Fast Times at Buddy Cianci, Jr. High
Encyclopedia
"Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High" is the second episode from the fourth season of the Fox
animated television series Family Guy
. The episode guest-stars Drew Barrymore
as Mrs. Lockhart.
. In spite of Mrs. Clifton's resignation
, Lois
suggests Brian
to fill in as a substitute teacher
. He enjoys the job, but is moved to a remedial class, which consists of nothing but inner city
youth (a la Dangerous Minds
). When he finds the techniques used in his previous class inadequate, he does not know how to help them since society is giving up on them. Stewie
suggests that he should act like them, and he dances to the robot
. He takes Stewie's advice and tries "talking their language", but appears racist. After an angry morning, he unintentionally teaches them to aspire to low-level jobs, the students noting that Brian is the first person who ever told them that they could amount to anything.
Meanwhile, Chris is instantly smitten with his new teacher, the voluptuous
Mrs. Lana Lockhart. Chris asks his parents for advice on how to get a girl to like him, and Stewie gives him a condom
, since he has heard about his relationship with his teacher. Lois tells him that he should be romantic, and Peter suggests that he should dress up as a naked spaceman
to be spontaneous. When Chris shows up to class, Mrs. Lockhart is shocked and thinks he's being too impulsive. Lois is not pleased with this. After she and Peter
talk to Mrs. Lockhart, she finds out that Chris is in love with her; she promises Chris to be with him if he kills her husband, Ronald, though he does not do it. When Lois finds the teacher's written instructions in Chris' laundry, she runs to Mrs. Lockhart's home and finds the mauled body of her husband. Believing Chris is the killer, Lois and Stewie conspire to cover up the plot by dumping the body in the lake and bluffing a policeman. Back at home, the rest of the family treats Chris differently because they believe he actually killed Mrs. Lockhart's husband, until it is shown on the news that it was really Mrs. Lockhart and a bear. In the last scene, Mrs. Lockhart and the bear are found in a motel, with Mrs. Lockhart all dressed up for a nice evening dinner while the bear is lying on the bed watching television. The two engage in stereotypical passive-aggressive behavior. The bear insists that he is not in the mood to go out for the night, then attempts to ameliorate Mrs. Lockhart's disappointment by rubbing her back with his foot and saying "Love you...", and with that the episode concludes.
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 television 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...
. The episode guest-stars 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...
as Mrs. Lockhart.
Plot summary
The Griffin family attend an open house at Chris's school, and Chris's English teacher, Mrs. Clifton, wins the lotteryLottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
. In spite of Mrs. Clifton's resignation
Resignation
A resignation is the formal act of giving up or quitting one's office or position. It can also refer to the act of admitting defeat in a game like chess, indicated by the resigning player declaring "I resign", turning his king on its side, extending his hand, or stopping the chess clock...
, 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...
suggests 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...
to fill in as a substitute teacher
Substitute teacher
A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, or other reasons. "Substitute teacher" is the most commonly used phrase in the United States, Canada and Ireland, while supply teacher is the most commonly...
. He enjoys the job, but is moved to a remedial class, which consists of nothing but inner city
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
youth (a la Dangerous Minds
Dangerous Minds
Dangerous Minds is an American drama film based on the autobiography My Posse Don't Do Homework by former U.S. Marine LouAnne Johnson, who took up a teaching position at Carlmont High School in Belmont, California, where most of her students were African-American and Hispanic teenagers from East...
). When he finds the techniques used in his previous class inadequate, he does not know how to help them since society is giving up on them. 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....
suggests that he should act like them, and he dances to the robot
Robot (dance)
The robot is an illusionary street dance style – often confused with popping – that attempts to imitate a dancing robot or mannequin...
. He takes Stewie's advice and tries "talking their language", but appears racist. After an angry morning, he unintentionally teaches them to aspire to low-level jobs, the students noting that Brian is the first person who ever told them that they could amount to anything.
