song. Says "Laugh and Cry F'ing Cry."

Those are one off gags the shows been on for 24 years and there are at best only a handful of times Peter hears what Stewie is saying. We're not meant to take those moments seriously because 99% of the time Peter clearly doesn't hear him. If he did why did he consider him cursing his first ever word?

[babyblob]

I mean this is the same show that has had episodes about abortion, a baby with cancer, domestic abuse, racism, suicide and other very serious topics. It's not like I'm nitpicking Looney Tunes.

They may have serious subjects in the show but that does not make it a serious logical show. All of these subjects were treated as jokes. None of them were taken seriously. I think the only one that could be said was taken mildly serious was Stewies friend that had cancer.

But Qagmires sister who was victim of domestic violence? A joke through the whole show. Peter often jokes about hitting Lois, the racism? Often Cleveland is the butt of the racist jokes. THey never took it serious. THe often make jokes about Meg killing herself. Again not taken seriously. Prom Night Dumpster Baby song? How serious was that as a topic of abortion?

[The True Detective]

They may have serious subjects in the show but that does not make it a serious logical show. All of these subjects were treated as jokes. None of them were taken seriously. I think the only one that could be said was taken mildly serious was Stewies friend that had cancer.

But Qagmires sister who was victim of domestic violence? A joke through the whole show. Peter often jokes about hitting Lois, the racism? Often Cleveland is the butt of the racist jokes. THey never took it serious. THe often make jokes about Meg killing herself. Again not taken seriously. Prom Night Dumpster Baby song? How serious was that as a topic of abortion?

In the season 8 finale Partial Terms of Endearment Lois gets an abortion: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Part..._of_Endearment it wasn't shown on Fox so most Americans have never seen it. The episode about Quagmire's sister being abused by her boyfriend treated domestic violence very seriously and ended with one of the darkest most gruesome scenes in the show's history where Quagmire rams his car into his sister's abusive boyfriend Jeff as he's laying against a tree.

There's an episode where Peter accidentally shoots Cleveland Jr. in the arm: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sh...k_(Family_Guy) it covers racism and doesn't treat it as a joke.

Some of you guys seem to think absurdity = no internal logic when that isn't the case. Seth has said about who can understand Stewie: "Brian always hears Stewie, and more recently so does Chris, but the writers usually strive for Peter, Lois, and Meg (apart from "Leggo My Meg-O") not to hear him. Once Stewie leaves the house, the question of who can hear him depends very much on the story." MacFarlane also states that these rules can be broken for the sake of comedy, so this could change from one episode to another: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stew...tanding_Stewie

If there's no real logic why do Seth and the writers strive for certain people to not hear him? A silly nonsensical show wouldn't have rules like that. They'd have people understand him all of the time because it wouldn't matter.This proves there is an internal logic that exists and the show tries to abide by.

[thwhtGuardian]

In the season 8 finale Partial Terms of Endearment Lois gets an abortion: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Part..._of_Endearment it wasn't shown on Fox so most Americans have never seen it. The episode about Quagmire's sister being abused by her boyfriend treated domestic violence very seriously and ended with one of the darkest most gruesome scenes in the show's history where Quagmire rams his car into his sister's abusive boyfriend Jeff as he's laying against a tree.

There's an episode where Peter accidentally shoots Cleveland Jr. in the arm: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sh...k_(Family_Guy) it covers racism and doesn't treat it as a joke.

Some of you guys seem to think absurdity = no internal logic when that isn't the case. Seth has said about who can understand Stewie: "Brian always hears Stewie, and more recently so does Chris, but the writers usually strive for Peter, Lois, and Meg (apart from "Leggo My Meg-O") not to hear him. Once Stewie leaves the house, the question of who can hear him depends very much on the story." MacFarlane also states that these rules can be broken for the sake of comedy, so this could change from one episode to another: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stew...tanding_Stewie

If there's no real logic why do Seth and the writers strive for certain people to not hear him? A silly nonsensical show wouldn't have rules like that. They'd have people understand him all of the time because it wouldn't matter.This proves there is an internal logic that exists and the show tries to abide by.

It literally blows your idea apart right at the end, "these rules can be broken for the sake of comedy so this could change from one episode to another." That coupled with multiple episodes where it does just that just goes to illustrate the randomness of it.

