Partial Terms of Endearment
Encyclopedia
"Partial Terms of Endearment" is the twenty-first episode of the eighth season
of the animated
comedy series
Family Guy
. Directed by Joseph Lee and written by Danny Smith
, the episode originally aired on BBC Three
in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2010, and has not been allowed to air in the United States on Fox
, the original television network of the series. In the episode, Lois
is approached by an old friend from college who asks her to become a surrogate mother. After arguing with her husband Peter
who is against the idea, Lois decides to become a gestational carrier and undergoes in vitro fertilisation
. However, while Lois is pregnant, the biological parents are killed in an automobile accident. Lois and Peter have to decide whether to abort the fetus, or carry it to term and give the baby up for adoption. Peter attempts to persuade his wife to get an abortion
but changes his mind after pro-life activists
convince him that abortion is murder.
The episode was banned from airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company due to concerns over its portrayal of the controversial subject of abortion. This is the second episode of Family Guy to be prevented from airing during the episode's respective regular season run; the first episode was third season's
"When You Wish Upon a Weinstein
." Unlike that episode, this one was also banned from airing on Cartoon Network
's adult-oriented block Adult Swim
. It was first announced at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International.
Critical responses to the episode were mostly positive; critics praised the storyline, cultural references, and its assessment of the subject of abortion. The episode was watched in just under a million homes in its original airing in the United Kingdom. Guest performances included Gary Beach
, Jackson Douglas
, Phil LaMarr
, Will Sasso
, Julia Sweeney
, Wil Wheaton
and Michael York
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. "Partial Terms of Endearment" was released on DVD in the United States, along with Seth and Alex Almost-Live Comedy Show, on September 28, 2010.
with her husband Peter
, Lois spots her ex-girlfriend, Naomi Robinson, with whom she had a lesbian
affair in college. Peter is shocked, but excited to discover that Lois was bisexual in college. Naomi indicates that she would like to discuss a proposal of some importance with them at their home. Assuming he will participate in a three-way with his wife and Naomi, Peter sends Chris
, Meg
, Stewie
, and Brian
out of the house. After Naomi arrives at the Griffin family
home, she introduces her husband, Dale. Peter still expects to have sex with the group, and tries to seduce the three of them while dressed in various costumes. As the four decide to have a discussion in the family room, Peter expresses his disappointment that they will not be participating in an orgy
. This causes Naomi to reveal her and her husband's difficulties in conceiving a child. Naomi asks Lois whether she will consider being the couple's surrogate, leading Lois to think the matter over.
The next morning, as the family is eating breakfast, Lois reveals her intention to become a surrogate mother for Naomi and Dale, causing Peter to become upset at the thought of her being pregnant for nine months. Despite this, Lois decides to go to Dr. Hartman to have the in vitro fertilization
performed. A pregnancy test comes back positive the next day, and a furious Peter attempts to cause Lois to have a miscarriage before ultimately confronting her about the pregnancy. While she continues asserting her intention to provide a child to Naomi and Dale, Quahog 5 News suddenly reveals a car crash, with Dale and Naomi pronounced dead at the scene. Devastated by the announcement, Lois questions whether she should abort
the baby, or put it up for adoption. In an attempt to come to a decision, Lois and Peter decide to visit the local family-planning center, and ultimately decide to abort the embryo. However, as Peter exits the center he encounters an anti-abortion rally, where he is shown an anti-abortion video by one of the protesters. The video causes him to change his mind about aborting the unborn baby. Returning home, Lois continues to advocate her right to choose, while Peter now attempts to argue the unborn child's right to life and whether Lois has the responsibility of carrying it to term. At their wits' end, the two decide to discuss the matter, once and for all. The next day, Lois talks with the family about "the wonderful new member of the Griffin family". But then Peter, at the very last moment of the episode, says that the abortion had occurred anyway.
