Seahorse Seashell Party

Last updated
"Seahorse Seashell Party"
Family Guy episode
Seahorse Seashell Party - Family Guy promo.png
Stewie attempts to console Brian as he hallucinates
Episode no.Season 10
Episode 2
Directed by Brian Iles
Written by Wellesley Wild
Production code8ACX20
Original air dateOctober 2, 2011 (2011-10-02)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Lottery Fever"		Next →
"Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q"
Family Guy season 10
List of episodes

"Seahorse Seashell Party" is the second episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series Family Guy . It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 2, 2011. The episode mainly centers around the Griffins, who are riding out an oncoming hurricane. In their attempt to pass the time, they participate in numerous activities and games. After being condemned by her family yet again, Meg, having had enough of being bullied over the years, finally loses her temper and confronts them for their abusiveness, eventually leading the entire family to turn their rage on each other. Meanwhile, Brian secretly consumes magic mushrooms which causes him to have hallucinations.

Contents

"Seahorse Seashell Party" is the second part of the Night of the Hurricane block with The Cleveland Show and American Dad! . The episode was first announced by Seth MacFarlane at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International. It was written by Wellesley Wild and directed by Brian Iles. Originally scheduled to air on May 1, 2011, as the sixteenth episode of the ninth season of Family Guy, the episode was postponed due to the 2011 Super Outbreak subsequently coinciding with the timing of the scheduled episodes.

Reception of "Seahorse Seashell Party" by television critics has been negative, with its humor and main plot being the most criticized. An estimated 6.91 million viewers tuned into the episode upon its initial airing, while also garnering a 3.5/8 rating in the 18–49 demographic according to the Nielsen ratings. The episode featured guest performances by Ioan Gruffudd, Dee Bradley Baker, Debra Wilson, Colin Ford, and Kat Purgal, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.

Plot

As a hurricane approaches Quahog, the Griffins prepare for its arrival. In an attempt to pass the time, Brian decides to take magic mushrooms, to Stewie's surprise. As the mushrooms start to take effect, he begins hallucinating, leading to him inadvertently cutting off his own ear. Stewie tries to help Brian by staying by his side all night and taking care of him. When Brian falls asleep, he has a surreal nightmare in which he is attacked by monstrous beings resembling the Griffins and Quagmire. Brian gradually comes back to lucidity after Stewie takes him downstairs to drink some water.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family attempts to pass the time by playing charades and various other games, but are unable to keep themselves entertained and take their frustrations out on Meg. Having had enough of their abuse over the years, Meg loses her temper and turns on the other members of the family. She starts with Chris, calling him out for his bullying treatment of her and how he never takes her side against their parents. When Lois tries to tell her that she is taking her problems out on everyone else, Meg brings up Lois's criminal history and tells her that she is "the furthest thing from" the perfect mother. Meg also informs Lois that when she turns eighteen, she is considering never seeing her again, leaving her in tears. Finally, Meg confronts Peter who, unable to comprehend her insults, finds her argument funny even as she calls him out for his destructive tendencies and how he would go to prison if anyone in the real world witnessed his treatment of her. It only dawns on him that he's being insulted when Meg calls him a "waste of a man".

Shocked, Peter demands Lois make Meg stop, but Lois refuses because he did not stand up for her. Within moments, the whole family turn their own abusive criticisms against each other until a devastated and tearful Peter flees upstairs, leaving Meg and Brian alone to discuss the situation. Despite Brian commending her for standing up for herself, Meg feels remorse for hurting her family's feelings and concludes that they cannot survive without a "lightning rod" to endure their antagonism and absorb all their dysfunction. She decides to mend fences by apologizing to Peter, Lois and Chris for taking her own problems out on them, restoring their egos, personalities and original opinions.

Stewie then breaks the fourth wall by telling the audience about drug use and advising them to visit their local library for more information.

Production and development

"There were talks initially of doing a crossover with all the characters from all the shows but it became a little bit of a conundrum because you have three different staffs, each of whom is used to writing three different sets of characters. This idea of an outside force that sweeps its way through all three shows seemed like a cool way to accomplish that."

—Seth MacFarlane, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter [1] [2]

Ioan Gruffudd made a guest appearance as the narrator in the episode. IoanGruffudd-20070504.jpg
Ioan Gruffudd made a guest appearance as the narrator in the episode.

