It’s hard to believe it’s been almost two years since Carrie Fisher died – and we’re not done mourning her. Not only is there one more, presumably General Leia Organa-less Star Wars movie coming to make us cry in the next few years, but even her minor projects, like Family Guy, are still wrapping up her involvement.
Fisher voiced Angela, Peter Griffin’s boss at the brewery, in the long-running series, and much as The Simpsons did with Mrs Krabappel after the death of Marcia Wallace, the character was gracefully killed off rather than recast when she died.
Peter eulogised Angela with a speech that starts heartfelt-but-dumb, and then breaks the fourth wall with a string of loving adjectives that can only be about Fisher herself.
“Fearless, spontaneous, honest – about herself just as much as she was about the world around her. She had grace, courage, and an unmatched zest for life.”
“She may be gone, but her voice will live on in DVD and Hulu Plus, and tiny droid-projected messages. I may have lost a boss, but heaven has gained a princess.”
Family Guy can be awfully hit and miss when it goes for earnest – if there’s a moment of genuine insight, it’ll sit for a second and then someone will say something horrific about Meg.
But that – the first half of it, at least – shows how Fisher’s one-of-a-kind spirit brought out something special in everyone she worked with. Even Seth MacFarlane.