. It was written by fellow executive producer and series regular Danny Smith
and directed by Joseph Lee, during the show's eighth production season. The storyline was pitched by series regular Tom Devanney
, and periodically references Billions and Billions (1997), a book of essays by Carl Sagan
. Seth MacFarlane asked Danny Smith to read Sagan's essay, "Abortion: Is It Possible to Be Both 'Pro-Life' and 'Pro-Choice'", before beginning to write the script. The episode was originally intended to air along with the rest of the eighth season schedule, and was approved for production by 20th Century Fox
. However, the Fox Broadcasting Company
asserted their right not to air the episode due to the subject matter. This was the second time that MacFarlane had been warned by Fox about the sensitive nature of an episode's subject. Previously, the network had also disapproved of the third season
episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein
", which was originally prevented from airing on Fox, but finally aired on Adult Swim
, and eventually on Fox more than four years after it was rejected. Thinking the same would happen with "Partial Terms of Endearment", MacFarlane believed that Fox would eventually run the episode on their network, stating, "Most of the time these things turn out to be nothing." In a statement released by Fox, they noted their full support of "the producers' right to make the episode and distribute it in whatever way they want."
At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International, MacFarlane announced that the episode would become available on a special DVD release, with series producer Kara Vallow
confirming the release would be available on September 28, 2010, along with Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show. A month after the announcement, Kevin Reilly, President of Fox Entertainment, stated that the final decision not to air the episode was largely due to concerns about finances and advertisers: "Of all the issues, is the one that seems to be the most of a hot button. Particularly at that moment in time, the economy was really struggling and there were a lot of very tough conversations going on with clients." Reilly said that "the advertisers know what they’re getting" with Family Guy, and he thought that the episode handled the subject fine, but "this one felt like it could cause trouble, and it was just not worth it." Despite the concerns in the United States about the episode, it aired on June 20, 2010, on BBC Three
in the United Kingdom, as a part of the season's regularly scheduled Sunday night run on the station. Although it was originally speculated that Adult Swim
might air the episode, the company stated that there were no plans to air it on their network. Several months before the episode debuted on television, the script was performed in a live table read at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood, California
on August 12, 2009. The special reading was attended by Academy of Television Arts and Sciences voters on the heels of the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards
. Family Guy was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series
, becoming the first animated program to be nominated in the category since The Flintstones
in 1961. Commenting about the event, Seth MacFarlane said, "We did this to drum up Emmy votes, so we could lose by fewer votes."
In addition to the regular cast, actor Jackson Douglas
appeared in the episode as Dale Robinson, actress Julia Sweeney
appeared as Naomi Robinson, actor Wil Wheaton
cameoed as an anti-abortion protester and actor Michael York
voiced the nature narrator. Actors Gary Beach
, Phil LaMarr
and comedian and actor Will Sasso
guest starred as various characters. Recurring guest voice actress Alex Breckenridge
, actor Ralph Garman
and writers Danny Smith, Alec Sulkin
and John Viener made minor appearances throughout the episode.
"Partial Terms of Endearment", along with Seth and Alex Almost-Live Comedy Show, was released on DVD
in the United States on September 28, 2010. The set includes a brief audio commentary by Seth MacFarlane, voice actress Alex Borstein
, writer Danny Smith and director Joseph Lee, as well as animatics, a table read of the episode, and nine downloadable original Family Guy songs.
at Salve Regina University
in Newport
, Rhode Island
. Later, after they are approached by Lois's ex-roommate Naomi and her husband Dale, Lois announces her intention to carry the couple's baby, causing Peter to question why Lois is the one who has to become the couple's surrogate. Their daughter, Meg, suggests that she could carry the baby herself, but Lois objects due to Meg's inability to have a boyfriend "for more than a few weeks." Meg notes her relationship with Sesame Street
character Count von Count
, who only left her after discovering she had at least three nipple
s.
Before Lois prepares to undergo in vitro fertilisation, Dr. Hartman shows her several photos of babies conceived by celebrity couples, including actress Shelley Duvall
and singer-songwriter James Blunt
, actress Hilary Swank
and actor Gary Busey
, Olympic medalist Florence Griffith-Joyner
and physicist Stephen Hawking
, and actress, writer and comedian Tina Fey
and actor Joaquin Phoenix
. Later, in an attempt to cause Lois to have a miscarriage, Peter lays down a series of Grey's Anatomy
DVDs in order to lure Lois into being punched in the stomach by the "Acme
Miscarriage Kit", a boxing glove attached to a crossbow
. In a reference to the Looney Tunes
and Merrie Melodies
cartoon series Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
, Peter ultimately ends up missing with the crossbow, causing the glove to bounce and hit a large rock and land inches in front of him as he is standing on a narrow cliff. The ground then drops out from underneath his feet, causing him to fall like Wile E. Coyote.
