The Man with Two Brians
Encyclopedia
"The Man with Two Brians" is the fifth episode of the seventh season of the animated series Family Guy
. It premiered on Fox
in the United States on November 9, 2008. The episode centers on anthropomorphic
dog Brian
after he is injured during a stunt being enacted by his owner, Peter
, after he watches Jackass
with his friends. The family comes to realize that Brian may be getting too old, so Peter brings home an optimistic new dog. Brian is prompted to leave when his family begins to favor New Brian over him.
The episode was written by John Viener and marked the directorial debut of Dominic Bianchi
. It received generally favorable reviews from critics for its storyline and various cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
, the episode was viewed by 8.60 million households in its original airdate. Johnny Knoxville
, Will Sasso
and Camille Guaty
provided guest performances in the episode.
, Peter
and his friends, Cleveland
, Quagmire
, and Joe are impressed into filming their own highly dangerous stunts. In one stunt, Peter attempts to jump a lake but instead crashes into a tree, causing him to fall into the lake and become incapacitated. Brian
swims out to save him from drowning, but strains his back during the rescue and also ends up stranded in the water along with Peter, before being rescued by Joe. Lois
berates Peter for his actions, since Brian is becoming old and has been smoking and drinking. Peter begins to grow upset about their dog's age, so he obtains another dog and names him New Brian. His positive attitude and desirable personality make Brian feel like an outcast, especially when the Griffins begin to ignore him. He ultimately decides to leave the residence, while his family begins to miss him.
Meanwhile, New Brian's constant cheerfulness begins to aggravate Stewie
. Stewie pleads for Brian to return, but he informs him that as long as New Brian is there, he has no place in the Griffin household. Stewie reveals to New Brian that he does not like several of his traits, including how he humps
the leg of one of their chairs, but New Brian replies by boasting about how he violated
Rupert, Stewie's teddy bear
. Angered, Stewie kills New Brian and forges a suicide note
. The Griffins then ultimately accept Brian back, while Stewie, traumatized
by what happened to Rupert, frantically washes him in the shower while comforting him.
. In the storyboard animatic scene of Brian's rescue of a drowning Peter, music from Rambo: First Blood Part II
was used. The scene in which Peter broke his neck and the design of New Brian were both based on drawings by creator Seth MacFarlane
. New Brian was supposed to be a Golden Retriever
, but his color was changed so that he would stand out from the yellow kitchen. In the scene when Peter wears the costume from The Greatest American Hero
, the theme from E.T.
was originally used. Several scenes were cut when the episode aired on television, mostly due to lack of time. The song New Brian sang to Peter was written by series writer Alec Sulkin
. The original ending for the episode was a Beverly Hills, 90210
basketball joke, but it was cut.
"The Man with Two Brians", along with the first eight episodes of the seventh season were released on DVD by 20th Century Fox
in the United States and Canada on June 16, 2009. The "Volume 7" DVD release features bonus material including deleted scene
s, animatics
, and commentaries for every episode.
Johnny Knoxville
, star of Jackass
, provided his own voice in this episode, and Will Sasso
and Camille Guaty
guest starred as various characters. The episode's writer, John Viener, provided the voice of New Brian. Recurring voice actors and writers Kirker Butler
, Mark Hentemann
, Danny Smith
and Alec Sulkin
made minor appearances in the episode.
is referred to frequently by Peter and his neighbors, and is the principal reason that they try to do stunts. Johnny Knoxville
cameoes and takes a shotgun blast which blows off part of his face. In the episode, while being launched off a ramp and flying through the air, Peter wears the costume from The Greatest American Hero
and sings that series' theme song.
Peter dresses up like a stereotypical adolescent bully featured in 1980s films, and makes references to Pretty in Pink
, No Retreat, No Surrender
and The Karate Kid. He then looks at the ocean on a pier as Howard Jones
' song, "No One Is to Blame", plays. In one scene, Stewie refers to "aging supermodel Carol Alt
." Before New Brian and Lois sing "Summer Nights" as featured in Grease
, Peter sings R.E.M.
's "Everybody Hurts
". Stewie reads and then rips apart Nancy Reagan
's memoir, My Turn
.
Mumm-Ra, the antagonist from the 1980s cartoon Thundercats and its 2011 remake, appears in the scene where Cleveland is making Brian go to the bathroom on a leash whilst staying at his house. Mumm-Ra watches through his cauldron and laughs evilly before remarking, "I'm watching you make stool!"
. The episode acquired a 4.3 rating in the 18–49 demographic, and was the most-watched show in the Animation Domination block that night. Family Guy finished fourth in its timeslot, after NBC
's Sunday Night Football
, ABC
's Desperate Housewives
and CBS
's The Amazing Race
.
