Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey
Encyclopedia
"Bill & Peter's Bogus Journey" is the thirteenth episode of season five of Family Guy
; originally airing on March 11, 2007. The plot follows Peter
deciding to become physically fit; however, Peter ends up in the hospital after attempting to impress former U.S. President
Bill Clinton
. Depressed at the prospect of becoming old
, Peter is taken out by Clinton, thus giving him a new outlook on life; however, Lois
is displeased by this as she believes Clinton to be a bad influence on Peter. Both Lois and Peter end up sleeping with Clinton, despite not originally intending to. Meanwhile, Stewie and Brian attempt to be toilet trained
by buying an instructional video, but Brian persists to leave his feces in the garden, thus making Lois force him to wear a diaper
.
The episode was written by Steve Callaghan
and directed by Dominic Polcino
. It received mostly mixed reviews from critics for it storyline and many cultural references, in addition to creating controversy, as many Hurricane Katrina evacuees
complained over their city being portrayed as an "Atlantis
" in the episode. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 8.05 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Barclay DeVeau, Roy Scheider
and Wally Wingert
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
at the aquarium
, Peter decides to become physically fit
. After spending a mere fifteen minutes at the gym, Peter believes he is now fit, so when former U.S. President
Bill Clinton
's car breaks down outside their house, he attempts to lift it without a jack, which results in him getting a sudden severe hernia and being hospitalized. Depressed at the concept of becoming old, he confides in Clinton, who tells him age is a state of mind. When Peter recovers, Bill takes him out to help him realize he can still have fun. They become best friends and spend a lot of time together, but things eventually get out of hand when they start smoking marijuana
and cause mischief while high on it.
Meanwhile, Lois is fed up with stepping in Brian's feces in the lawn and forces him through toilet training
himself. Brian and Stewie attempt to learn how to use the toilet, but fail and buy a toilet training video instead, which nearly traumatizes them. Lois forces Brian to wear Stewie's diapers to prevent him from defecating in the garden; after that, she leaves Brian alone to deal with Peter for the duration of the story.
Lois now believes that Bill is a bad influence on Peter. Lois goes to discuss with Bill the bad effect he is having on Peter, but ends up having sex
with him. Devastated about the incident, Peter leaves Lois and stays at Quagmire
's house. Lois is wracked with guilt and visits him, telling him that the only way to mend their relationship is if Peter sleeps with someone else. Though uncertain that it will work, Peter chooses to sleep with Barbara Pewterschmidt, Lois' mother. Barbara turns out to be more than willing, but Peter bails out at the last moment and tells Lois that he refuses to sleep with anyone else and they forgive each other. After going to tell Bill they cannot be friends anymore, Peter too is enticed into sleeping with Bill.
During the end credits, Brian pretends to be using the toilet as not to be told off by Lois, and begins to leave his feces at Mayor Adam West
's house, which he believes is sausage that he planted in the ground.
and other show producers had suffered a lot of trouble to come up with a funny scene set in an aquarium
; in total, five or six scenes had been made, but all were never broadcast because they were deemed not entertaining enough by the producers. Bill Clinton
was asked to perform the voice of himself, but declined, so MacFarlane performed it. Animations of Clinton in the episode were originally intended to be a lot fatter, but were reduced down "because he's lost a lot of weight." Conway Twitty
performed two brief musical shows in the episode; MacFarlane comments that he loves these scenes. The scene of Lois and Peter mocking Stewie's picture which he drew after pretending to like it was originally designed for "Prick Up Your Ears
," but was moved as that episode was exceeding its time limit. The two people typing on their laptops in Starbucks
was a scene originally designed for the introductory sequence of "Chick Cancer
", as was the scene of Peter having to push Uma Thurman
's eyes back together when they move away from her head. The aftermath scene of Lois essentially sleeping with Clinton was discussed extensively in the writer's room for the effects it may have on the show. When Peter visits Bill, he enters the hotel room and says "Hey, Bill, I took this money from Lois's purse, but I don't think she'll notice because she is here... humping you?", the emphasis on the last two words was performed by Danny Smith
, even though MacFarlane voices Peter. A deleted scene was made showing Peter bringing Quahog news reporter Tricia Takanawa home to have sex
with, originally intending to make Lois watch and then not being able to bring himself to do it, but this scene was deleted and replaced with Peter's wishes to sleep with Lois's mother. The final scene of the episode showing Mayor West
delighted that he has grown sausages (although it is really Brian's waste) was one of several possible ending scenes for the episode; alternatives included Brian leaving his waste at Cleveland Brown
and Mort Goldman's house, but in the end, the production crew decided to go with Mayor West.