As Peter exits the abortion clinic, he notices a pro-life rally nearby. At the rally, a protester shows Peter a video tape discouraging abortion, portraying it as murder
, larceny
, jaywalking
and securities fraud
. The tape claims that abortion prevented Nazi leader Adolf Hitler
's would-be assassin, a fourth Stooge brother, of The Three Stooges, and Islamic extremist Osama bin Laden
's America-loving brother from being born.
in the United Kingdom, earning an audience share of 5.7 percent, despite airing simultaneously with Desperate Housewives
on E4. The reception of the episode represented a slight decrease from the previous week's ratings. In a review of the episode's original broadcast, The Mail on Sunday
rated the double bill of "Partial Terms of Endearment" and "Go Stewie Go
" as four out of five stars.
Reviews of the episode's release on DVD were mostly positive, calling the episode "wickedly funny, no matter how offensive." Frazier Moore
of the Associated Press
commented that "What, in other hands, could have been a serious, even heart-wrenching story is on Family Guy a devilish burlesque — not to mention a wickedly astute examination of the current abortion clash." Moore also noted, however, that "the uninitiated, the faint-of-heart and, most of all, the anti-abortion crowd should maybe choose to take a pass." Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times
deemed the episode "typical of that audacious Fox animated comedy, teeming with rapid-fire jokes and willfully offensive non sequiturs about disabled animals, God, Nazis, bodily functions and the sexual habits of 'Sesame Street' characters." In a slightly more mixed review of the DVD release, Cindy White of IGN
criticized the episode for its shock value
, but appreciated "that the writers didn't cop out in the end, and actually picked a side." White went on to comment that it was "hard to believe that the writers ever expected 'Partial Terms of Endearment' to make it to air" and that "even devoted, longtime fans of the show may be a little uncomfortable with the subject matter." White gave the release a 7 out of 10 rating. Assessing Family Guys impact on television, Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon
commented on the portrayal of abortion: "That Family Guy, that doofy, generally unfunny bastion of sophomoric jokes, should be one of the few shows brave enough to even address the topic is bananas And that Fox wouldn't air the episode says we're still a long way from having anybody on 'Glee' or 'The Office' or 'House' look at those telltale lines on the stick and finally decide what millions of American women have — that they're just not ready for motherhood."
Family Guy (season 8)
Family Guy eighth season first aired on the Fox network in twenty episodes from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It ran on Sunday nights between May and July 2010 on BBC Three in the UK...
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...
. Directed by Joseph Lee and written 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...
, the episode originally aired on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2010, and has not been allowed to air in the United States 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...
, the original television network of the series. In the episode, 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 approached by an old friend from college who asks her to become a surrogate mother. After arguing with her husband 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....
who is against the idea, Lois decides to become a gestational carrier and undergoes in vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation is a process by which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the body: in vitro. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed...
. However, while Lois is pregnant, the biological parents are killed in an automobile accident. Lois and Peter have to decide whether to abort the fetus, or carry it to term and give the baby up for adoption. Peter attempts to persuade his wife to get an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
but changes his mind after pro-life activists
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
convince him that abortion is murder.
The episode was banned from airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company due to concerns over its portrayal of the controversial subject of abortion. This is the second episode of Family Guy to be prevented from airing during the episode's respective regular season run; the first episode was third season's
Family Guy (season 3)
Family Guy third season first aired on the Fox network in twenty-two episodes from July 11, 2001 to November 9, 2003 before being released as a DVD box set and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "The Thin White Line" and finished with "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein"...
"When You Wish Upon a Weinstein
When You Wish upon a Weinstein
"When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" is an episode of the animated television sitcom Family Guy that would have first aired in 2000, but due to concerns about its content it was not aired until November 9, 2003, when it was broadcast on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. It was later aired on Fox on...
