Boys Do Cry
Encyclopedia
"Boys Do Cry" is the fifteenth episode of Family Guy's fifth season
, originally airing on the Fox TV Channel
on April 29, 2007. The episode follows the Griffin family
after Lois
gets a job as an organist at the local church, and she insists that the rest of the family go to church with her. This eventually leads to Stewie
drinking and throwing up the host during a sermon, which causes a mob to form around the Griffin household. In an attempt to prevent the town from supposedly exorcising the devil out of Stewie, the family escape and seek refuge in Texas.
The episode and its title are a parody of the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry
. It was written by series regular Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
and directed by Brian Iles
. The episode received generally mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 8.13 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Drew Barrymore
, Bill Engvall
, Gilbert Gottfried
and Camilla Stull, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. "Boys Do Cry" was released on DVD
along with four other episodes from the season on October 21, 2008.
gets a job as the new organist at the local church, which causes her to persuade her family to start attending mass on Sundays. After Stewie mistakes Communion
wine for punch, he drinks too much and throws it up, leading the citizens of Quahog to believe Stewie is possessed by Satan
. When the priest wants to exorcise
him, aided by everyone in town, the Griffin family escapes to Lois' sister Carol's house in Texas
. Upon arriving at the home, Peter
fits in well with the cowboy
s, but Brian
cannot stand the racism
and homophobic behavior
of the local residents. Stewie, disguised as a girl to protect his identity, begins using the name "Stephanie Griffin" and, after being convinced by Lois, enters a "Little Miss Texan" beauty pageant
. Meanwhile, as part of an initiation into an after-school club, Meg
and Chris
sneak into George W. Bush
's Crawford ranch
to steal a pair of his underwear.
As the Griffins begin their new life, local Texas news journalist Duke Dillon reports that Quahog has given up its search for Stewie, due to the recent discovery of a new Satan, known as the "Super Devil." Later, Brian accidentally slays this new devil.
Lois hoping to instill "new moral values" in her family, neglects to mention it is okay to go home. Later, while attending the beauty pageant that Stewie had entered, Brian finds out about the town calling off the search, from his girlfriend Jillian back in Quahog, and confronts Lois, who blows it off. Meanwhile, after branding a cow, things turn worse when Peter reveals that he is mentally retarded
. The men with him, who explain that Texas "executes the retarded
," tie him to an electric chair, in an attempt to put him to death, but he is soon rescued by his trusty horse, who is portrayed by Gilbert Gottfried
. Back at the pageant, Stewie manages to win, but when his wig falls off during the crowning ceremony, the audience labels him as a "queer-o-sexual" and tries to rush the stage. The family is able to escape on the back of the horse, and return home to Quahog, during which Lois realizes that moral values do not come from where anyone lives, but from inside people.
The episode was written by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
and was directed by Brian Iles
, in his each of their respective first episode for the series. Series regulars Peter Shin
and James Purdum
served as supervising directors. Chevapravatdumrong was also one of the executive story editors working in the episode, the other one being Patrick Meighan
. Series regular John Viener served as the episode's story editor.
"Boys Do Cry", along with the four other episodes from Family Guys fifth season, were released on a three-disc DVD
set in the United States on October 21, 2008. The sets included brief audio commentaries by Seth MacFarlane and various crew and cast members, a collection of deleted scenes, a special mini-feature which discussed the process behind animating "100th Episode Special", and a mini-feature entitled Family Guy Live.
The episode featured a guest performance by a cancer patient, Camilla Stull, who had wanted to do a voice on the show. She provided two lines for one of the competing pageant contestants, and was able to meet fellow guest star Drew Barrymore
before leaving. Stull has since died from the disease, but is still "immortalized" in the episode. In addition to Stull and the regular cast, actress Drew Barrymore, actor Bill Engvall
and comedian Gilbert Gottfried
guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Lori Alan
, Alex Breckenridge
, writer Kirker Butler
, voice actor Chris Cox
, actor Ralph Garman
, writer Mark Hentemann
, writer Danny Smith
, writer Alec Sulkin
, writer John Viener, and actor Adam West
(who portrays an exaggerated version of himself) made minor appearances. made minor appearances.
(1999). In the opening scene of the episode, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus
is shown on the Griffin's television, proposing a show to the viewer. Later that day, as auditions for the church organist begin, several people begin playing songs, including Shamus who plays Jerry Lee Lewis
' "Great Balls of Fire
", Herbert who plays The Waitresses
' "I Know What Boys Like" and Jake Tucker who plays "William Tell Overture
", his father Tom Tucker flipping the sheet music the right way up is a reference to comedian pianist Victor Borge
.
