Why I love Family Guy

Road to Rupert

I mentioned before – with the help of videos – my love of Family Guy, but a recent episode that I saw, I think, sums it all up.

There are many US references in the show that I just don’t get. The jokes are, well, they’d get a BBC presenter into a LOT of trouble (and towing that line of taste is something that I particularly like). However, I love the TV and film references.

The episode “Road to Rupert” is all about Stewie’s toy bear, Rupert. When he’s accidental sold, Stewie thinks he’s dead – cue a superb re-enactment of the funeral scene from Wrath of Khan, but with Stewie instead of Kirk (complete with speech and emotional lip quiver) and Rupert instead of Spock in a photon torpedo¹.

I thought that was superb but later they replaced Jerry Mouse with Stewie in a scene from the film Anchors Aweigh. This is a 1945 film in which Jerry dances with Gene Kelly. Again, superbly done and very funny.

Other references I picked up on…

• Billy Dee Williams is the “cool” side of the pillow.
• Peter hiding in the fridge and saying “There is no Peter, only Zool” when Lois opens it up.
• Peter interacting with an episode of Cheers, complete with George Wendt providing his voice.
• Peter dreams about being in his own 80’s sitcom, which includes references to Family Ties and Laverne and Shirley.
• During a helicopter crash scene, Stewie appears to Brian as a laughing Satan, as John Candy did to Steve Martin in the car crash scene in thefilm Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
• Meg and Peter go to the drive-in, Peter sticks his head out the roof and Meg puts Bamm-Bamm and Pebbles on his head.
• Whilst Meg is driving Peter around he’s watching Spongebob Squarepants. Because I’m sad, I recognised the song as The Campfire Song from the episode The Camping Episode.

Maybe I’m just a sucker for shoe-horned culture reference’s and bad taste jokes.

1. Thanks to IGN for the photo! [↩]

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