Current Events > Family Guy question about Joe

(+) Yeah! (+)

It seems that Joe is a very different character from when he was first introduced.

Initially Joe was this crippled superman. His wife was sexually satisfied with him, he could do everything that a normal person could do, and with his upper body strength he was actually more competent in physical activities. He came off as intelligent, and really intense.

Then, the show was cancelled for a short time, and Joe comes back. He is a little bit more passive, but gradually he is more and more of a wimp. Bonnie openly talks about how sexually unsatisfied she is, is implied to cheat on Joe multiple times, and usually takes pot shots at him for being handicapped.

Peter also treats Joe really poorly, and Joe even refers to Peter as "kind of his boss" in one episode. Peter bullies Joe, plays pranks on him, and even hurts him at times with no repercussions. Joe just takes this, never has anything clever to say, and is basically regarded as the most worthless person in the group. There's even an episode where Quagmire lies to Joe about being a virgin so he can have sex with Bonnie.

Is there a reason the show decided to turn so viciously on Joe? The only episode I can think of where he shows signs of his earlier characterization was when he gets his legs back, but in that instead of being this stand up, hero cop, he's more of an arrogant jerk to his friends and wife. He's basically a third Joe we never see again.

So, why did Seth McFarlane or whatever writers decide to change Joe and the dynamic he brought so dramatically?

---

I hope someone got fired for that blunder

---

This isn't unique to Joe. Characterization has adjusted on most characters. Brian went from educated to psuedointellectual ponce, Stewie went from evil to extremely gay baby genius, Chris is whatever they need him to be, Meg is a gargoyle.

---

Because public opinion has changed on cops and wheelchairs

All the people associated with the pre-cancelled show are long since gone and new writers are willing to completely sell out the identity built up for a character for an easy joke.

American Dad is more of the orginial Family Guy than what Family Guy became.


---

oops, this was a woodworks n alts topic

---

Most Family Guy characters seem to either be an asshole, an idiot or a punching bag. I guess Joe's disability made him easier to fit into the punching bag slot even though the first episode was the opposite.

---

Because Family Guy just turned into a haven for juvenile shock comedy and hey, what's funnier than making fun of a handicapped person am I right? /s

---

Joe is one of the characters that wasn't really ever funny before or after the cancellation and the writers don't know how to write a paraplegic character to be funny so this is what we get. They have the same issue with writing female characters, mostly Meg tho.
---

Guide posted...

This isn't unique to Joe. Characterization has adjusted on most characters. Brian went from educated to psuedointellectual ponce, Stewie went from evil to extremely gay baby genius, Chris is whatever they need him to be, Meg is a gargoyle.

This, it's pretty typical for long running sitcoms for characters to change over time. Flanderization is a term for a reason (because Ned Flanders in the Simpson started out as just a nice next door neighbor and then became a super religious nut).

---

Guide posted...

This isn't unique to Joe. Characterization has adjusted on most characters. Brian went from educated to psuedointellectual ponce, Stewie went from evil to extremely gay baby genius, Chris is whatever they need him to be, Meg is a gargoyle.

This

---

Guide posted...

oops, this was a woodworks n alts topic

I have no idea who that is, but I remember you from that other topic where I snapped at Zikten.

Why are you accusing me of being an alt of someone? Is everyone that rubs you the wrong way an alt? Is everyone you dislike the same person in disguise every time?

---

Rule for modern family guy, everyone is horrible. Honestly the nicest character is Stewie.

---

WarfireX posted...

I have no idea who that is, but I remember you from that other topic where I snapped at Zikten.

Why are you accusing me of being an alt of someone? Is everyone that rubs you the wrong way an alt? Is everyone you dislike the same person in disguise every time?

I'm not accusing you of being an alt. I recognize other names is all.

---

WaterLink posted...

This, it's pretty typical for long running sitcoms for characters to change over time. Flanderization is a term for a reason (because Ned Flanders in the Simpson started out as just a nice next door neighbor and then became a super religious nut).

I dunno if Joe is really a case of flanderization though. Ned Flanders was always very religious but that was just part of his "perfect neighbor" character. Then they decided to focus on that aspect and turn it up to 11 which is how flanderization usually works.

Joe is basically an entirely different character

---

My theory on Joe is as follows:

Peter was initially threatened by Joe and watched his step, however over time Peter became more comfortable seeing that Joe was not as perfect as he presented.

Now, something important to understand about Peter is that he is an insecure bully. He picks friends that can't really judge or threaten him, ala Cleveland who is mentally slow and Quagmire who is a full blown sex offender. He probably felt the need to expand his circle, and Joe being handicapped fits the profile of his friend selection.

