How Family Guy Failed Kevin Swanson! (Family Guy Video Essay)

[@Lboogie0711]

Kevin was a good kid who could have a great love interest for meg, but then he loses his friends in the war, he throws away his medals because he doesn’t believe in the army anymore and his parents were cheating on each other. Plus he argued with his girlfriend

[@greygaston1263]

He also lived with a foster family when he was younger.

[@BrandonScott-mi5pz]

GREAT KITTY MONK HOW FAMILY GUY FAIL KEVIN SWANSON VIDEO ESSAY,

[@Robert-hc]

Hello! Air Force active duty for 12 years here! Kevin’s story of being blow up by an IED and taken to Kuwait would have lots of credence. While I’ve never personally deployed to Iraq, I did spend time in Afghanistan and while we had medical there more serious issues were sent back to more stable and safe locations like Kuwait or Qatar. Depending on seriousness possibly through a med evac (which would’ve been the likely case there) A friend of mine was actually in bagram during the last major attack there. He was sent to Kuwait for 3 weeks while they determined if he was capable of being sent back. Hope this helps!

[@Sewwfffyhjijui-n1e]

17:30 IIRC if you go AWOL for over 30 days that's considered desertion and you'll be convicted under UCMJ. Heads up the military doesn't have a double jeopardy law, meaning that they can convict you twice for the same crime.

[@hokage102364]

Further, during an active war it is automatically treason. Kevin committed treason, apparently while actively deployed. The whole book is getting slammed on his head. Now whether the Army would actually be actively looking for him, or for how long would depend. If he didn't steal any equipment, hurt anyone, or otherwise doing anything malicious other than just walking away then the Army probably looked for him for a couple weeks then had more important matters to attend to. That said if he did stumble across anyone from the Army, and they found out who he was and what he did, they would still be required to take him into custody and he'd probably be busted down to private, put on extra duty while going through the legal process, then dishonorably discharged. I think he could theoretically be imprisoned, but I don't think he would. Oh and as far as I'm aware there is not statute of limitations. I also have no idea if Joe would even actually have the authority/jurisdiction to arrest Kevin at all.

[@Hi_Just_Fred]

Joe can't be upset that Kevin lied about what really happened to make himself look better when they retconned he did the same with how he lied about becoming paralyzed.

[@123theprodigy5]

Just like the Cleveland show characters, Family Guy should really use Kevin as well. They are out of ideas when it comes to involving the main characters

[@estebangutierrez160]

A funny gag the show could've done with Joe and Kevin is for them to have a screaming match with each other. It wouldn't do much, just be something funny at least with Kevin.

[@xavierjohnson2321]

Isn't the whole problem with 'a soldier is supposed to follow orders' thing is that the US army actually teaches you when and when not to follow them?

[@Luxord5294]

Yes, but don't expect the Family Guy writers to ever acknowledge that, that would require critical thinking...

[@mathieuleader8601]

I think I remember hearing that Kevin was fostered at sometime in past I would have it revealed that Kevin was fostered by the Smiths and have the Smiths visit Quahog to catch up on old times.

[@zambekiller]

Didn't Stan and Francine also say they fostered a kid not long after they had Hallie?

[@bigpulgalokes]

Yeah it was a joke that Joe strangled him and he was taken away

[@davisthegamelord]

Heres my thing on Kevin's return episode. I am not a veteran myself but I do have several friends and family who were in the service (and most agree with me about this episode). I absolutely believe kevin is a traitor and should be in jail for what he did. A buddy of mine who was in the navy put it this way "he wasnt drafted like they were in Vietnam he signed up on his own accord and he knew the risks, he cant just walk away like he was working at McDonald's, and if he didn't understand that he's stupid". Honestly the best way they could have rewritten this episode is kevin didn't go AWOL he was dishonorable discharged for disobeying orders (or something like that) and because of the shame he forged a letter from the army saying he was dead and sent it to his family (yes I know thats not how it works but this is family guy they wouldn't care either way) then when he comes back him and joe can have the same argument about the poor family only it would make more sense because Joe "broke the rules" like kevin instead of "breaking the law" which he didn't in the episodes context. EDIT: I actually talked about this episode to a buddy of mine who was in the Marines. He said this regarding the rapist "Yeah no if we cought someone trying to pull that we would have just shot the guy." Hell thats probably how he died in the episode.

