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Back to the Woods (Family Guy)
Encyclopedia
"Back to the Woods" is the ninth episode of season six in the FOX
animated series Family Guy
that aired on February 17, 2008. James Woods
and Barry Manilow
play themselves in special guest appearances, and impressionist Dave Van Dam
portrays David Letterman
. The episode is a sequel
to "Peter's Got Woods".
and his friends attend a Barry Manilow
concert at which Manilow serenades Quagmire
with a new version of his hit song "Mandy
". After the concert, Peter realizes that he has left his wallet at the stadium. He soon discovers that someone is using
his credit card
to buy very expensive items. After receiving a bank statement, Peter and Brian
track the culprit to a Chinese restaurant
and discover him to be James Woods. Naturally, Woods is bitter towards Peter and, having stolen his wallet, is maxing out his credit card
in his plan for revenge. Peter and Brian angrily demand that the wallet be returned immediately, but Woods refuses and leaves, saying that he is just getting started.
Peter and Brian return home to find Woods there again, having claimed property of his house and possessions with the documents in Peter's wallet. Woods calls Joe over to remove Peter from "his" house. The Griffins are outraged by this, but Joe has no other choice but to abide his request now that Woods has stolen Peter's identity
; he even refers to Woods as "Peter". Woods has successfully stolen everything Peter has. Further more, Woods humiliates Peter more by compelling Joe to force Peter to take off all his clothes for Woods, leaving Peter naked.
The Griffins are resentful of Woods for what he has done, especially Lois
and Brian. As Brian swears that Woods will not get away with what he has done, Woods responds by calling him an 'outdoor dog' and ties Brian up to a pole outside, much to Brian's anger. Unfortunately, Peter is forced to stay off of Woods' property (since Woods is armed with a shotgun
). As Woods tries to weasel his way into the Griffins' lives to destroy them, Peter and Brian move into a hotel together, with Peter swearing to return to his family. Peter attempts to sneak into the house, disguising himself as one of Chris
' friends from school. His happy yet secret reunion with his family is cut short, unfortunately, as his identity is revealed to the suspicious Woods after he tricks Peter into taking off his hat. Peter begins to give up until Brian points out that identity theft works both ways and he can assume Woods' identity himself and get revenge on him by discrediting him to the general public. Peter agrees to it because it's the only way to get rid of him.
Stewie
helps forge
a fake ID card for Peter to use at Brian's urging. Live on The Late Show with David Letterman he convinces the general public and David Letterman that he is James Woods. Peter soon makes several inconsiderate remarks that discredits Woods' reputation, such as mentioning that he is starring in a comedy based on 9/11 called September 11, 2000-FUN!, which he claims focuses on a window washer who sees the plane coming toward him while he wipes the window of the Twin Towers and exclaims, "Aw, c'mon!". He also claims that it would be an old-school comedy with two pies to the face, and one on a field in Pennsylvania
. Letterman refuses to hear any more of the movie. Peter also claims that the plane will be voiced by comedian David Spade
. The real Woods is furious and says he would never work with Spade. Peter's remarks outrage the American public.
At the Drunken Clam, Peter and Brian are watching the news in triumph as the public continues their riot destroying Woods' estate. Woods is furious and confronts him wanting to settle their conflict once and for all. Peter and Brian lure him into an alley with a trail of Reese's Pieces
and trap him in a crate again; Peter, in a rare moment of hindsight, tells Brian that they should remember this immediately if Woods ever return again, since he has already fallen for it twice. Peter reunites with Lois and the rest of his family, and Lois asks Peter what happened to Woods. In a parody of Raiders of the Lost Ark
, Peter tells her that Woods has been sent to be studied by "top men" again, actually being returned to the warehouse.
stated that the episode "doesn't quite live up to the other outings seen prior to the writers' strike
" but it contains "a few entertaining moments". He rated "Back to the Woods" 6.4 out of 10. Jay Black of TV Squad praised the episode, saying that it had "a great returning guest star, a higher-than-average number of laughs, and a clear story from beginning to end". Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club
also gave "Back to the Woods" a positive review, stating that she enjoyed Woods's performance and "the show's meta-moments, when it blatantly makes fun of its own tics". She graded the episode B.
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...
animated series 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...
that aired on February 17, 2008. James Woods
James Woods
James Howard Woods is an American film, stage and television actor. Woods is known for starring in critically acclaimed films such as Once Upon a Time in America, Salvador, Nixon, Ghosts of Mississippi, Casino, and in the television legal drama Shark. He has won three Emmy Awards, and has gained...
and Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
play themselves in special guest appearances, and impressionist Dave Van Dam
Evil Dave Letterman
Dave Van Dam is an American voice impressionist who has appeared on The Howard Stern Show since 1999. With only a minor adjustment, Van Dam can accurately impersonate the voice of American late night talk show host David Letterman which is used to comedic effect on The Howard Stern Show...
portrays David Letterman
David Letterman
David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...
. The episode is a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to "Peter's Got Woods".
