Da Boom

Last updated
"Da Boom"
Family Guy episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 3
Directed by Bob Jaques
Written by Neil Goldman
Garrett Donovan
Production code2ACX06-07
Original air dateDecember 26, 1999 (1999-12-26)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Holy Crap"		Next →
"Brian in Love"
Family Guy season 2
List of episodes

"Da Boom" is the third and special episode of the second season of the animated comedy series Family Guy, and it's the 10th episode overall of the series. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 26, 1999. The episode features the Griffin family after a nuclear holocaust occurs, due to Y2K on New Year's Eve. The family then travels in search of food, and eventually decide to establish a town around a Twinkie factory. Peter then takes over the town, establishing himself as mayor, but eventually becomes power hungry, and is overthrown.

Contents

The episode was written by Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan and directed by Bob Jaques. The episode featured guest performances by Patrick Duffy, Victoria Principal, Jack Perkins, Will Sasso, and Joey Slotnick along with several recurring voice actors for the series. This is the first episode that aired to feature Mila Kunis as the voice of Meg Griffin, following Lacey Chabert's departure from the series. However, Chabert does reprise the role of Meg on a few occasions, such as in "flashback" or "time travel" episodes.

Plot

On December 31, 1999, Quahog prepares for New Year's Day and the new millennium, and the Griffins have been invited to Quagmire's millennium party. At a store, a man wearing a chicken suit asks Peter if he wants a coupon, but Peter refuses, recalling an incident in which he got an expired coupon from Ernie the Giant Chicken, resulting in a destructive fistfight. The man then warns Peter that the world will end because of the Y2K problem, so Peter locks himself and the family in their basement in hazmat suits, despite Lois' objections. Just after midnight, the Y2K bug hits. This causes a worldwide nuclear attack, with vehicles crashing and missiles self-launching, destroying much of the world, and mutating, injuring, or killing most of its inhabitants. The Griffins remain safe, though their house has been severely damaged. Starving, Peter immediately eats all the dehydrated meals, without adding water. Peter recalls that the snack food Twinkies are the only food that can survive a nuclear holocaust, so the family prepares to travel to Natick, Massachusetts, in hopes that the Twinkie factory has survived.

The Griffins' car runs out of gas, so they must walk to Natick. Once the Griffins approach Natick, they discover that there were no more factories in the area. Realizing that their route to Natick was all for nothing, Stewie berates Peter for costing them their lives before tripping and falling into a puddle of nuclear waste; his arms soon mutate into tentacles. Upon sunrise, the factory is revealed to still be standing and in perfect condition. Expecting to be able to live off the snack food, they establish the town of New Quahog around the factory, with Peter as mayor. In time, New Quahog becomes a thriving community, complete with houses and wells. However, when Brian points out that New Quahog is a peaceful place with no violence, Peter deems that they are completely defenseless. He proceeds to bring out the plan of making guns, but Cleveland isn't desired to agree with, stating it could be a problem. Meanwhile, Stewie's body has completely transformed into an octopus, and lays hundreds of eggs.
Outside, Peter informs everyone that he made guns using the water pipes from the city's Irrigation Systems, outraging the citizens.

Despite Peter's insistence that he is fit to remain as mayor, the townspeople throw him out of New Quahog, and his family follows him. The citizens destroy the guns by throwing them into their ambitious firepit, only to be overpowered by hundreds of newly-hatched Octopus-Stewies, which destroy the city. As the family walks away, oblivious to New Quahog's destruction, they decide to continue to a Carvel factory in Framingham.

In a live action epilogue parody of Dallas , the episode is revealed to have been a dream experienced by Pam Ewing (Victoria Principal); disturbed, she tells her husband Bobby (Patrick Duffy) that she dreamed about a strange episode of Family Guy.
Bobby comforts her, but then pauses and asks "What's Family Guy?", and the two turn and look with confusion to the audience. [1]

Production

This is the first episode to feature the voice of Mila Kunis as Meg Griffin. 20120712 Mila Kunis @ Comic-con cropped.jpg
This is the first episode to feature the voice of Mila Kunis as Meg Griffin.

