Mother Tucker
Encyclopedia
"Mother Tucker" is the second episode of the fifth season
of the animated
comedy series
Family Guy
. It originally aired on Fox
on September 17, 2006. The episode follows Peter's
mother, Thelma, divorcing from Peter's father, Francis, and dating news anchorman Tom Tucker. Peter becomes closely attached to Tucker, only for his mother to suddenly end the relationship, leaving Peter feeling abandoned. Meanwhile, Stewie
and Brian
are employed as DJs on a local radio station, but have creative differences over the tone of the show, which eventually forces Brian to quit.
The episode was written by Tom Devanney
and directed by James Purdum
. It received positive reviews for its storyline, and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 9.23 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by H. Jon Benjamin
, Phyllis Diller
, Phil LaMarr
, Tamera Mowry
, and Gore Vidal
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. "Mother Tucker" was released on DVD
along with twelve other episodes from the season on September 18, 2007.
home, and alerts her son, Peter
that she has finally left his father, Francis. In an attempt to find her a new husband, Peter's wife, Lois
, takes her to a meeting for "single people," where she meets local news anchor Tom Tucker. Thelma and Tom begin dating, which upsets Peter, causing him to attempt to sabotage the new relationship. He is eventually persuaded by Tom that he should let his mother be happy, and the two begin bonding. Eventually, his mother suddenly ends the relationship, however, causing Peter to believe it is his fault. The next day, Peter learns that it is important for fathers and sons to spend time together, and tells Tom that he should spend more time with his own son, Jake, instead.
Meanwhile, after interrupting a broadcast of local radio station WQHG's program "Weenie and the Butt", Brian gets his own radio talk show, when one of the station's producers compliments his speaking voice. Attempting to have an intelligent dialogue with his listeners, and distancing himself from "Weenie and the Butt"'s constant overuse of sound effects, Brian is immediately heckled by his friend, Stewie's, prank phone calls. After first planning to cancel Brian's show, the station's producer announces that he loved the calls, and eventually decides to hire Stewie as co-host. Stewie then turns Brian's sophisticated talk show into a lewd, raucous, shock jock
-style comedy show called "Dingo and the Baby", much to Brian's chagrin, who is reluctant to accept the new format. Upon discovering that people love the new show, however, Brian decides to play along with Stewie's idea. But when author Gore Vidal
, whom Brian had contacted for an interview on his original show, walks into one of his "Dingo and the Baby" broadcasts and leaves in disgust, Brian quits his job in shame. The show is soon replaced by one featuring the Griffin family neighbor's Cleveland
and Quagmire
, entitled "Dark Chocolate and The Rod".
, and directed by James Purdum
. During the "Weenie and the Butt" scene, several sound effects can be heard. Each of these were recorded individually by people who have sung at such venues as the Academy Awards
, and other high publicity events. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane
has commented that these sound effect recordings took much longer than expected, as they did not sound professional enough. The episode featured guest performances by actress Phyllis Diller
, who has portrayed Peter's mother Thelma in various episodes, and Tamera Mowry
in her third appearance. Author Gore Vidal
appeared as himself in the episode. In the scene involving Thelma trying to convince Peter to accept that she is dating Tucker, she comments, "Tom here has won a local Emmy for his work with the retardeds". The Fox Broadcasting Company
has a specific rule stating that the word "retard" or "retarded" cannot be said on their network, but this scene was nevertheless permitted. MacFarlane has commented that he cannot understand why the word is not permitted on Fox, given that it is allowed on other networks. According to MacFarlane and other episode commentators, the scene provoked an angry reaction among the mental health community.
There were several scenes throughout this episode that were removed from the script, and not broadcast. One of these comes just after Tom Tucker apologizes to Peter about losing his temper; it was intended that Jake Tucker would appear, and the origin of his upside-down face would be revealed. The scene with "The Peanuts Reunion" was originally meant for the season four episode "Patriot Games
", but was moved to this episode to ease time constraints in "Patriot Games". The scene was described by 20th Century Fox
worker Leann Siegel as being depressing.
