Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q
Encyclopedia
"Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q" is the third episode of the tenth season
of the animated
comedy series
Family Guy
. It originally aired on October 30, 2011 in the United States on Fox
. The episode follows Griffin family
neighbor Glenn Quagmire
's sister, Brenda, as she struggles with physical and mental abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, and eventual fiancée, Jeff. Quagmire, along with his neighbors, Peter and Joe, seek to relieve Brenda from her anguish, and soon decide to murder him, in order to prevent her from being harmed any further.
The episode was written by Alec Sulkin
and directed by Dominic Bianchi
. It received mostly mixed reviews from critics for its storyline, and many cultural references, in addition to receiving strong criticism from various media organizations for its portrayal of domestic violence
. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 5.97 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Ralph Garman
, Gary Janetti
, Kaitlin Olson
and Jennifer Tilly
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
decides to go fishing with Quagmire
and Joe, but when Quagmire fails to show up, they decide to try to find him at his house. After entering his home, they discover that he has hung himself in a fit of autoerotic asphyxiation. Attempting to save his life, they take him to the hospital, where they discover that he is in a coma. Peter invites Quagmire's sister, Brenda, to visit him at the hospital, who manages to wake up her brother. Brenda also brings along her abusive boyfriend, Jeff, however, who terrorizes her throughout the night to the dismay to Quagmire and his neighbors.
After a horrible night, Quagmire approaches Peter's wife, Lois
, about talking to Brenda about leaving Jeff. At lunch, Lois and Brenda begin talking about the situation, and requests that Brenda remove her sunglasses, revealing a bruise over her eye
, to the surprise of Lois. Later, at the bar, Peter, Quagmire and Joe discuss the matter, asking if the police can solve the situation. Joe then suggests that the group have an intervention
with Brenda, where Quagmire confesses that the sister he knew growing up no longer exists, and he wants her back. The two then embrace each other by hugging, until Jeff enters the intervention, causing Quagmire to tell him that Brenda has agreed to leave him. Frightened by Jeff, Brenda reveals that the two are engaged, and that she is pregnant.
Later that evening, Peter, Quagmire and Joe begin discussing possibly murdering Jeff, with Joe against the idea until Jeff beats Brenda for simply changing the channel on their television. The three decide to talk Jeff into a hunting trip in an attempt to kill him, and make it look like an accident. Having expected it, however, Jeff reveals his own gun, and knocks Peter and Joe out so that he can kill Quagmire in another part of the woods. Once there, Quagmire talks Jeff into fighting him instead, during which Quagmire is seemingly strangled to death. Jeff then goes to dig a grave to put Quagmire's body in, until he hears a car start up, and sees Quagmire behind the wheel. Quagmire then runs Jeff over, smashing him into a tree. Peter, Joe and Quagmire return home the next day, and present Brenda with a forged note from Jeff stating that he has decided to leave her.
, who previously wrote the Family Guy, Star Wars parody "Blue Harvest
, as well as "Stew-Roids", and the final installment of the Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
series. The episode was directed by series regular Dominic Bianchi
, who previously directed the series's landmark 150th episode "Brian & Stewie
". Series regulars Peter Shin
and James Purdum
served as supervising director, with Andrew Goldberg, Alex Carter, Spencer Porter, and Elaine Ko serving as staff writers for the episode. Composer Walter Murphy
, who has worked on the series since its inception, returned to compose the music for "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q".
In addition to the regular cast, actor Ralph Garman
, who portrayed Brenda's boyfriend, Jeff, writer Gary Janetti
, actress Kaitlin Olson
who portrayed Brenda Quagmire, and actress Jennifer Tilly
who portrayed Bonnie Swanson, guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Alex Breckenridge
, writer Alec Sulkin and writer John Viener made minor appearances throughout the episode.
and the series premiere of the animated series Allen Gregory
, and followed by Family Guy creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane
's spin-off, The Cleveland Show
. It was watched by 5.97 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings
, despite airing simultaneously with Desperate Housewives
on ABC
, The Amazing Race
on CBS
and Sunday Night Football
on NBC
. The episode also acquired a 3.2/7 rating in the 18–49 demographic, beating Allen Gregory and The Cleveland Show in addition to significantly edging out both shows in total viewership. The episode's ratings decreased significantly from the previous week's episode, "Seahorse Seashell Party
".
