Stewie Kills Lois and Lois Kills Stewie
Encyclopedia
"Stewie Kills Lois" and "Lois Kills Stewie" form a two-part episode of the sixth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy
. Respectively, both are the fourth and fifth episode of their season, and they premiered in the United States
on Fox
on November 4 and 11, 2007. In the former, housewife Lois
receives cruise tickets from anthropomorphic
dog Brian
, and invites Peter
on the cruise with her. This upsets Stewie
, and he ultimately appears to murder Lois
while she is on the cruise, only to find out that she had survived the attack as the year passes. In the latter, Lois is able to expose Stewie as the villain that he is, but he soon accomplishes his dream of world domination.
"Stewie Kills Lois" was written by David A. Goodman
and directed by John Holmquist
, while "Lois Kills Stewie" was written by Steve Callaghan
and directed by Greg Colton
. Both episodes received relatively positive reviews for their combined story arc
and cultural references. "Lois Kills Stewie" featured appearances by Patrick Stewart
, Paula Abdul
, Randy Jackson
, and Simon Cowell
, and both episodes featured cameos by various recurring voice actors for the series.
' birthday, and Brian
gives her a pair of cruise tickets with the intention of traveling with her, but she invites Peter
instead. Stewie
is upset at not being invited on the cruise, and concocts a plan to embarrass Lois. Brian makes Stewie realize that he has never followed through with any of his plans, and he resolves to change this. Meanwhile, Peter proves to be a frequent embarrassment to Lois. A mortified Lois walks onto the promenade to be away from Peter, but is confronted by Stewie, who has traveled to the ship by speedboat, and shoots at her, sending her overboard.
Six days pass since Stewie has seemingly killed Lois and Joe informs Peter that he has called off the search for Lois since he and his police squad
cannot find her. A year passes since then, and Stewie indirectly reveals to Brian what he had done. Disturbed by the revelation, Brian vows to bring him to justice. Stewie realizes that keeping the evidence of his crime as souvenirs is too risky, and disposes of his gun and his drawings depicting Lois being killed. After Peter reveals that Lois' life insurance policy has recently been cashed, Joe, Quagmire
, and Cleveland
search the residence, and find Stewie's souvenirs; Joe is convinced that Peter is the one who killed Lois. At his trial in the murder, Peter is sentenced to life in prison, but Lois, suddenly appears in the courtroom, and reveals that Stewie tried to kill her.
, and became employed at a fat camp
and later a diner, where she found a new boyfriend in a white supremacist also visiting the diner, as she had developed amnesia
. She eventually regains her memory after being attacked at a supremacist rally, and returns to Quahog. While Lois explains her situation, Stewie escapes, captures and restrains his family when they return home, and shoots Cleveland dead when he visits. Stewie kidnaps Brian and forces him into driving him to the CIA
, where he gains access to a supercomputer
and takes control of the planet's power grid, thus dominating the world.
After Stewie implements numerous draconian laws, Lois becomes angered and prepares to assassinate him. Lois and Stewie engage in a fight at the Oval Office when she arrives; Lois eventually gains the upper hand and prepares to shoot Stewie, but she cannot bring herself to do so, since he is her own child. Stewie takes the opportunity to disarm her and prepare to kill, but is shot dead by Peter. They then start to cry over Stewie's dead body and are devastated. Just before Peter and Lois leave the room, it is revealed that much of what has happened was actually a computer simulation
. Brian is upset the whole thing was a "dream sequence
", although Stewie argues that a computer simulation is totally different. Stewie then claims that he is not ready to kill Lois....yet.
and former Futurama
and South Park
writer David A. Goodman
. The episode was directed by John Holmquist. "Lois Kills Stewie" was written by recurring voice actor and future showrunner Steve Callaghan
and it was directed by Greg Colton
.
