Road to Rupert
Encyclopedia
"Road to Rupert" is the ninth episode of season five of Family Guy
. The episode follows Brian
after he inadvertently sells Stewie
's teddy bear, Rupert, during a yard sale
. In an attempt to retrieve him, Stewie and Brian travel across the United States, eventually discovering he is with a child living in Aspen, Colorado
. Meanwhile, Peter
has his driving license revoked for careless driving and is forced to be driven around by Meg, which annoys him.
The episode was written by Patrick Meighan
and directed by Dan Povenmire
. It received mostly mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 8.8 million homes in its original airing. The episode feature guest performances by Max Burkholder
, Phil LaMarr
, Rob Lowe
, Ted McGinley
, Stephen Stanton
, Connor Trinneer
, Audrey Wasilewski, George Wendt
and Dave Wittenberg
.
samples against the federal database from the money Brian was paid for Rupert. They discover the man who bought Rupert lives in Quahog, but upon arrival—they discover the house is deserted. After seeing the moving truck and following it, with Mayor West
driving, they discover the man now resides in Aspen, Colorado
, meaning West drives them no further, only stopping in the Conneticuit state line. To get over the mountains, the pair rent a helicopter after discovering "to rent a helicopter, you can pay with cash, check, or a jaunty tune". Stewie then performs a dance for the man in the office (with help from Gene Kelly
), but when Brian crashes the helicopter into the mountain, the two end up next to the entrance to Aspen.
Reluctant to give Rupert back to Stewie, Stanford Cordray (the buyer, voiced by Rob Lowe
) and his family organize a skiing race down the mountain, so if Stewie is the first down, they are allowed to take Rupert away with them and if Stanford wins, he can have Brian. Stewie cheats by installing rockets in his skis, and relaxes to watch his progress. Stewie then crashes into a tree and loses the race. He tells Brian that maybe this means he should give up Rupert, but he proceeds to grab Rupert after his personal butler Crohn throws a cup of hot tea on the child's face, forcing him to drop the bear. The two make a run for it before the child's parents notice, then realize they still need to get back to Quahog (which, by looking at a highway sign at the end, is 2112
miles away, a reference to the Rush
song), so they carjack
a passing driver in the city and drive home.
Meanwhile, Peter purchased his own Evel Knievel
gloves at the sale. He decides to use the family car to jump over a row of cars, but is unsuccessful and results in his drivers license being revoked by Joe. Lois
arranges for Meg
to become Peter's personal driver, and he makes numerous attempts to annoy Meg, including setting her hat on fire when traveling with his friends. When another car rear ends her and she is insulted by the driver, Meg takes out her repressed rage with Peter on the driver by beating him up; Peter is impressed, and the two bond in the car. In the end, Joe stops by Peter's house to reinstate his license. Meg worries that Peter will begin treating her badly again, but Peter says that while he will only do so in front of the family to keep up appearances, and that they will now be "secret best friends."
, in his first episode of the season, and directed by Dan Povenmire
, in his second episode of the season.
Lois mocking Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
was not broadcast on television for timing purposes, and only shown on the DVD version. A deleted scene showed one of Peter's crimes being a hate crime
, where during his stunt he hit a car with a Jewish driver, but the scene was later changed to rape
. The scene where Stewie takes Nyquil to calm himself down after losing Rupert was removed from the television airing as the show was "cutting a lot of not so funny jokes." David Goodman
noted that he feels the production crew may not have succeeded on this episode as everything falls into place easily, such as the box falling out of the moving truck. Every frame when Stewie is dancing in a montage of Anchors Aweigh
took a large amount of work to produce.
The montage of Stewie and Brian visiting several U.S. state
s was a DVD exclusive scene, removed from television for timing purposes. This scene was partially based on series creator Seth MacFarlane
traveling the United States
after the September 11, 2001 attacks
and realizing there is lots of corn
throughout the U.S. A deleted scene directly after the helicopter crash had shown Stewie saying "come here, puss" for a second time, but this was replaced with another. Stewie and Brian carjacking
somebody was added to the episode in a later rewrite and censored on television.