As the Griffins head toward Texas, model and actress Christie Brinkley
suddenly appears beside the family's car in a convertible, similar to the scene in the 1983 comedy film National Lampoon's Vacation
. Once the family arrives in Texas, the Griffins are presented with a needle-point of actor Chuck Norris
. Peter goes on to tell a joke
about Norris, who suddenly appears and punches Brian with a fist hidden beneath his beard. The next day, as Chris and Meg attempt to join a club at school, they are required to retrieve a pair of then-current President George W. Bush
's underwear from his ranch in Crawford, Texas. As they attempt to do so, they first navigate past then-current Vice President Dick Cheney
, who has fallen asleep with a shotgun. Once inside, the two walk past several portraits of Bush with various leaders, including Ronald Reagan
, Saddam Hussein
, Osama bin Laden
and the Super Devil.
Once Peter is about to be executed by the local cowboys, comedian Gilbert Gottfried
, disguised as an actual horse saves him from being electrocuted
. Gottfried goes on to state one of his upcoming tour dates in Atlanta. In the closing scene of the episode, Peter begins criticizing parents for letting their children watch shows like Family Guy, and ultimately breaks the fourth wall
by looking at the viewer immediately afterward.
, in the United States. The episode also acquired a 2.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, tying with The Simpsons
, in addition to significantly winning over American Dad!
, in both rating and total viewership.
In a review of the episode, Brett Love of TV Squad noted that the episode "had it's moments, but there were some pretty big breaks between them." Love also thought that Lois getting a job as an organist was "a nice way to go, because it does fit in well with what we already know about her." Ahsan Haque of IGN
said that the episode was "very stale and tired" with "very few funny moments," and that "Lois wanting a more wholesome ethical lifestyle could have worked, but the execution failed miserably." Overall, Haque noted that the episode was "a serious disappointment on many levels." The "lack of laughs, poor pacing, and lack of judgment really hurt," rating the episode as a 4 out of 10.
Family Guy (season 5)
Family Guy fifth season first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" and finished with "Meet the Quagmires"...
, originally airing on the Fox TV Channel
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 April 29, 2007. 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 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...
gets a job as an organist at the local church, and she insists that the rest of the family go to church with her. This eventually leads to 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....
drinking and throwing up the host during a sermon, which causes a mob to form around the Griffin household. In an attempt to prevent the town from supposedly exorcising the devil out of Stewie, the family escape and seek refuge in Texas.
The episode and its title are a parody of the 1999 film Boys Don't Cry
Boys Don't Cry (film)
Boys Don't Cry is a 1999 American independent romantic drama film directed by Kimberly Peirce and co-written by Andy Bienen. The film is a dramatization of the real-life story of Brandon Teena, a transgender man played by Hilary Swank, who pursues a relationship with a young woman, played by Chloë...
. It was written by series regular Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong is a Thai American author, and an executive story editor/co-producer on Family Guy....
and directed by Brian Iles
Brian Iles
Brian Iles is an American animation director. Iles is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy....
. The episode received generally mixed 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 8.13 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
, Bill Engvall
Bill Engvall
William Ray "Bill" Engvall, Jr. is an American comedian and actor best known for his work as a stand-up comic and as a member of the Blue Collar Comedy group.-Early life:Bill Engvall was born in Galveston, Texas...
, Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his trademark comedic persona of speaking in a loud, grating tone of voice. He has played numerous roles in film and television, perhaps most notably voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin , and...
and Camilla Stull, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. "Boys Do Cry" was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
along with four other episodes from the season on October 21, 2008.
Plot
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...
gets a job as the new organist at the local church, which causes her to persuade her family to start attending mass on Sundays. After Stewie mistakes Communion
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
wine for punch, he drinks too much and throws it up, leading the citizens of Quahog to believe Stewie is possessed by Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
. When the priest wants to exorcise
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
him, aided by everyone in town, the Griffin family escapes to Lois' sister Carol's house in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Upon arriving at the home, 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....
fits in well with the cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s, but 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...
cannot stand the racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
and homophobic behavior
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
of the local residents. Stewie, disguised as a girl to protect his identity, begins using the name "Stephanie Griffin" and, after being convinced by Lois, enters a "Little Miss Texan" beauty pageant
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
. Meanwhile, as part of an initiation into an after-school club, 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....
and 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:...
sneak into George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's Crawford ranch
Crawford, Texas
Crawford is a town located in western McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is best known as the home of former President of the United States George W. Bush. He currently resides at the Prairie Chapel Ranch, which is located just outside Crawford, Texas....
to steal a pair of his underwear.