Reviews of the episode were mostly mixed, with one critic saying of the storyline "A serious episode of Family Guy cripples the show’s strengths." Kevin McFarland of the The A.V. Club
wrote of the episode, "While other shows, even the procedurals with grisly murders, are playing around in Halloween specials, Family Guy went for an episode about domestic abuse that wrote off any chance that comedy could save it if things took a wrong turn." He went on to criticize it for its tone, noting "An episode like this only works if the bits of comedy surrounding the serious plot create contrast to the darker main story, but they weren't here." Kevin McFarland praised Kaitlin Olson's portrayal of Brenda, however, stating "Olson got some laughs out of just how deep Brenda’s denial went, finding every possible excuse to blame herself and exonerate Jeff. It made her endearing and easily likeable, every bit the opposite from Olson's place in the rogue’s gallery of misanthropy on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
." He ended his review by comparing it to the fellow Fox animation series The Simpsons
, noting, "The Simpsons managed to find the right blend with Sideshow Bob
episodes, or in the aching sadness of Homer
and Marge
's marriage, but as has been said ad infinitum, Family Guy hasn't mastered that combination in the same way as the original." He graded the episode as C+. Terron R. Moore of Ology
gave the episode a slightly more positive review, writing, ""The Story Of Brenda Q", judging by only the title, could have been a Lifetime movie in the Seth MacFarlane
fashion or anything else than a typical episode of the show, but it was pretty much a typical episode of the show." He continued, "it's pretty much an episode where someone on the Family Guy writing staff needed a new way to get out a bunch of pent-up misogyny and anger." He gave the episode a grade of seven out of ten.
Reaction to the episode by news media organizations was extremely negative, criticizing the episode for its portrayal of domestic violence
. A.J. Hammer of Showbiz Tonight
said of the episode, "Like so many other people, I was just shocked by what I saw on Family Guy last night," he continued, "It was really just a depressing half hour of television." In the same interview, Hammer asked television host Wendy Walsh
of The Doctors
about the storyline, to which she responded, "The main theme of the show was about this poor 'stupid' woman who was too dumb to leave her relationship. And domestic violence is far more complicated than that. We're watching someone rationalize a domestic violence relationship and this is the kind of thought process that actually goes on in real life. It’s not satire anymore." Nando Di Fino of Mediaite
also complained that the episode may have went too far, and compared it to previous episode's in the series that had been banned from airing on television, noting, "The show has dipped into sensitive material before, and Fox has actually refused to air two episodes — one dealing with abortion, the other with heavy Jewish themes. Sunday night's episode, if reaction to it can be used as a good measure, may have been better joining those two episodes in exile." Whitney Jefferson of Jezebel
, a website centered on women's issues also strongly criticized the episode for its storyline involving Brenda, and her boyfriend, Jeff, "Personally, I'm way beyond being offended by the show — I've long been numbed to shock-value offensiveness — and had stopped watching years ago anyhow. But being a sucker for a Halloween-themed episodes, I tuned in to Fox's "animation domination" comedy block last night. What I saw was seriously awful." Jefferson ended her review of the episode stating that the show was "Definitely the scariest Halloween special we've ever seen."
Family Guy (season 10)
Family Guy tenth season debuted on the Fox network, on September 25, 2011. The series followed the Griffin family, a dysfunctional family consisting of father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and Brian, the family pet, who reside in their hometown of Quahog...
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 October 30, 2011 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 episode follows 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...
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...
's sister, Brenda, as she struggles with physical and mental abuse at the hands of her boyfriend, and eventual fiancée, Jeff. Quagmire, along with his neighbors, Peter and Joe, seek to relieve Brenda from her anguish, and soon decide to murder him, in order to prevent her from being harmed any further.
