Amish Guy
Encyclopedia
"Amish Guy" is the seventh episode of the tenth season
of the animated
comedy series
Family Guy
. The episode originally aired on Fox
in the United States on November 27, 2011. The episode follows the Griffin family
after their car breaks down in Amish country
on their way back from a vacation. The family must then learn to adjust to the community for the weekend, until they are able to fix their car at a mechanic. The two families conflict, however, when Meg
falls in love with an Amish boy named Eli, and his father forbids the two from ever seeing each other again. This results in a battle between the two groups, with the victor determining Meg and the Eli's ultimate fate.
The episode was written by Mark Hentemann
and directed by John Holmquist
. It received mostly mixed to positive reviews from critics for its storyline, and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 5.50 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Christine Lakin
, Ari Graynor
, Bobby Lee, Missi Pyle
, and Kevin Michael Richardson
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
decide to travel to the amusement park
Six Flags
, but when Peter
is unable to ride the roller coaster
s because he is too overweight, he becomes disappointed. Peter's two friends, Joe and Quagmire
, then convince him to go on a diet in order to be able to ride the coaster. He is unable to lose any weight however, and simply decides to wear a girdle
instead. The family then travels to Ohio
in order to ride a new roller coaster titled The Holocaust
. Able to ride the roller coaster, Peter gets on the ride, but it is unable to make it up the first hill, and falls under Peter's weight. Deciding to return home, the car suddenly breaks down in Amish country
, with no mechanic or any signs of modern civilization in sight. The family approaches the group of Amish workers and asks if they can stay in their village for the weekend. When Meg
begins complaining about the lack of electricity, and other common devices, a local Amish boy, named Eli, decides to take her on a tour of their village. The two then begin to exchange kisses, but the boy's overprotective father interrupts them, and instructs the two to never see each other again.
Meg approaches her father, Peter, about talking to Eli's father to let his son date her, but when Peter tries to introduce him to music, he unintentionally turns the Amish community against him. They then demand that the Griffin family leave, who explain that they cannot leave until their car is fixed. The Amish then reveal that they have attached two horses to pull the car back to their home. Eli also decides to follow Meg, and the group then returns to Quahog. Later that day, the Amish follow the family to Quahog, and vandalize the Griffin's home, resulting in Peter declaring war against the group. A battle ensues, with both sides equally matched. Peter and Eli's father then begin to fist fight in order to settle the matter on their own, but when Eli stops his father, he tells him that he is truly in love with Meg. Eli decides to stay in Amish country, however, telling her that it is his true home, and the two embrace in one final hug.
, shortly after the conclusion of the ninth production season
, in his first episode of the season. Holmquist joined the series in its second season, directing the episode "Running Mates". The episode was written by executive producer and showrunner Mark Hentemann
, who joined the show as a writer in its third season
, writing the episode "The Kiss Seen Around the World". This was also Hentemann's second episode of the season, after first writing the Brian and Stewie adventure episode "Back to the Pilot
". Series regulars Peter Shin
and James Purdum
served as supervising directors, with Andrew Goldberg, Alex Carter, Spencer Porter, and Elaine Ko serving as staff writers for the episode. Composer Ron Jones
, who has worked on the series since its inception, returned to compose the music for "Amish Guy".
In addition to the regular cast, actress Christine Lakin
, actress Ari Graynor
, actor and comedian Bobby Lee, singer and actress Missi Pyle
, and voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson
, who notably portrays Cleveland Brown, Jr.
on Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane
's spin-off series The Cleveland Show
, guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Alexandra Breckenridge, writer Chris Sheridan, writer Danny Smith
, writer Alec Sulkin
and writer John Viener made minor appearances throughout the episode.
and Allen Gregory
, and followed by Family Guy creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane
's second show, American Dad!
. It was watched by 5.50 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings
, despite airing simultaneously with the Hallmark Hall of Fame
on ABC
, The Amazing Race
on CBS
and Sunday Night Football
on NBC
. The episode also acquired a 2.8/6 rating in the 18–49 demographic, beating The Simpsons, Allen Gregory, American Dad!, in addition to significantly edging out Allen Gregory and American Dad! in total viewership. The episode's ratings decreased significantly from the previous week's episode, "Thanksgiving
".
