Dial Meg for Murder
Encyclopedia
"Dial Meg for Murder" is the eleventh episode of season eight
of the animated
comedy series
Family Guy
. It originally aired on Fox
in the United States on January 31, 2010 (exactly eleven years after the first episode
). The episode follows teenager Meg
as she dates and falls in love with an inmate at the local prison. She eventually ends up hiding the fugitive in the Griffin family
home, however, and is convicted and sent to jail. After returning home, she becomes a hardened criminal, who continually tortures her family. Meanwhile, her father Peter
attempts to win a local championship rodeo competition, albeit by cheating.
The episode was written by Alex Carter and Andrew Goldberg
, and directed by Cyndi Tang-Loveland
. It received mostly positive reviews for its storyline, and cultural references, in addition to receiving criticism
from the Parents Television Council
. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 6.21 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Dave Boat
, Peter Chen
, Chace Crawford
, Camille Guaty
, Victor J. Ho, Allison Janney
, Rachael MacFarlane
, and Lisa Wilhoit
along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. It was first announced at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International. "Dial Meg for Murder" will be released on DVD
along with ten other episodes from the season on December 13, 2011.
decides to enter the competition. He trains using Chris
and Meg
in various ways, such as using Chris as a bronco, or Peter roping Meg and branding her, although he finds out that Mayor West already did it, who takes her away. However, during the competition he quickly falls off his anthropomorphic
bull, and ends up being rape
d, offscreen, by the bull. While that occurs, Brian
meets the editor of Teen People
, who gives him a job writing an article about the average American girl. When he starts following and spying on Meg with Stewie
for research, they discover that she has fallen in love with a man in jail named Luke, whom she met through a school pen-pal project.
Brian reveals Meg's secret to Peter and Lois
, who don't want her seeing Luke again. However, he soon breaks out of jail during a prison riot and tries to hide in the Griffins' house. Brian finds him just as Peter enters, who only knows what is happening when reading TV Guide
, which details the plot of the episode, and is the same reason he entered the rodeo. As Luke escapes out the window, Peter alerts Joe, who apprehends Luke. Joe also arrests Meg for harboring a fugitive, and she is sent to prison.
Three months later, Meg returns home with the mind and attitude of a hardened criminal, complete with a new thuggish look. She immediately begins abusing her family, retaliating to the many years of abuse she had endured under them, such as curb-stomp
ing Peter and using her mother's shirts as toilet paper. In addition, she continues habits she picked up in prison, and beats up the kids who make fun of her at school, for which she is suspended. Wanting to start a new life away from home, Meg ambushes Brian in his car and forces him to drive to Mort's Pharmacy so she can rob him. Brian, however, shows her the article he wrote, in which he describes her "far sweeter and kinder" than the typical American girl. Meg is touched by this, so she changes her mind, and returns home.
at the 2009 Comic Con in San Diego, The episode was written by Alex Carter and Andrew Goldberg
, and directed by former King of the Hill
director Cyndi Tang-Loveland
, before the conclusion of the eighth production season
, in her second episode for this season. Series regulars Peter Shin
and James Purdum
served as supervising directors, with Andrew Goldberg
and Alex Carter working as staff writer
s for the episode.
"Dial Meg for Murder", along with the eleven other episodes from Family Guys eighth season, will be released on a three-disc DVD
set in the United States on December 13, 2011. The sets include brief audio commentaries by various crew and cast members for several episodes, a collection of deleted scenes and animatics, a special mini-feature which discussed the process behind animating "And Then There Were Fewer
", a mini-feature entitled "The Comical Adventures of Family Guy - Brian & Stewie: The Lost Phone Call", and footage of the Family Guy panel at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International.
In addition to the regular cast, voice actor Dave Boat
, Peter Chen
, actor Chace Crawford
, actress Camille Guaty
, Victor J. Ho, actress Allison Janney
, Rachael MacFarlane
, and Lisa Wilhoit
guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Lori Alan
, Johnny Brennan, writer Steve Callaghan
, Chris Cox
, writer Danny Smith
, writer Alec Sulkin
and writer John Viener also made minor appearances.