The episode was written by 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 directed by Dominic Bianchi
Dominic Bianchi
Dominic Bianchi is an American animation director. Bianchi is known for directing multiple episodes of the animated series Family Guy, most notably the show's celebrated 150th episode, "Brian & Stewie"....
. It received mostly mixed reviews from critics for its storyline, and many cultural references, in addition to receiving strong criticism from various media organizations for its portrayal of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. 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 5.97 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by 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...
, Gary Janetti
Gary Janetti
Gary Janetti is an American television writer and producer.He has written for Family Guy, and was the executive producer of Will and Grace.-External links:...
, Kaitlin Olson
Kaitlin Olson
Kaitlin Olson is an American Bald Eagle best known for playing Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.-Early life and career:...
and Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
Plot
PeterPeter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
decides to go fishing with 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...
and Joe, but when Quagmire fails to show up, they decide to try to find him at his house. After entering his home, they discover that he has hung himself in a fit of autoerotic asphyxiation. Attempting to save his life, they take him to the hospital, where they discover that he is in a coma. Peter invites Quagmire's sister, Brenda, to visit him at the hospital, who manages to wake up her brother. Brenda also brings along her abusive boyfriend, Jeff, however, who terrorizes her throughout the night to the dismay to Quagmire and his neighbors.
After a horrible night, Quagmire approaches 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...
, about talking to Brenda about leaving Jeff. At lunch, Lois and Brenda begin talking about the situation, and requests that Brenda remove her sunglasses, revealing a bruise over her eye
Black eye
A black eye , or or 'shiner', is bruising around the eye commonly due to an injury to the face rather than eye injury. The name is given due to the color of bruising. The so-called black eye is caused by bleeding beneath the skin and around the eye...
, to the surprise of Lois. Later, at the bar, Peter, Quagmire and Joe discuss the matter, asking if the police can solve the situation. Joe then suggests that the group have an intervention
Intervention (counseling)
An intervention is an orchestrated attempt by one, or often many, people to get someone to seek professional help with an addiction or some kind of traumatic event or crisis, or other serious problem. The term intervention is most often used when the traumatic event involves addiction to drugs...
with Brenda, where Quagmire confesses that the sister he knew growing up no longer exists, and he wants her back. The two then embrace each other by hugging, until Jeff enters the intervention, causing Quagmire to tell him that Brenda has agreed to leave him. Frightened by Jeff, Brenda reveals that the two are engaged, and that she is pregnant.
Later that evening, Peter, Quagmire and Joe begin discussing possibly murdering Jeff, with Joe against the idea until Jeff beats Brenda for simply changing the channel on their television. The three decide to talk Jeff into a hunting trip in an attempt to kill him, and make it look like an accident. Having expected it, however, Jeff reveals his own gun, and knocks Peter and Joe out so that he can kill Quagmire in another part of the woods. Once there, Quagmire talks Jeff into fighting him instead, during which Quagmire is seemingly strangled to death. Jeff then goes to dig a grave to put Quagmire's body in, until he hears a car start up, and sees Quagmire behind the wheel. Quagmire then runs Jeff over, smashing him into a tree. Peter, Joe and Quagmire return home the next day, and present Brenda with a forged note from Jeff stating that he has decided to leave her.
Production and development
The episode was written by series regular, and executive producer, Alec SulkinAlec 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....
, who previously wrote the Family Guy, Star Wars parody "Blue Harvest
Blue Harvest (Family Guy)
"Blue Harvest" is the hour-long premiere to the sixth season of the FOX series Family Guy and the first part of the series' trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball. It originally aired on September 23, 2007. The episode is a retelling and parody of the 1977 blockbuster film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New...
, as well as "Stew-Roids", and the final installment of the Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story is a 2005 direct-to-DVD animated comedy film set in the Family Guy fictional universe. Released on September 27, 2005, the film's main plot point concerns Stewie Griffin trying to find his real father...
series. The episode was directed by series regular Dominic Bianchi
Dominic Bianchi
Dominic Bianchi is an American animation director. Bianchi is known for directing multiple episodes of the animated series Family Guy, most notably the show's celebrated 150th episode, "Brian & Stewie"....