In addition to the regular cast, voice actor Max Burkholder
, voice actor Phil LaMarr
, actor Rob Lowe
, actor Ted McGinley
, voice actor Stephen Stanton
, actor Connor Trinneer
, voice actress Audrey Wasilewski, actor George Wendt
(who voiced Norm Peterson in the episode) and voice actor Dave Wittenberg
(who voiced Woody Boyd in the episode, originally played by Woody Harrelson
) guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Chris Sheridan, writer Danny Smith
, writer Alec Sulkin
and writer John Viener made minor appearances.
is not a real movie, rather just three individual episodes together, but altering the title to Stymie Gruffin: The Untold Story when discussing it with Brian. The music performed at Stewie's vision of Rupert's funeral was the hymn Amazing Grace
, while the funeral itself is a reference to Spock
's funeral in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
. The 'My Black Son' scene consisted of a number of 1970s and 1980s television programs, these being Diff'rent Strokes
, Family Ties
, Punky Brewster
, Laverne and Shirley, Perfect Strangers
, Three's Company
, Who's the Boss?
and Bosom Buddies
. Peter watches an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants
in the car which features "The Campfire Song Song" performed in the actual episode. It had been written by Dan Povenmire
for the original SpongeBob episode, but it was allowed in the episode as Nickelodeon
gave Family Guy permission to reproduce the music. The entire scene of Stewie singing and dancing in order to secure rental of the helicopter is a reference to the 1945
musical film Anchors Aweigh
. The reflection of the original character (Jerry Mouse
from Tom and Jerry
) can be seen on the floor. When Stewie and Brian crash the helicopter down the mountain and Brian visualises Stewie as the devil
, this is a reference to such a scene in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. The crash itself is caused due to a sector whiteout. The background music during the Peter/Meg montage is "I'm into Something Good
" by 60's rock band Herman's Hermits
.
. The episode also acquired a 3.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, slightly edging out both The Simpsons
and American Dad!
.
The episode received mixed comments from TV Squad, with Brett Love commenting that "the suspended license plot was a little thin, but that's forgivable given that this was the b-story for the episode, and there are only 22 minutes to work with." Love comments positively on the Stewie and Brian relationship in the episode, commenting that, "the Stewie and Brian story is what made the episode for me. It was very well done, right down to the goofy little details." IGN
commented that, "...for Family Guy to have a great episode, it takes a good story and humorous "manatee
" gags. "Road to Rupert" was able to deliver on both these fronts, with the majority of the episode's attention focused on Stewie and Brian's road story, meshed with many laugh out loud gags."
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 follows 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...
after he inadvertently sells 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 teddy bear, Rupert, during a yard sale
Garage sale
A garage sale, also known as a yard sale, rummage sale, tag sale, lawn sale, attic sale, moving sale, or junk sale, is an informal, irregularly scheduled event for the sale of used goods by private individuals, in which "block sales" are allowed, so that sellers are not required to obtain business...
. In an attempt to retrieve him, Stewie and Brian travel across the United States, eventually discovering he is with a child living in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
. 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....
has his driving license revoked for careless driving and is forced to be driven around by Meg, which annoys him.
The episode was written by 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:...
and directed by Dan Povenmire
Dan Povenmire
Daniel Kingsley "Dan" Povenmire is an American television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and actor associated with several animated television series, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb in which he also voices the show's villain, Heinz...
. It received mostly 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 8.8 million homes in its original airing. The episode feature guest performances by Max Burkholder
Max Burkholder
Maxwell Henry Wolf "Max" Burkholder is an American child actor most noticeable for his role Max Braverman, who has Asperger Syndrome, in the NBC series Parenthood. Prior to that, he became known as a voice actor, among his many roles were those of Chomper in The Land Before Time television series...
, Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
, Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
, Ted McGinley
Ted McGinley
Theodore Martin "Ted" McGinley is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Jefferson D'Arcy on the television series Married... with Children and as Charley Shanowski on the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith...
, Stephen Stanton
Stephen Stanton
Stephen Stanton is an American voice actor, impressionist and visual effects artist. He is well known as an "audio double" or "voicematch" for actors: Alec Guiness, John Cusack, Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Nicolas Cage, Robert Downey Jr., and Peter Cushing among many others...