Before the airing of the episode, a 100th episode tribute special
aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company
, hosted by MacFarlane. The special showcases various clips of MacFarlane's favorite moments from the last 99 episodes of the show. It also included MacFarlane asking people questions related to Family Guy.
"Stewie Kills Lois" and "Lois Kills Stewie", along with the final five episodes of the fifth season and the first seven episodes of the sixth season, were also released on DVD under the title "Volume 6" by 20th Century Fox
in the United States and Canada on October 21, 2008, five months after they had completed broadcast on television. The DVD release also features bonus material including deleted scenes, commentaries, and a 'making of' feature.
Both episodes aired before the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
, and were the last episodes to air before it. In November 2007, Variety
reported that MacFarlane had joined the strike and refused to complete more Family Guy episodes. A spokesperson for Fox said: "Our hope is that he returns to work and completes his non-writing obligations on those episodes". Fox aired two new episodes during November 2007. The following episode, "Padre de Familia
", was the first of these two episodes to air. The strike ended on February 12, 2008 and the series resumed airing regularly.
In addition to the main cast, actors Patrick Stewart
, Phil LaMarr
, and American Idol
judges Simon Cowell
, Randy Jackson
and Paula Abdul
guest starred in the episode. The episode also featured the recurring voices of actress Jennifer Tilly
and Patrick Warburton
, and writers Danny Smith and John Viener in minor appearances. Future showrunner Mark Hentemann also made some appearances.
. Peter and Lois watch the sunset; Lois noting that she feels like Kate Winslet
's character in Titanic
, but Peter believes that she was portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman
. Leonardo DiCaprio
is also referenced in the scene.
The cliffhanger ending where Lois returns to reveal Stewie as her attempted killer is a tribute to part one of the Star Trek: The Next Generation
two-parter "The Best of Both Worlds" with similar cliffhanger music and "To Be Continued..." title cards. Since they're both Trekkie
s, Seth MacFarlane
and David A. Goodman
had wanted to use the cliffhanger music from "The Best of Both Worlds" if they ever got up to 100 episodes of Family Guy. Paramount wouldn't give them the rights, however, so composer Ron Jones
, who wrote the music for "The Best of Both Worlds" and several other episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, wrote and recorded the music heard in the episode.
While looking for Stewie, Joe and other police officers travel to the Fortress of Solitude
, where the maid Consuela works for Superman
. Stewie is seen participating on American Idol
in a cutaway, singing "Lost in Your Eyes
" before judges Simon Cowell
, Randy Jackson
and Paula Abdul
.
American Dad!
characters Stan Smith
and Avery Bullock make a crossover appearance in "Lois Kills Stewie" when Stewie hacks into the supercomputer. This crossover is extended on the Volume 6 DVD when, before the confrontation, Brian and Stewie first bump into Stan and Bullock in the restroom.
The episode concludes with a reference to The Sopranos
as the screen blacks out on Stewie criticizing the series' finale.
rated "Stewie Kills Lois" a 9/10, while rating "Lois Kills Stewie" a 9.4/10, saying "For the hundredth episode of Family Guy, Seth McFarlane and friends tackle the subject of one of Stewie Griffin's greatest ambitions — his not-so-secret desire to kill his mother. For the disturbed fans waiting for some form of a matricidal manifestation, you can feel comfort knowing, without spoiling too much, that the youngest Griffin absolutely means business and ensures that he doesn't fail this time around. [...] There are some tense courtroom moments, a birthday celebration with the gift of Lionel Richie
, a cruise ship, machine guns, and the reappearance of the Kool Aid Man that help round out this carefully crafted and well-told cohesive storyline. With the amount of cheap manatee jokes kept to a reasonable level, this episode also manages to find an excellent balance between comedy and storytelling. It's a fantastic way to celebrate the Family Guy one-hundredth episode milestone. [...] With the writers' strike in full effect, it seems that this might be the last new episode of Family Guy we'll be seeing for a while. It's a bittersweet way to end the abruptly short season as the quality is reminiscent of the series' brilliance from the early years and it seems like the show was really starting to hit its stride for the season. Hopefully the series will be able to live up to the high bar set by this two-part classic upon its eventual return."