"Mother Tucker", along with the twelve other episodes from Family Guys fifth season, were released on a three-disc DVD
set in the United States on September 18, 2007. The sets included brief audio commentaries by MacFarlane and various crew and cast members for several episodes, a collection of deleted scenes and animatics, a special mini-feature which discusses the process behind drawing Peter Griffin, and mini-feature entitled "Toys, Toys Galore".
". In a flashback, Peter begins playing the film, after first being warned, with the 1987 film Mannequin
appearing instead; having the same affect as the cursed tape. Deciding to stay at the airshow to watch their neighbor, Glenn Quagmire
perform, he flies his plane through several billboards (specifically through the crotch of the women's images on the boards), including those for Veronica Mars
, The Simple Life
and On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren (which he can only do after "getting some help" from a Jack Daniel's
Tennessee whiskey
billboard.
Returning home, the Griffin family decide to watch a television show entitled Roundtable, featuring guests Al Michaels
, Harold Ramis
, Ray Romano
and Kermit the Frog
. Once Thelma appears, and alerts Peter of her split-up with his father, Peter is shocked, stating that the same happened at the Peanuts
reunion, with Charlie Brown
then appearing as a punk rock drug dealer.
After Thelma leaves Tom, he begins showing Peter more affection, causing Lois to believe it to be strange. Peter then states that it is no stranger than when Darth Vader
from the film franchise Star Wars
was a parking attendant. Vader is then shown in the contemporary world as a failure, and making minimum wage. This scene, as with all scenes that contain references to Star Wars or its characters, was sent to Lucasfilm
for approval, in order to protect copyright. After Stewie takes over Brian's radio show, the two begin playing random sound clips from various films and television shows, including dialogue from the 1993 drama film Philadelphia
, which was acknowledged as a mistake by Stewie.
In an attempt to rebel from his father, Peter decides to reach for the freezer to take out some ice cream during dinner, much to the chagrin of Tom Tucker, who attempts to stop him. As Peter lifts a spoon of ice cream to his mouth, he is warned by Tucker several times not to eat it. When he does, however, Tucker repeatedly spanks him, in reference to the 1979 drama feature Kramer vs. Kramer
(even though the spanking does not occur in the movie). After author Gore Vidal appears at the radio station Brian had invited him to speak at, Vidal quickly leaves after he finds the show to be low-brow. This causes Brian to quit the show, noting that he has become "worse of a sell-out" than when Stewie appeared in a Butterfinger
commercial. Stewie is then shown eating a Butterfinger, and says "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger", which is a parody to the many Bart Simpson Butter Finger Commercials, and utters the annoyed grunt, D'oh!
, a phrase used regularly by The Simpsons
character Homer Simpson
. The whole Bart Simpson Butterfinger Commercial Parody and when Brian mentions that Stewie is a "Sellout" is also a reference to the negative criticism and similarities between Family Guy and The Simpsons.
. The episode also acquired a 3.3 in the 18-49 demographic, slightly edging out The Simpsons
, in addition to series creator Seth MacFarlane's
second show American Dad!
, in both rating and total viewership.
Reviews of the episode were mixed, calling it a "slow start to the season." Dan Iverson of IGN
reviewed the episode positively, noting that the episode "would make even the most anti-Family Guy television viewers out there laugh pretty hard." Iverson went on to comment, however, that "it probably won't be remembered as fondly as some of the episodes from the first few seasons." For him, the "funniest aspect of the episode" was the radio scene, in which "we get the impression that [radio jockeys] are immature, simple-minded idiots." Brett Love of TV Squad reviewed the episode slightly more negatively, stating that "the whole Peter story just didn't do much for me." Love did find that the "Stewie and Brian stuff was the best part of the episode," but went on to proclaim that "there are 20 more episodes to get it right." In his review of the Family Guy Volume 5 box set, Francis Rizzo of DVD Talk
wrote that the radio subplot is "a perfect parody of everything that's wrong in radio."