, Connor Trinneer
Connor Trinneer
Connor Trinneer is an American film, stage and television actor. His highest profile role has been the role of Charles "Trip" Tucker III on Star Trek: Enterprise and Michael on Stargate Atlantis.-Biography:...
, Audrey Wasilewski, George Wendt
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
and Dave Wittenberg
Dave Wittenberg
David Richard Paul "Dave" Wittenberg is a prolific South African-born American video game and anime voice actor with nearly one hundred titles to his credit. While Wittenberg was born in a hospital in South Africa, he was primarily raised in Boston...
.
Plot
The Griffins have a yard sale to sell off household items that they no longer need, but Brian accidentally sells Stewie's teddy bear, Rupert, causing Stewie to think Rupert has been kidnapped. Brian takes Stewie to the toy store to try to find a replacement, but ends up admitting he accidentally sold it, after which Stewie exclaims: "You son of a bitch!". He attempts to retrieve Rupert by tracking DNADNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
samples against the federal database from the money Brian was paid for Rupert. They discover the man who bought Rupert lives in Quahog, but upon arrival—they discover the house is deserted. After seeing the moving truck and following it, with Mayor West
Adam West (Family Guy)
Adam West, also known as Mayor West, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. The character, voiced by the actor of the same name, is the eccentric mayor of the town of Quahog, Rhode Island, where the series is set.-Character:...
driving, they discover the man now resides in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, meaning West drives them no further, only stopping in the Conneticuit state line. To get over the mountains, the pair rent a helicopter after discovering "to rent a helicopter, you can pay with cash, check, or a jaunty tune". Stewie then performs a dance for the man in the office (with help from Gene Kelly
Gene Kelly
Eugene Curran "Gene" Kelly was an American dancer, actor, singer, film director and producer, and choreographer...
), but when Brian crashes the helicopter into the mountain, the two end up next to the entrance to Aspen.
Reluctant to give Rupert back to Stewie, Stanford Cordray (the buyer, voiced by Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
) and his family organize a skiing race down the mountain, so if Stewie is the first down, they are allowed to take Rupert away with them and if Stanford wins, he can have Brian. Stewie cheats by installing rockets in his skis, and relaxes to watch his progress. Stewie then crashes into a tree and loses the race. He tells Brian that maybe this means he should give up Rupert, but he proceeds to grab Rupert after his personal butler Crohn throws a cup of hot tea on the child's face, forcing him to drop the bear. The two make a run for it before the child's parents notice, then realize they still need to get back to Quahog (which, by looking at a highway sign at the end, is 2112
2112 (song)
2112 is the sidelong title track of Canadian progressive rock band Rush's album of the same name, released in 1976. The overture and the first section, Temples of Syrinx, were released as a single and are still popular among Rush's setlists today. The "sci-fi" sounds in the beginning of the song...
miles away, a reference to the 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...
song), so they carjack
Carjacking
Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,...
a passing driver in the city and drive home.
Meanwhile, Peter purchased his own Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel
Evel Knievel , born Robert Craig Knievel, was an American daredevil and entertainer. In his career he attempted over 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980, and in 1974, a failed jump across Snake River Canyon in the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket...
gloves at the sale. He decides to use the family car to jump over a row of cars, but is unsuccessful and results in his drivers license being revoked by Joe. 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...
arranges for 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....
to become Peter's personal driver, and he makes numerous attempts to annoy Meg, including setting her hat on fire when traveling with his friends. When another car rear ends her and she is insulted by the driver, Meg takes out her repressed rage with Peter on the driver by beating him up; Peter is impressed, and the two bond in the car. In the end, Joe stops by Peter's house to reinstate his license. Meg worries that Peter will begin treating her badly again, but Peter says that while he will only do so in front of the family to keep up appearances, and that they will now be "secret best friends."
Production
This episode was written by Patrick MeighanPatrick 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:...