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

It's family guy their writers aren't that clever

[@Eric6761]

I think what could be done is this: Kevin's story is a half truth, his friends and the boy were eating but the bomb ignited and killed everyone but Kevin, so after the incident and since there's no one else since everyone was dead he fled and went to Quahog faking his death, which would be better since he lost everything and lost hope and his patriotism or even disobey an order that made him get the short end of the stick

[@logicmeister1821]

It's telling that they resorted to an emotionally manipulative argument rather than any other kind

[@WeebGuru6]

Ooh that’s good 😊

[@lukespillman1313]

That man is an imposter! I’m the real Kevin Swanson! That other guy is obviously a robot.

[@therotryzit]

One thing that bothers me is that the series barely touches at Joe and Bonnie's capabilities as parents. We got a lot of stories about their troubled marriage but how that affects Kevin and Susie is never really showcased. It's sad that the Swansons barely get to do things as a family nowadays.

[@ThePilgrimStudio]

All of Kevins fellow soldiers were killed, anyone else Ida is referring to is just the Army in general and the military isnt owed shit

[@anonymouspatriotnetwork2740]

A cop looking the other way is technically breaking the law, especially when he's looking the other way on a perp he was chasing

[@Andy_Comics]

with susie sounding like bullok I think its that so many of the family guy kids are voiced by adults without trying to sound like kids like doug or stewie

[@borisattva]

Blooms brought me here. Got a new subscriber. Thank you for your original, hard work.

[@maxweltersworld2270]

I think the impostor Kevin bit was just a Principal and the Pauper reference.

[@BrandonScott-mi5pz]

EXCELLENT KITTY MONK FAMILY GUY FAIL KEVIN SWANSON WORK.

[@caveman7854]

It’s also a reference to the voice actor change. Just like they did with Meg

[@blueraccoon1088]

Meg was voiced the same woman who voiced gwen Stacy and Dani burns in spectacular Spiderman and transformers rescue bots

[@nicholassims9837]

Regarding War , Greg Universe says it best " No Such Thing as a Good War kiddo "

[@Kittenfox_55]

The scene where he yells "I am not a Robot" Made me think really was a robot

[@SilverScribe85]

Is it wrong that I side with Kevin...or at least, the guy we THOUGHT was Kevin when he talked about combat? Even as a soldier, I'd feel like the biggest criminal on earth if me or one of my own comrades in arms took a civilian's life; especially a kid. Yet all I hear from people is "in war, things like honor and compassion don't matter"

[@estebangutierrez160]

Yeah it's hard to think about honor and compassion when people are trying to kill you, or the pressure is too much.

[@WonderousSmiles]

Pretty sure a mainstream American cartoon can't be TOO anti military. Not even South Park acknowledges how much devastation the US army causes to civilian life, and the many cases of SA. ....mostly to children. What I'm saying is, the US military is the one untouchable group to people in the USA. The closest I've seen was Bojack Horseman making fun of how socially untouchable they are. So, they couldn't get too real. They had to make the point that going AWOL is bad, and that Kevin was wrong. Which is why they pulled away from giving him a point, and had a good portion of the cast be veterans and talk down to him IMO, any reason is a good reason to desert the military. Fighting for your freedoms? What are your freedoms doing all the way in Iraq?

[@92JazzQueen]

Because he was wrong.

[@WonderousSmiles]

@@92JazzQueen Yes, the writers made sure of that.

[@axels3188]

I think Kevin has potential as a character but they ruined him when they brought him back.