Reviews of the episode were mostly mixed to positive, calling the storyline "mildly funny, but it was an expected over-the-top direction that didn't have many jokes that worked." Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club
wrote of the episode, "The main plot actually did quite a good job of mirroring the usual Simpsons trope of starting in one place, going to another, and then taking a left turn into the actual central plot of the episode." He also compared it to a comic strip, noting, "If I didn't think the funnies lived up to their nickname, I did what everyone does with a newspaper. I threw it away. Then I read the strip again the next day, as if the previous one hadn't existed. That's how I tried to watch this episode, paying some attention to the Griffins in Amish country, but mostly isolating each joke setup, figuring out what I liked, and then moving on to the next one." He concluded his review of the episode by giving the episode a grade of B-. Terren R. Moore of Ology
praised Peter's role in the episode, writing, "even though the arguments and evidence that this show is past its prime grow increasingly larger, Peter manages—for me, anyway—to still be hilarious in nearly everything he does as he becomes more and more outlandish in the various situations the show puts him in." He concluded his review, however, by stating, "for the most part, I arrive at the same point I do at the end of nearly every episode this season: there's just nothing new happening here." Moore gave the episode a rating of 7.5 out of ten.
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...
. The episode originally aired on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on November 27, 2011. The episode follows 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...
after their car breaks down in Amish country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of southeastern Pennsylvania, United States that by the American Revolution had a high percentage of Pennsylvania Dutch inhabitants. Religiously, there was a large portion of Lutherans. There were also German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite and...
on their way back from a vacation. The family must then learn to adjust to the community for the weekend, until they are able to fix their car at a mechanic. The two families conflict, however, when 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....
falls in love with an Amish boy named Eli, and his father forbids the two from ever seeing each other again. This results in a battle between the two groups, with the victor determining Meg and the Eli's ultimate fate.
The episode was written by Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann is an American animation writer. Hentemann is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy...
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...
. It received mostly mixed to positive reviews from critics for its storyline, and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, it was viewed in 5.50 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Christine Lakin
Christine Lakin
Christine Helen Lakin is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC/CBS situation comedy Step by Step and as Joan of Arc in Showtime's Reefer Madness...
, Ari Graynor
Ari Graynor
Ariel Geltman Graynor, better known as Ari Graynor, is an American actress.-Life and career:Graynor was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was raised in a Jewish family and attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols, a private school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Trinity College, in Hartford,...
, Bobby Lee, Missi Pyle
Missi Pyle
Andrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...
, and Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
Plot
The Griffin familyGriffin family
The Griffin family is a family from the animated television series Family Guy. The Griffins are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode...
decide to travel to the amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
, but when 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....
is unable to ride the roller coaster
Roller coaster
The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...
s because he is too overweight, he becomes disappointed. Peter's two friends, Joe and Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
, then convince him to go on a diet in order to be able to ride the coaster. He is unable to lose any weight however, and simply decides to wear a girdle
Girdle
A girdle is a garment that encircles the lower torso, perhaps extending below the hips, and worn often for support. The word girdle originally meant a belt. In modern English, the term girdle is most commonly used for a form of women's foundation wear that replaced the corset in popularity...
instead. The family then travels to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in order to ride a new roller coaster titled The Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. Able to ride the roller coaster, Peter gets on the ride, but it is unable to make it up the first hill, and falls under Peter's weight. Deciding to return home, the car suddenly breaks down in Amish country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country
Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to an area of southeastern Pennsylvania, United States that by the American Revolution had a high percentage of Pennsylvania Dutch inhabitants. Religiously, there was a large portion of Lutherans. There were also German Reformed, Moravian, Amish, Mennonite and...
, with no mechanic or any signs of modern civilization in sight. The family approaches the group of Amish workers and asks if they can stay in their village for the weekend. When 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....
begins complaining about the lack of electricity, and other common devices, a local Amish boy, named Eli, decides to take her on a tour of their village. The two then begin to exchange kisses, but the boy's overprotective father interrupts them, and instructs the two to never see each other again.