"The Guide". In one scene Stewie refers to Meg as "one of those crazy chicks, who hooks up with an even crazier guy," with a photograph of Jenny McCarthy
and Jim Carrey
then being shown. The song "The Ballad of Billy the Kid
" by singer and performer Billy Joel
is used in depicting Peter's flashbacks about being a cowboy. The ending of the episode includes a reference to The Simpsons
, in which Meg makes an unfunny joke, with Peter announcing he is not amused, responding by sarcastically stating "Always end on a strong joke." The start of the closing credits that follow the statement is styled to match those used in The Simpsons credits.
. The 52nd Grammy Awards
and the Pro Bowl
aired simultaneously as the Animation Domination block, resulting in lower than usual ratings. Despite this, the episode also acquired a 3.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic, surpassing The Simpsons
, American Dad!
and The Cleveland Show
, in both rating and total viewership.
Reviews of the episode were mixed to mostly positive, with critics finding "a lot to like about this episode." Jason Hughes of TV Squad gave the episode a positive review, stating that " finally found an angle for a Meg-centric episode that was fully engaging and entertaining." Ahsan Haque of IGN
also praised the episode, saying that "the fact that the writers chose to focus on a coherent storyline that relied mostly on contextual humor always helps," calling the ending "somewhat touching." Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
criticized the storyline much more harshly, however, saying that it "relied too heavily on the show's old fallbacks of politically incorrect humor, and ostensibly funny violence."
The conservative Parents Television Council
, a frequent critic
of Family Guy and other Seth McFarlane-produced shows, named "Dial Meg for Murder" its "Worst TV Show of the Week" for the week ending February 5, 2010, due to excessive violence in scenes featuring Meg as both the victim and the instigator. Also cited was the sequence where Peter unsuccessfully fights off an angry bull, and later is shown in a fetal position while the bull stands over him, calling it "sickening."
Family Guy (season 8)
Family Guy eighth season first aired on the Fox network in twenty episodes from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It ran on Sunday nights between May and July 2010 on BBC Three in the UK...
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...
. It 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 January 31, 2010 (exactly eleven years after the first episode
Death Has a Shadow
"Death Has a Shadow" is the first episode of the animated series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States after Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999. The episode is based on series creator Seth MacFarlane's original pitch to Fox, The Life of Larry, and is a remake of...
). The episode follows teenager 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....
as she dates and falls in love with an inmate at the local prison. She eventually ends up hiding the fugitive in 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...
home, however, and is convicted and sent to jail. After returning home, she becomes a hardened criminal, who continually tortures her family. Meanwhile, her father 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....
attempts to win a local championship rodeo competition, albeit by cheating.
The episode was written by Alex Carter and Andrew Goldberg
Andrew Goldberg (TV writer)
Andrew Goldberg is currently a writer for Family Guy, where he has written several episodes. He is also the author of Brian Griffin's Guide to Booze, Broads, and the Lost Art of Being a Man, a book published by HarperCollins focusing on Brian Griffin's beliefs.- Biography :Andrew Goldberg was born...
, and directed by Cyndi Tang-Loveland
Cyndi Tang
Cyndi Tang-Loveland is an American animation director. Tang is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and King of the Hill....
. It received mostly positive reviews for its storyline, and cultural references, in addition to receiving criticism
Criticism of Family Guy
The American animated sitcom Family Guy has been the target of numerous complaints concerning taste and indecency. Parents Television Council has expressed moral opposition to the series, and filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission....
from the Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
. 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 6.21 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by 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...
, Peter Chen
Peter Chen
Dr. Peter Pin-Shan Chen is an American computer scientist and Professor of Computer Science at Louisiana State University, who is known for the development of Entity-Relationship Modeling in 1976.- Biography :...
, Chace Crawford
Chace Crawford
Christopher Chace Crawford , better known as Chace Crawford, is an American actor. He currently portrays Nate Archibald on the CW television drama Gossip Girl.-Early life:...
, Camille Guaty
Camille Guaty
Camille Guaty is an American film and television actress. She is known for her role as Daisy on Gotta Kick It Up!.-Early life:Guaty was born in California of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent...
, Victor J. Ho, Allison Janney
Allison Janney
Allison Brooks Janney is an American actress, best known for her role as C.J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing.- Personal life :...