." Unlike that episode, this one was also banned from airing on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's adult-oriented block 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...
. It was first announced at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International.
Critical responses to the episode were mostly positive; critics praised the storyline, cultural references, and its assessment of the subject of abortion. The episode was watched in just under a million homes in its original airing in the United Kingdom. Guest performances included Gary Beach
Gary Beach
Gary Beach is an American actor, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.-Biography:Beach was born in Alexandria, Virginia and later went on to graduate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, the same school as Terrence Mann, his Beauty and the Beast costar.Beach and his partner, Jeffrey...
, Jackson Douglas
Jackson Douglas
Jackson Douglas is best known for his role as Jackson Belleville in the television series Gilmore Girls, for which he's also directed the Season 5 episode To Live and Let Diorama and Season 6 episode Welcome to the Dollhouse...
, 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...
, Will Sasso
Will Sasso
William "Will" Sasso is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on the American sketch comedy series MADtv, spending five seasons on the show.-Early life:...
, Julia Sweeney
Julia Sweeney
Julia Anne Sweeney is an American actress, comedian and author best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for her autobiographical solo shows.-Personal life:...
, Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
and Michael York
Michael York (actor)
Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. "Partial Terms of Endearment" was released on DVD in the United States, along with Seth and Alex Almost-Live Comedy Show, on September 28, 2010.
Plot
While attending her college reunion at Salve Regina UniversitySalve Regina University
Salve Regina University is a university in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the university is a Catholic, co-educational, private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of Rhode Island in 1934. In 1947 the university acquired Ochre Court and welcomed its first class...
with her husband 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....
, Lois spots her ex-girlfriend, Naomi Robinson, with whom she had a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
affair in college. Peter is shocked, but excited to discover that Lois was bisexual in college. Naomi indicates that she would like to discuss a proposal of some importance with them at their home. Assuming he will participate in a three-way with his wife and Naomi, Peter sends Chris
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
, 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....
, 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...
out of the house. After Naomi arrives at the Griffin family
Griffin 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, she introduces her husband, Dale. Peter still expects to have sex with the group, and tries to seduce the three of them while dressed in various costumes. As the four decide to have a discussion in the family room, Peter expresses his disappointment that they will not be participating in an orgy
Orgy
In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party where guests engage in promiscuous or multifarious sexual activity or group sex. An orgy is similar to debauchery, which refers to excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures....
. This causes Naomi to reveal her and her husband's difficulties in conceiving a child. Naomi asks Lois whether she will consider being the couple's surrogate, leading Lois to think the matter over.
The next morning, as the family is eating breakfast, Lois reveals her intention to become a surrogate mother for Naomi and Dale, causing Peter to become upset at the thought of her being pregnant for nine months. Despite this, Lois decides to go to Dr. Hartman to have the in vitro fertilization
In vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation is a process by which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the body: in vitro. IVF is a major treatment in infertility when other methods of assisted reproductive technology have failed...
performed. A pregnancy test comes back positive the next day, and a furious Peter attempts to cause Lois to have a miscarriage before ultimately confronting her about the pregnancy. While she continues asserting her intention to provide a child to Naomi and Dale, Quahog 5 News suddenly reveals a car crash, with Dale and Naomi pronounced dead at the scene. Devastated by the announcement, Lois questions whether she should abort
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
the baby, or put it up for adoption. In an attempt to come to a decision, Lois and Peter decide to visit the local family-planning center, and ultimately decide to abort the embryo. However, as Peter exits the center he encounters an anti-abortion rally, where he is shown an anti-abortion video by one of the protesters. The video causes him to change his mind about aborting the unborn baby. Returning home, Lois continues to advocate her right to choose, while Peter now attempts to argue the unborn child's right to life and whether Lois has the responsibility of carrying it to term. At their wits' end, the two decide to discuss the matter, once and for all. The next day, Lois talks with the family about "the wonderful new member of the Griffin family". But then Peter, at the very last moment of the episode, says that the abortion had occurred anyway.
Production and development
The episode was first announced at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International on July 25, 2009, by series creator and executive producer 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,...