Richard Keller of TV Squad gave "Stewie Kills Lois" a much more negative review. He pointed out that the episode was hyped because before the episode aired a retrospective premiered featuring clips from the last 99 episodes, he stated that the episode was a huge disappointment. He stated that he did not find the episode funny, but rather disjointed, with little story and too many cutaway gags and flashbacks. In his review of "Lois Kills Stewie", Keller gave a much more positive review. He did mention that the end of the episode was somewhat predictable, as they had killed Cleveland and Stewie. He commented positively to some of the jokes of the episode, and in the overall he mentioned he liked the two episodes, but he was not so keen of the ending of the episode.
On his review of "Stewie Kills Lois", Genevieve Koski of the AV Club rated the episode a B+. He commented that it was "a bit weird" that the show was focusing on Stewie's desire to kill Lois, since in the last couple of seasons the Stewie and Brian dynamic had taken precedence, while Lois was being more foil to Peter than Stewie. He felt that most of the cutaway humor felt familiar and that there was no real moment that would deserve any callback status in future episodes. He did praise the cliffhanger, stating that he was intrigued about how the storyline would turn out. He also praised the storyline and liked how it was able to create drama. In his review of "Lois Kills Stewie", Koski rated the episode a B, calling the end of the story a bit predictable as he thought that the deaths of Lois, Cleveland and Stewie were a one time joke. He praised and disliked some jokes and gags in the episode, including Stewie demanding praise for his macaroni picture of an owl and Lois' salvation via merman, respectively. He commented that the fight sequence was extended and highly choreographed.
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...
. Respectively, both are the fourth and fifth episode of their season, and they premiered in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on November 4 and 11, 2007. In the former, housewife 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...
receives cruise tickets from anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
dog 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...
, and invites 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....
on the cruise with her. This upsets 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 he ultimately appears to murder Lois
Matricide
Matricide is the act of killing one's mother. As for any type of killing, motives can vary significantly.- Known or suspected matricides :* Amastris, queen of Heraclea, was drowned by her two sons in 284 BC....
while she is on the cruise, only to find out that she had survived the attack as the year passes. In the latter, Lois is able to expose Stewie as the villain that he is, but he soon accomplishes his dream of world domination.
"Stewie Kills Lois" was written by David A. Goodman
David A. Goodman
David A. Goodman is an American writer and producer and a graduate of the University of Chicago, earning an BA in 1984. He was one of the executive producers of Family Guy, beginning its fourth season, joining the show as a co-executive producer in season three...
and directed by John Holmquist
John Holmquist
John Holmquist is a television animation director. He has worked on several episodes of Rugrats as a director and storyboard artist for the late 90's to early 2000's...
, while "Lois Kills Stewie" was written by Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan is an American screenwriter, producer and voice actor, best known for his work on Family Guy. He is a graduate of the Department of Public Policy at the UCLA School of Public Affairs...
and directed by Greg Colton
Greg Colton
Greg Colton is an American animation director. Colton is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy....
. Both episodes received relatively positive reviews for their combined story arc
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
and cultural references. "Lois Kills Stewie" featured appearances by Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
, Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
, Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
, and Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, and both episodes featured cameos by various recurring voice actors for the series.
"Stewie Kills Lois"
It is LoisLois 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...
' birthday, 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...
gives her a pair of cruise tickets with the intention of traveling with her, but she invites 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....
instead. 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....
is upset at not being invited on the cruise, and concocts a plan to embarrass Lois. Brian makes Stewie realize that he has never followed through with any of his plans, and he resolves to change this. Meanwhile, Peter proves to be a frequent embarrassment to Lois. A mortified Lois walks onto the promenade to be away from Peter, but is confronted by Stewie, who has traveled to the ship by speedboat, and shoots at her, sending her overboard.
