Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side [Blu-ray]

Chris Griffin is right: when it comes to obsessive geekery and mining absurdity from the minutiae of the Star Wars universe, the comic force is stronger with Robot Chicken. But Family Guy strikes back with the second episode in its goof on the original holy trilogy. The animation is more impressive than the jokes, which are scattered all over the galaxy--the good (an Empire recruitment film), the bad (Yoda's teachings revolve around guy-movie trivia), and the ugly (wholly gratuitous--and here unbleeped--F-bombs). Devoted viewers will catch in-jokes inside of other in-jokes (this program takes its title from the season 5 episode "Barely Legal," in which the Emperor discovers the formula for great Star Wars dialogue). There is some interesting stunt casting with nebbish Mort Goldman as Lando Calrissian and the Giant Chicken as Boba Fett. James Caan cameos, as does, sorta, Tom Selleck. And Meg is once again reduced to embodying a hideous space creature, although at least she gets a line of dialogue. The DVD and Blu-ray editions contain metachlorine-rich extra features, including lively (and at times slanderous) audio commentary by Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, writer Kirker Butler, director Dominic Polcino, and others; optional trivia pop-ups; and a table read of the Something, Something script. There is also a sneak-preview table read of the next installment, We Have a Bad Feeling About This. If I were an Ewok, I'd be worried, or on the phone to a lawyer. --Donald Liebenson