Chick Cancer
Encyclopedia
"Chick Cancer" is the seventh episode of season five of 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 broadcast on November 26, 2006. In the episode, 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....

's old friend and child actress, Olivia Fuller (voiced by Rachael MacFarlane
Rachael MacFarlane
Rachael Ann MacFarlane is an American voice actress best known for her appearances in Codename: Kids Next Door as supreme leader Numbuh 362 and the FOX animated series Family Guy and American Dad!, both created and executive-produced by her older brother Seth MacFarlane.Aside from voice acting,...

) returns to Quahog. Stewie intends to sabotage what little is left of her career, but ends up falling in love with her, only for the relationship to end in ruins due to his personality. Meanwhile, 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....

 decides to make a chick flick
Chick flick
Chick flick is a slang term for a film mainly dealing with love and romance designed to appeal to a female target audience. Although many types of films may be directed toward the female gender, "chick flick" is typically used only in reference to films that are heavy with emotion or contain themes...

 after enjoying one he saw in the cinema with 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...

.

The episode was written by Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin is an American television writer. Most notable for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, he has also contributed to The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane....

 and Wellesley Wild
Wellesley Wild
Wellesley Wild is an American animation writer. He is best known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy. He is currently co-executive producer and an occasional voice actor for the show....

 and directed by Pete Michels
Pete Michels
Pete Michels is an animation director on Family Guy. He has also been the supervising director on Family Guy as well as on the short-lived TV show, Kid Notorious. He started working on The Simpsons in 1990 as a background layout artist. He worked his way up to character layout artist, timer,...

. It received mostly 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 9.49 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...

, Jeff Bergman
Jeff Bergman
Jeff Allen Bergman is an American voice actor, who provides the modern day voices of various classic cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, George Jetson, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound.-Life and career:Originally from Philadelphia,...

, Dave Boat
Dave Boat
-Animated Roles:* Danny Phantom - Vortex* Family Guy - Rupert, Additional Voices* The Super Hero Squad Show - Thor, Trapster, Thing, John Porter, Uatu, Galactus' Mother, Captain Liechtenstein, Baron Mordo, Dracula, Doc Samson, Man-Thing* T.U.F.F...

, Lizzy Caplan
Lizzy Caplan
Elizabeth Anne "Lizzy" Caplan is an American actress. In film, she is best known for her roles as Janis Ian in Mean Girls, Marlena Diamond in Cloverfield, and April in Hot Tub Time Machine...

, Rachael MacFarlane
Rachael MacFarlane
Rachael Ann MacFarlane is an American voice actress best known for her appearances in Codename: Kids Next Door as supreme leader Numbuh 362 and the FOX animated series Family Guy and American Dad!, both created and executive-produced by her older brother Seth MacFarlane.Aside from voice acting,...

 and Stacey Scowley
Stacey Scowley
Stacey Scowley is an American actress. She gained memorable attention from her appearance in a 2002 commercial for Kia Motors called "Boyfriend" which was heavily aired. She has also appeared in numerous television commercials for several companies which include Progressive Auto Insurance,...

, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.

Plot

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....

 discovers that his old friend, Olivia, a child actress, is coming to the end of her Hollywood career because her "Tasty Juice: Drink it then Convert it to Pee
Urination
Urination, also known as micturition, voiding, peeing, weeing, pissing, and more rarely, emiction, is the ejection of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. In healthy humans the process of urination is under voluntary control...

." advertisement campaign has been dropped, and is making an appearance at the Quahog mall to open a new store. He decides to go the mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...

 when he expects to ridicule her, but falls in love with her after seeing her again. Olivia, however, does not return the same feelings, so Stewie seeks advice from 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...

 on how to make Olivia like him. Brian and Stewie observe next-door neighbor Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...

 forcing a woman to have sex with him by threatening her, and Stewie comes to the conclusion that women respond to men who mistreat them.

Stewie and Olivia begin to bond shortly afterward, and the two spend their time bonding by sitting in a park while eating ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...

. As they sit and eat their ice cream, they observe various people, such as a man smelling his own hand, a Jewish 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...

, a man who cuts his own hair, and an uptight and hardworking Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...

 man who is looking at his watch
Watch
A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...

. They also go to a birthday party for one of Olivia's friends. Olivia introduces Stewie to her old friend, a child actor named Victor, and she obliges Stewie to get both of them punch
Punch (drink)
Punch is the term for a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from India to England in the early seventeenth century; from there its use spread to other countries...

