Running Mates
Encyclopedia
Running Mates is an episode from the second season of the Fox
animated series Family Guy
. It is the 17th episode of Family Guy
to be aired. The episode first aired on April 11, 2000. It was written by Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman, and directed by John Holmquist. Lee Majors
guest stars as himself. This episode is rated TV-14 LS. It was also the last episode of the first production season of Family Guy
.
' campaign for school board president is interrupted when Brian tells Lois that he got a call from the principal, saying that Chris got in trouble after being caught peeking into the girls' locker room. After Peter shows Chris pornography
magazines and Chris sells some of the porn to his friends, Lois finally holds a campaign for Head of the School Board of Education.
Meanwhile, Peter
runs into his favorite teacher from the past, Mr. Fargus (voiced by Dwight Schultz
); he has been reduced from his former peppy, almost loony self to a catatonic
old man due to the pills he has been required to take by the school board
. Peter is surprised that Mr. Fargus does not remember him, because he was his favorite student, and even taught him to dance in time for the prom
; he tells Mr. Fargus to stop taking the pills, which quickly causes Mr. Fargus to go off the edge and subsequently get fired after he and his students begin smashing eggs of the endangered California Condor
.
Lois meanwhile, holds a rally, and it is revealed that the school textbooks are from a semi-racist era, as they refer The Civil Rights Movement as "Trouble Ahead." Lois' rival for school board president quits, so Lois wins by default; however, Peter also convinces Lois that if she is president, then she could get Mr. Fargus' job back, but she refuses because she has to agree with the school board's decision, and tells him that the man is obviously unbalanced.
Furious that Lois will not give Mr. Fargus his job back, Peter decides to run for school board president too, so that he can reinstate him to his old position. The two run tight campaigns against each other but a rally held by both leaves Peter in humiliation. Peter mounts a campaign against Lois that shows some promise, but at a debate between them, Lois trounces Peter after Peter accuses her of "freeing" Willie Horton
and "nailing" Donna Rice
. Desperate to win, Peter airs a political advertisement
, using a sexy picture of Lois to discredit her, thus making Lois humiliated.
Lois is shocked and upset when Peter actually wins the school board election in a landslide and does not seem to take his new position very seriously; to calm her down, Peter tells Lois he is going to show her all the great changes he has in store, but all of his proposed "improvements" are ridiculous. A huge scandal erupts for Peter during a TV interview when it is revealed that the kids at Peter's school are reading pornography, and even worse, that Peter supplied it. Peter is advised to pin the whole thing on Lois, but during a press conference, he cannot bring himself to do that because every woman he saw turned into her; in fact, he finds himself apologizing for his horrible behavior and resigns before he and Lois leave on a helicopter, mimicking the final departure of Richard Nixon
from the White House
.
, rating the episode a 9/10, stated that "Running Mates" is "one of the stronger outings of the excellent second season" and said that it is "entertaining, cleverly written" and features "a very strong tightly woven storyline".
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 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...
. It is the 17th episode 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...
to be aired. The episode first aired on April 11, 2000. It was written by Garrett Donovan and Neil Goldman, and directed by John Holmquist. Lee Majors
Lee Majors
Lee Majors is an American television, film and voice actor, best known for his starring role as Colonel Steve Austin in The Six Million Dollar Man and as Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy ....
guest stars as himself. This episode is rated TV-14 LS. It was also the last episode of the first production season 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...
.
Plot summary
LoisLois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
' campaign for school board president is interrupted when Brian tells Lois that he got a call from the principal, saying that Chris got in trouble after being caught peeking into the girls' locker room. After Peter shows Chris pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
magazines and Chris sells some of the porn to his friends, Lois finally holds a campaign for Head of the School Board of Education.
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....
runs into his favorite teacher from the past, Mr. Fargus (voiced by Dwight Schultz
Dwight Schultz
William Dwight Schultz is an American stage, television, film actor, and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Captain "Howling Mad" Murdock on the 1980s action show The A-Team, and as Reginald Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and the film Star Trek: First...
); he has been reduced from his former peppy, almost loony self to a catatonic
Catatonia
Catatonia is a state of neurogenic motor immobility, and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It was first described in 1874: Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirresein ....
old man due to the pills he has been required to take by the school board
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
. Peter is surprised that Mr. Fargus does not remember him, because he was his favorite student, and even taught him to dance in time for the prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
; he tells Mr. Fargus to stop taking the pills, which quickly causes Mr. Fargus to go off the edge and subsequently get fired after he and his students begin smashing eggs of the endangered California Condor
California Condor
The California Condor is a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird. Currently, this condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park, and coastal mountains of central and southern California and northern Baja California...
.
Lois meanwhile, holds a rally, and it is revealed that the school textbooks are from a semi-racist era, as they refer The Civil Rights Movement as "Trouble Ahead." Lois' rival for school board president quits, so Lois wins by default; however, Peter also convinces Lois that if she is president, then she could get Mr. Fargus' job back, but she refuses because she has to agree with the school board's decision, and tells him that the man is obviously unbalanced.