There are "multiple versions of this episode", with some being shown only on Fox
or Adult Swim
, and with some only being shown in the DVD version, with at least five scenes throughout the episode not being broadcast on Fox. When Bill Clinton breaks down outside his house and Peter says "that guy is really horny" , this was censored as it is referring to fellatio
(the set up was that former President Clinton had blown a tire). Roy Scheider
played himself on the toilet training
video; on the DVD and TBS version, his line "It's not so much about pushing" is deleted, and after using the toilet, he originally exclaimed "Now here's Susan Saint James
to help me wipe," but on the TV version, he says "Now here's Susan Saint James to powder my ass". On Fox, the scene of him pulling his trousers down and undoing his zipper was censored, thus moving straight to the scene of Brian and Stewie reacting to the video. After sex, Clinton asks Lois if she would like a little "NAFTA," which he describes to be "nother afternoon fuckin' that ass"; this was censored on Fox. Clinton asking Lois, after they had sex if she was up for a little "exit polling," was censored on Fox in order to cut his following line of "It depends on what your definition of the word 'jizz
' is."
In addition to Scheider and the regular cast, voice actors Barclay DeVeau and Wally Wingert
guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Danny Smith
and writer John Viener made minor appearances.
The title of this episode is a reference to 1991 film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
. During the hospital scene, Clinton and his bodyguards play the theme from Night Court
, with Clinton on saxophone. The Thing
from the Fantastic Four
is shown being handed an orange rock by a civilian in a reference to the John and Lorena Bobbitt
incident. It is also a reference to Kevin Smith
's Mallrats
, in which the character Brodie Bruce asks Stan Lee
(the creator of the Fantastic Four) if the Thing's "dork is made of orange rock just like the rest of him?" The question is never answered. While Peter and Bill are hanging out at Chuck E. Cheese's
, they play Dance Dance Revolution
to Aqua
's "Barbie Girl
", which Seth MacFarlane describes in the commentary as a "terrible fucking song". The background tune on the gramophone
that the two strongmen Barnaby and Phineas sing to about steak and eggs is "Alley Cat" written by Bent Fabricius-Bjerre
a.k.a. Bent Fabric. When Bill and Peter make their first crank call, Bill dials the number for Linda Tripp
, and then yells at her for revealing his encounter with Monica Lewinsky
.Bill Clinton's affair with Lois Griffin is a reference to Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky
. When Peter and his family are at the aquarium, Peter shows them "the Lost City of New Orleans." This is a reference to Hurricane Katrina
's impact on the Louisiana city, and the fabled city of Atlantis
. The tank also contains the skeletal remains of a Girls Gone Wild
cameraman and the woman who flashed him.
. The episode also acquired a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic, being slightly edged out by The Simpsons
.
This episode received yet more negative reception from the frequent critic Parents Television Council
(PTC), calling it the "worst TV show of the week" for August 10, 2007. PTC said that the episode "treated audiences to another half-hour of the most depraved and disrespectful programming imaginable." IGN
's Ahsan Haque wrote, "Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey' has a few truly hilarious moments, but the main storyline ends up taking a backseat to an overabundance of unfunny manatee jokes," concluding to give the episode a final rating of 7.1 out of 10.
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...
; originally airing on March 11, 2007. The plot follows Peter
Peter 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....
deciding to become physically fit; however, Peter ends up in the hospital after attempting to impress former U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. Depressed at the prospect of becoming old
Midlife Crisis
"Midlife Crisis" is a song by the American rock band Faith No More. It was released on May 26, 1992 as the first single from their fourth album, Angel Dust...