, but a jealous Stewie only wishes Victor to go away. The couple begin to argue constantly, and their latest argument ends with them getting married. After the marriage, which Rupert officiates, their relationship does not get any better. Later, the couple decide to accompany Brian on a double-date with his girlfriend, Jillian. During the date, the pair continue to bicker throughout, leading to Stewie starting an argument with a person in the restaurant who asks him to be quiet. He feels the relationship is failing, but Brian encourages him to reconsider and Stewie agrees to return to Olivia. Returning to his playhouse, Stewie discovers Olivia is cheating on him with her friend Victor (although the two are just playing with silly putty). With the relationship over, a seemingly distraught Stewie leaves the playhouse, which the then sets on fire with both Olivia and Victor inside: whether they survive or perish is not determined.

Meanwhile, 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....

 watches a chick flick
Chick flick
Chick flick is a slang term for a film mainly dealing with love and romance designed to appeal to a female target audience. Although many types of films may be directed toward the female gender, "chick flick" is typically used only in reference to films that are heavy with emotion or contain themes...

 with 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 is deeply moved by it. After renting several other chick flicks, Peter decides to make one of his own with his friends, entitled "Steel Vaginas". The plot of it stars Peter as a man who claims he does not care much for women until he meets "Vageena Hertz", played by Lois, who is also his own daughter in the film. After Vageena almost drowns, she is rushed to the hospital, but dies of an angry hymen. The film ends and is received badly by Peter's friends due to its poor plot outline, structure and not making any sense. This leaves Peter crushed and, of course, he realizes that he's not cut out for making movies.

During the closing credits of the episode, Stewie talks with Brian about how he does not like women and relationships, he talks about how he wishes that he could do the same thing with the same sex
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...

 so Brian says, "They do; it's called being gay." to which Stewie replies, "Oh, that's what gay is? Oh, yeah, I could totally get into that."

Production

Many of the jokes used in the storyline of this episode were originally pitched for a subplot of this episode, which saw Stewie building a robot suit to make him look like an adult to woo Jillian's best friend Ana, but this particular subplot was never used. The scene showing a mayor advertising a 1980s-related CD was included in the original draft for the episode, and, as MacFarlane states, is one of the rare occasions that an act break that is unrelated entirely to the storyline can be included in an episode. Originally, the gag of Stewie using Brian's hair to pass it off as his pubic hair was going to be the only area of his body where he would tell Jillian about his hair, but MacFarlane states that the show was not allowed to mention only pubic hair, and had to steer to a different area on the body that would have hair too, if they wanted to include it. Broadcasting standards allowed the sketch where Peter says "before, women only made me cry through my penis," as he states they "gave in."

In addition to the regular cast, actress 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...

, voice actor Jeff Bergman
Jeff Bergman
Jeff Allen Bergman is an American voice actor, who provides the modern day voices of various classic cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, George Jetson, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound.-Life and career:Originally from Philadelphia,...

, voice actor Dave Boat
Dave Boat
-Animated Roles:* Danny Phantom - Vortex* Family Guy - Rupert, Additional Voices* The Super Hero Squad Show - Thor, Trapster, Thing, John Porter, Uatu, Galactus' Mother, Captain Liechtenstein, Baron Mordo, Dracula, Doc Samson, Man-Thing* T.U.F.F...

, actress Lizzy Caplan
Lizzy Caplan
Elizabeth Anne "Lizzy" Caplan is an American actress. In film, she is best known for her roles as Janis Ian in Mean Girls, Marlena Diamond in Cloverfield, and April in Hot Tub Time Machine...

, voice actress Rachael MacFarlane
Rachael MacFarlane
Rachael Ann MacFarlane is an American voice actress best known for her appearances in Codename: Kids Next Door as supreme leader Numbuh 362 and the FOX animated series Family Guy and American Dad!, both created and executive-produced by her older brother Seth MacFarlane.Aside from voice acting,...

 and actress Stacey Scowley
Stacey Scowley
Stacey Scowley is an American actress. She gained memorable attention from her appearance in a 2002 commercial for Kia Motors called "Boyfriend" which was heavily aired. She has also appeared in numerous television commercials for several companies which include Progressive Auto Insurance,...

 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....

, actress 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...

, voice actor John G. Brennan
John G. Brennan
John G. Brennan , a.k.a. Johnny B., is an American actor, film writer, and voice actor. He is a member of the Jerky Boys prank call duo, with Kamal Ahmed, who formed in 1989 and split up in 2001, but reformed in 2006...

, 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.