[@hokage102364]

25:12 He is not "technically a soldier". You are a soldier *only* if you were in the Army. I'm a soldier. My father, who was in the Navy, is not. You're a sailor if you were Navy, an Airmen if you were Air Force, and a Marine if you were Marine Corps. Edit: Just to clarify tone, I'm not trying to come across as angry or anything, just informative. I'm not trying to berate you, I hope it doesn't come across that way.

[@frostcyclone1842]

I think she meant “soldier” as in a general member of the military. Even if the word applies only to the army, most use it for general military service, as there isn’t a general word for that aside from Military Men to my knowledge. And even then that may not be an actual term

[@hokage102364]

@frostcyclone1842 Soldier isn't the correct general term, it's Service Member. Soldier is specifically a person of the U.S. Army. I take pride in being a Soldier just as a Marine takes pride in being a Marine. I earned that honor and privilege. I get that this is a culture thing and that civilians don't understand or care, but I'm still going to point it out. Oh and for the record, Service Member is the official/legal general term, I didn't just pull that from thin air.

[@emilypearson3565]

Who hopes Meg will get revenge and not allow Lois to sit on the couch?

[@johnsantos507]

What?

[@SinfulEuphxria]

Fun fact, there's actually 2 US Army bases and 1 US Air Force base in Kuwait. However, if a soldier was to get a coma they would be transfered to Germany. Level 1 care is anything that can be handled by a combat medic on base, such hasty wound care, headaches, stuff like that. Level 2 care is anything that is above level 1 but does not require surgery, which would general require being transfered to Arifjan (Air-if-John). Level 3 is for serious injury and/or illness, which would be in Germany. Kevin would most likely have been in Germany, not Kuwait

[@allenbrown9069]

Thank you I was gonna comment this as well

[@mikeavina168]

10:54 yes it was often the major hospital for the war.

[@bxnvrr763]

I like your intros. Theyre not too long and it feels like talking to a someone IRL about a show/character you both like/ have an opinion on. It feels less like someone is talking at you and its relaxing

[@Andy_Comics]

kinda hated how that meg called him a psycho (pot calling the kettle black)which would make sense since he did have ptsd plus with his family just crumbling household

[@jabahrijackson]

I think Kevin is seeing ghosts of his dead friends

[@Sly88Frye]

27:55 oh I love that idea! That would be so brilliant and honestly that actually sounds very family guy. How did they not think of that😂

[@elishevaw.4158]

20:43 it’s pronounced “bai-yeet”, after the Hebrew word for “house” (בית)

[@ShadyRK9]

And thats why American Dad has gotten slightly better. Almost every character in Family Guy have gotten downhill! Only character that slightly gotten an upgrade since the beginning is Stewie! (And maybe Meg)

[@romeds848]

And even Stewie has had to drop quite far since his prime days, whereas in American Dad most of the characters are way better than where they started, at least for the main cast

[@haydenarlo1950]

susie is one of avery bullock "avatars". remember that episode when stan takes the girl avatar for that whole problematic thing with his son steve?

[@Umbra_Ursus]

If nothing else, the Thanksgiving episode gave us a nice moment with Ida... Even if Brian attempted to spite it. That's something, at least.

[@xen6601]

His punishment depends on his character, MOS(military job), whether it was war or peacetime, and his chain of command. He could get a dishonorable discharge, which would make him unempoyable in most places, or he could get a prison sentence. Since he deserted in war time, prison is the likely outcome.

[@domjohnson215]

Don’t feel bad about the pronouncement of the army camp. We call it camp AJ lol.

[@KittyMonk]

NGL that actually sounds kinda cute, for lack of a better word

[@soulaanlioness]

Family guy was GOLD when Seth Macfarlane was writing it, the new episodes while still funny really ruined most of what Seth wrote

[@tyrellbrown6262]

Oh cool a Kitty Monk video on my brithday Awesome!!!!

[@princessmarlena1359]

F*! I missed it. And yeah, Kevin was done about as dirty as Cleveland Jr.

