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A Fish out of Water (Family Guy)
Encyclopedia
"A Fish out of Water" is the 10th episode from the third season of Family Guy
that first aired September 19, 2001. It guest stars Michael Chiklis
, Ralph Garman
, Alfonso Ribeiro
, Brian Doyle-Murray
as Salty, and Lisa Wilhoit
as Connie D'Amico. This episode is rated TV-14 D. This was the first episode of Family Guy to air after the September 11 attacks. Seth MacFarlane
was to be on Flight 11, which was the plane that was hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center
's North Tower.
becomes very obese. On a "walk" on the docks, he is confused with Mercury
by Tom Tucker when his son Jake asks him what's "that," and he resolves to lose weight and become a fisherman. He loses the weight without explanation. Joe takes Peter to a police seized-property auction, where Peter buys a boat for $
50,000. He names the boat "S.S. More Powerful Than Superman
, Batman
, Spider-Man
, and the Incredible Hulk
Put Together
."
To pay for the vessel, Peter takes out a loan with his house as collateral. The bank is so certain that Peter will default on the loan that they sell the house to another family and repossess his furniture before the payment deadline arrives, so the Griffins have to share their home with the other family in a redecorated house. Peter must now raise $50,000 before the deadline arrives. Peter's new fishing career does not prove successful. Another fisherman tricks him with a "good fishing spot" at 42 degrees North, 71 degrees West (which is actually in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts
). Peter ends up crushing a clown
at a child's bar mitzvah, which earns him mistreatment from the other fishermen.
Rejecting Quagmire
's idea of prostituting himself to fat women for quick cash, Peter decides to catch the legendary killer fish Daggermouth for a $50,000 reward. Seamus, the all-wooden-limbed fisherman, warns Peter about the fish. Peter decides to forge on anyway.
Meanwhile, Lois
and Meg
go on spring break
, but Lois fits in better with the party crowd than Meg does. In a moment of exuberance, Meg flashes her breasts, but both she and Lois are quickly arrested. They escape from the police car and are returning home when a car full of spring breakers from school pull alongside them, honking and yelling. They are not cheering for Lois, as it first appears, but for Meg. Meg obliges them by flashing again.
Quagmire, Cleveland, and Joe accompany Peter on his quest. They spend their time on the boat drinking beer and naming the women they had have if they were not married. Joe chooses Mariel Hemingway
, Cleveland chooses Margaret Thatcher
because he finds power sexy, Peter chooses "the chick from Total Recall
with the three knockers," and Quagmire chooses Taylor Hanson
, but freaks out when Peter and Joe reveal that Hanson is a male.
Peter and his friends manage to track the fish to his lair, where they discover Daggermouth is a robotic fish created to generate a demand for merchandise, and is in talks with Nickelodeon
for a series. In exchange for his silence, Salty (voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray
) gives Peter $50,000. Peter promptly pays off the loan, buys back his furniture, and gets the other family out of his house—or does he? Later, near the end, Lois and Peter are seen watching Daggermouth and Boom Boom on Nickelodeon. The episode ends with Peter saying "Good night, Lois. Good night, Jim and Abby" (the last two being members of the other family).
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
that first aired September 19, 2001. It guest stars Michael Chiklis
Michael Chiklis
Michael Charles Chiklis is an American actor, voice actor, occasional director and television producer. Some of the previous roles for which he is best known include Commissioner Tony Scali on the ABC police drama The Commish, LAPD Detective Vic Mackey on the FX police drama The Shield, Thing in...
, Ralph Garman
Ralph Garman
Ralph Garman is an American actor, comedian, and radio host best known as the host of The Joe Schmo Show, for his voice work in Family Guy, and as the entertainment reporter and impressionist for the Kevin and Bean morning show on Los Angeles radio station, KROQ-FM...
, Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Ribeiro
Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro is an American actor, director, dancer, game show host, and comedian. While he received attention for his performance in the title role of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid and his appearance as a dancer in a Pepsi commercial featuring Michael Jackson, Ribeiro is best...