But hey, if coming up with a theory that explains it through out the show increases your personal enjoyment then go for it, fan theories can be fun to make, just don't expect others to take it seriously.

[babyblob]

I think the more illogical part aside from Stewie is why so many woman are willing to have sex with a talking dog. And how Brian has a 13 year old human kid when as pointed out he is only 7

[wleakr]

I think the more illogical part aside from Stewie is why so many woman are willing to have sex with a talking dog. And how Brian has a 13 year old human kid when as pointed out he is only 7

Uh oh...this revelation could lead to trouble with the internal logic...lol!

[Nate Grey]

I think the more illogical part aside from Stewie is why so many woman are willing to have sex with a talking dog. And how Brian has a 13 year old human kid when as pointed out he is only 7

I gave up on Family Guy around the time Quagmire got his nick nack bit off by a shark, its all American Dad for me. So in a similar vein, the family tries to hide that Roger is an alien, but not that Klaus is a talking fish. Who somehow, like Brian on Family Guy, goes out on dates with human women pretty frequently.

[The True Detective]

It literally blows your idea apart right at the end, "these rules can be broken for the sake of comedy so this could change from one episode to another." That coupled with multiple episodes where it does just that just goes to illustrate the randomness of it.

But hey, if coming up with a theory that explains it through out the show increases your personal enjoyment then go for it, fan theories can be fun to make, just don't expect others to take it seriously.

He says they try not to though which they wouldn't do at all if there wasn't any realism to the show, Stewie is understood by his parents extremely rarely so obviously it's something they don't want happening for the most part. Multiverse episodes don't take place in the main universe of the show they're essentially like Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons. If Stewie isn't heard by adults 99% of the time wouldn't that imply the writers really don't want him to be understood?

One off gags aren't meant to be taken seriously which is why they said it's ok for adults not connected to the main cast who we're unlikely to ever see again to talk to him. Why would they put any qualifiers in place if it's all random nonsense they don't care about? And for the last time this is about Brian/characters who can talk to Stewie not just Stewie himself. I know it's on a case by case basis with Stewie but we know they all hear Brian. He talks to Stewie within earshot of the others in a way nobody talks to a baby. Once Brian winked at Stewie and Peter told him it was weird and to never wink at him again. That's all I'm wondering why doesn't anyone ever say "hey Brian why are you talking to the baby like that? He doesn't know what you're saying."

I don't expect anyone to take this seriously, if someone's answer is "it's just a stupid cartoon" that's patronizing I know it's a cartoon and in the grand scheme none of it matters. Why click on to a thread if you aren't going to meaningfully contribute? It'd be like going into the Rumbles section and saying "whoever the writer wants to win" for a Superman vs Thor thread. Are discussions about absurd cartoons not allowed? I'm honestly starting to regret even making this thread now.

[Jackalope89]

Eh, threw that all out when they had Stewie do the "Mom, mom, mom, mother, mommy" bit to annoy Lois. And she clearly heard it when she asked what he wanted.

Besides, I was always more Simpsons or South Park (and still the latter).

[The True Detective]

Eh, threw that all out when they had Stewie do the "Mom, mom, mom, mother, mommy" bit to annoy Lois. And she clearly heard it when she asked what he wanted.

Besides, I was always more Simpsons or South Park (and still the latter).

I know but this thread isn't about Stewie specifically but the characters who we know can talk to him like Brian and Chris. A way I can describe what I mean is we know Superman can fly and Batman can't. So if Wonder Woman sees both flying obviously she'll think nothing of Superman doing it but be shocked at seeing Batman fly. The Griffins won't think anything about Brian talking and whether they can understand Stewie or not they don't know he's a super intelligent baby.

So they should think it's strange that Brian has so many mature conversations with Stewie right in front of them. It'd be 1 thing if Brian was saying babytalk to him or very simple words a child can understand but talking about getting laid to a baby is undeniably odd and out of the norm even by Family Guy standards, Brian isn't Quagmire nobody would expect him to say that to an infant.

I still can't believe nobody has seen the way they just completely stop moving when Brian and Stewie talk. The same way background characters do barely even blinking which even Peter has pointed out. It's extremely noticeable and ironic that Peter notices background characters not moving when the Griffins do the same thing with Brian and Stewie's conversations.