[@Mururm]

At least with him they remembered the switch in the cleaveland show

[@Mururm]

Remembered the switch I meam

[@troperhghar9898]

One navy man to another, Ida is great in this episode

[@greygaston1263]

Well that’s just some ugly drag! -Brian griffin.

[@alastortownsend7483]

So my dad dealt with desserts, normally they are tracked down and honourably discharged. Idk why but ya that’s what he tells me.

[@Sly88Frye]

9:40 holy crap I somehow never noticed that. That's awesome you pointed that out.

[@cheesepuffs-zp7ye]

Wait THAT'S how you pronounce wattpad??? I've been calling it what-pad for the past 12 years omg

[@MoonLoonie69]

lol me too! 😅

[@Redneck_kumo]

I can’t feel my legs Peter

[@jescis]

Sickbay is either part of a Naval ship or part of a military camp/base, originally 14:00 Kévin would have been sent to court Marshall and be dishonorably discharged… AWOL(Absence With Out Leave) isn't as bad, my grandfather was charged for going AWOL because he wanted to see the sites in New York because he was from rural Georgia… I wasn't able to join the military because I have epilepsy and Cerebral Palsy, so I can't… but my father and his father are my experience about the technical jargon… but point is AWOL isn't what he did wrong, he was a deserter!! "Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission(a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with Unauthorized Absence(UA) or Absence Without Leave(AWOL), which are temporary forms of absense."

[@BennSimonn]

Whipped cream!

[@JordanISmith]

whipped cream!

[@Sewwfffyhjijui-n1e]

9:50 the correct term is "battle buddies" but it's alright. 13:00 you meant to say "Active Duty" not "Active Veteran". There's no such thing as active veteran.

[@nicholassims9837]

Kitty what do you think how the didnt make Chris , Kevin and Jr the best of friends like thier fathers in a manner similar to how the Rugrats mostly Tommy and Chuckie are best friends like their own dads were

[@frostcyclone1842]

Honestly I’d love to see that-! An episode with Chris, Cleveland Junior, Kevin, and… Mort I guess- instead of the normal four guys. Maybe it even starts in a restaurant that’s essentially a bar for kids- XD

[@angelsnyder6381]

I think honestly it would have been better if during what happened to Kevin's army buddies made him decide to leave. Like i just saw all my comrads parish and i couldn't do anything to stop it. So he flees in fear that he would be forced to see something like that again.

[@Neilhammond64]

This is the episode that made me give up on the show when it first aired. The biggest problem with Thanksgiving was that it was trying to be a drama but still did all the isms Family Guy uses for comedy. It needed to decide on whether it needed to be a drama or a comedy. I'd pick the latter becuase Family Guy is a comedy. I reitorate an older comment. This is not lifetime. I watch Family Guy to laugh. I stopped laughing so I stopped watching.

[@drakependragon8439]

As a 20 year veteran who served as an AWOL apprehension officer for a while, Kevin having deserted during a war if his unit wasn't scheduled to deploy may be locked up but most likely would just get chaptered out of the military, though is they were deploying to make an example of him they probably sent him to Fort Leavenworth

[@kate_dawn996]

Love you Kitty! You give me confidence

[@neuroairman]

10:25 If a soldier in Iraq needs long-term medical care, they'll often be stabilized in Kuwait before being shipped to the main overseas medical facility in Landstuhl, Germany.