, in his first episode of the season, and directed by Dan Povenmire
Dan Povenmire
Daniel Kingsley "Dan" Povenmire is an American television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and actor associated with several animated television series, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb in which he also voices the show's villain, Heinz...
, in his second episode of the season.
Lois mocking Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story is a 2005 direct-to-DVD animated comedy film set in the Family Guy fictional universe. Released on September 27, 2005, the film's main plot point concerns Stewie Griffin trying to find his real father...
was not broadcast on television for timing purposes, and only shown on the DVD version. A deleted scene showed one of Peter's crimes being a hate crime
Hate crime
In crime and law, hate crimes occur when a perpetrator targets a victim because of his or her perceived membership in a certain social group, usually defined by racial group, religion, sexual orientation, disability, class, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender identity, social status or...
, where during his stunt he hit a car with a Jewish driver, but the scene was later changed to 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...
. The scene where Stewie takes Nyquil to calm himself down after losing Rupert was removed from the television airing as the show was "cutting a lot of not so funny jokes." David Goodman
David A. Goodman
David A. Goodman is an American writer and producer and a graduate of the University of Chicago, earning an BA in 1984. He was one of the executive producers of Family Guy, beginning its fourth season, joining the show as a co-executive producer in season three...
noted that he feels the production crew may not have succeeded on this episode as everything falls into place easily, such as the box falling out of the moving truck. Every frame when Stewie is dancing in a montage of Anchors Aweigh
Anchors Aweigh (film)
Anchors Aweigh is a 1945 American musical comedy film directed by George Sidney in which two sailors go on a four-day shore leave in Hollywood, accompanied by music and song, meet an aspiring young singer and try to help her get an audition at MGM...
took a large amount of work to produce.
The montage of Stewie and Brian visiting several U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
s was a DVD exclusive scene, removed from television for timing purposes. This scene was partially based on series creator Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
traveling the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
and realizing there is lots of corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
throughout the U.S. A deleted scene directly after the helicopter crash had shown Stewie saying "come here, puss" for a second time, but this was replaced with another. Stewie and Brian carjacking
Carjacking
Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,...
somebody was added to the episode in a later rewrite and censored on television.
In addition to the regular cast, voice actor Max Burkholder
Max Burkholder
Maxwell Henry Wolf "Max" Burkholder is an American child actor most noticeable for his role Max Braverman, who has Asperger Syndrome, in the NBC series Parenthood. Prior to that, he became known as a voice actor, among his many roles were those of Chomper in The Land Before Time television series...
, voice actor Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
, actor Rob Lowe
Rob Lowe
Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert...
, actor Ted McGinley
Ted McGinley
Theodore Martin "Ted" McGinley is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Jefferson D'Arcy on the television series Married... with Children and as Charley Shanowski on the ABC sitcom Hope & Faith...
, voice actor Stephen Stanton
Stephen Stanton
Stephen Stanton is an American voice actor, impressionist and visual effects artist. He is well known as an "audio double" or "voicematch" for actors: Alec Guiness, John Cusack, Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Nicolas Cage, Robert Downey Jr., and Peter Cushing among many others...
, actor Connor Trinneer
Connor Trinneer
Connor Trinneer is an American film, stage and television actor. His highest profile role has been the role of Charles "Trip" Tucker III on Star Trek: Enterprise and Michael on Stargate Atlantis.-Biography:...
, voice actress Audrey Wasilewski, actor George Wendt
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
(who voiced Norm Peterson in the episode) and voice actor Dave Wittenberg
Dave Wittenberg
David Richard Paul "Dave" Wittenberg is a prolific South African-born American video game and anime voice actor with nearly one hundred titles to his credit. While Wittenberg was born in a hospital in South Africa, he was primarily raised in Boston...
(who voiced Woody Boyd in the episode, originally played by Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
) guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Chris Sheridan, 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
When speaking with Brian at the yard sale, Lois comments that Stewie Griffin: The Untold StoryStewie Griffin: The Untold Story
Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story is a 2005 direct-to-DVD animated comedy film set in the Family Guy fictional universe. Released on September 27, 2005, the film's main plot point concerns Stewie Griffin trying to find his real father...
is not a real movie, rather just three individual episodes together, but altering the title to Stymie Gruffin: The Untold Story when discussing it with Brian. The music performed at Stewie's vision of Rupert's funeral was the hymn Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace
"Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...
