It's time for us to remind people that naked ladies don't always have to be sexy, as we delve into some Mature Musings.
Family Guy is not a show I have a lot of love for. It's incredibly mean-spirited, unapologetic about that fact, and goes out of its way to make the worst kind of political jokes. That said, I am perfectly willing to give a pass to the early seasons of the show. Both of the episodes I saw from those seasons, "Road to Europe" and "From Method to Madness" are some of the funniest things I've ever seen. Keep in mind that the show was on its way to becoming the successor of The Simpsons, and it was facing a lot of competition, such as the down-to-earth King of the Hill, the crass South Park, and even Simpsons creator Matt Groening's satirical Futurama.
"Method" is one of those episodes that really gels. All the jokes are on point and hit their mark with perfect accuracy. I'm not even talking about the stuff with then nudist family, either; the main plot of Stewie becoming a broadway star has so many great moments, like a Broadway orchestra coming out of a school piano. It's definitely one of the high points of the series.
Speaking of which, the way nudity is used here is also a really high point. Aside from the fact that the nudist wife also shows her butt like the guys, and that the butt is intended more to be humorous, there's a moment where Peter and Lois shirk all their clothes to try and make Lois' nudist boyfriend feel comfortable. And in every single moment, Peter and Lois share equal exposure from objects, like when Peter's lower body is covered by a chair, so is Lois', and when Peter shows his butt, Lois' is not far behind. Peter's not ugly because he's a man, he's ugly because he's ugly. And as for Quagmire, well, that's a joke at his expense to ridicule him for being a pervert.
It's probably one of the highest moments of female nudity in animation and it's just so wonderfully subversive. What "Natural Born Kissers" had such difficulty doing, "From Method to Madness" excels the test with flying colors. It's definitely a landmark achievement in a series that is later known for poison for poison's sake.
If there's anything to take from this, it's that even I think old Family Guy was better.