So, over the years I get the feeling that Peter became more comfortable and would point out the flaws in Joe's armor, because he's had time to see where he isn't perfect. After constant put downs, Joe doesn't carry himself the same anymore and is open about his inadequacies. Eventually, he eases into his place in the group at the bottom of the totem pole because Peter (and to a lesser extent Bonnie) have damaged his self esteem so much.

That's why when Joe gets his legs back he is so liberated and aggressive, even brutally beating his friends up. He even leaves Bonnie. I think Joe decided since he had new legs he would reinvent himself and never fall into the rut of being the biggest loser again.

---

cuh posted...

I noticed that too. Something similar happened to most of the characters (like Meg turning into a joke character lol)

Yeah they went extra hostile on Meg, but they have toned it down in later seasons. In later seasons she is an Olympic level skier and shooter, and sometimes has clever comebacks. So they changed her AGAIN.

---

There's like 19 seasons of Family Guy dude. The characters evolve for new jokes and to keep dynamics interesting. Brian used to be an everyman, then he became Seth's annoying mouthpiece, then he got walked back into being a hypocrite and sex addict, and now a pseudointellectual.

---

Wasnt Meg always a joke character that everyone hated

One of the first episodes focusing on her has Peter giving her some kind of pep talk on the porch and he says hes had his big disappointments in life too. Then it cuts away to the doctor holding up baby Meg and saying its a girl! and pans over to Peter holding a bunch of sports equipment saying can you check again

I laugh every time at that scene >_>

---

I think Joe was suppose to be a one episode character and they tweeked his personality after his first appearance. While he has gotten worse over time the "perfect hero" Joe was only in that first episode.

---

Doe posted...

There's like 19 seasons of Family Guy dude. The characters evolve for new jokes and to keep dynamics interesting. Brian used to be an everyman, then he became Seth's annoying mouthpiece, then he got walked back into being a hypocrite and sex addict, and now a pseudointellectual.

Brian was only the every man voice of reason in the first three seasons. He has been a combination of the things you described since they brought the show back and Quagmire told him off for being a bigger scum bag than he is.

---

ArchNemo posted...

I dunno if Joe is really a case of flanderization though. Ned Flanders was always very religious but that was just part of his "perfect neighbor" character. Then they decided to focus on that aspect and turn it up to 11 which is how flanderization usually works.

Joe is basically an entirely different character

Ned wasn't that religious early on. He had a bar in his basement. Current Ned would pass out at the thought of having "the devil's water" in his home.

---

ITT - Flanderization is totally unique to just Ned Flanders.

---

Because he was a boring character and they changed him to fit their mood better.

Peter and Lois used to have a touching relationship with us and downs, but they decided it was funnier for their relationship to be toxic, to be objectively awful parents, and to have Lois cheat on Peter.

Characters change when the writers get bored.

---

WarfireX posted...

Quagmire told him off for being a bigger scum bag than he is.

That's like season 8 dude. Season 4 is when it was uncanceled and in that space, especially ~season 6, Brian was obnoxiously a mouthpiece without the flaws they developed for him later on.

---

I think American Dads characters are the most consistent with how they were at the beginning between the three shows.

edit: I guess Stan isnt as ultra conservative as he used to be

---

Tired-Insomniac posted...

Wasnt Meg always a joke character that everyone hated

One of the first episodes focusing on her has Peter giving her some kind of pep talk on the porch and he says hes had his big disappointments in life too. Then it cuts away to the doctor holding up baby Meg and saying its a girl! and pans over to Peter holding a bunch of sports equipment saying can you check again

I laugh every time at that scene >_>

That's a common sitcom trope though, where the dad wants the baby to be a boy to do guy stuff.

I liked when Meg used to have that Jewish nerd kid that was interested in her, whatever happened to him?

Frizzurd posted...

That's a common sitcom trope though, where the dad wants the baby to be a boy to do guy stuff.

I liked when Meg used to have that Jewish nerd kid that was interested in her, whatever happened to him?

I was just wondering about him a few weeks ago and he ended up being in the next episode lol

---

Tired-Insomniac posted...

I was just wondering about him a few weeks ago and he ended up being in the next episode lol

edit: just looked him up on the family guy wiki and I had no idea he was voiced by Seth Green

That's cool. It seems like for the longest time they only showed his parents.

I think the hatred of Meg was justified in the mid seasons. She was an awful child in the early seasons, using Stewie to make money for designer, putting her family on a Jerry Springer knock off to humiliate them etc.

The while shes ugly thing got old, but peeps seem to forget what a hateful little shit she was in seasons 1-4.

---

Family guy became crap when meg got a new voice actor


---

Big_Nabendu posted...

Family guy became crap when meg got a new voice actor

No the show didnt become trash after one season. Nice try though I bet you were fist pumping while posting this.

---