Six days pass since Stewie has seemingly killed Lois and Joe informs Peter that he has called off the search for Lois since he and his police squad
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
cannot find her. A year passes since then, and Stewie indirectly reveals to Brian what he had done. Disturbed by the revelation, Brian vows to bring him to justice. Stewie realizes that keeping the evidence of his crime as souvenirs is too risky, and disposes of his gun and his drawings depicting Lois being killed. After Peter reveals that Lois' life insurance policy has recently been cashed, Joe, 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 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,...
search the residence, and find Stewie's souvenirs; Joe is convinced that Peter is the one who killed Lois. At his trial in the murder, Peter is sentenced to life in prison, but Lois, suddenly appears in the courtroom, and reveals that Stewie tried to kill her.
"Lois Kills Stewie"
Everyone is shocked that Stewie would try to murder Lois, but she insists that he is evil, and explains what happened; after being shot at and falling overboard, she was rescued by a mermanMerman
Mermen are mythical male equivalents of mermaids – legendary creatures who have the form of a human from the waist up and are fish-like from the waist down.-Mythology:...
, and became employed at a fat camp
Fat camp
A weight loss camp is a term for a type of program where overweight and obese people of all ages go to lose weight. However in common parlance the term "fat camp" is today also often used to refer to residential programs, usually in rural settings, where adults stay to eat nutritious foods,...
and later a diner, where she found a new boyfriend in a white supremacist also visiting the diner, as she had developed amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
. She eventually regains her memory after being attacked at a supremacist rally, and returns to Quahog. While Lois explains her situation, Stewie escapes, captures and restrains his family when they return home, and shoots Cleveland dead when he visits. Stewie kidnaps Brian and forces him into driving him to the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, where he gains access to a supercomputer
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
and takes control of the planet's power grid, thus dominating the world.
After Stewie implements numerous draconian laws, Lois becomes angered and prepares to assassinate him. Lois and Stewie engage in a fight at the Oval Office when she arrives; Lois eventually gains the upper hand and prepares to shoot Stewie, but she cannot bring herself to do so, since he is her own child. Stewie takes the opportunity to disarm her and prepare to kill, but is shot dead by Peter. They then start to cry over Stewie's dead body and are devastated. Just before Peter and Lois leave the room, it is revealed that much of what has happened was actually a computer simulation
Computer simulation
A computer simulation, a computer model, or a computational model is a computer program, or network of computers, that attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system...
. Brian is upset the whole thing was a "dream sequence
Dream sequence
A dream sequence is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a dream, or some other element. Commonly, dream sequences appear in many...
", although Stewie argues that a computer simulation is totally different. Stewie then claims that he is not ready to kill Lois....yet.
Production
"Stewie Kills Lois" and "Lois Kills Stewie" are the 100th and 101st episodes of Family Guy respectively. They are the fourth and fifth episodes of the sixth season of the show. "Stewie Kills Lois" was written by executive producerExecutive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
and former Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
and South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
writer David A. Goodman
David A. Goodman
David A. Goodman is an American writer and producer and a graduate of the University of Chicago, earning an BA in 1984. He was one of the executive producers of Family Guy, beginning its fourth season, joining the show as a co-executive producer in season three...
. The episode was directed by John Holmquist. "Lois Kills Stewie" was written by recurring voice actor and future showrunner Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan is an American screenwriter, producer and voice actor, best known for his work on Family Guy. He is a graduate of the Department of Public Policy at the UCLA School of Public Affairs...
and it was directed by Greg Colton
Greg Colton
Greg Colton is an American animation director. Colton is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy....
.