Family Guy (season 5)
Family Guy fifth season first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" and finished with "Meet the Quagmires"...
of the animated
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
comedy series
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
Family Guy
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...
. It originally aired 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...
on September 17, 2006. The episode follows Peter's
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....
mother, Thelma, divorcing from Peter's father, Francis, and dating news anchorman Tom Tucker. Peter becomes closely attached to Tucker, only for his mother to suddenly end the relationship, leaving Peter feeling abandoned. Meanwhile, Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
and Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
are employed as DJs on a local radio station, but have creative differences over the tone of the show, which eventually forces Brian to quit.
The episode was written by Tom Devanney
Tom Devanney
Tom Devanney is an American animation television writer. Devanney is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy....
and directed by James Purdum
James Purdum
James Purdum is an American animation director. Purdum is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy....
. It received positive reviews for its storyline, and many cultural references. 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 9.23 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by H. Jon Benjamin
H. Jon Benjamin
Henry Jon Benjamin , known professionally as H. Jon Benjamin and Jon Benjamin, is an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his voice-over roles as Jason and Coach McGuirk on Home Movies, Ben on Dr...
, Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller is an American actress and comedian. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes jokes about a husband named "Fang" while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder...
, Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
, Tamera Mowry
Tamera Mowry
Tamera Darvette Mowry-Housley is an American actress. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tamera Campbell on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister, Sister...
, and Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. "Mother Tucker" was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
along with twelve other episodes from the season on September 18, 2007.
Plot
Peter's mother, Thelma, visits the Griffin familyGriffin family
The Griffin family is a family from the animated television series Family Guy. The Griffins are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode...
home, and alerts her son, 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....
that she has finally left his father, Francis. In an attempt to find her a new husband, Peter's wife, 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...
, takes her to a meeting for "single people," where she meets local news anchor Tom Tucker. Thelma and Tom begin dating, which upsets Peter, causing him to attempt to sabotage the new relationship. He is eventually persuaded by Tom that he should let his mother be happy, and the two begin bonding. Eventually, his mother suddenly ends the relationship, however, causing Peter to believe it is his fault. The next day, Peter learns that it is important for fathers and sons to spend time together, and tells Tom that he should spend more time with his own son, Jake, instead.
Meanwhile, after interrupting a broadcast of local radio station WQHG's program "Weenie and the Butt", Brian gets his own radio talk show, when one of the station's producers compliments his speaking voice. Attempting to have an intelligent dialogue with his listeners, and distancing himself from "Weenie and the Butt"'s constant overuse of sound effects, Brian is immediately heckled by his friend, Stewie's, prank phone calls. After first planning to cancel Brian's show, the station's producer announces that he loved the calls, and eventually decides to hire Stewie as co-host. Stewie then turns Brian's sophisticated talk show into a lewd, raucous, shock jock
Shock jock
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of any radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent broadcasters whose mannerisms,...
-style comedy show called "Dingo and the Baby", much to Brian's chagrin, who is reluctant to accept the new format. Upon discovering that people love the new show, however, Brian decides to play along with Stewie's idea. But when author Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
, whom Brian had contacted for an interview on his original show, walks into one of his "Dingo and the Baby" broadcasts and leaves in disgust, Brian quits his job in shame. The show is soon replaced by one featuring the Griffin family neighbor's Cleveland
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 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...
, entitled "Dark Chocolate and The Rod".
Production
The episode was written by series regular Tom DevanneyTom Devanney
Tom Devanney is an American animation television writer. Devanney is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy....
, and directed by James Purdum
James Purdum
James Purdum is an American animation director. Purdum is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy....
. During the "Weenie and the Butt" scene, several sound effects can be heard. Each of these were recorded individually by people who have sung at such venues as the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, and other high publicity events. Family Guy creator 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,...
has commented that these sound effect recordings took much longer than expected, as they did not sound professional enough. The episode featured guest performances by actress Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller is an American actress and comedian. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes jokes about a husband named "Fang" while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder...