, 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 Lisa Wilhoit
Lisa Wilhoit
Lisa Marie Wilhoit is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Danielle Chase on the television show My So-Called Life and for being the voice of Connie D'Amico on the television series Family Guy.-Biography:...
along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. It was first announced at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International. "Dial Meg for Murder" will be 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 ten other episodes from the season on December 13, 2011.
Plot
When the news announces a local rodeo competition in Quahog, 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....
decides to enter the competition. He trains using 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:...
and 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....
in various ways, such as using Chris as a bronco, or Peter roping Meg and branding her, although he finds out that Mayor West already did it, who takes her away. However, during the competition he quickly falls off his anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
bull, and ends up being rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d, offscreen, by the bull. While that occurs, 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...
meets the editor of Teen People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, who gives him a job writing an article about the average American girl. When he starts following and spying on Meg with 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....
for research, they discover that she has fallen in love with a man in jail named Luke, whom she met through a school pen-pal project.
Brian reveals Meg's secret to Peter and 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...
, who don't want her seeing Luke again. However, he soon breaks out of jail during a prison riot and tries to hide in the Griffins' house. Brian finds him just as Peter enters, who only knows what is happening when reading TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, which details the plot of the episode, and is the same reason he entered the rodeo. As Luke escapes out the window, Peter alerts Joe, who apprehends Luke. Joe also arrests Meg for harboring a fugitive, and she is sent to prison.
Three months later, Meg returns home with the mind and attitude of a hardened criminal, complete with a new thuggish look. She immediately begins abusing her family, retaliating to the many years of abuse she had endured under them, such as curb-stomp
Curb-stomp
Curb-stomping is a violent assault in which the attacker forces the victim to lie down prone on the street and "bite the curb" , following which the attacker stomps on the back of the victim's head resulting in crushed teeth, a broken jaw and/or skull, and possibly death...
ing Peter and using her mother's shirts as toilet paper. In addition, she continues habits she picked up in prison, and beats up the kids who make fun of her at school, for which she is suspended. Wanting to start a new life away from home, Meg ambushes Brian in his car and forces him to drive to Mort's Pharmacy so she can rob him. Brian, however, shows her the article he wrote, in which he describes her "far sweeter and kinder" than the typical American girl. Meg is touched by this, so she changes her mind, and returns home.
Production and development
First touched upon by actress Mila KunisMila Kunis
Milena "Mila" Kunis is an American actress. Her work includes the role of Jackie Burkhart on the TV series That '70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on the animated series Family Guy...
at the 2009 Comic Con in San Diego, The episode was written by Alex Carter and Andrew Goldberg
Andrew Goldberg (TV writer)
Andrew Goldberg is currently a writer for Family Guy, where he has written several episodes. He is also the author of Brian Griffin's Guide to Booze, Broads, and the Lost Art of Being a Man, a book published by HarperCollins focusing on Brian Griffin's beliefs.- Biography :Andrew Goldberg was born...
, and directed by former King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
director Cyndi Tang-Loveland
Cyndi Tang
Cyndi Tang-Loveland is an American animation director. Tang is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and King of the Hill....
, before the conclusion of the eighth production season
Family Guy (season 8)
Family Guy eighth season first aired on the Fox network in twenty episodes from September 27, 2009 to May 23, 2010 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It ran on Sunday nights between May and July 2010 on BBC Three in the UK...
, in her second episode for this season. 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
Andrew Goldberg (TV writer)
Andrew Goldberg is currently a writer for Family Guy, where he has written several episodes. He is also the author of Brian Griffin's Guide to Booze, Broads, and the Lost Art of Being a Man, a book published by HarperCollins focusing on Brian Griffin's beliefs.- Biography :Andrew Goldberg was born...
and Alex Carter working as staff writer
Staff writer
Staff writer is a byline that indicates that the author of the article at hand is employed by the periodical that published the article as a regular staff member, and not as a freelance writer or special contributor....
s for the episode.