Before the airing of the episode, a 100th episode tribute special
The Family Guy 100th Episode Special
"The Family Guy 100th Episode Special" is a special episode from the sixth season of Family Guy. The episode aired on November 4, 2007 and was followed by the actual 100th episode, "Stewie Kills Lois". It was hosted by Seth MacFarlane, who presented the funniest clips of all 99 previous episodes...
aired on 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...
, hosted by MacFarlane. The special showcases various clips of MacFarlane's favorite moments from the last 99 episodes of the show. It also included MacFarlane asking people questions related to Family Guy.
"Stewie Kills Lois" and "Lois Kills Stewie", along with the final five episodes of the fifth season and the first seven episodes of the sixth season, were also released on DVD under the title "Volume 6" by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
in the United States and Canada on October 21, 2008, five months after they had completed broadcast on television. The DVD release also features bonus material including deleted scenes, commentaries, and a 'making of' feature.
Both episodes aired before the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
, and were the last episodes to air before it. In November 2007, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported that MacFarlane had joined the strike and refused to complete more Family Guy episodes. A spokesperson for Fox said: "Our hope is that he returns to work and completes his non-writing obligations on those episodes". Fox aired two new episodes during November 2007. The following episode, "Padre de Familia
Padre de Familia
"Padre de Familia" is a season six episode of the FOX animated series Family Guy. Guest starring are Carrie Fisher as Peter's supervisor, Angela, Phyllis Diller as Peter's mother, Thelma Griffin and Gabriel Iglesias as Gerardo....
", was the first of these two episodes to air. The strike ended on February 12, 2008 and the series resumed airing regularly.
In addition to the main cast, actors Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
, 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 American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
judges Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
and Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
guest starred in the episode. The episode also featured the recurring voices of 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:...
and Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton
Patrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect...
, and writers Danny Smith and John Viener in minor appearances. Future showrunner Mark Hentemann also made some appearances.
Cultural references
When Stewie becomes disappointed that Lois did not take him on the cruise, he relates that he has not expressed it much since he saw The Lake HouseThe Lake House (film)
The Lake House: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released in 2006.# "This Never Happened Before" - Paul McCartney# " Make You Mine" - The Clientele# "Time Has Told Me" - Nick Drake# "Ant Farm" - Eels...
. Peter and Lois watch the sunset; Lois noting that she feels like Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet
Kate Elizabeth Winslet is an English actress and occasional singer. She has received multiple awards and nominations. She was the youngest person to accrue six Academy Award nominations, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Reader...
's character in Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, but Peter believes that she was portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor and director. Hoffman began acting in television in 1991, and the following year started to appear in films...
. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
is also referenced in the scene.
The cliffhanger ending where Lois returns to reveal Stewie as her attempted killer is a tribute to part one of the Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
two-parter "The Best of Both Worlds" with similar cliffhanger music and "To Be Continued..." title cards. Since they're both Trekkie
Trekkie
A Trekkie or Trekker is a fan of the Star Trek franchise, or of specific television series or films within that franchise.-History:In 1967, science fiction editor Arthur W...
s, 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,...
and David A. Goodman
David A. Goodman
David A. Goodman is an American writer and producer and a graduate of the University of Chicago, earning an BA in 1984. He was one of the executive producers of Family Guy, beginning its fourth season, joining the show as a co-executive producer in season three...
had wanted to use the cliffhanger music from "The Best of Both Worlds" if they ever got up to 100 episodes of Family Guy. Paramount wouldn't give them the rights, however, so composer Ron Jones
Ron Jones (composer)
Ron Jones is an American composer who has written music for TV shows, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Duck Tales, American Dad!, and Family Guy...
, who wrote the music for "The Best of Both Worlds" and several other episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, wrote and recorded the music heard in the episode.
While looking for Stewie, Joe and other police officers travel to the Fortress of Solitude
Fortress of Solitude
The Fortress of Solitude is the occasional headquarters of Superman in DC Comics. Its predecessor, Superman's "Secret Citadel", first appeared in Superman #17, where it was said to be built into a mountain on the outskirts of Metropolis...