The episode received generally favorable reviews from television sources and critics. Ahsan Haque of IGN
gave the episode 7.5/10 and said: "While it featured more than [...] a couple of genuinely unfunny ideas, this episode succeeds for the most part. [...] While this episode definitely won't make anyone's top ten list of great Family Guy, there was a much better balance between random humor and storytelling in this outing". Genevieve Koski of The A.V. Club
gave the episode an A-, and said that Family Guy "started things out on the wrong foot with an oh-so-relevant Jackass storyline. [...] Most of the Jackass stuff was way too stale–Peter jackknifing Quagmire into the crate of bees notwithstanding–but thankfully it was just setup for a far superior storyline, the introduction of a younger 'New Brian'".
Robin Pierson of The TV Critic was more critical about the episode, and gave it 32/100 and said: "As usual the problem with this episode is that there is no point to it. [The episode had] some needless jokes but others which were bearable and a logical enough story even though it addressed nothing.
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 premiered 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 November 9, 2008. The episode centers on 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...
dog 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 is injured during a stunt being enacted by his owner, 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....
, after he watches Jackass
Jackass (TV series)
jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
with his friends. The family comes to realize that Brian may be getting too old, so Peter brings home an optimistic new dog. Brian is prompted to leave when his family begins to favor New Brian over him.
The episode was written by John Viener and marked the directorial debut of Dominic Bianchi
Dominic Bianchi
Dominic Bianchi is an American animation director. Bianchi is known for directing multiple episodes of the animated series Family Guy, most notably the show's celebrated 150th episode, "Brian & Stewie"....
. It received generally favorable reviews from critics for its storyline and various 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...
, the episode was viewed by 8.60 million households in its original airdate. Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
, Will Sasso
Will Sasso
William "Will" Sasso is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on the American sketch comedy series MADtv, spending five seasons on the show.-Early life:...
and 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...
provided guest performances in the episode.
Plot
After watching JackassJackass (TV series)
jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
, 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....
and his friends, Cleveland
Cleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
, Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
, and Joe are impressed into filming their own highly dangerous stunts. In one stunt, Peter attempts to jump a lake but instead crashes into a tree, causing him to fall into the lake and become incapacitated. 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...
swims out to save him from drowning, but strains his back during the rescue and also ends up stranded in the water along with Peter, before being rescued 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...
berates Peter for his actions, since Brian is becoming old and has been smoking and drinking. Peter begins to grow upset about their dog's age, so he obtains another dog and names him New Brian. His positive attitude and desirable personality make Brian feel like an outcast, especially when the Griffins begin to ignore him. He ultimately decides to leave the residence, while his family begins to miss him.
Meanwhile, New Brian's constant cheerfulness begins to aggravate 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....
. Stewie pleads for Brian to return, but he informs him that as long as New Brian is there, he has no place in the Griffin household. Stewie reveals to New Brian that he does not like several of his traits, including how he humps
Non-penetrative sex
Non-penetrative sex is sexual activity without vaginal, anal, or oral penetration, as opposed to the penetrative aspects of those activities...
the leg of one of their chairs, but New Brian replies by boasting about how he violated
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...
Rupert, Stewie's teddy bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
. Angered, Stewie kills New Brian and forges a suicide note
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
. The Griffins then ultimately accept Brian back, while Stewie, traumatized
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
by what happened to Rupert, frantically washes him in the shower while comforting him.
Production
"The Man with Two Brians" was written by John Viener and directed by Dominic BianchiDominic Bianchi
Dominic Bianchi is an American animation director. Bianchi is known for directing multiple episodes of the animated series Family Guy, most notably the show's celebrated 150th episode, "Brian & Stewie"....
. In the storyboard animatic scene of Brian's rescue of a drowning Peter, music from Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo: First Blood Part II is a 1985 action film. A sequel to 1982's First Blood, it is the second installment in the Rambo series starring Sylvester Stallone, who reprises his role as Vietnam veteran John Rambo...
was used. The scene in which Peter broke his neck and the design of New Brian were both based on drawings by 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,...
. New Brian was supposed to be a Golden Retriever
Golden Retriever
The Golden Retriever is a medium-sized breed of dog. They were historically developed as gundogs to retrieve shot waterfowl such as ducks and upland game birds during hunting and shooting parties. As such, they were bred to have a soft mouth to retrieve game undamaged and have an instinctive love...
, but his color was changed so that he would stand out from the yellow kitchen. In the scene when Peter wears the costume from The Greatest American Hero
The Greatest American Hero
The Greatest American Hero is an American comedy-drama television series that aired for three seasons from 1981 to 1983 on ABC. Created by producer Stephen J. Cannell, it premiered as a two-hour movie pilot on March 18, 1981...
, the theme from E.T.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
was originally used. Several scenes were cut when the episode aired on television, mostly due to lack of time. The song New Brian sang to Peter was written by series 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....
. The original ending for the episode was a Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
basketball joke, but it was cut.