Meanwhile, Chris is instantly smitten with his new teacher, the voluptuous
Female body shape
Female body shape or figure is the cumulative product of a woman's skeletal structure and the quantity and distribution of muscle and fat on the body. There are, and have been, wide differences on what should be considered an ideal or preferred body shape, both for attractiveness and for health...
Mrs. Lana Lockhart. Chris asks his parents for advice on how to get a girl to like him, and Stewie gives him a condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
, since he has heard about his relationship with his teacher. Lois tells him that he should be romantic, and Peter suggests that he should dress up as a naked spaceman
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
to be spontaneous. When Chris shows up to class, Mrs. Lockhart is shocked and thinks he's being too impulsive. Lois is not pleased with this. After she and 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....
talk to Mrs. Lockhart, she finds out that Chris is in love with her; she promises Chris to be with him if he kills her husband, Ronald, though he does not do it. When Lois finds the teacher's written instructions in Chris' laundry, she runs to Mrs. Lockhart's home and finds the mauled body of her husband. Believing Chris is the killer, Lois and Stewie conspire to cover up the plot by dumping the body in the lake and bluffing a policeman. Back at home, the rest of the family treats Chris differently because they believe he actually killed Mrs. Lockhart's husband, until it is shown on the news that it was really Mrs. Lockhart and a bear. In the last scene, Mrs. Lockhart and the bear are found in a motel, with Mrs. Lockhart all dressed up for a nice evening dinner while the bear is lying on the bed watching television. The two engage in stereotypical passive-aggressive behavior. The bear insists that he is not in the mood to go out for the night, then attempts to ameliorate Mrs. Lockhart's disappointment by rubbing her back with his foot and saying "Love you...", and with that the episode concludes.
Cultural references
- The title of the episode is a parody of the title of the film Fast Times at Ridgemont HighFast Times at Ridgemont HighFast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
; the school bears the name of Vincent (Buddy) Cianci, Jr., longtime Mayor of Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, who has had repeated run-ins with the law. - The regular Family Guy opening sequence is replaced with a spoof of the opening sequence of Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. Steven ZirnkiltonSteven ZirnkiltonSteven Zirnkilton is an American voice-over actor, known for providing the opening narration of all shows in the Law & Order franchise. He received the job after he was originally hired by series creator Dick Wolf for a small part on Law & Order....
even provides the opening narration about "two separate yet equally important types of shows." - A cutaway to Donny and Marie Osmond (pop stars and stars of Donny & Marie (1976 TV series)Donny & Marie (1976 TV series)Donny & Marie was an American variety show which aired on ABC from January 1976 to January 1979. The show stars brother and sister pop duo Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond...
show them in bed together - When Chris' principal is receiving a massage from "Estovan", he sings "On Top of Old SmokyOn Top of Old Smoky"On Top of Old Smoky" is a traditional folk song and a well-known ballad of the United States which, as recorded by The Weavers, reached the pop music charts in 1951....
". - The scene where Brian's students stand on their desks and say O Captain! My Captain!O Captain! My Captain!"O Captain! My Captain!" is an extended metaphor poem written in 1865 by Walt Whitman, concerning the death of American president Abraham Lincoln.-Analysis:...
is a parody of a similar scene in the 1989 Robin WilliamsRobin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
film Dead Poets SocietyDead Poets SocietyDead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams. Set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in Vermont in 1959, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry.The script was written...
. - The scene where Lois worries about Chris going to prison and prison showers refers to the HBO prison based OzOz (TV series)Oz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes . It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz premiered on July 12, 1997 and ran for six seasons...
, yet the prisoners in the showers are singing "In the Merry Old Land of Oz" from the 1939 fantasy film, The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. - After Lois accuses Chris of the murder of Mrs. Lockhart's husband they all stop to watch Joan of ArcadiaJoan of ArcadiaJoan of Arcadia is an American television fantasy/family drama telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi , who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays, 8-9 p.m...
, an American television fantasy/family drama.