, Peter is taken out by Clinton, thus giving him a new outlook on life; however, 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...
is displeased by this as she believes Clinton to be a bad influence on Peter. Both Lois and Peter end up sleeping with Clinton, despite not originally intending to. Meanwhile, Stewie and Brian attempt to be toilet trained
Toilet training
Toilet training, or potty training, is the process of training a young child to use the toilet for urination and defecation, though training may start with a smaller toilet bowl-shaped device...
by buying an instructional video, but Brian persists to leave his feces in the garden, thus making Lois force him to wear a diaper
Diaper
A nappy or a diaper is a kind of pant that allows one to defecate or urinate on oneself discreetly. When diapers become soiled, they require changing; this process is often performed by a second person such as a parent or caregiver...
.
The episode was written by Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan is an American screenwriter, producer and voice actor, best known for his work on Family Guy. He is a graduate of the Department of Public Policy at the UCLA School of Public Affairs...
and directed by Dominic Polcino
Dominic Polcino
Dominic Polcino is an animation director who has worked on The Simpsons, Mission Hill, King of the Hill, and Family Guy. Dominic worked on the first season of Family Guy, then left to direct for King of the Hill and then returned to Family Guy...
. It received mostly mixed reviews from critics for it storyline and many cultural references, in addition to creating controversy, as many Hurricane Katrina evacuees
Hurricane Katrina disaster relief
The disaster recovery response to Hurricane Katrina included federal government agencies suchas the Federal Emergency Management Agency , state and local-level agencies, federal and National Guard soldiers, non-governmental organizations, charities, and private individuals...
complained over their city being portrayed as an "Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
" in the episode. According to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, it was viewed in 8.05 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Barclay DeVeau, Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
and Wally Wingert
Wally Wingert
Wallace E. "Wally" Wingert is an American actor and voice artist. He is originally from Des Moines, Iowa but he currently works and lives in Los Angeles, California. He is the current announcer for the second incarnation of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the current voice of Jon Arbuckle in...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
Plot
After being attacked by an octopusOctopus
The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
at the aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
, Peter decides to become physically fit
Physical fitness
Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness , and specific fitness...
. After spending a mere fifteen minutes at the gym, Peter believes he is now fit, so when former U.S. President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
's car breaks down outside their house, he attempts to lift it without a jack, which results in him getting a sudden severe hernia and being hospitalized. Depressed at the concept of becoming old, he confides in Clinton, who tells him age is a state of mind. When Peter recovers, Bill takes him out to help him realize he can still have fun. They become best friends and spend a lot of time together, but things eventually get out of hand when they start smoking marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and cause mischief while high on it.
Meanwhile, Lois is fed up with stepping in Brian's feces in the lawn and forces him through toilet training
Toilet training
Toilet training, or potty training, is the process of training a young child to use the toilet for urination and defecation, though training may start with a smaller toilet bowl-shaped device...
himself. Brian and Stewie attempt to learn how to use the toilet, but fail and buy a toilet training video instead, which nearly traumatizes them. Lois forces Brian to wear Stewie's diapers to prevent him from defecating in the garden; after that, she leaves Brian alone to deal with Peter for the duration of the story.
Lois now believes that Bill is a bad influence on Peter. Lois goes to discuss with Bill the bad effect he is having on Peter, but ends up having sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with him. Devastated about the incident, Peter leaves Lois and stays at 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 house. Lois is wracked with guilt and visits him, telling him that the only way to mend their relationship is if Peter sleeps with someone else. Though uncertain that it will work, Peter chooses to sleep with Barbara Pewterschmidt, Lois' mother. Barbara turns out to be more than willing, but Peter bails out at the last moment and tells Lois that he refuses to sleep with anyone else and they forgive each other. After going to tell Bill they cannot be friends anymore, Peter too is enticed into sleeping with Bill.
During the end credits, Brian pretends to be using the toilet as not to be told off by Lois, and begins to leave his feces at Mayor Adam West
Adam West (Family Guy)
Adam West, also known as Mayor West, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. The character, voiced by the actor of the same name, is the eccentric mayor of the town of Quahog, Rhode Island, where the series is set.-Character:...
's house, which he believes is sausage that he planted in the ground.