"The Man with Two Brians", along with the first eight episodes of the seventh season were released on DVD by 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
in the United States and Canada on June 16, 2009. The "Volume 7" DVD release features bonus material including deleted scene
Deleted scene
In Entertainment, especially the film and television industry, Deleted scenes are parts of a film removed or censored from or replaced by another scene in the final "cut", or version, of a film...
s, animatics
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
, and commentaries for every episode.
Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
, star of Jackass
Jackass (TV series)
jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
, provided his own voice in this episode, and Will Sasso
Will Sasso
William "Will" Sasso is a Canadian comedian and actor. He is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on the American sketch comedy series MADtv, spending five seasons on the show.-Early life:...
and 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...
guest starred as various characters. The episode's writer, John Viener, provided the voice of New Brian. Recurring voice actors and writers Kirker Butler
Kirker Butler
Kirker Butler is an American animation writer. Butler is most notably known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, as well as serving as co-executive producer of The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.-Career:Butler joined...
, Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann is an American animation writer. Hentemann is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy...
, 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...
and 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....
made minor appearances in the episode.
Cultural references
The television series JackassJackass (TV series)
jackass is an American reality series, originally shown on MTV from 2000 to 2002, featuring people performing various dangerous, crude, ridiculous, self-injuring stunts and pranks...
is referred to frequently by Peter and his neighbors, and is the principal reason that they try to do stunts. Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
cameoes and takes a shotgun blast which blows off part of his face. In the episode, while being launched off a ramp and flying through the air, Peter wears the costume from The Greatest American Hero
The Greatest American Hero
The Greatest American Hero is an American comedy-drama television series that aired for three seasons from 1981 to 1983 on ABC. Created by producer Stephen J. Cannell, it premiered as a two-hour movie pilot on March 18, 1981...
and sings that series' theme song.
Peter dresses up like a stereotypical adolescent bully featured in 1980s films, and makes references to Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink
Pretty in Pink is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about teenage love and social cliques in 1980s American high schools. It is one of a group of John Hughes films starring Molly Ringwald, and is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film...
, No Retreat, No Surrender
No Retreat, No Surrender
No Retreat, No Surrender is a 1986 American martial arts sports film written and directed by Corey Yuen his American directorial debut, and starring Kurt McKinney, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Tai Chung Kim.-Plot:...
and The Karate Kid. He then looks at the ocean on a pier as Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
' song, "No One Is to Blame", plays. In one scene, Stewie refers to "aging supermodel Carol Alt
Carol Alt
Carol Ann Alt is an American model and actress.- Early life:Alt was born in Flushing, Queens, New York, the daughter of Muriel, an airline employee and model, and Anthony Alt, a fire chief. She was noticed waiting tables in her hometown of East Williston, New York. When she was 18, she decided to...
." Before New Brian and Lois sing "Summer Nights" as featured in Grease
Grease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
, Peter sings R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
's "Everybody Hurts
Everybody Hurts
"Everybody Hurts" is a song by R.E.M., originally released on the band's 1992 album Automatic for the People and was also released as a single in 1993. It peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 on the French Singles Chart.-History:Much of the song was written by...
". Stewie reads and then rips apart Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
's memoir, My Turn
My Turn (memoir)
My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan is an autobiography authored by former First Lady of the United States Nancy Reagan. It was published by Random House in 1989.-Content:...
.
Mumm-Ra, the antagonist from the 1980s cartoon Thundercats and its 2011 remake, appears in the scene where Cleveland is making Brian go to the bathroom on a leash whilst staying at his house. Mumm-Ra watches through his cauldron and laughs evilly before remarking, "I'm watching you make stool!"
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "The Man with Two Brians" was watched by 8.60 million households according to the 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 acquired a 4.3 rating in the 18–49 demographic, and was the most-watched show in the Animation Domination block that night. Family Guy finished fourth in its timeslot, after NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football
Sunday Night Football is a weekly American football game held throughout most of the season by the National Football League. Sunday night games have been played regularly since 1987 and have thus far aired on three different television outlets:...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
's The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...
.
The episode received generally favorable reviews from television sources and critics. 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...
gave the episode 7.5/10 and said: "While it featured more than [...] a couple of genuinely unfunny ideas, this episode succeeds for the most part. [...] While this episode definitely won't make anyone's top ten list of great Family Guy, there was a much better balance between random humor and storytelling in this outing". Genevieve Koski 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...
gave the episode an A-, and said that Family Guy "started things out on the wrong foot with an oh-so-relevant Jackass storyline. [...] Most of the Jackass stuff was way too stale–Peter jackknifing Quagmire into the crate of bees notwithstanding–but thankfully it was just setup for a far superior storyline, the introduction of a younger 'New Brian'".
Robin Pierson of The TV Critic was more critical about the episode, and gave it 32/100 and said: "As usual the problem with this episode is that there is no point to it. [The episode had] some needless jokes but others which were bearable and a logical enough story even though it addressed nothing.