, who has portrayed Peter's mother Thelma in various episodes, and Tamera Mowry
Tamera Mowry
Tamera Darvette Mowry-Housley is an American actress. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tamera Campbell on the ABC/WB sitcom Sister, Sister...
in her third appearance. Author Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
appeared as himself in the episode. In the scene involving Thelma trying to convince Peter to accept that she is dating Tucker, she comments, "Tom here has won a local Emmy for his work with the retardeds". The Fox Broadcasting Company
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...
has a specific rule stating that the word "retard" or "retarded" cannot be said on their network, but this scene was nevertheless permitted. MacFarlane has commented that he cannot understand why the word is not permitted on Fox, given that it is allowed on other networks. According to MacFarlane and other episode commentators, the scene provoked an angry reaction among the mental health community.
There were several scenes throughout this episode that were removed from the script, and not broadcast. One of these comes just after Tom Tucker apologizes to Peter about losing his temper; it was intended that Jake Tucker would appear, and the origin of his upside-down face would be revealed. The scene with "The Peanuts Reunion" was originally meant for the season four episode "Patriot Games
Patriot Games (Family Guy)
"Patriot Games" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on January 29, 2006, around the time of Super Bowl XL, which fit the sports theme of the episode. In it, Peter goes to his high school reunion and meets Tom Brady...
", but was moved to this episode to ease time constraints in "Patriot Games". The scene was described by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
worker Leann Siegel as being depressing.
"Mother Tucker", along with the twelve other episodes from Family Guys fifth season, were released on a three-disc DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set in the United States on September 18, 2007. The sets included brief audio commentaries by MacFarlane and various crew and cast members for several episodes, a collection of deleted scenes and animatics, a special mini-feature which discusses the process behind drawing Peter Griffin, and mini-feature entitled "Toys, Toys Galore".
Cultural references
The episode opens with the Griffin family attending the local Airshow in Quahog, and are shown to be anxiously awaiting one of the pilots to crash. After a pilot successfully lands, Peter expresses his boredom, and states that he would rather be home watching "the tape from the The RingThe Ring (2002 film)
The Ring is a 2002 American psychological horror film directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Naomi Watts and Martin Henderson. It is a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film Ring....
". In a flashback, Peter begins playing the film, after first being warned, with the 1987 film Mannequin
Mannequin (1987 film)
Mannequin is a 1987 romantic comedy film, starring Andrew McCarthy, Kim Cattrall, Meshach Taylor, James Spader, G. W. Bailey, and Estelle Getty...
appearing instead; having the same affect as the cursed tape. Deciding to stay at the airshow to watch their neighbor, Glenn 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...
perform, he flies his plane through several billboards (specifically through the crotch of the women's images on the boards), including those for Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
, The Simple Life
The Simple Life
The Simple Life was a reality television series that was broadcast from December 2, 2003 to August 5, 2007. The first three seasons aired on Fox, and the final two on E!...
and On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren (which he can only do after "getting some help" from a Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's
Jack Daniel's is a brand of sour mash Tennessee whiskey that is among the world's best-selling liquors. It is known for its square bottles and black label. As of November, 2007, one blogger was claiming that it was the best-selling whiskey in the world. It is produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee by...
Tennessee whiskey
Tennessee whiskey
Tennessee whiskey is Straight Bourbon Whiskey produced in the state of Tennessee. This definition is legally established under the North American Free Trade Agreement and at least one other international trade agreement that require that Tennessee whiskey be "a straight Bourbon Whiskey authorized...
billboard.
Returning home, the Griffin family decide to watch a television show entitled Roundtable, featuring guests Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
, Harold Ramis
Harold Ramis
Harold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...
, Ray Romano
Ray Romano
Raymond Albert "Ray" Romano is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian, best known for his roles on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and in the Ice Age film series. He recently starred in the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.-Early life:Romano was born in Queens, New York to Italian...
and Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
. Once Thelma appears, and alerts Peter of her split-up with his father, Peter is shocked, stating that the same happened at the Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
reunion, with Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
then appearing as a punk rock drug dealer.