Meg approaches her father, Peter, about talking to Eli's father to let his son date her, but when Peter tries to introduce him to music, he unintentionally turns the Amish community against him. They then demand that the Griffin family leave, who explain that they cannot leave until their car is fixed. The Amish then reveal that they have attached two horses to pull the car back to their home. Eli also decides to follow Meg, and the group then returns to Quahog. Later that day, the Amish follow the family to Quahog, and vandalize the Griffin's home, resulting in Peter declaring war against the group. A battle ensues, with both sides equally matched. Peter and Eli's father then begin to fist fight in order to settle the matter on their own, but when Eli stops his father, he tells him that he is truly in love with Meg. Eli decides to stay in Amish country, however, telling her that it is his true home, and the two embrace in one final hug.
Production and development
The episode was directed by series regular John HolmquistJohn 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...
, shortly after the conclusion of the ninth production season
Family Guy (season 9)
Family Guy ninth season first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 26, 2010 to May 22, 2011 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication...
, in his first episode of the season. Holmquist joined the series in its second season, directing the episode "Running Mates". The episode was written by executive producer and showrunner Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann is an American animation writer. Hentemann is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy...
, who joined the show as a writer in its 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"...
, writing the episode "The Kiss Seen Around the World". This was also Hentemann's second episode of the season, after first writing the Brian and Stewie adventure episode "Back to the Pilot
Back to the Pilot
"Back to the Pilot" is the fifth episode of the tenth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. The episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 13, 2011...
". 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 directors, with Andrew Goldberg, Alex Carter, Spencer Porter, and Elaine Ko serving as staff writers for the episode. 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 has worked on the series since its inception, returned to compose the music for "Amish Guy".
In addition to the regular cast, actress Christine Lakin
Christine Lakin
Christine Helen Lakin is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Alicia "Al" Lambert on the 1990s ABC/CBS situation comedy Step by Step and as Joan of Arc in Showtime's Reefer Madness...
, actress Ari Graynor
Ari Graynor
Ariel Geltman Graynor, better known as Ari Graynor, is an American actress.-Life and career:Graynor was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She was raised in a Jewish family and attended Buckingham Browne & Nichols, a private school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Trinity College, in Hartford,...
, actor and comedian Bobby Lee, singer and actress Missi Pyle
Missi Pyle
Andrea Kay "Missi" Pyle is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in several films, including Galaxy Quest, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Big Fish, 50 First Dates, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay...
, and voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
, who notably portrays Cleveland Brown, Jr.
Cleveland Brown, Jr.
Cleveland Raj Rerun Dwayne Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is the son of Cleveland Brown and his late ex-wife Loretta...
on Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
's spin-off series 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...
, guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Alexandra Breckenridge, writer Chris Sheridan, writer 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...
, writer 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 writer John Viener made minor appearances throughout the episode.
Reception
"Amish Guy" was broadcast on November 27, 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 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 second show, American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
. It was watched by 5.50 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 the Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The second longest-running television program in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning in 1951 and continuing into 2011...
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 2.8/6 rating in the 18–49 demographic, beating The Simpsons, Allen Gregory, American Dad!, in addition to significantly edging out Allen Gregory and American Dad! in total viewership. The episode's ratings decreased significantly from the previous week's episode, "Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (Family Guy)
"Thanksgiving" is the sixth episode of the tenth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. The episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 20, 2011. The episode follows the Griffin family, and several of their neighbors, as they celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday...
".
Reviews of the episode were mostly mixed to positive, calling the storyline "mildly funny, but it was an expected over-the-top direction that didn't have many jokes that worked." Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
wrote of the episode, "The main plot actually did quite a good job of mirroring the usual Simpsons trope of starting in one place, going to another, and then taking a left turn into the actual central plot of the episode." He also compared it to a comic strip, noting, "If I didn't think the funnies lived up to their nickname, I did what everyone does with a newspaper. I threw it away. Then I read the strip again the next day, as if the previous one hadn't existed. That's how I tried to watch this episode, paying some attention to the Griffins in Amish country, but mostly isolating each joke setup, figuring out what I liked, and then moving on to the next one." He concluded his review of the episode by giving the episode a grade of B-. Terren 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:...
praised Peter's role in the episode, writing, "even though the arguments and evidence that this show is past its prime grow increasingly larger, Peter manages—for me, anyway—to still be hilarious in nearly everything he does as he becomes more and more outlandish in the various situations the show puts him in." He concluded his review, however, by stating, "for the most part, I arrive at the same point I do at the end of nearly every episode this season: there's just nothing new happening here." Moore gave the episode a rating of 7.5 out of ten.