, Brian Doyle-Murray
Brian Doyle-Murray
Brian Doyle-Murray is an American comedian, screenwriter, actor and voice artist. He is the older brother of actor/comedian Bill Murray and has acted together with him in several films, including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, The Razor's Edge and Groundhog Day...
as Salty, and Lisa Wilhoit
Lisa Wilhoit
Lisa Marie Wilhoit is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Danielle Chase on the television show My So-Called Life and for being the voice of Connie D'Amico on the television series Family Guy.-Biography:...
as Connie D'Amico. This episode is rated TV-14 D. This was the first episode of Family Guy to air after the September 11 attacks. Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
was to be on Flight 11, which was the plane that was hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
's North Tower.
Plot summary
After being jobless for two weeks, PeterPeter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
becomes very obese. On a "walk" on the docks, he is confused with Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
by Tom Tucker when his son Jake asks him what's "that," and he resolves to lose weight and become a fisherman. He loses the weight without explanation. Joe takes Peter to a police seized-property auction, where Peter buys a boat for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
50,000. He names the boat "S.S. More Powerful Than Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, and the Incredible Hulk
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
Put Together
Amalgamation (fiction)
Amalgamation or amalgam, when used to refer to a fictional character or place, refers to one that was created by combining, or is perceived to be a combination, of several other previously existing characters or locations...
."
To pay for the vessel, Peter takes out a loan with his house as collateral. The bank is so certain that Peter will default on the loan that they sell the house to another family and repossess his furniture before the payment deadline arrives, so the Griffins have to share their home with the other family in a redecorated house. Peter must now raise $50,000 before the deadline arrives. Peter's new fishing career does not prove successful. Another fisherman tricks him with a "good fishing spot" at 42 degrees North, 71 degrees West (which is actually in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts
West Bridgewater, Massachusetts
West Bridgewater is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,634 at the 2000 census.- History :West Bridgewater was first settled in 1651 as a part of Olde Bridgewater...
). Peter ends up crushing a clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
at a child's bar mitzvah, which earns him mistreatment from the other fishermen.
Rejecting Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
's idea of prostituting himself to fat women for quick cash, Peter decides to catch the legendary killer fish Daggermouth for a $50,000 reward. Seamus, the all-wooden-limbed fisherman, warns Peter about the fish. Peter decides to forge on anyway.
Meanwhile, Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
and Meg
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
go on spring break
Spring break
Spring break – also known as March break, Study week or Reading week in the United Kingdom and some parts of Canada – is a recess in early spring at universities and schools in the United States, Canada, mainland China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the United...
, but Lois fits in better with the party crowd than Meg does. In a moment of exuberance, Meg flashes her breasts, but both she and Lois are quickly arrested. They escape from the police car and are returning home when a car full of spring breakers from school pull alongside them, honking and yelling. They are not cheering for Lois, as it first appears, but for Meg. Meg obliges them by flashing again.
Quagmire, Cleveland, and Joe accompany Peter on his quest. They spend their time on the boat drinking beer and naming the women they had have if they were not married. Joe chooses Mariel Hemingway
Mariel Hemingway
- Early life :Hemingway was born in Mill Valley, California, the third daughter of Byra Louise Hemingway and Jack Hemingway, a writer. Her sisters are Joan Hemingway and Margaux Hemingway...
, Cleveland chooses Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
because he finds power sexy, Peter chooses "the chick from Total Recall
Total Recall
Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, Ronny Cox & Mel Johnson, Jr.. It is based on the Philip K. Dick story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”...
with the three knockers," and Quagmire chooses Taylor Hanson
Taylor Hanson
Taylor Hanson is an American musician best known as a member of the pop rock band Hanson. He sings both lead and back-up vocals, and plays keyboard, percussion , guitar, harmonica, and piano...
, but freaks out when Peter and Joe reveal that Hanson is a male.
Peter and his friends manage to track the fish to his lair, where they discover Daggermouth is a robotic fish created to generate a demand for merchandise, and is in talks with Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
for a series. In exchange for his silence, Salty (voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray
Brian Doyle-Murray
Brian Doyle-Murray is an American comedian, screenwriter, actor and voice artist. He is the older brother of actor/comedian Bill Murray and has acted together with him in several films, including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, The Razor's Edge and Groundhog Day...
) gives Peter $50,000. Peter promptly pays off the loan, buys back his furniture, and gets the other family out of his house—or does he? Later, near the end, Lois and Peter are seen watching Daggermouth and Boom Boom on Nickelodeon. The episode ends with Peter saying "Good night, Lois. Good night, Jim and Abby" (the last two being members of the other family).
Further reading
- S. Callaghan, “Fish Out of Water.” Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1–3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 152–155.