"Da Boom" was the third episode of the second season of Family Guy, and the first for director Bob Jaques. It first aired on December 26, 1999. [2] The episode was written by writing team Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan, who had written episodes for the show in the first season including "Mind Over Murder". [2] [3]

This was the first episode to have Mila Kunis providing the voice of Meg Griffin. [4] Lacey Chabert, the original voice of Meg, left the series due to time constraints with her acting role in Party of Five , as well as schoolwork. [5] Kunis won the role after auditions and a slight rewrite of the character, in part due to her performance on That '70s Show . [6] Seth MacFarlane, the show's creator, called Kunis back after her first audition, instructing her to speak more slowly, and then told her to come back another time and enunciate more. Once she claimed that she had it under control, MacFarlane hired her. [6]

This was also the first episode of Ernie the Giant Chicken, an anthropomorphic chicken who serves as a rival to Peter. He has a long, unexpected fight with Peter, which interrupts the main storyline. [7] This has become a running gag, having reappeared in episodes such as "Blind Ambition", "Internal Affairs", [8] "No Chris Left Behind" [9] and "Meet the Quagmires". [10] [11] He is voiced by regular show writer Danny Smith. [10]

In addition to the regular cast, actress Victoria Principal; comedian and actor Will Sasso; reporter, commentator, war correspondent, and anchorman Jack Perkins; voice actor Joey Slotnick; and character actor Patrick Duffy guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actress Lori Alan, writer Danny Smith, and actor Patrick Warburton also made minor appearances. [2]

Cultural references

The episode's live-action epilogue is a reference to an episode of the CBS soap opera Dallas that erased the death of Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy), which turned out to be a dream experience by Pamela Ewing (Victoria Principal). Principal and Duffy reprised their respective Dallas roles in a live-action recreation of the shower scene at the end of the episode. [2] [12] Randy Newman appears singing everything he sees in a musical moment. [12]

The plot includes references to the Y2K bug. [12] Peter takes away Trix from the Rabbit, which is a reference to commercials for Trix cereal. Chris tells E.T. to run when he thinks Peter is the government coming for him. When travelling to find food they are stopped and there's a reference to Family Feud . [12] Stewie's line, "Game over man! Game over!" is a nod to the science fiction film Aliens . Arriving at the Twinkie factory, Peter uses the same words to describe what he sees that Dr. Ellie Arroway used in Contact when witnessing a celestial event in a foreign galaxy.

Reception

The episode received positive reviews.

Ahsan Haque of IGN rated the episode a 10/10, saying "Overall, this episode easily ranks as one of the best episodes in the series. Almost every joke succeeds, and the far-fetched alternate reality storyline thoroughly entertains. Despite the fact that all of the events in the episode are revealed to be a dream, it doesn't take away from the high degree of amusement provided." [12]

Tom Eames of entertainment website Digital Spy placed the episode at number sixteen on his listing of the best Family Guy episodes in order of "yukyukyuks" and described it as "classic bonkers Family Guy". [13] He added that the episode was "potentially the first time fans realised this wasn't just a Simpsons ripoff." [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meg Griffin</span> Fictional character from the Family Guy franchise

Megan "Meg" Griffin is a fictional character in the animated television series Family Guy. Meg is the eldest child of Peter and Lois Griffin and older sister of Stewie and Chris, but is also the family's scapegoat who receives the least of their attention and tolerates the brunt of their abuse. She is often bullied, belittled, ridiculed, and ignored.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Griffin</span> Fictional character from the Family Guy franchise

Peter Löwenbräu Griffin Sr. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is voiced by the series' creator, Seth MacFarlane, and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Peter was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company based on Larry & Steve, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. For the series, Larry was renamed Peter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lois Griffin</span> Fictional character from the Family Guy franchise

Lois Patrice Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Lois was originally created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane for a student film called The Life of Larry in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Griffin</span> Fictional character from the Family Guy franchise

Brian Griffin is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is one of the main characters of the series and a member of the Griffin family. Created, designed and voiced by Seth MacFarlane, he is an anthropomorphic white labrador retriever who is Stewie Griffin's best friend and comic foil with the ability to speak, drive, and stand on two legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death Has a Shadow</span> 1st episode of the 1st season of Family Guy