The episode was first announced in July 2010 by series creator Seth MacFarlane at the Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. [3] [4] Kevin Reilly, the entertainment president of the Fox Broadcasting Company, originally pitched the idea for the crossover, which was inspired by theme nights of comedy shows from the 1980s. [1] [5] MacFarlane described the crossover event to be an "enormous challenge" and a "substantial undertaking"; he chose to do one central story line so that each writing staff would not have to write stories for unfamiliar characters. [1] MacFarlane was also willing to do another crossover event if this one receives successful ratings. [1]

In April 2011, executives of the Fox Broadcasting Company officially announced that "Seahorse Seashell Party" would air on May 1. [6] However, on April 29, it was announced that the crossover event would be removed from the schedule, in response to a series of tornadoes that killed nearly 300 people in the Southern United States. [5] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] The episodes were subsequently replaced by repeats of "I Am the Walrus" from American Dad!, "Brian Writes a Bestseller" from Family Guy, and "Ain't Nothin' But Mutton Bustin'" from The Cleveland Show. [7] [11] [12] MacFarlane agreed with the decisions after consulting with the executives of Fox, and a spokeswoman for the company later announced that the episodes would air the following season. [7]

"Seahorse Seashell Party" was written by Wellesley Wild and directed by Brian Iles. It features guest appearances from Ioan Gruffudd, Dee Bradley Baker, Colin Ford, and Debra Wilson. This episode marked Gruffudd's first guest appearance since the season eight episode "The Splendid Source" [13] and Wilson's first guest appearance since the season three episode "And the Wiener Is...". [14]

Cultural references

"Seahorse Seashell Party" features several references to media, music, film, and other pop culture phenomena. The episode's title references dialogue from the viral video "Drinking out of Cups" by electronic musician and composer Dan Deacon.

Peter mentions wanting to watch "G.I. José," which leads to a cutaway parodying the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero public service announcements with a Mexican version of the title character. Peter mentions the film Fletch while playing charades. One of the many passing-time gags involves Peter performing a sing-a-long to the opening chase music from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade . [15] As Brian's hallucinations begin to worsen, Stewie attempts to calm him, reminding him that seeing Lady Gaga nude was a worst-case scenario. [15] A cutaway gag involving a confrontation between an African American woman and an Italian American man parodies the National Geographic's documentaries. A reference to the social networking site Twitter was also made by Stewie. [16]

Reception

"Seahorse Seashell Party" first aired in the United States on October 2, 2011 as part of the animation television night on Fox. It was preceded by episodes of The Simpsons and The Cleveland Show , while being followed by an episode of American Dad! . It was viewed by 6.91 million viewers upon its initial airing, despite simultaneously airing with Desperate Housewives on ABC, The Amazing Race on CBS, and a game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets on NBC. [17] Total viewership for the episode was the highest out of its respective line-up. [17] "Seahorse Seashell Party" garnered a 3.5/8 rating in the 18–49 demographic, according to the Nielsen ratings, also becoming the highest rating of the animation television night on Fox. [17] Total viewership and ratings were significantly down from the previous episode, "Lottery Fever", which was watched by 7.69 million viewers and garnered a 4.1/9 rating in the 18–49 demographic. [18]

The main plot of "Seahorse Seashell Party" was panned by critics (particularly the ending). Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club wrote of the episode, "This far into the show’s run, shifting to a much more dramatic bottle episode and reaching for emotional payoffs felt far too little too late." [19] He resumed: "Nobody cares about any member of the Griffin family the way we care about every last Simpson. I feel bad about Meg becoming the scapegoat. Not because she’s a good character, but because instead of tweaking and working to make her appreciated or comically valuable, Family Guy spent years going down the path of least resistance and simply joined the fan chorus of hatred. One episode of pointed, forced justification for that shift doesn’t change a thing." [19] McFarland concluded his review by giving the episode a grade of D+. [19] Similarly, Terron Moore of Ology felt that much of the episode was wasted. In his review, Moore stated that "Seahorse Seashell Party" was "an episode that spends a lot of time addressing something that didn’t need to be addressed." [20] He gave the episode a 4.5 out of ten points. [20] TV Fanatic's Kate Moon was less negative of the episode, stating that even though Meg confronting her family in regards to her treatment was long overdue, she concluded that it felt contrived and uninteresting. [16]

Critics were polarized with the episode subplot. While McFarland expressed enjoyment of some of the animation of the episode, he asserted that it "fell flat". [19] Moon exclaimed that the subplot would have been more interesting had Stewie ingested the mushrooms alongside Brian. [16]

The episode debuted in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2012, and achieved 1.6 million viewers. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Family Guy</i> American animated sitcom

Family Guy is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois, their children, Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic pet dog, Brian. Set in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island, the show exhibits much of its humor in the form of metafictional cutaway gags that often lampoon American culture.