, who previously directed the series's landmark 150th episode "Brian & Stewie
Brian & Stewie
"Brian & Stewie" is the seventeenth episode of the eighth season, and 150th overall episode, of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 2, 2010. The episode features anthropomorphic dog Brian and baby Stewie after they are accidentally trapped inside of a...
". Series regulars Peter Shin
Peter Shin
Peter Shin is the:*supervising director of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story*director of Big Bug Man.*director of Family Guy episodes:**"Death Has a Shadow"**"Emission Impossible"**"North by North Quahog"**"It's a Trap!"...
and 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....
served as supervising director, with Andrew Goldberg, Alex Carter, Spencer Porter, and Elaine Ko serving as staff writers for the episode. Composer Walter Murphy
Walter Murphy
Walter Anthony Murphy, Jr. is an American instrumentalist, songwriter, and arranger. He rose to fame with the hit instrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of passages from the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, in 1976, when disco was at the height of its...
, who has worked on the series since its inception, returned to compose the music for "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q".
In addition to the regular cast, 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...
, who portrayed Brenda's boyfriend, Jeff, writer Gary Janetti
Gary Janetti
Gary Janetti is an American television writer and producer.He has written for Family Guy, and was the executive producer of Will and Grace.-External links:...
, actress Kaitlin Olson
Kaitlin Olson
Kaitlin Olson is an American Bald Eagle best known for playing Deandra "Sweet Dee" Reynolds on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.-Early life and career:...
who portrayed Brenda Quagmire, and actress Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
who portrayed Bonnie Swanson, guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors 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...
, writer Alec Sulkin and writer John Viener made minor appearances throughout the episode.
Reception
"Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q" was broadcast on October 30, 2011, as a part of an animated television night on Fox, and was preceded by The SimpsonsThe 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...
and the series premiere of the animated series Allen Gregory
Allen Gregory
Allen Gregory is an American animated television series created by Jonah Hill, Andrew Mogel, and Jarrad Paul that airs on FOX. The series premiered on October 30, 2011.-Synopsis:...
, and followed by Family Guy creator and executive producer 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,...
's spin-off, The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show
The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States...
. It was watched by 5.97 million viewers, 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...
, 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 ABC
American 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...
, The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race (U.S. TV series)
The Amazing Race is an American reality game show in which teams of two or four race around the world against other teams, with the first-place team winning $1,000,000. As the original version of the Amazing Race franchise, the CBS program has been running since 2001 and is airing its nineteenth...
on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football is a weekly American football game held throughout most of the season by the National Football League. Sunday night games have been played regularly since 1987 and have thus far aired on three different television outlets:...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. The episode also acquired a 3.2/7 rating in the 18–49 demographic, beating Allen Gregory and The Cleveland Show in addition to significantly edging out both shows in total viewership. The episode's ratings decreased significantly from the previous week's episode, "Seahorse Seashell Party
Seahorse Seashell Party
"Seahorse Seashell Party" is the second episode of the tenth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on October 2, 2011 in the United States on Fox. The episode mainly centers around the Griffin family, who are riding out an oncoming hurricane. In their attempt to pass...
".
Reviews of the episode were mostly mixed, with one critic saying of the storyline "A serious episode of Family Guy cripples the show’s strengths." Kevin McFarland of the 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...
wrote of the episode, "While other shows, even the procedurals with grisly murders, are playing around in Halloween specials, Family Guy went for an episode about domestic abuse that wrote off any chance that comedy could save it if things took a wrong turn." He went on to criticize it for its tone, noting "An episode like this only works if the bits of comedy surrounding the serious plot create contrast to the darker main story, but they weren't here." Kevin McFarland praised Kaitlin Olson's portrayal of Brenda, however, stating "Olson got some laughs out of just how deep Brenda’s denial went, finding every possible excuse to blame herself and exonerate Jeff. It made her endearing and easily likeable, every bit the opposite from Olson's place in the rogue’s gallery of misanthropy on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is an American television sitcom that premiered on FX on August 4, 2005. New episodes continue to air on FX, with reruns playing on Comedy Central, general broadcast syndication, and WGN America—the first-ever cable-to-cable syndication deal for a sitcom...