"Death Has a Shadow" is the first episode of the first season of the American animated television series Family Guy. Written by series creator Seth MacFarlane and directed by Peter Shin, this episode aired as a sneak peek on the Fox network in the United States on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII. In the episode, Peter loses his job after drinking too much at a stag party, causing him to fall asleep at work. He signs up for welfare to keep his wife Lois from finding out but gets much more money than he expected. After spending his money foolishly, Lois finds out and Peter decides to dump it from a blimp at the Super Bowl. He is arrested for welfare fraud and must await his family's rescue, as well as various performers who would later serve as frequent recurring and guest voices on the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Never Met the Dead Man</span> 2nd episode of the 1st season of Family Guy

"I Never Met the Dead Man" is the second episode of the first season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 11, 1999, stating in a promo that it is the official series premiere of the show. The episode follows Peter Griffin as he teaches his daughter Meg how to drive. Due to his terrible advice, they crash into a satellite dish, disrupting the city's cable. Peter begins to suffer from television withdrawal but finds new life in outdoor activities, driving his family to exhaustion. Meanwhile, Stewie plots to destroy the world's supply of broccoli with a weather control device so Lois cannot force him to eat the vegetable.

"Hell Comes to Quahog" is the third episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy, an episode produced for Season 4 and it's the 83rd episode overall of the series. It originally aired on Fox on September 24, 2006. The episode follows Meg after she requests her parents to buy her a car. At the showroom, however, her father, Peter, decides to buy a tank, instead of the car Meg was interested in. Deciding to pay for a new car herself, Meg is able to get a job at Superstore USA, which eventually destroys the local economy of Quahog, and upsets the local community, leading Brian Griffin and Stewie to save the day.

"Barely Legal" is the eighth episode of season five of Family Guy, and it's the 88th episode overall of the series. The episode originally broadcast on December 17, 2006. The plot sees Meg developing an obsession with Brian after he accompanies her as her date for the Junior Prom, eventually leading to her kidnapping Brian in order to rape him. Meanwhile, Peter and his friends join the Quahog Police Department to assist Joe with his work, but find being a police officer is not always about action.

<i>Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story</i> 2005 American film

Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story is a 2005 American adult animated direct-to-video adventure comedy film set in the Family Guy fictional universe. Released on September 27, 2005, the film's main plot point concerns Stewie Griffin, following a near-death experience, trying to find who he thinks is his real father after seeing the man on TV. He travels to San Francisco, only to find that the man is him from the future. The DVD contains commentaries and a sneak peek preview of the American Dad! Volume 1 DVD.

<i>Family Guy</i> season 1 Episode list for a season of an animated series

The first season of Family Guy aired on Fox from January 31 to May 16, 1999, and consisted of only seven episodes, making it the shortest season to date. The series follows the dysfunctional Griffin family—father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, son Stewie and their anthropomorphic dog Brian, all of whom reside in their hometown of Quahog, a fictional city in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The show features the voices of series creator Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, and Lacey Chabert in the roles of the Griffin family. The executive producers for the first season were David Zuckerman and MacFarlane. It is also the only full season to feature Chabert, before she was replaced by Mila Kunis for the rest of the series' run, starting with the season two episode "Da Boom".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Griffin family</span> Fictional family in the Family Guy series

The Griffin family is a fictional family and main characters in the animated television series Family Guy, and who also appear in The Cleveland Show. The Griffins are a dysfunctional family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. Their family car resembles a red seventh-generation Ford Country Sedan. They were created by Seth MacFarlane, in model of his two animated films, The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve. The family and the show itself debuted on January 31, 1999, after Super Bowl XXXIII, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow".

<i>Family Guy</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of Family Guy first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" and finished with "Meet the Quagmires". The series follows the dysfunctional Griffin family—father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and Brian, the family pet, who reside in their hometown of Quahog, a fictional city in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The executive producers for the fifth season were David Goodman, Chris Sheridan, Danny Smith and series creator Seth MacFarlane. Sheridan and Goodman served as showrunners for the fifth season.