. It was written by fellow executive producer and series regular 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 directed by Joseph Lee, during the show's eighth production season. The storyline was pitched by series regular 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 periodically references Billions and Billions (1997), a book of essays by Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
. Seth MacFarlane asked Danny Smith to read Sagan's essay, "Abortion: Is It Possible to Be Both 'Pro-Life' and 'Pro-Choice'", before beginning to write the script. The episode was originally intended to air along with the rest of the eighth season schedule, and was approved for production by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox Television
20th Century Fox Television is the television production division of 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, and a production arm of the Fox Broadcasting Company...
. However, 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...
asserted their right not to air the episode due to the subject matter. This was the second time that MacFarlane had been warned by Fox about the sensitive nature of an episode's subject. Previously, the network had also disapproved of the third season
Family Guy (season 3)
Family Guy third season first aired on the Fox network in twenty-two episodes from July 11, 2001 to November 9, 2003 before being released as a DVD box set and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "The Thin White Line" and finished with "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein"...
episode "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein
When You Wish upon a Weinstein
"When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" is an episode of the animated television sitcom Family Guy that would have first aired in 2000, but due to concerns about its content it was not aired until November 9, 2003, when it was broadcast on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. It was later aired on Fox on...
", which was originally prevented from airing on Fox, but finally aired on 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 eventually on Fox more than four years after it was rejected. Thinking the same would happen with "Partial Terms of Endearment", MacFarlane believed that Fox would eventually run the episode on their network, stating, "Most of the time these things turn out to be nothing." In a statement released by Fox, they noted their full support of "the producers' right to make the episode and distribute it in whatever way they want."
At the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International, MacFarlane announced that the episode would become available on a special DVD release, with series producer Kara Vallow
Kara Vallow
Kara Vallow is an American animation producer best known for her work as Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane's long time producing partner on Family Guy and American Dad, as well as The Cleveland Show.-Career:Vallow has produced 3 South and the animated series adaption of Dilbert.In 2004, she...
confirming the release would be available on September 28, 2010, along with Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show. A month after the announcement, Kevin Reilly, President of Fox Entertainment, stated that the final decision not to air the episode was largely due to concerns about finances and advertisers: "Of all the issues, is the one that seems to be the most of a hot button. Particularly at that moment in time, the economy was really struggling and there were a lot of very tough conversations going on with clients." Reilly said that "the advertisers know what they’re getting" with Family Guy, and he thought that the episode handled the subject fine, but "this one felt like it could cause trouble, and it was just not worth it." Despite the concerns in the United States about the episode, it aired on June 20, 2010, on BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
in the United Kingdom, as a part of the season's regularly scheduled Sunday night run on the station. Although it was originally speculated that 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...
might air the episode, the company stated that there were no plans to air it on their network. Several months before the episode debuted on television, the script was performed in a live table read at the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on August 12, 2009. The special reading was attended by Academy of Television Arts and Sciences voters on the heels of the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards
61st Primetime Emmy Awards
The 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place on September 20, 2009. CBS broadcast the Primetime event and E! the Creative Arts event; both take place at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The nominations for the Awards were announced on July 16....
. Family Guy was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is an Emmy given to the best television comedy series of the year.-Winners and nominees:...
, becoming the first animated program to be nominated in the category since The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
in 1961. Commenting about the event, Seth MacFarlane said, "We did this to drum up Emmy votes, so we could lose by fewer votes."
In addition to the regular cast, actor Jackson Douglas
Jackson Douglas
Jackson Douglas is best known for his role as Jackson Belleville in the television series Gilmore Girls, for which he's also directed the Season 5 episode To Live and Let Diorama and Season 6 episode Welcome to the Dollhouse...
appeared in the episode as Dale Robinson, actress Julia Sweeney
Julia Sweeney
Julia Anne Sweeney is an American actress, comedian and author best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for her autobiographical solo shows.-Personal life:...
appeared as Naomi Robinson, actor Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton
Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an American actor and writer. As an actor, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Gordie Lachance in the film Stand by Me and Joey Trotta in Toy Soldiers...
cameoed as an anti-abortion protester and actor Michael York
Michael York (actor)
Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
voiced the nature narrator. Actors Gary Beach
Gary Beach
Gary Beach is an American actor, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.-Biography:Beach was born in Alexandria, Virginia and later went on to graduate from the North Carolina School of the Arts, the same school as Terrence Mann, his Beauty and the Beast costar.Beach and his partner, Jeffrey...