, where the maid Consuela works for Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
. Stewie is seen participating on American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
in a cutaway, singing "Lost in Your Eyes
Lost in Your Eyes
"Lost in Your Eyes" is the sixth single from American singer-songwriter, Debbie Gibson, and the first from her second album, Electric Youth. Released in October 1988, the power ballad climbed to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and remained there for three weeks, becoming her...
" before judges Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
, Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
and Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
.
American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
characters Stan Smith
Stan Smith (American Dad!)
Stan Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency officer. Although once a case officer, he is now a weapons expert. Stan is voiced by the series' creator and executive producer, Seth MacFarlane.-Summary:Stan Smith born 12 February,...
and Avery Bullock make a crossover appearance in "Lois Kills Stewie" when Stewie hacks into the supercomputer. This crossover is extended on the Volume 6 DVD when, before the confrontation, Brian and Stewie first bump into Stan and Bullock in the restroom.
The episode concludes with a reference to The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
as the screen blacks out on Stewie criticizing the series' finale.
Reception
Ahsan Haque of IGNIGN
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...
rated "Stewie Kills Lois" a 9/10, while rating "Lois Kills Stewie" a 9.4/10, saying "For the hundredth episode of Family Guy, Seth McFarlane and friends tackle the subject of one of Stewie Griffin's greatest ambitions — his not-so-secret desire to kill his mother. For the disturbed fans waiting for some form of a matricidal manifestation, you can feel comfort knowing, without spoiling too much, that the youngest Griffin absolutely means business and ensures that he doesn't fail this time around. [...] There are some tense courtroom moments, a birthday celebration with the gift of Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
, a cruise ship, machine guns, and the reappearance of the Kool Aid Man that help round out this carefully crafted and well-told cohesive storyline. With the amount of cheap manatee jokes kept to a reasonable level, this episode also manages to find an excellent balance between comedy and storytelling. It's a fantastic way to celebrate the Family Guy one-hundredth episode milestone. [...] With the writers' strike in full effect, it seems that this might be the last new episode of Family Guy we'll be seeing for a while. It's a bittersweet way to end the abruptly short season as the quality is reminiscent of the series' brilliance from the early years and it seems like the show was really starting to hit its stride for the season. Hopefully the series will be able to live up to the high bar set by this two-part classic upon its eventual return."
Richard Keller of TV Squad gave "Stewie Kills Lois" a much more negative review. He pointed out that the episode was hyped because before the episode aired a retrospective premiered featuring clips from the last 99 episodes, he stated that the episode was a huge disappointment. He stated that he did not find the episode funny, but rather disjointed, with little story and too many cutaway gags and flashbacks. In his review of "Lois Kills Stewie", Keller gave a much more positive review. He did mention that the end of the episode was somewhat predictable, as they had killed Cleveland and Stewie. He commented positively to some of the jokes of the episode, and in the overall he mentioned he liked the two episodes, but he was not so keen of the ending of the episode.
On his review of "Stewie Kills Lois", Genevieve Koski of the AV Club rated the episode a B+. He commented that it was "a bit weird" that the show was focusing on Stewie's desire to kill Lois, since in the last couple of seasons the Stewie and Brian dynamic had taken precedence, while Lois was being more foil to Peter than Stewie. He felt that most of the cutaway humor felt familiar and that there was no real moment that would deserve any callback status in future episodes. He did praise the cliffhanger, stating that he was intrigued about how the storyline would turn out. He also praised the storyline and liked how it was able to create drama. In his review of "Lois Kills Stewie", Koski rated the episode a B, calling the end of the story a bit predictable as he thought that the deaths of Lois, Cleveland and Stewie were a one time joke. He praised and disliked some jokes and gags in the episode, including Stewie demanding praise for his macaroni picture of an owl and Lois' salvation via merman, respectively. He commented that the fight sequence was extended and highly choreographed.