Furious that Lois will not give Mr. Fargus his job back, Peter decides to run for school board president too, so that he can reinstate him to his old position. The two run tight campaigns against each other but a rally held by both leaves Peter in humiliation. Peter mounts a campaign against Lois that shows some promise, but at a debate between them, Lois trounces Peter after Peter accuses her of "freeing" Willie Horton
Willie Horton
William R. "Willie" Horton is an American convicted felon who, while serving a life sentence for murder, without the possibility of parole, was the beneficiary of a Massachusetts weekend furlough program...
and "nailing" Donna Rice
Donna Rice
Donna Rice Hughes is the president and chair of Enough Is Enough, an American non-profit organization in the anti-pornography movement that seeks to make the Internet safer for families and children...
. Desperate to win, Peter airs a political advertisement
Attack ad
In political campaigns, an attack ad is an advertisement whose message is meant as a personal attack against another candidate or political party...
, using a sexy picture of Lois to discredit her, thus making Lois humiliated.
Lois is shocked and upset when Peter actually wins the school board election in a landslide and does not seem to take his new position very seriously; to calm her down, Peter tells Lois he is going to show her all the great changes he has in store, but all of his proposed "improvements" are ridiculous. A huge scandal erupts for Peter during a TV interview when it is revealed that the kids at Peter's school are reading pornography, and even worse, that Peter supplied it. Peter is advised to pin the whole thing on Lois, but during a press conference, he cannot bring himself to do that because every woman he saw turned into her; in fact, he finds himself apologizing for his horrible behavior and resigns before he and Lois leave on a helicopter, mimicking the final departure of Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
from the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
.
Cultural references
- In the flashback scene to 8th grade where Peter first notices girls beginning to develop, several girls in the auditorium's breasts immediately pop up, and then after that Peter's breasts immediately pop up. A similar scene in the comedy film Mafia!Mafia (1993 film)Mafia is a 1993 Malayalam film directed by Shaji Kailas. Scripted by Renji Panicker, with Suresh Gopi, Janardhanan, Tiger Prabhakar, Babu Antony, Vijayaraghavan, Vikram Kennedy and Geetha in lead roles, this film revolved around Bangalore underworld...
occurs where the lead character wishes upon a star with a female friend, and her breasts immediately appear. - Mr. Fargus, Peter's old teacher, is a reference to Mr. Vargus from the movie 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 magazines that Peter gives Chris are Playpen Magazines, which is a reference to both Playboy and PenthousePenthouse (magazine)Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
magazines. - Peter's opening statement at the debate consists of excerpts from the theme songs of Diff'rent StrokesDiff'rent StrokesDiff'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...
, One Day at a TimeOne Day at a TimeOne Day at a Time is an American situation comedy on the CBS network that aired from December 16, 1975 until May 28, 1984. It portrays Ann Romano, a divorced mother, played by Bonnie Franklin, her two teenage daughters Julie and Barbara Cooper and Schneider, their building superintendent .The show...
, and The Facts of LifeThe Facts of Life (TV series)The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
. He concludes with "Sit, Ubu, sit. Good dog!" which is from the production credit for UBU Productions, Inc., the production company of executive producer Gary David GoldbergGary David GoldbergGary David Goldberg is a United States writer and producer for television and film. Goldberg is best known for his work on Family Ties , Spin City , and his semi-autobiographical series Brooklyn Bridge .-Background:Gary David Goldberg was born on June 25, 1944, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of...
, who created Family TiesFamily TiesFamily 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...
and Spin CitySpin CitySpin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...
, among others. - During the debate, Peter claims that he once "joined some underprivileged youths in saving a community center from being converted into a shopping mallShopping mallA 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...
." Lois reminds him that he is referring not to himself but Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" Quinones in the 1984 breakdancing film Breakin' 2: Electric BoogalooBreakin' 2: Electric BoogalooBreakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo is the 1984 sequel to the breakdancing film Breakin. It was first released in the same year as its predecessor by TriStar Pictures, and by Cannon Films the year after...
. - When Peter shows Tricia Takanawa the school, Peter creates a new version of Schoolhouse Rock's "Conjunction Junction" for the sex ed class. He also shows her the "XL-K" hall pass enforcement robot, which is a reference to the "ED-209ED-209The Enforcement Droid Series 209, or ED-209, is a fictional robot in the RoboCop franchise. The ED-209 serves as a heavily-armed obstacle and foil for the series' titular character, as well as a source of comic relief due to its lack of intelligence and tendency towards clumsy malfunctions.The...
" police robot from the film RoboCopRoboCopRoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
. - When Stewie realizes he misses Lois, he sings "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" (from the musical, "My Fair Lady") and in the picture album there is a reference to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho".
Reception
In his 2008 review, Ahsan Haque of IGNIGN
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...
, rating the episode a 9/10, stated that "Running Mates" is "one of the stronger outings of the excellent second season" and said that it is "entertaining, cleverly written" and features "a very strong tightly woven storyline".