Cultural references

  • This episode references three Woody Allen
    Woody Allen
    Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, jazz musician, author, and playwright. Allen's films draw heavily on literature, sexuality, philosophy, psychology, Jewish identity, and the history of cinema...

     films. Stewie and Olivia watching people in the park is a reference to a scene from Annie Hall
    Annie Hall
    Annie Hall is a 1977 American romantic comedy directed by Woody Allen from a screenplay co-written with Marshall Brickman and co-starring Diane Keaton. One of Allen's most popular and most honored films, it won four Academy Awards including Best Picture...

    .
  • While referencing Star Wars
    Star Wars
    Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...

    , the theme from Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Curb Your Enthusiasm
    Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy television series produced and broadcast by HBO, which premiered on October 15, 2000. As of 2011, it has completed 80 episodes over eight seasons. The series was created by Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, who stars as a fictionalized version of himself...

    is played.
  • Stewie and Olivia sitting under a bridge while on a date is a reference to Manhattan
    Manhattan (film)
    Manhattan is a 1979 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Woody Allen about a twice-divorced 42-year-old comedy writer who dates a 17-year-old girl before eventually falling in love with his best friend's mistress...

    , and the music playing in the background is "Someone to Watch over Me
    Someone to Watch over Me (song)
    "Someone to Watch Over Me" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin from the musical Oh, Kay! , where it was introduced by Gertrude Lawrence...

    ", a song composed by George Gershwin
    George Gershwin
    George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...

    .
  • Victor, the person whom Olivia is revealed to be having an affair with, is based on a character portrayed by Alan Alda
    Alan Alda
    Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo , better known as Alan Alda, is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H...

     in 1989 film
    1989 in film
    -Events:* Batman is released on June 23, and goes on to gross over $410 million worldwide.* Actress Kim Basinger and her brother Mick purchase Braselton, Georgia, for $20 million...

     Crimes and Misdemeanors
    Crimes and Misdemeanors
    Crimes and Misdemeanors is a 1989 black comedy written, directed by and co-starring Woody Allen, alongside Martin Landau, Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston and Joanna Gleason....

    .
  • Brian repeatedly telling Stewie that it is not his fault after his break-up with Olivia is a reference to Good Will Hunting
    Good Will Hunting
    Good Will Hunting is a 1997 drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, and Stellan Skarsgård...

    .
  • Stewie reflects on how it was easier being Q*bert's room mate and an animation of him on the game board is shown.
  • The song "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
    Ain't No Mountain High Enough
    "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes...

    ", by Marvin Gaye
    Marvin Gaye
    Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....

     and Tammi Terrell
    Tammi Terrell
    Thomasina Winifred Montgomery, known as Tammi Terrell was an American singer-songwriter most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter–Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed...

    , is played during a scene in the chick flick Peter and Lois go watch at the beginning of the episode.
  • After asking out Olivia, Stewie claims he's as cool as that cheetah from the commercials. Then a scene shows Chester Cheetah
    Chester Cheetah
    Chester Cheetah is a fictional character and the official mascot for Cheetos brand snacks and Chester's Puffcorn. According to an article in The New York Times, DDB Needham Worldwide is responsible for the creation of Chester; however, an episode of Unwrapped claims that the mascot was created by...

     the Cheetos'
    Cheetos
    Cheetos is a brand of cheese-flavored cornmeal snack made by Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin invented Cheetos in 1948, and began national distribution in the U.S. The initial success of Cheetos was a contributing factor to the merger between The Frito Company...

     mascot sitting in a rundown apartment inhaling crushed Cheetos like cocaine. At the same time he is listening to "Tom Sawyer
    Tom Sawyer (song)
    "Tom Sawyer" is a song by Canadian rock band Rush, named after Mark Twain's literary character. The song was released on Mercury Records and PolyGram in 1981 on the Moving Pictures album and numerous compilations thereafter, such as 1990's Chronicles. It has also appeared on several live albums and...

    " by Canadian rock band Rush
    Rush (band)
    Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...

    . He then smashes his hands into a coffee table and says "It ain't easy, being Cheesey."

Reception

In a slight improvement over the previous week, the episode was viewed in 9.49 million homes in its original airing, 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...

. The episode also acquired a 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, slightly being edged out by 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...

, while still 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...

.

Dan Iverson 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...

 wrote "this week was confirmation of the show's quality, as 'Chick Cancer' proved that the program could create hilarious flashbacks, while presenting a story that added a lick of satire to improve on the overall quality of the show." In a review of the episode, Brett Love of TV Squad wrote "I'm still calling this an up and down season overall, but this episode was one of the upswings," adding that "There were some truly great moments." Later in the review, Love comments "If there was anything I didn't like about the story it was that bad boy Stewie was so short lived."

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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