After Thelma leaves Tom, he begins showing Peter more affection, causing Lois to believe it to be strange. Peter then states that it is no stranger than when Darth Vader
Darth Vader
Darth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
from the film franchise Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
was a parking attendant. Vader is then shown in the contemporary world as a failure, and making minimum wage. This scene, as with all scenes that contain references to Star Wars or its characters, was sent to Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm
Lucasfilm Limited is an American film production company founded by George Lucas in 1971, based in San Francisco, California. Lucas is the company's current chairman and CEO, and Micheline Chau is the president and COO....
for approval, in order to protect copyright. After Stewie takes over Brian's radio show, the two begin playing random sound clips from various films and television shows, including dialogue from the 1993 drama film Philadelphia
Philadelphia (film)
Philadelphia is a 1993 American drama film that was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. The film stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington...
, which was acknowledged as a mistake by Stewie.
In an attempt to rebel from his father, Peter decides to reach for the freezer to take out some ice cream during dinner, much to the chagrin of Tom Tucker, who attempts to stop him. As Peter lifts a spoon of ice cream to his mouth, he is warned by Tucker several times not to eat it. When he does, however, Tucker repeatedly spanks him, in reference to the 1979 drama feature Kramer vs. Kramer
Kramer vs. Kramer
Kramer vs. Kramer is a 1979 American drama film adapted by Robert Benton from the novel by Avery Corman, and directed by Benton. The film tells the story of a married couple's divorce and its impact on everyone involved, including the couple's young son...
(even though the spanking does not occur in the movie). After author Gore Vidal appears at the radio station Brian had invited him to speak at, Vidal quickly leaves after he finds the show to be low-brow. This causes Brian to quit the show, noting that he has become "worse of a sell-out" than when Stewie appeared in a Butterfinger
Butterfinger
Butterfinger is a candy bar made by Nestlé.The bar consists of a flaky, orange-colored center—somewhat similar texture to crisp caramel, with a taste similar to peanut butter—that is coated in compound chocolate.- History :...
commercial. Stewie is then shown eating a Butterfinger, and says "Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger", which is a parody to the many Bart Simpson Butter Finger Commercials, and utters the annoyed grunt, D'oh!
D'oh!
"D'oh!" is a catchphrase used by the fictional character Homer Simpson, from the long-running American animated sitcom The Simpsons . It is typically used when Homer injures himself, realizes that he has done something stupid, or when something bad has happened or is about to happen to him...
, a phrase used regularly 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...
character Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
. The whole Bart Simpson Butterfinger Commercial Parody and when Brian mentions that Stewie is a "Sellout" is also a reference to the negative criticism and similarities between Family Guy and The Simpsons.
Reception
In a slight decrease from the previous week, the episode was viewed in 9.23 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 3.3 in the 18-49 demographic, slightly edging out 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...
, in addition to series creator Seth MacFarlane's
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,...
second show American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
, in both rating and total viewership.
Reviews of the episode were mixed, calling it a "slow start to the season." Dan Iverson of 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...
reviewed the episode positively, noting that the episode "would make even the most anti-Family Guy television viewers out there laugh pretty hard." Iverson went on to comment, however, that "it probably won't be remembered as fondly as some of the episodes from the first few seasons." For him, the "funniest aspect of the episode" was the radio scene, in which "we get the impression that [radio jockeys] are immature, simple-minded idiots." Brett Love of TV Squad reviewed the episode slightly more negatively, stating that "the whole Peter story just didn't do much for me." Love did find that the "Stewie and Brian stuff was the best part of the episode," but went on to proclaim that "there are 20 more episodes to get it right." In his review of the Family Guy Volume 5 box set, Francis Rizzo of DVD Talk
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
wrote that the radio subplot is "a perfect parody of everything that's wrong in radio."