Ocean's Three and a Half
Encyclopedia
"Ocean's Three and a Half" is the seventh episode of the seventh season of Family Guy
. It first aired in the United States on the Fox television network
on February 15, 2009. Peter
decides to induce Joe's wife Bonnie into labor
so that Joe will be able to spend more time with him. Bonnie gives birth to a baby girl named Susie, but now Joe has trouble with medical bills. Peter, Joe, Cleveland
and Quagmire
decide to rob Peter's father-in-law, Carter Pewterschmidt. Peter's wife and Pewterschmidt's daughter, Lois
, convinces Joe to stop. Lois gets the money from Pewterschmidt by telling him she needs the money for a divorce lawyer. A subplot involves Stewie
, who becomes infatuated with Susie.
The episode includes a non-sequitur parody
of Christian Bale
's rant on the set of Terminator Salvation
, with actual audio clips of Bale interspersed with Peter's voice. The spoof received positive reception from writers for the Los Angeles Times
, the New York Post
, and The Guardian
. The episode received a positive overall review on video game website IGN
.
near Bonnie, hoping that the baby will come out to change the channel, however this is unsuccessful. When Bonnie finally gives birth to her baby, a girl named Susie, Joe is unable to pay the $20,000 he needs for her medical bills. He turns to a loan shark
for the money, but ends up in debt to him. Peter and his friends turn to Carter Pewterschmidt for the money to pay off the loan shark, but Carter refuses, because he thinks it would be funnier if he did that.
In one final act of desperation, Peter proposes they rob Carter. Once they reach the vault, however, Lois arrives on the scene and convinces Joe to stop. Lois talks Carter into providing the money, telling him she is using it for a divorce lawyer; when Peter asks her if she is joking, Lois says nothing, leaving Peter a little worried. Meanwhile, Stewie falls in love with Susie and attempts to win her heart by writing songs and making a detailed music video featuring him singing a direct version of Bryan Adams
' song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You
". In the end, however, he states he is over his crush and has an interest in Bryan Adams.
Peter's explanation of the robbery is a slight reference to the plotting scene of Ocean's Eleven
. Peter calls Christian Bale "that jerk" after encountering him on the set of Terminator Salvation
, with a non-sequitur showing a tape machine playing the actual audio with Peter's voice mixed in for comedic effect. The audio includes approximately two minutes of an actual outburst Bale made on the set of the film, with Peter's comments interspersed throughout. "You are gonna owe a fortune to the swear jar", says Peter in response to the multiple swear words from Bale. He also tells Bale: "I don't get why we need another 'Terminator'." The episode also includes a jab at Microsoft
's Zune
, an MP3 player which is a competitor to the Apple Inc. iPod
. Carter Pewterschmidt makes fun of Bill Gates
, saying he does not own a Zune but rather an iPod, "like the rest of the world".
During Stewie's music video there are many references to other music videos including that of the White Stripes and Pink Floyd
, all to the song "Every thing I do" by Bryan Adams
.
's Desperate Housewives
for the night. Family Guy was among the top 20 shows for the week in the 18-49 demographic, and ranked sixth among the top 17 shows on the Fox Network for the week. Ahsan Haque of IGN
commented that the Bale spoof "ranks right up there with some of the best timely pop-culture references in the series". Haque concluded, "It's been a while since we've had new episodes, but it certainly feels like it's been worth the wait as 'Ocean's Three and a Half' turns out to be a triumphant return to form for the series."
Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club
called the episode "fine", and graded it B-. He wrote that the Bale spoof and Stewie's music video were "funny for a while" but went on "way too long". Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times
wrote positively of the Bale parody, commenting, "Oh, could there possibly be a single iota of humor left in the Christian Bale on-set rant? Why yes, yes there is, thanks to Seth McFarlane and company at 'Family Guy.'" Jackie Strause of the New York Post
called the exchange between Peter Griffin and Bale "typical 'Family Guy' fashion.
In commenting on the Bale spoof, Ben Child of The Guardian
wrote: "Personally, I tend to find Family Guy a bit hit and miss, but the US comedy's rather facile flashback formula does at least make it easy to chuck in the topical references."
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 first aired in the United States on the Fox television network
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 February 15, 2009. 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....
decides to induce Joe's wife Bonnie into labor
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
so that Joe will be able to spend more time with him. Bonnie gives birth to a baby girl named Susie, but now Joe has trouble with medical bills. Peter, Joe, 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...
decide to rob Peter's father-in-law, Carter Pewterschmidt. Peter's wife and Pewterschmidt's daughter, 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...
, convinces Joe to stop. Lois gets the money from Pewterschmidt by telling him she needs the money for a divorce lawyer. A subplot involves 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....
, who becomes infatuated with Susie.
The episode includes a non-sequitur parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of Christian Bale
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Best known for his roles in American films, Bale has starred in both big budget Hollywood films and the smaller projects from independent producers and art houses....
's rant on the set of Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. The fourth installment in the Terminator series, the film is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting...