As the Griffins begin their new life, local Texas news journalist Duke Dillon reports that Quahog has given up its search for Stewie, due to the recent discovery of a new Satan, known as the "Super Devil." Later, Brian accidentally slays this new devil.
Lois hoping to instill "new moral values" in her family, neglects to mention it is okay to go home. Later, while attending the beauty pageant that Stewie had entered, Brian finds out about the town calling off the search, from his girlfriend Jillian back in Quahog, and confronts Lois, who blows it off. Meanwhile, after branding a cow, things turn worse when Peter reveals that he is mentally retarded
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
. The men with him, who explain that Texas "executes the retarded
Capital punishment in Texas
Capital punishment has been used in the U.S. state of Texas and its predecessor entities since 1819.As of 16 November 2011, 1,228 individuals have been executed. Only Virginia has executed more individuals overall; however, since the death penalty was re-instituted in the United States in the...
," tie him to an electric chair, in an attempt to put him to death, but he is soon rescued by his trusty horse, who is portrayed by Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his trademark comedic persona of speaking in a loud, grating tone of voice. He has played numerous roles in film and television, perhaps most notably voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin , and...
. Back at the pageant, Stewie manages to win, but when his wig falls off during the crowning ceremony, the audience labels him as a "queer-o-sexual" and tries to rush the stage. The family is able to escape on the back of the horse, and return home to Quahog, during which Lois realizes that moral values do not come from where anyone lives, but from inside people.
Production
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong is a Thai American author, and an executive story editor/co-producer on Family Guy....
and was directed by Brian Iles
Brian Iles
Brian Iles is an American animation director. Iles is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy....
, in his each of their respective first episode for the series. 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. Chevapravatdumrong was also one of the executive story editors working in the episode, the other one being Patrick Meighan
Patrick Meighan (writer)
Patrick Meighan is an American animation writer. Meighan is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and Titus.Meighan has also served as a production assistant on Dharma & Greg.-Family Guy:...
. Series regular John Viener served as the episode's story editor.
"Boys Do Cry", along with the four other episodes from Family Guys fifth season, were released on a three-disc DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set in the United States on October 21, 2008. The sets included brief audio commentaries by Seth MacFarlane and various crew and cast members, a collection of deleted scenes, a special mini-feature which discussed the process behind animating "100th Episode Special", and a mini-feature entitled Family Guy Live.
The episode featured a guest performance by a cancer patient, Camilla Stull, who had wanted to do a voice on the show. She provided two lines for one of the competing pageant contestants, and was able to meet fellow guest star Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
before leaving. Stull has since died from the disease, but is still "immortalized" in the episode. In addition to Stull and the regular cast, actress Drew Barrymore, actor Bill Engvall
Bill Engvall
William Ray "Bill" Engvall, Jr. is an American comedian and actor best known for his work as a stand-up comic and as a member of the Blue Collar Comedy group.-Early life:Bill Engvall was born in Galveston, Texas...
and comedian Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his trademark comedic persona of speaking in a loud, grating tone of voice. He has played numerous roles in film and television, perhaps most notably voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin , and...
guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Lori Alan
Lori Alan
Lori Alan , sometimes credited as Lori Allen, is an American voice actress who provides the voice of news anchor Diane Simmons on Family Guy, various voices on Hey Arnold!, and SpongeBob SquarePants as Pearl....
, 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 Kirker Butler
Kirker Butler
Kirker Butler is an American animation writer. Butler is most notably known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, as well as serving as co-executive producer of The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.-Career:Butler joined...
, voice actor Chris Cox
Chris Cox (actor)
Chris Cox is a filmmaker and voice actor. He is best known, as himself, for the 2001 Small Shots TV series for Spike TV.Cox replaced George Eads in the role of Captain Atom for the popular animated series Justice League Unlimited. Eads was unwilling to reprise his voice role after an appearance in...
, 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...
, writer 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...
, 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....
, writer John Viener, and actor Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
(who portrays an exaggerated version of himself) made minor appearances. made minor appearances.