Production
Seth MacFarlaneSeth 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,...
and other show producers had suffered a lot of trouble to come up with a funny scene set in an aquarium
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
; in total, five or six scenes had been made, but all were never broadcast because they were deemed not entertaining enough by the producers. Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
was asked to perform the voice of himself, but declined, so MacFarlane performed it. Animations of Clinton in the episode were originally intended to be a lot fatter, but were reduced down "because he's lost a lot of weight." Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
performed two brief musical shows in the episode; MacFarlane comments that he loves these scenes. The scene of Lois and Peter mocking Stewie's picture which he drew after pretending to like it was originally designed for "Prick Up Your Ears
Prick Up Your Ears (Family Guy)
"Prick Up Your Ears" is the sixth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode was originally broadcast on November 19, 2006. In this episode Lois discovers that Chris’ school has removed the sex education program and decides to bring the class back by becoming the teacher. Unfortunately,...
," but was moved as that episode was exceeding its time limit. The two people typing on their laptops in Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
was a scene originally designed for the introductory sequence of "Chick Cancer
Chick Cancer
"Chick Cancer" is the seventh episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally broadcast on November 26, 2006. In the episode, Stewie's old friend and child actress, Olivia Fuller returns to Quahog...
", as was the scene of Peter having to push Uma Thurman
Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress and model. She has performed in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action movies. Among her best-known roles are those in the Quentin Tarantino films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill...
's eyes back together when they move away from her head. The aftermath scene of Lois essentially sleeping with Clinton was discussed extensively in the writer's room for the effects it may have on the show. When Peter visits Bill, he enters the hotel room and says "Hey, Bill, I took this money from Lois's purse, but I don't think she'll notice because she is here... humping you?", the emphasis on the last two words was performed by Danny Smith
Danny Smith (writer)
Daniel "Danny" Smith is an executive producer, writer and voice actor on the American animated television series Family Guy. He has been with the show since its inception and throughout the years has contributed many episodes, such as "Holy Crap", "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz", "Chitty...
, even though MacFarlane voices Peter. A deleted scene was made showing Peter bringing Quahog news reporter Tricia Takanawa home to have sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with, originally intending to make Lois watch and then not being able to bring himself to do it, but this scene was deleted and replaced with Peter's wishes to sleep with Lois's mother. The final scene of the episode showing Mayor West
Adam West (Family Guy)
Adam West, also known as Mayor West, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. The character, voiced by the actor of the same name, is the eccentric mayor of the town of Quahog, Rhode Island, where the series is set.-Character:...
delighted that he has grown sausages (although it is really Brian's waste) was one of several possible ending scenes for the episode; alternatives included Brian leaving his waste at Cleveland Brown
Cleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
and Mort Goldman's house, but in the end, the production crew decided to go with Mayor West.
There are "multiple versions of this episode", with some being shown only on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
or Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
, and with some only being shown in the DVD version, with at least five scenes throughout the episode not being broadcast on Fox. When Bill Clinton breaks down outside his house and Peter says "that guy is really horny" , this was censored as it is referring to fellatio
Fellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
(the set up was that former President Clinton had blown a tire). Roy Scheider
Roy Scheider
Roy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
played himself on the toilet training
Toilet training
Toilet training, or potty training, is the process of training a young child to use the toilet for urination and defecation, though training may start with a smaller toilet bowl-shaped device...
video; on the DVD and TBS version, his line "It's not so much about pushing" is deleted, and after using the toilet, he originally exclaimed "Now here's Susan Saint James
Susan Saint James
Susan Saint James is an American actress and activist, most widely known for her work in television during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.-Early life:...
to help me wipe," but on the TV version, he says "Now here's Susan Saint James to powder my ass". On Fox, the scene of him pulling his trousers down and undoing his zipper was censored, thus moving straight to the scene of Brian and Stewie reacting to the video. After sex, Clinton asks Lois if she would like a little "NAFTA," which he describes to be "nother afternoon fuckin' that ass"; this was censored on Fox. Clinton asking Lois, after they had sex if she was up for a little "exit polling," was censored on Fox in order to cut his following line of "It depends on what your definition of the word 'jizz
Semen
Semen is an organic fluid, also known as seminal fluid, that may contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize female ova...
' is."
In addition to Scheider and the regular cast, voice actors Barclay DeVeau and Wally Wingert
Wally Wingert
Wallace E. "Wally" Wingert is an American actor and voice artist. He is originally from Des Moines, Iowa but he currently works and lives in Los Angeles, California. He is the current announcer for the second incarnation of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the current voice of Jon Arbuckle in...
guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Danny Smith
Danny Smith (writer)
Daniel "Danny" Smith is an executive producer, writer and voice actor on the American animated television series Family Guy. He has been with the show since its inception and throughout the years has contributed many episodes, such as "Holy Crap", "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz", "Chitty...
and writer John Viener made minor appearances.