, with actual audio clips of Bale interspersed with Peter's voice. The spoof received positive reception from writers for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, and The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. The episode received a positive overall review on video game website 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...
.
Plot
Frustrated that Joe is growing more concerned that Bonnie is due to give birth within days, Peter attempts to induce labor so Joe will spend more time with him, Cleveland and Quagmire. Peter plays Two and a Half MenTwo and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
near Bonnie, hoping that the baby will come out to change the channel, however this is unsuccessful. When Bonnie finally gives birth to her baby, a girl named Susie, Joe is unable to pay the $20,000 he needs for her medical bills. He turns to a loan shark
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or body that offers unsecured loans at illegally high interest rates to individuals, often enforcing repayment by blackmail or threats of violence....
for the money, but ends up in debt to him. Peter and his friends turn to Carter Pewterschmidt for the money to pay off the loan shark, but Carter refuses, because he thinks it would be funnier if he did that.
In one final act of desperation, Peter proposes they rob Carter. Once they reach the vault, however, Lois arrives on the scene and convinces Joe to stop. Lois talks Carter into providing the money, telling him she is using it for a divorce lawyer; when Peter asks her if she is joking, Lois says nothing, leaving Peter a little worried. Meanwhile, Stewie falls in love with Susie and attempts to win her heart by writing songs and making a detailed music video featuring him singing a direct version of Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
' song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You
" I Do It for You" is a power ballad performed by Bryan Adams and co-written with Michael Kamen and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, featured on the soundtrack album from the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and on Adams' album Waking Up the Neighbours...
". In the end, however, he states he is over his crush and has an interest in Bryan Adams.
Cultural references
Peter's explanation of the robbery is a slight reference to the plotting scene of Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven may refer to:*Ocean's 11 , the original heist film starring all five members of the Rat Pack*Ocean's Eleven , a remake of the above film with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon...
. Peter calls Christian Bale "that jerk" after encountering him on the set of Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. The fourth installment in the Terminator series, the film is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting...
, with a non-sequitur showing a tape machine playing the actual audio with Peter's voice mixed in for comedic effect. The audio includes approximately two minutes of an actual outburst Bale made on the set of the film, with Peter's comments interspersed throughout. "You are gonna owe a fortune to the swear jar", says Peter in response to the multiple swear words from Bale. He also tells Bale: "I don't get why we need another 'Terminator'." The episode also includes a jab at Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Zune
Zune
Zune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...
, an MP3 player which is a competitor to the Apple Inc. iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
. Carter Pewterschmidt makes fun of Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
, saying he does not own a Zune but rather an iPod, "like the rest of the world".
During Stewie's music video there are many references to other music videos including that of the White Stripes and Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, all to the song "Every thing I do" by Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
.
Reception
The episode received a Nielsen rating of 3.8 among viewers 18-49, garnering second place behind ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
for the night. Family Guy was among the top 20 shows for the week in the 18-49 demographic, and ranked sixth among the top 17 shows on the Fox Network for the week. Ahsan Haque 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...
commented that the Bale spoof "ranks right up there with some of the best timely pop-culture references in the series". Haque concluded, "It's been a while since we've had new episodes, but it certainly feels like it's been worth the wait as 'Ocean's Three and a Half' turns out to be a triumphant return to form for the series."
Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
called the episode "fine", and graded it B-. He wrote that the Bale spoof and Stewie's music video were "funny for a while" but went on "way too long". Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
wrote positively of the Bale parody, commenting, "Oh, could there possibly be a single iota of humor left in the Christian Bale on-set rant? Why yes, yes there is, thanks to Seth McFarlane and company at 'Family Guy.'" Jackie Strause of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
called the exchange between Peter Griffin and Bale "typical 'Family Guy' fashion.
In commenting on the Bale spoof, Ben Child of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
wrote: "Personally, I tend to find Family Guy a bit hit and miss, but the US comedy's rather facile flashback formula does at least make it easy to chuck in the topical references."
See also
- "Bale OutBale Out"Bale Out: RevoLucian's Christian Bale Remix!" is a satirical dance remix by American composer Lucian Piane, also known as RevoLucian, released on February 2, 2009, to YouTube and MySpace. The piece utilizes audio from a July 2008 rant made by actor Christian Bale on the set of Terminator Salvation...
" - "R U ProfessionalR U Professional"R U Professional" is a song by the indie rock band The Mae Shi, inspired by the audio of a July 2008 outburst of actor Christian Bale on the set of Terminator Salvation. The song was written and released by the group twenty-four hours after the February 2, 2009 appearance of the Bale outburst on...
" - Ocean's ElevenOcean's Eleven (2001 film)Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 American comedy-crime caper and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. The film was...
- Fell In Love With A GirlFell in Love with a Girl"Fell in Love with a Girl" is a song by the American garage rock band The White Stripes, written and produced by Jack White for the band's third studio album, White Blood Cells . Released as the album's second single in 2002, it reached number twenty-one on both the U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100...