Cultural references
The episode itself is a parody of the film Boys Don't CryBoys Don't Cry (film)
Boys Don't Cry is a 1999 American independent romantic drama film directed by Kimberly Peirce and co-written by Andy Bienen. The film is a dramatization of the real-life story of Brandon Teena, a transgender man played by Hilary Swank, who pursues a relationship with a young woman, played by Chloë...
(1999). In the opening scene of the episode, actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedienne, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine....
is shown on the Griffin's television, proposing a show to the viewer. Later that day, as auditions for the church organist begin, several people begin playing songs, including Shamus who plays Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
' "Great Balls of Fire
Great Balls of Fire
"Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 song recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie Jamboree. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer...
", Herbert who plays The Waitresses
The Waitresses
The Waitresses were an experimental new wave band from Akron, Ohio. The group was led by guitarist/songwriter Chris Butler with lead vocals performed by Patty Donahue.-Career:...
' "I Know What Boys Like" and Jake Tucker who plays "William Tell Overture
William Tell Overture
The William Tell Overture is the instrumental introduction to the opera Guillaume Tell by Gioachino Rossini. William Tell premiered in 1829 and was the last of Rossini's 39 operas, after which he went into semi-retirement, although he continued to compose cantatas, sacred music and secular vocal...
", his father Tom Tucker flipping the sheet music the right way up is a reference to comedian pianist Victor Borge
Victor Borge
Victor Borge ,born Børge Rosenbaum, was a Danish comedian, conductor and pianist, affectionately known as The Clown Prince of Denmark,The Unmelancholy Dane,and The Great Dane.-Early life and career:...
.
As the Griffins head toward Texas, model and actress Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley
Christie Brinkley is an American model and actress best known for her three consecutive appearances on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in the late 1970s and early 1980s, for her long-running contract with CoverGirl, the longest ever of any model in history, and for her marriage...
suddenly appears beside the family's car in a convertible, similar to the scene in the 1983 comedy film National Lampoon's Vacation
National Lampoon's Vacation
Vacation, sometimes referred as National Lampoon's Vacation, is a 1983 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall...
. Once the family arrives in Texas, the Griffins are presented with a needle-point of actor Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
. Peter goes on to tell a joke
Chuck Norris Facts
Chuck Norris facts are satirical factoids about martial artist and actor Chuck Norris that have become an Internet phenomenon and as a result have become widespread in popular culture. The facts are normally absurd hyperbolic claims about Norris's toughness, attitude, virility, sophistication, and...
about Norris, who suddenly appears and punches Brian with a fist hidden beneath his beard. The next day, as Chris and Meg attempt to join a club at school, they are required to retrieve a pair of then-current President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's underwear from his ranch in Crawford, Texas. As they attempt to do so, they first navigate past then-current Vice President Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
, who has fallen asleep with a shotgun. Once inside, the two walk past several portraits of Bush with various leaders, including Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
, Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
and the Super Devil.
Once Peter is about to be executed by the local cowboys, comedian Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried
Gilbert Gottfried is an American actor, voice actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his trademark comedic persona of speaking in a loud, grating tone of voice. He has played numerous roles in film and television, perhaps most notably voicing the parrot Iago in Disney's Aladdin , and...
, disguised as an actual horse saves him from being electrocuted
Electrocution
Electrocution is a type of electric shock that, as determined by a stopped heart, can end life. Electrocution is frequently used to refer to any electric shock received but is technically incorrect; the choice of definition varies from dictionary to dictionary...
. Gottfried goes on to state one of his upcoming tour dates in Atlanta. In the closing scene of the episode, Peter begins criticizing parents for letting their children watch shows like Family Guy, and ultimately breaks the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
by looking at the viewer immediately afterward.
Reception
In a slight decrease from the previous week, the episode was viewed in 8.13 million homes in its original airing, according to Nielsen ratingsNielsen 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...
, in the United States. The episode also acquired a 2.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, tying with 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...
, in addition to significantly winning over 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...
, in both rating and total viewership.
In a review of the episode, Brett Love of TV Squad noted that the episode "had it's moments, but there were some pretty big breaks between them." Love also thought that Lois getting a job as an organist was "a nice way to go, because it does fit in well with what we already know about her." Ahsan Haque of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said that the episode was "very stale and tired" with "very few funny moments," and that "Lois wanting a more wholesome ethical lifestyle could have worked, but the execution failed miserably." Overall, Haque noted that the episode was "a serious disappointment on many levels." The "lack of laughs, poor pacing, and lack of judgment really hurt," rating the episode as a 4 out of 10.