"Baby Not on Board" is the fourth episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 2, 2008. The episode features Stewie after he is accidentally left at home when the Griffins head for the Grand Canyon. The family soon notice his absence and rush home; however, Peter makes it more difficult for his family because of his immature behavior. Meanwhile, Stewie realizes how much he depends on his family while he is alone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter's Progress</span> 16th episode of the 7th season of Family Guy

"Peter's Progress" is the 16th and final episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 17, 2009. In the episode, a psychic reads Peter's palms and discovers he led a fascinating past life as Griffin Peterson, a dignified gentleman in 17th-century England, who was the original founder of Quahog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spies Reminiscent of Us</span> 3rd episode of the 8th season of Family Guy

"Spies Reminiscent of Us" is the third episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 11, 2009. The episode pays homage to the 1985 comedy film Spies Like Us, featuring baby Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian as they discover that American spies Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd have moved into their neighbor Cleveland Brown's old house; they eventually follow them on a secret mission to Russia. Meanwhile, Peter, Joe, and Quagmire attempt to start an improv comedy group with very little success.

<i>Night of the Hurricane</i> 2011 American television crossover event

Night of the Hurricane is a 2011 crossover event on the Animation Domination lineup on Fox. The event involved the three animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane: The Cleveland Show,Family Guy andAmerican Dad!. The event depicts a hurricane which hits the towns of Stoolbend, Quahog and Langley Falls. The actual three-way crossover of the event occurs at the end on American Dad! with the three fathers of each family in the same scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back to the Pilot</span> 5th episode of the 10th season of Family Guy

"Back to the Pilot" is the 5th episode in the 10th season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 13, 2011. In "Back to the Pilot", two of the show's main characters, Stewie and Brian, both voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane, use a time machine to travel back in time to the first episode of the series, "Death Has a Shadow". Trouble ensues, however, when Brian tells his former self about the September 11 attacks, causing the present to be dramatically changed, and ultimately resulting in an apocalyptic second civil war. The two must then prevent themselves from travelling back in time in the first place, but soon realize that it will be much more difficult than they had originally thought.

<i>Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff</i> 2014 video game

Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff is a freemium licensed city-building video game for Kindle, iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8.1 based on the American animated series Family Guy released by Fox Digital Entertainment, Jam City and developer TinyCo. It allows users to create and run their own version of Quahog using familiar characters and buildings. It features an original story conceived by the show's writers in which Quahog has been destroyed and it is up to the player to bring it back to its former glory. Some of the series' main actors, like Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein (Lois), Mila Kunis (Meg), and Seth Green (Chris) collaborated with TinyCo for the project.

References

  1. ↑ Plot synopsis information for the episode "Da Boom" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2003.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Family Guy: Da Boom". Film.com. RealNetworks, Inc. Archived from the original on August 11, 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
  3. ↑ "Family Guy – Mind Over Murder Cast and crew". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  4. ↑ "Family Guy Cast and Details". TV Guide. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Sonic the Horndog". Gamespy. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
  6. 1 2 "Family Guy – Casting Mila Kunis". The Paley Center for Media. August 7, 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  7. ↑ Callaghan, Steve (2005). "The Giant Chicken". Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1–3 . Harper Paperbacks. New York: HarperCollins. pp.  51. ISBN   978-0-06-083305-3.
  8. ↑ Wong, Kevin (June 13, 2005). "Family Guy". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
  9. ↑ Haque, Ahsan (May 7, 2007). "Family Guy: "No Chris Left Behind" Review". IGN . Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  10. 1 2 "Danny Smith:Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved October 27, 2009.
  11. ↑ Love, Brett (2007-05-21). "Family Guy: Meet The Quagmires". TV Squad. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Haque, Ashan (July 30, 2008). "Family Guy Flashback: "Da Boom" Review". IGN. News Corp. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Eames, Tom (19 March 2017). "The 16 best ever Family Guy episodes in order of yukyukyuks". Digital Spy . Retrieved 19 March 2017.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.