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

StewartGilligan "Stewie" Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series 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. Stewie was created and designed by MacFarlane himself, who was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company, based on The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve, two shorts made by MacFarlane featuring a middle-aged man named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve.

<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">Cleveland Brown</span> Family Guy and The Cleveland Show character

Cleveland Orenthal Brown Sr. is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family and is best known for his mild-mannered deadpan delivery. His established profession was that of a deli owner, before he switched over to being a postal worker after his return to Family Guy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter's Two Dads</span> 10th episode of the 5th season of Family Guy

"Peter's Two Dads" is the tenth episode in the fifth season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 2007. The episode was written by Danny Smith and directed by Cyndi Tang, with Greg Lovell as co-director. The plot follows Peter travelling to Ireland, along with Brian, to find his biological father, after he accidentally kills his stepfather at Meg's birthday party. Meanwhile, after Lois hits Stewie, he becomes fascinated with it and goes to great lengths to have her hit him again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stewie Kills Lois and Lois Kills Stewie</span> 5th and 6th episodes of the 6th season of Family Guy

"Stewie Kills Lois" and "Lois Kills Stewie" is a two-part episode of the sixth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy, which was originally produced for the end of the fifth season. Respectively, both parts are the fourth and fifth episode of their season, and they premiered in the United States on Fox on November 4 and 11, 2007. In the former, housewife Lois receives cruise tickets as a birthday present from anthropomorphic dog Brian, and invites her husband, Peter, on the cruise with her. This upsets Stewie, and he ultimately appears to murder Lois while she is on the cruise, only to find out that she had survived the attack as the year passes. In the latter, Lois is able to expose Stewie as the villain that he is, but he soon accomplishes his dream of world domination.

<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 8 Season of television series

The eighth season of animated television series Family Guy first aired on the Fox network in twenty-one episodes from September 27, 2009, to May 23, 2010, before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It ran on Sunday nights between May and July 2010 on BBC Three in the UK. The series follows the dysfunctional Griffin family—father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and dog Brian, all of whom reside in their hometown of Quahog.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road to the Multiverse</span> 1st episode of the 8th season of Family Guy

"Road to the Multiverse" is the first episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and written by Wellesley Wild, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009, along with the series premiere of The Cleveland Show. In "Road to the Multiverse", two of the show's main characters, baby genius Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian, both voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane, use an "out-of-this-world" remote control to travel through a series of parallel universes. They eventually end up in a world where dogs rule and humans obey. Brian becomes reluctant to return to his own universe, and he ultimately ends up breaking the remote, much to the dismay of Stewie, who soon seeks a replacement. The "Road to" episodes which have aired throughout various seasons of Family Guy were inspired by the Road to ... comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, though this episode was not originally conceived as a "Road to" show.

"Brian Griffin's House of Payne" is the 15th episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 28, 2010. The episode features Brian after he discovers an old script he had written that Stewie found in the basement, and subsequently pitches the show to television executives. The show is quickly and dramatically altered by the executives and James Woods, however, much to Brian's frustration, who nevertheless attempts to adapt to the new format. Meanwhile, Chris and Meg attempt to hide the fact that Stewie is unconscious, after they accidentally bump him down a flight of stairs in the house.

"Halloween on Spooner Street" is the fourth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 7, 2010. The episode follows baby Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian as they go trick-or-treating on Halloween. Stewie is confronted by bullies, who steal his candy, causing the two to attempt to take the candy back. Meanwhile, neighbors Peter and Joe decide to play several pranks on their other neighbor, Glenn Quagmire, causing him to want to seek revenge on his friends while Meg and Chris attend a teenage halloween party at Connie D'Amico's house. The episode is the only Halloween special of the series as well as one of the only episodes to have three subplots.

"And I'm Joyce Kinney" is the ninth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 16, 2011. The episode follows housewife Lois as she becomes close friends with the local news anchor Joyce Kinney. In an attempt to become closer, the two decide to get drinks together, and reveal their darkest secrets. Wanting to fit in, Lois reveals her participation in a pornographic film when she was in college, with Joyce promising to keep her revelation a secret. The next day, Kinney unveils the story on the local news, much to the anger of Lois, who is quickly shunned by the entire town.

<i>Family Guy</i> season 10 Season of television series

The tenth season of Family Guy premiered on the Fox network from September 25, 2011, to May 20, 2012 with a one-hour broadcast of two episodes. The series follows the Griffin family, a dysfunctional family consisting of father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and the family dog Brian, who reside in their hometown of Quahog, a fictional city in Rhode Island.