, 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...
and comedian and actor Will Sasso
Will Sasso
William "Will" Sasso is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on the American sketch comedy series MADtv, spending five seasons on the show.-Early life:...
guest starred as various characters. Recurring guest voice actress Alex Breckenridge
Alex Breckenridge
Alexandra "Alex" Breckenridge is an American film and television actress, photographer and voice artist. Noted for her role as Willa McPherson on the television series Dirt, she also had a supporting role on the short lived series The Ex List...
, actor 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...
and writers Danny Smith, Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin is an American television writer. Most notable for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, he has also contributed to The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane....
and John Viener made minor appearances throughout the episode.
"Partial Terms of Endearment", along with Seth and Alex Almost-Live Comedy Show, 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....
in the United States on September 28, 2010. The set includes a brief audio commentary by Seth MacFarlane, voice actress Alex Borstein
Alex Borstein
Alexandrea "Alex" Borstein is an American actress, singer, voice actress, writer and comedian. She is best known for her long-running role as Lois Griffin on the animated television series Family Guy, and as a cast member on the sketch comedy series MADtv.A native of Highland Park, Illinois,...
, writer Danny Smith and director Joseph Lee, as well as animatics, a table read of the episode, and nine downloadable original Family Guy songs.
Cultural references
In the opening scene of the episode, Peter and Lois are shown entering her alma materAlma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
at Salve Regina University
Salve Regina University
Salve Regina University is a university in Newport, Rhode Island. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, the university is a Catholic, co-educational, private, non-profit institution chartered by the State of Rhode Island in 1934. In 1947 the university acquired Ochre Court and welcomed its first class...
in Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. Later, after they are approached by Lois's ex-roommate Naomi and her husband Dale, Lois announces her intention to carry the couple's baby, causing Peter to question why Lois is the one who has to become the couple's surrogate. Their daughter, Meg, suggests that she could carry the baby herself, but Lois objects due to Meg's inability to have a boyfriend "for more than a few weeks." Meg notes her relationship with Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
character Count von Count
Count von Count
Count von Count, often known simply as "The Count", is one of the Muppet characters on Sesame Street, performed by Jerry Nelson. The Count is a vampire modeled after Bela Lugosi's interpretation of Count Dracula.-Description:...
, who only left her after discovering she had at least three nipple
Nipple
In its most general form, a nipple is a structure from which a fluid emanates. More specifically, it is the projection on the breasts or udder of a mammal by which breast milk is delivered to a mother's young. In this sense, it is often called a teat, especially when referring to non-humans, and...
s.
Before Lois prepares to undergo in vitro fertilisation, Dr. Hartman shows her several photos of babies conceived by celebrity couples, including actress Shelley Duvall
Shelley Duvall
Shelley Alexis Duvall is an American film and television actress best known for her roles in The Shining, Popeye, Thieves Like Us and 3 Women....
and singer-songwriter James Blunt
James Blunt
James Hillier Blount , better known by his stage name James Blunt, is an English singer-songwriter and musician, and former army officer, whose debut album, Back to Bedlam and single releases, including "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", brought him to fame in 2005...
, actress Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
and actor Gary Busey
Gary Busey
William Gary Busey , best known as Gary Busey, is an American film and stage actor and artist. He has appeared in a large variety of films, as well as making regular appearances on Gunsmoke, Walker, Texas Ranger, Law & Order, and Entourage...
, Olympic medalist Florence Griffith-Joyner
Florence Griffith-Joyner
Florence Griffith-Joyner , also known as Flo-Jo was an American track and field athlete. She is considered the "fastest woman of all time" based on the fact that she still holds the world record for both the 100 metres and 200 metres, both set in 1988 and never seriously challenged...
and physicist Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
, and actress, writer and comedian Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
and actor Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix , formerly credited as Leaf Phoenix, is an American film actor. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and his family returned to the continental United States four years later...