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....
and his friends attend a Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
concert at which Manilow serenades 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...
with a new version of his hit song "Mandy
Mandy (song)
"Mandy", originally titled "Brandy", is a song jointly written and composed by Scott English and Richard Kerr."Brandy" had been a hit in 1971 for Scott English in the UK and in 1972 for Bunny Walters in New Zealand...
". After the concert, Peter realizes that he has left his wallet at the stadium. He soon discovers that someone is using
Identity theft
Identity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...
his credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
to buy very expensive items. After receiving a bank statement, Peter 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...
track the culprit to a Chinese restaurant
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
and discover him to be James Woods. Naturally, Woods is bitter towards Peter and, having stolen his wallet, is maxing out his credit card
Credit (finance)
Credit is the trust which allows one party to provide resources to another party where that second party does not reimburse the first party immediately , but instead arranges either to repay or return those resources at a later date. The resources provided may be financial Credit is the trust...
in his plan for revenge. Peter and Brian angrily demand that the wallet be returned immediately, but Woods refuses and leaves, saying that he is just getting started.
Peter and Brian return home to find Woods there again, having claimed property of his house and possessions with the documents in Peter's wallet. Woods calls Joe over to remove Peter from "his" house. The Griffins are outraged by this, but Joe has no other choice but to abide his request now that Woods has stolen Peter's identity
Identity theft
Identity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...
; he even refers to Woods as "Peter". Woods has successfully stolen everything Peter has. Further more, Woods humiliates Peter more by compelling Joe to force Peter to take off all his clothes for Woods, leaving Peter naked.
The Griffins are resentful of Woods for what he has done, especially 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...
and Brian. As Brian swears that Woods will not get away with what he has done, Woods responds by calling him an 'outdoor dog' and ties Brian up to a pole outside, much to Brian's anger. Unfortunately, Peter is forced to stay off of Woods' property (since Woods is armed with a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
). As Woods tries to weasel his way into the Griffins' lives to destroy them, Peter and Brian move into a hotel together, with Peter swearing to return to his family. Peter attempts to sneak into the house, disguising himself as one of Chris
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
' friends from school. His happy yet secret reunion with his family is cut short, unfortunately, as his identity is revealed to the suspicious Woods after he tricks Peter into taking off his hat. Peter begins to give up until Brian points out that identity theft works both ways and he can assume Woods' identity himself and get revenge on him by discrediting him to the general public. Peter agrees to it because it's the only way to get rid of him.
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....
helps forge
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
a fake ID card for Peter to use at Brian's urging. Live on The Late Show with David Letterman he convinces the general public and David Letterman that he is James Woods. Peter soon makes several inconsiderate remarks that discredits Woods' reputation, such as mentioning that he is starring in a comedy based on 9/11 called September 11, 2000-FUN!, which he claims focuses on a window washer who sees the plane coming toward him while he wipes the window of the Twin Towers and exclaims, "Aw, c'mon!". He also claims that it would be an old-school comedy with two pies to the face, and one on a field in Pennsylvania
United Airlines Flight 93
United Airlines Flight 93 was United Airlines' scheduled morning transcontinental flight across the United States from Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco International Airport in California. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the Boeing 757–222 aircraft operating the...
. Letterman refuses to hear any more of the movie. Peter also claims that the plane will be voiced by comedian David Spade
David Spade
David Wayne Spade is an American actor, comedian and television personality who first became famous in the 1990s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and from 1997 until 2003 when he starred as Dennis Finch on Just Shoot Me!. He also starred as C.J...
. The real Woods is furious and says he would never work with Spade. Peter's remarks outrage the American public.
At the Drunken Clam, Peter and Brian are watching the news in triumph as the public continues their riot destroying Woods' estate. Woods is furious and confronts him wanting to settle their conflict once and for all. Peter and Brian lure him into an alley with a trail of Reese's Pieces
Reese's Pieces
Reese's Pieces are a peanut butter flavored candy manufactured by The Hershey Company for the North American market; they are also available in Ireland & The United Kingdom. They are circular in shape and covered in candy shells that are colored either yellow, orange, or brown. They can be...
and trap him in a crate again; Peter, in a rare moment of hindsight, tells Brian that they should remember this immediately if Woods ever return again, since he has already fallen for it twice. Peter reunites with Lois and the rest of his family, and Lois asks Peter what happened to Woods. In a parody of Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by George Lucas, and starring Harrison Ford. It is the first film in the Indiana Jones franchise...
, Peter tells her that Woods has been sent to be studied by "top men" again, actually being returned to the warehouse.
Reception
This episode was watched by 7.2 million and had a 3.6/8 audience share. 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...
stated that the episode "doesn't quite live up to the other outings seen prior to the writers' 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 ....
" but it contains "a few entertaining moments". He rated "Back to the Woods" 6.4 out of 10. Jay Black of TV Squad praised the episode, saying that it had "a great returning guest star, a higher-than-average number of laughs, and a clear story from beginning to end". Genevieve Koski 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...
also gave "Back to the Woods" a positive review, stating that she enjoyed Woods's performance and "the show's meta-moments, when it blatantly makes fun of its own tics". She graded the episode B.