"Hurricane!" is the second episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It first aired on Fox in the United States on October 2, 2011. The episode's plot mainly revolves around the Smith family, who prepare for evacuation in response to an oncoming hurricane. Reluctant to leave his home, Stan encourages his family to ride out the storm in their house with him. The hurricane sends a flood to the city of Langley Falls, which puts the entire family in danger.

"The Hurricane!" is the second episode of the third season of the animated comedy series The Cleveland Show. The 45th episode overall, it was written by Kirker Butler and directed by Ron Rubio, and is the first part of the Night of the Hurricane block with Family Guy and American Dad!, the first such event in the animated television line-up of Fox. The episode first aired on Fox in the United States on October 2, 2011.

<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.

<i>Family Guy</i> (franchise) American media franchise

Family Guy is an American animated comedy franchise created by Seth MacFarlane and originally developed for Fox. Consisting of two television series: Family Guy (1999–present) and The Cleveland Show (2009–2013), the franchise primarily focuses on the Griffin family and their friends and associates. The franchise also shares a fictional universe with American Dad! (2005–present), another series developed by MacFarlane with the same art style, to which it features numerous crossovers and shared characters.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Goldberg, Lesley (April 30, 2011). "Seth MacFarlane: Three-Show Crossover Was An 'Enormous Challenge'". The Hollywood Reporter . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  2. ↑ Ho, Rodney (2011-04-23). "Fox postpones hurricane-themed 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad,' 'Cleveland Show' shows after recent storms". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Cox Enterprises. Archived from the original on May 1, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  3. ↑ Mika, King (April 24, 2011). "Fox Announces May 2011 Schedule: First Ever Animation Domination Crossover". Entertainment Beacon. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ Harnick, Chris (October 4, 2010). "Hurricane-Themed Crossover Event for 'Family Guy,' 'The Cleveland Show' and 'American Dad'". TV Squad . AOL. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. Retrieved April 24, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Fox yanks storm episodes of 'Family Guy,' other animated comedies". Chicago Sun-Times . Sun-Times Media Group. April 29, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  6. ↑ Keck, William (2011-04-24). "Keck's Exclusives: Fox's Big Storm". TV Guide . Retrieved 2011-04-24.
  7. 1 2 3 Goldberg, Lesley (April 30, 2011). "Fox Pulls 'Family Guy,' 'American Dad, 'Cleveland Show' Hurricane Episode". The Hollywood Reporter . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  8. ↑ Itzkoff, Dave (April 29, 2011). "Fox Postpones Animated Comedies With Hurricane Story Line". New York Times . Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  9. ↑ Mullins, Jenna (April 29, 2011). "Fox Pulls Hurricane Episodes of Family Guy, The Cleveland Show and American Dad". E! Online . Comcast . Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  10. ↑ Hibberd, James (April 29, 2011). "Fox pulls 'Family Guy,' 'Cleveland' hurricane episodes". Entertainment Weekly . Time, Inc. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  11. 1 2 de Moraes, Lisa (April 29, 2011). "'Family Guy' hurricane-themed crossover episodes postponed". The Marquee Blog. CNN . Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  12. ↑ "FOX Pulls Sunday's "Family Guy" Hurricane Crossover With "The Cleveland Show," "American Dad"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Ioan Gruffudd: Credits". TV Guide . Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  14. ↑ "Debra Wilson: Credits". TV Guide . Retrieved 2011-10-07.
  15. 1 2 Iles, Brian; Wild, Wellesley; MacFarlane, Seth (2011-10-02). "Seahorse Seashell Party". Family Guy. Season 10. Episode 02. Fox.
  16. 1 2 3 Moon, Kate (October 2, 2011). "Family Guy Review: "Seahorse Seashell Party"". TV Fanatic. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 Gorman, Bill (October 2, 2011). "TV Ratings Sunday: 'Pan Am', 'Desperate Housewives,' Fox Animations Fall; 'Sunday Night Football' Tops Night". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  18. ↑ Gorman, Bill (September 27, 2011). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Desperate Housewives,' 'CSI:Miami,' 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  19. 1 2 3 4 McFarland, Kevin. "Seahorse Seashell Party". The A.V. Club . Retrieved July 12, 2012.
  20. 1 2 Moore, Terron (October 3, 2011). "'Family Guy' Recap: "Seahorse Seashell Party"". Ology. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  21. ↑ Millar, Paul. "BBC Three's new 'Family Guy' outings draw big ratings". Digital Spy.

.

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.