"Dial Meg for Murder", along with the eleven other episodes from Family Guys eighth season, will be 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 December 13, 2011. The sets include brief audio commentaries by various crew and cast members for several episodes, a collection of deleted scenes and animatics, a special mini-feature which discussed the process behind animating "And Then There Were Fewer
And Then There Were Fewer
"And Then There Were Fewer" is the first episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 26, 2010. The episode follows the citizens of Quahog, Rhode Island, after they are invited by actor James Woods to his stately...
", a mini-feature entitled "The Comical Adventures of Family Guy - Brian & Stewie: The Lost Phone Call", and footage of the Family Guy panel at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International.
In addition to the regular cast, 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...
, Peter Chen
Peter Chen
Dr. Peter Pin-Shan Chen is an American computer scientist and Professor of Computer Science at Louisiana State University, who is known for the development of Entity-Relationship Modeling in 1976.- Biography :...
, actor Chace Crawford
Chace Crawford
Christopher Chace Crawford , better known as Chace Crawford, is an American actor. He currently portrays Nate Archibald on the CW television drama Gossip Girl.-Early life:...
, actress Camille Guaty
Camille Guaty
Camille Guaty is an American film and television actress. She is known for her role as Daisy on Gotta Kick It Up!.-Early life:Guaty was born in California of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent...
, Victor J. Ho, actress Allison Janney
Allison Janney
Allison Brooks Janney is an American actress, best known for her role as C.J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing.- Personal life :...
, 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 Lisa Wilhoit
Lisa Wilhoit
Lisa Marie Wilhoit is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Danielle Chase on the television show My So-Called Life and for being the voice of Connie D'Amico on the television series Family Guy.-Biography:...
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....
, Johnny Brennan, writer Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan is an American screenwriter, producer and voice actor, best known for his work on Family Guy. He is a graduate of the Department of Public Policy at the UCLA School of Public Affairs...
, 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...
, 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 also made minor appearances.
Cultural references
At the beginning of the episode, Stewie rhetorically asks whether or not he can call the television magazine TV GuideTV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
"The Guide". In one scene Stewie refers to Meg as "one of those crazy chicks, who hooks up with an even crazier guy," with a photograph of Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
and Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
then being shown. The song "The Ballad of Billy the Kid
The Ballad of Billy the Kid
"The Ballad of Billy the Kid" is a Billy Joel song from the album Piano Man. It is a fictionalized story of Billy The Kid. In an interview from 1975, Joel admitted,"Basically [the song] was an experiment with an impressionist type of lyric...
" by singer and performer Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
is used in depicting Peter's flashbacks about being a cowboy. The ending of the episode includes a reference to 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 which Meg makes an unfunny joke, with Peter announcing he is not amused, responding by sarcastically stating "Always end on a strong joke." The start of the closing credits that follow the statement is styled to match those used in The Simpsons credits.
Reception
In a significant decrease from the previous episode, the episode was viewed in 6.21 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...
. The 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
and the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
aired simultaneously as the Animation Domination block, resulting in lower than usual ratings. Despite this, the episode also acquired a 3.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic, surpassing 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...
, 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...
and 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...
, in both rating and total viewership.
Reviews of the episode were mixed to mostly positive, with critics finding "a lot to like about this episode." Jason Hughes of TV Squad gave the episode a positive review, stating that " finally found an angle for a Meg-centric episode that was fully engaging and entertaining." 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...
also praised the episode, saying that "the fact that the writers chose to focus on a coherent storyline that relied mostly on contextual humor always helps," calling the ending "somewhat touching." Todd VanDerWerff 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...
criticized the storyline much more harshly, however, saying that it "relied too heavily on the show's old fallbacks of politically incorrect humor, and ostensibly funny violence."
The conservative Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
, a frequent critic
Criticism of Family Guy
The American animated sitcom Family Guy has been the target of numerous complaints concerning taste and indecency. Parents Television Council has expressed moral opposition to the series, and filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission....
of Family Guy and other Seth McFarlane-produced shows, named "Dial Meg for Murder" its "Worst TV Show of the Week" for the week ending February 5, 2010, due to excessive violence in scenes featuring Meg as both the victim and the instigator. Also cited was the sequence where Peter unsuccessfully fights off an angry bull, and later is shown in a fetal position while the bull stands over him, calling it "sickening."