, while the funeral itself is a reference to Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
's funeral in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise. The plot features James T...
. The 'My Black Son' scene consisted of a number of 1970s and 1980s television programs, these being Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986...
, Family Ties
Family Ties
Family Ties is an American sitcom that aired on NBC for seven seasons, from 1982 to 1989. The sitcom reflected the move in the United States from the cultural liberalism of the 1960s and 1970s to the conservatism of the 1980s. This was particularly expressed through the relationship between young...
, Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster
Punky Brewster was an American sitcom about a girl named Punky Brewster being raised by her foster parent...
, Laverne and Shirley, Perfect Strangers
Perfect Strangers (TV series)
Perfect Strangers is an American sitcom that ran for eight seasons from March 25, 1986, to August 6, 1993, on the ABC television network. Created by Dale McRaven, the series chronicles the rocky coexistence of midwestern American Larry Appleton and his distant cousin from eastern Mediterranean...
, Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
, Who's the Boss?
Who's the Boss?
Who's the Boss? is an American sitcom created by Martin Cohan and Blake Hunter, which aired on ABC from September 20, 1984 to April 25, 1992...
and Bosom Buddies
Bosom Buddies
Bosom Buddies is an American sitcom starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari created by Robert L. Boyett, Thomas L. Miller and Chris Thompson. It ran from 1980 to 1982 on ABC and in reruns in the summer of 1984 on NBC....
. Peter watches an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
in the car which features "The Campfire Song Song" performed in the actual episode. It had been written by Dan Povenmire
Dan Povenmire
Daniel Kingsley "Dan" Povenmire is an American television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and actor associated with several animated television series, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb in which he also voices the show's villain, Heinz...
for the original SpongeBob episode, but it was allowed in the episode as Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
gave Family Guy permission to reproduce the music. The entire scene of Stewie singing and dancing in order to secure rental of the helicopter is a reference to the 1945
1945 in film
The year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
musical film Anchors Aweigh
Anchors Aweigh (film)
Anchors Aweigh is a 1945 American musical comedy film directed by George Sidney in which two sailors go on a four-day shore leave in Hollywood, accompanied by music and song, meet an aspiring young singer and try to help her get an audition at MGM...
. The reflection of the original character (Jerry Mouse
Jerry Mouse
Jerry Mouse is a fictional animated character, one of the main characters in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's series of Tom and Jerry theatrical cartoon short films. Created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, Jerry is a brown anthropomorphic mouse, who first appeared in the 1940 MGM animated short Puss...
from Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
) can be seen on the floor. When Stewie and Brian crash the helicopter down the mountain and Brian visualises Stewie as the devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
, this is a reference to such a scene in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. The crash itself is caused due to a sector whiteout. The background music during the Peter/Meg montage is "I'm into Something Good
I'm into Something Good
"I'm into Something Good" is a song composed by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and made famous by Herman's Hermits. The song was originally recorded by Cookies member Earl-Jean McCrea in 1964 and reached number 38 on the US pop singles chart...
" by 60's rock band Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits
Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...
.
Reception
In a slight improvement over the previous week, the episode was viewed in 8.8 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 episode also acquired a 3.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic, slightly edging out both 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...
and 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...
.
The episode received mixed comments from TV Squad, with Brett Love commenting that "the suspended license plot was a little thin, but that's forgivable given that this was the b-story for the episode, and there are only 22 minutes to work with." Love comments positively on the Stewie and Brian relationship in the episode, commenting that, "the Stewie and Brian story is what made the episode for me. It was very well done, right down to the goofy little details." 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...
commented that, "...for Family Guy to have a great episode, it takes a good story and humorous "manatee
Cartoon Wars Part II
"Cartoon Wars Part II" is the fourth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 142nd episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 12, 2006...
" gags. "Road to Rupert" was able to deliver on both these fronts, with the majority of the episode's attention focused on Stewie and Brian's road story, meshed with many laugh out loud gags."