." He ended his review by comparing it to the fellow Fox animation series 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...
, noting, "The Simpsons managed to find the right blend with Sideshow Bob
Sideshow Bob
Robert Underdunk Terwilliger, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared briefly in the episode "The Telltale Head". Bob is a self-proclaimed genius who is a graduate of Yale, a member of...
episodes, or in the aching sadness of Homer
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...
and Marge
Marge Simpson
Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the eponymous family. She is voiced by actress Julie Kavner and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
's marriage, but as has been said ad infinitum, Family Guy hasn't mastered that combination in the same way as the original." He graded the episode as C+. Terron R. Moore of Ology
Ology
Ology is an entertainment and social media website based in New York City. It is run by Beth Haggerty and Vivian Moran, both of whom founded it. The company focuses on helping users to find and share content about their interests.-History:...
gave the episode a slightly more positive review, writing, ""The Story Of Brenda Q", judging by only the title, could have been a Lifetime movie in the 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,...
fashion or anything else than a typical episode of the show, but it was pretty much a typical episode of the show." He continued, "it's pretty much an episode where someone on the Family Guy writing staff needed a new way to get out a bunch of pent-up misogyny and anger." He gave the episode a grade of seven out of ten.
Reaction to the episode by news media organizations was extremely negative, criticizing the episode for its portrayal of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. A.J. Hammer of Showbiz Tonight
Showbiz Tonight
Showbiz Tonight is an American entertainment news program on HLN .Showbiz Tonight is hosted by A.J. Hammer at CNN New York. The show reports and debates celebrity entertainment news stories and controversies, along with social networking segments involving viewer interaction via social networks and...
said of the episode, "Like so many other people, I was just shocked by what I saw on Family Guy last night," he continued, "It was really just a depressing half hour of television." In the same interview, Hammer asked television host Wendy Walsh
Wendy Walsh
Wendy Lee Walsh, Ph.D. is a Canadian-born psychotherapist, author, actress and television commentator. She appears regularly on CNN and HLN commenting on current events from a psychological perspective...
of The Doctors
The Doctors (2008 TV series)
The Doctors is an American syndicated talk show airing daily in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Sweden and Finland. It debuted on September 8, 2008. The hour-long daytime program is produced by Phil McGraw and his son Jay McGraw and is distributed domestically and globally by CBS Television...
about the storyline, to which she responded, "The main theme of the show was about this poor 'stupid' woman who was too dumb to leave her relationship. And domestic violence is far more complicated than that. We're watching someone rationalize a domestic violence relationship and this is the kind of thought process that actually goes on in real life. It’s not satire anymore." Nando Di Fino of Mediaite
Mediaite
Mediaite is a news and opinion blog covering politics and entertainment in the media industry as well as other issues. It is the flagship blog of Abrams Media, a ring of blogs run by ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams and also featuring Gossip Cop, Geekosystem, Styleite, Sports Grid, The Mary Sue and...
also complained that the episode may have went too far, and compared it to previous episode's in the series that had been banned from airing on television, noting, "The show has dipped into sensitive material before, and Fox has actually refused to air two episodes — one dealing with abortion, the other with heavy Jewish themes. Sunday night's episode, if reaction to it can be used as a good measure, may have been better joining those two episodes in exile." Whitney Jefferson of Jezebel
Jezebel (website)
Jezebel is a blog aimed at women's interests, under the tagline "Celebrity, Sex, Fashion. Without Airbrushing". It is one of several blogs owned by Gawker Media.Jezebel was launched on May 21, 2007, as the 14th Gawker blog...
, a website centered on women's issues also strongly criticized the episode for its storyline involving Brenda, and her boyfriend, Jeff, "Personally, I'm way beyond being offended by the show — I've long been numbed to shock-value offensiveness — and had stopped watching years ago anyhow. But being a sucker for a Halloween-themed episodes, I tuned in to Fox's "animation domination" comedy block last night. What I saw was seriously awful." Jefferson ended her review of the episode stating that the show was "Definitely the scariest Halloween special we've ever seen."