[@SeverelyStressed2]

I miss Kevin

[@frostcyclone1842]

Honestly I love the idea of Kevin joining the Military to be a hero like his dad- and here’s my idea of how I’d rewrite the episode Kevin starts with the story about his dad looking the other way and sees him as a hero for it. When he grows up, he wants to be like him, so he joins the military. He meets the kid, gets to know him and learns his name as the kid begins to trust him. One day his general orders him to search a building for enemies fighters and sees a man with a weapon in hand and takes him out, only for the kid to run over crying. The man Kevin shoots ends up being the kids dad, who was only armed to protect his family. Kevin loses the trust of the kid and suddenly feels like he’s a murderer, not a hero. As he says at the start of the episode, he doesn’t see himself as a hero. Then as in the episode he fakes his death in the Thanksgiving attack and goes AWOL. It’s at this point that his father removes the cuffs and Ida sympathizes with him, but Carter still sees him as a bad guy for fleeing from duty. We know Carter’s an evil guy and doesn’t care about the lives of commoners so regardless of it being a soldier or civilian who died, Kevin abandoned his position for doing his job. It would be a good representation of the people who don’t care why someone deserts, they deserted and that makes them bad. It would also make his appearance in the episode justified, as he has a role. And to justify Mayor West’s appearance, make it so he decides to pardon Kevin, so he’s no longer wanted for desertion. Given that likely wouldn’t be realistic, but Mayor West has always been a little crazy, and he had enough power to negotiate annexation of another country (Petoria), so maybe he has more power than the average mayor. At least one member from each group at the table has an important role in the story, and it gives Kevin a more justifiable reason for his actions

[@BugsyFoga]

Poor dude

[@PaigeQueenOfFrogs]

21:53 no no Catherine please go on

[@BlitzDemonGamer3032]

yet another character they went and wasted even though I'd did somewhat remembered Kevin Swanson even from way back in the beginning of Family Guy to even from the Modern Seasons and obvious nit-pic they should have had Meg and Kevin go on more dates but since after he came back from the war on the Thanksgiving episode I've forgotten all about Kevin

[@samflood5631]

If they do an episode that focuses on Kevin being an unstable menace to society, maybe he could screaming at mice in other people’s kitchen with his shirt off, pull off people’s scabs and take a dump on other people’s chimneys.

[@ultimistakeo4369]

KITTY, can you cover its always sunny? plzzzzzz

[@blueraccoon1088]

"Orders are orders. We do what we must even if it doesn't make sense. When an order doesn't make sense that's where you follow your spark" someone will know where that was from

[@claymathewselevator8121]

That American Dad Sqt Pepper is a Hurt Locker parody too

[@WeebGuru6]

Surprised quagmire didn’t say anything cuz he’s also a vet

[@squeaktheswan2007]

The bullock possessing Joe's baby theory could explain why Bonnie was pregnant for over ten years, both in series and irl. It could also explain the wheelchair gag.

[@abusedavocado1938]

He would 100% be convicted and sent to prison. The length of the sentence would be what’s up for debate.

[@Wsc-g7o]

Waited a day for this then fell asleep 🙏😭

[@icecreamhero2375]

This episode is fine but Family Guy shouldn't do serious and more emotional episodes. People watch the show to turn off their brians and laugh. Those are always the weaker ones. Family Guy is at its best when the plot is really wacky and stupid.

[@alichiawilson7307]

Whipped Cream Also, yes, we have bases in Kuwait 🇰🇼 but like he would've been seen at like Germany, though i guess maybe FG doesn"t know that. Anyways, question answer: to my knowledge, he would eventually be arrested and, depending on his service record and some other stuff, he'd be charged with a UCMJ and separation. Sent to Leavenworth for a certain amount of time

[@hampusragnar9135]

On a scale from 1 to 10 how wierd is it that i fantasize about me waking up one morning laying next to a 10 foot tall Catherine who has the body of a Goddess?.

[@MrGabeanator]

family guy has ruined the entire Swanson family and yet I still like Joe and Bonnie because they're voiced by 2 of my favorite actors Patrick Warburton and Jenniefer Tilly also if Family Guy and American Dad one thing I would love to see is Avery Bullock interacting with Susie Swanson

[@Zackatk555]

Avery probably put the robot baby up for adoption. Hell he probably put up a few and waited for one to be adopted by the perfect woman

[@Mouritzeen]

just got here from the newest Bloom video on AI

[@quizmaster1812]

Meow kitty I have a question for you what is the costume or uniform that your OC have?