Cultural references
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the directing debut of Peter Hewitt. It is the second film in the Bill & Ted franchise, and a sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure . Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin reprise their respective roles...
. During the hospital scene, Clinton and his bodyguards play the theme from Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
, with Clinton on saxophone. The Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
from the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
is shown being handed an orange rock by a civilian in a reference to the John and Lorena Bobbitt
John and Lorena Bobbitt
John Wayne Bobbitt and Lorena Bobbitt were an American couple, married on June 18, 1989, whose difficult relationship gained worldwide notoriety for an incident in 1993 when Lorena severed John's penis with a knife...
incident. It is also a reference to Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
's Mallrats
Mallrats
Mallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is the second to be set in Smith's View Askewniverse series of interlocking films set mostly in New Jersey, although the movie was filmed in Eden Prairie Center and Osowski's Flea Market which are located in Minnesota...
, in which the character Brodie Bruce asks Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
(the creator of the Fantastic Four) if the Thing's "dork is made of orange rock just like the rest of him?" The question is never answered. While Peter and Bill are hanging out at Chuck E. Cheese's
Chuck E. Cheese's
Chuck E. Cheese's is a chain of family entertainment centers. Chuck E...
, they play Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution
Dance Dance Revolution, abbreviated DDR, and previously known as Dancing Stage in Europe and Australasia, is a music video game series produced by Konami. Introduced in Japan in 1998 as part of the Bemani series, and released in North America and Europe in 1999, Dance Dance Revolution is the...
to Aqua
Aqua (band)
Aqua is a Danish dance-pop group, best known for their 1997 breakthrough single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1989 and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group managed to top the UK Singles Chart with their first three singles. The group released two...
's "Barbie Girl
Barbie Girl
"Barbie Girl" is a song by the Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group Aqua, who released the song in 1997 as their third single overall, and the first United Kingdom release...
", which Seth MacFarlane describes in the commentary as a "terrible fucking song". The background tune on the gramophone
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
that the two strongmen Barnaby and Phineas sing to about steak and eggs is "Alley Cat" written by Bent Fabricius-Bjerre
Bent Fabric
Bent Fabricius-Bjerre , better known internationally as Bent Fabric, is a Danish pianist and composer.-Biography:...
a.k.a. Bent Fabric. When Bill and Peter make their first crank call, Bill dials the number for Linda Tripp
Linda Tripp
Linda Rose Tripp was a central figure in the Lewinsky scandal of 1998 and 1999 that led to the impeachment and subsequent acquittal of U.S. President Bill Clinton.-Early life and government employment:...
, and then yells at her for revealing his encounter with Monica Lewinsky
Lewinsky scandal
The Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal emerging in 1998 from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 25-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation eventually led to the impeachment of...
.Bill Clinton's affair with Lois Griffin is a reference to Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky
Lewinsky scandal
The Lewinsky scandal was a political sex scandal emerging in 1998 from a sexual relationship between United States President Bill Clinton and a 25-year-old White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. The news of this extra-marital affair and the resulting investigation eventually led to the impeachment of...
. When Peter and his family are at the aquarium, Peter shows them "the Lost City of New Orleans." This is a reference to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
's impact on the Louisiana city, and the fabled city of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
. The tank also contains the skeletal remains of a Girls Gone Wild
Girls Gone Wild
The Girls Gone Wild franchise, created by Joe Francis, is a video series by the production company Mantra Films, Inc., which is headquartered in Santa Monica, California.-Content:...
cameraman and the woman who flashed him.
Reception
In a slight decrease from the previous week, the episode was viewed in 8.05 million homes in its original airing, according to Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. The episode also acquired a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic, being slightly edged out by The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
.
This episode received yet more negative reception from the frequent critic Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
(PTC), calling it the "worst TV show of the week" for August 10, 2007. PTC said that the episode "treated audiences to another half-hour of the most depraved and disrespectful programming imaginable." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Ahsan Haque wrote, "Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey' has a few truly hilarious moments, but the main storyline ends up taking a backseat to an overabundance of unfunny manatee jokes," concluding to give the episode a final rating of 7.1 out of 10.