. Later, in an attempt to cause Lois to have a miscarriage, Peter lays down a series of Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
DVDs in order to lure Lois into being punched in the stomach by the "Acme
Acme Corporation
The Acme Corporation is a fictional corporation that features prominently in the Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons as a running gag featuring outlandish products that fail catastrophically at the worst possible times...
Miscarriage Kit", a boxing glove attached to a crossbow
Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
. In a reference to the Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
and Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
cartoon series Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
Wile E. Coyote and The Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from a series of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. The characters were created by animation director Chuck Jones in 1948 for Warner Bros., while the template for their adventures was the work of writer Michael Maltese...
, Peter ultimately ends up missing with the crossbow, causing the glove to bounce and hit a large rock and land inches in front of him as he is standing on a narrow cliff. The ground then drops out from underneath his feet, causing him to fall like Wile E. Coyote.
As Peter exits the abortion clinic, he notices a pro-life rally nearby. At the rally, a protester shows Peter a video tape discouraging abortion, portraying it as murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, larceny
Larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
, jaywalking
Jaywalking
Jaywalking is an informal term commonly used in North America to refer to illegal or reckless pedestrian crossing of a roadway. Examples include a pedestrian crossing between intersections without yielding to drivers and starting to cross a crosswalk at a signalized intersection without waiting...
and securities fraud
Securities fraud
Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a practice that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information, frequently resulting in losses, in violation of the securities laws....
. The tape claims that abortion prevented Nazi leader Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's would-be assassin, a fourth Stooge brother, of The Three Stooges, and Islamic extremist Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
's America-loving brother from being born.
Reception
The episode was viewed in just under a million homes in its original airing on BBC ThreeBBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
in the United Kingdom, earning an audience share of 5.7 percent, despite airing simultaneously with 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...
on E4. The reception of the episode represented a slight decrease from the previous week's ratings. In a review of the episode's original broadcast, The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday
The Mail on Sunday is a British conservative newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. First published in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it became Britain's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper following the closing of The News of the World in July 2011...
rated the double bill of "Partial Terms of Endearment" and "Go Stewie Go
Go Stewie Go
"Go, Stewie, Go!" is the thirteenth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 14, 2010...
" as four out of five stars.
Reviews of the episode's release on DVD were mostly positive, calling the episode "wickedly funny, no matter how offensive." Frazier Moore
Frazier Moore
Frazier Moore, Jr. is a television critic for the Associated Press.-Background:Moore was born in Atlanta to El'Eckler Ussery Moore and Frazier Moore, Sr., a professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Georgia. Moore grew up in Athens, Georgia, and attended the University of...
of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
commented that "What, in other hands, could have been a serious, even heart-wrenching story is on Family Guy a devilish burlesque — not to mention a wickedly astute examination of the current abortion clash." Moore also noted, however, that "the uninitiated, the faint-of-heart and, most of all, the anti-abortion crowd should maybe choose to take a pass." Dave Itzkoff of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
deemed the episode "typical of that audacious Fox animated comedy, teeming with rapid-fire jokes and willfully offensive non sequiturs about disabled animals, God, Nazis, bodily functions and the sexual habits of 'Sesame Street' characters." In a slightly more mixed review of the DVD release, Cindy White 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...
criticized the episode for its shock value
Shock value
Shock value is the potential of an action , image, text, or other form of communication to provoke a reaction of disgust, shock, anger, fear, or similar negative emotions.-Shock value as humor:...
, but appreciated "that the writers didn't cop out in the end, and actually picked a side." White went on to comment that it was "hard to believe that the writers ever expected 'Partial Terms of Endearment' to make it to air" and that "even devoted, longtime fans of the show may be a little uncomfortable with the subject matter." White gave the release a 7 out of 10 rating. Assessing Family Guys impact on television, Mary Elizabeth Williams of Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
commented on the portrayal of abortion: "That Family Guy, that doofy, generally unfunny bastion of sophomoric jokes, should be one of the few shows brave enough to even address the topic is bananas And that Fox wouldn't air the episode says we're still a long way from having anybody on 'Glee' or 'The Office' or 'House' look at those telltale lines on the stick and finally decide what millions of American women have — that they're just not ready for motherhood."