[@6000-c6q]

Dunno how you guys are handling it right now. But in WW2 a surprising number of deserters were actually parlayed after the war. I only know of one execution. That are better odds than surviving an actual warzone.

[@fireninjafox]

Poor Kevin we need a episode of him getting his life straightened out and going to therapy

[@sjmhadsock4586]

Court Marshall

[@jayrenault7892]

I love your videos in general, and for the first time I found myself actually skipping hard when I heard you say "Hello, I'm Kitty Monk and..." just to fall on you saying, "Let's discuss, I think my intros are too long..." and pause right there(1:24) to come to make this comment. It's not that your intro are too long(hell you are one of the shortest intro girl I've seen so far) BUT they are very repetitive, even if they aren't the same from video to video, I've found myself guessing how you present "today's subjects" more than once and it's just boring when you're predictable, which is sad because the actual content you produce past said intros are always fresh takes on those over talked subject, which makes them(you videos) refreshing to listen to. TLDR; Your videos are amongst the best on KZbin, but your intros are boring. Jump straight into the meat if possible, keep it short if you cannot. Great Work, Love your Art.

[@WeebGuru6]

He would go to federal prison

[@leephillips4402]

I mean pretty much the whole cast of Family Guy has been replaced by some doppelganger at this point so it doesn't really matter.

[@WhiteGirlLearningSpanish]

Whipped cream! And I loved Kevin during the earlier seasons- I shipped him and Meg. They really did fail him!

[@pmcKANE]

Blooms sent me

[@MrAdub97]

I’m active duty navy lol quagmire wasn’t a soldier we are sailors …..and you are going to jail as soon as they find you they won’t look for you right away but second you get a speeding ticket or something they going to come get you

[@nicholassims9837]

About stealing being a gray area Robin hood and Aladdin steal but they have understandable reasons steal from rich and give to the poor. Is super poor and steals but only the bare necessities.

[@609Blackrose]

I was in the National Guard, so my experience would be different, but we had people who went AWOL and got in touch and heard them out. Some they came to agreements and helped separate them from the military. However those guys also didn't fake their deaths to go AWOL, so I feel Kevin would be arrested even from my experience. As for what Joe said about Kevin's job being following orders, no, that's only half true. As a soldier you are allowed to turn down orders if you have moral reasons not to do it. Like if I was ordered to shoot down a village including children I could say no because I won't shoot kids.

[@foxyaus]

my new fave kitty monk quote is now DADDY :3

[@Nordic_Aquarius.3-]

They failed every Swanson in my opinion, used to have a lot of respect

[@92JazzQueen]

Yeah, that shoplifting story is just straight out of the left's romanticizing about shop lifting where its poor family's stealing and not more realistically middle or even rich people like louis. While those who do steal have my sympathy, letting them go sends a bad message as well but its good to sometimes have levity if its a first offense.

[@twiceshy9773]

Jimmy Carter is dead now though (2025 now)

[@bsanchez3563]

Ooh Whipped cream.. so rich an so yummy yet so thirst inducing kind of.. hehe so yummy tho.. I wodner if kids nowdays know the experience of trynna sneak a can of whipped cream for eating it direct out of the can lol. All the while oblivious so the audio it makes for one to press the trigger dispenser thing.. at the ebd of the can lol..

[@bsanchez3563]

6:10 huh.. man that feels so.. idk how it is but feels at least like in the ckntext of tv I can be mkre at ease of mind vs irl feeling.. like idk somehlw haunted or by some level clcnerned or worried about death... but yeah that also makes for some good surety of a lot of things tv beibg arguably left open for the not confirmed cutvand dry one way or the other but anything.. :D kind of coolio of a blank canvas for the imagination... with stencils perhaps idk.. :D

[@Shandii-vd5fc]

7 hours ago

[@queencat6756]

Another Epic Video ♥️😻💯