The Family Guy Halloween special review: 'It's pumpkin stuff'

In celebration of Family Guy's 25th anniversary, Hulu is premiering two holiday episodes exclusive to its steamer. As a Family Guy fan who loves the dysfunction and sardonicism of the Griffins, this is the perfect way to honor the show. The first episode is Halloween-themed and was already released on October 14th.

The Family Guy Halloween Special, or "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Cheater," as it's titled, delivered all the hilarious characteristics and structure of the animated sitcom with a spooky twist. Two storylines are encased, as they usually are with holiday episodes. Yet, while they're not linked together, meaning they don't overlap, but they give the right amount of balance and tone.

After watching "Peter, Peter Pumpkin Cheater," I was laughing throughout and while it was a bit off the wall with the Rupert storyline, there's something delightfully eery about a manical teddy bear. We all know that toy don't come alive, but if Toy Story, Child's Play, or that cursed Annabelle that my dog shares a name with has taught us anything, toys can make the best villains or heroes in Toy Story's case, in media. Why? Because i's unexpected and the power of a child's innocent imagination or soul absorbing is electrifying.

Now, what happened in "Peter, Peter Pumpkin Cheater"? Let's do a brief recap followed by a review.

The Family Guy Halloween Special review: Halloween in Griffin style

*Note: Spoilers are below from the episode. Read at your own discretion if you haven't yet watched.*

The Griffins shop for costumes at the Halloween store, where the weirdness begins. Meg decides on a nurse's uniform while Chris (who lacked in this episode) opted for a pair of nunchucks, going ninja inside the store. It's not out of chacter for him, but his story ends there, and I would've loved to see more of him.

Peter, Cleveland, and Quagmire are annoyed by the fact that Joe Swanson cannot stop chattering about entering his pumpkin in the pumpkin contest. This year, he's determined to win and beat the champion, Patrick McCloskey, voiced by Glen Powell. When Joe's pumpkin is smashed up by his friends, Peter takes responsibility and houses inside the giant gourd. At first, it's not bad, and Joe actually takes First Place for the most gigantic pumpkin. He finally beats McCloskey, and it's revealed that the former champion is having an affair with Bonnie, which Joe is oblivious to as she just brushes him off and says, "It's just pumpkin stuff."

I don't know why, but Bonnie's one-liner cracked me up more than it should have, but that's the style of Family Guy; it's meant to create comedy around a taboo subject, such as adultery as we wouldn't normally find it funny.

Peter finally grew bored with the pumpkin's interior and wanted out, only to discover that many other guys were inside the pumpkins for the same reason: To win. I'm not a pumpkin contest expert, but I'm pretty sure that cheating is a no-go, and having all the guys come out of their pumpkins simultaneously only exacerbates the issue. But in the FG world, nothing's off the table.

As for Stewie, he successfully brings his bear Rupert to life ala Frankenstein mode, after Brian drops out of taking Stewie trick-or-treating and dressing up like Sonny Bono to the genius baby's Cher. That's what I love about Stewie though, as he can openly and freely express his characteristics without caring what anyone else thinks, and he's accepted by those who matter most to him. He doesn't need validation because he knows that he's awesome and he utilizes it scientifically.

Stewie bring his bear to life backfired, as he became homicidal toward Brian, trying effortlessly to take him out, as Rupert saw the dog as a barrier between his and Stewie's friendship. It's quite odd, as if Ted the Bear suddenly had a personality switch and wanted to off his family. Again, this is Family Guy, and Halloween, so the plot's appropriate.

Stewie saves Brian as he means more than Rupert to him (and he's real), but kept on playing with his favorite thing as if nothing happened.

The verdict of whether to watch "Peter, Peter Pumpkin Cheater" is a solid yes. For an FG episode, it's very mild in terms of profanity, and being exclusive to Hulu, I expected some strong verbiage, but there was none. I think the reason has to do with the fact that since Disney now owns Family Guy, they keep the strong words out to keep it safer for family consumption.

Overall, the special was a great pivot to celebrate the Spooky Season and Halloween, and if you're like me, you'll watch it after Halloween.

"Peter, Peter Pumpkin Cheater" is now streaming on Hulu