Stewie Loves Lois

Last updated
"Stewie Loves Lois"
Family Guy episode
Stewie Loves Lois.jpg
Lois repairs Rupert for Stewie
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 1
Directed byMike Kim
Written by Mark Hentemann
Production code4ACX32
Original air dateSeptember 10, 2006 (2006-09-10)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Stu and Stewie's Excellent Adventure"
Next 
"Mother Tucker"
Family Guy (season 5)
List of episodes

"Stewie Loves Lois" is the first episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy . It originally aired on Fox on September 10, 2006. The episode features Stewie becoming overly affectionate with his mother Lois after an incident. Meanwhile, Peter gets a prostate exam from Dr. Hartman, but believes that he has been raped instead, and decides to prosecute his doctor in court.

Contents

The episode was written by Mark Hentemann and directed by Mike Kim. It received mostly mixed reviews from critics for its storyline, and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 9.93 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Ellen Albertini Dow, Dave Boat, Phil LaMarr, Kevin Michael Richardson and Anne-Michelle Seiler, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.

Plot

Quahog becomes the subject of a flu epidemic, and Peter goes to see Dr. Hartman for a vaccine. Although the vaccines are in short supply and must be saved for the elderly, Peter manages to get one anyway (by pretending to fall onto the syringe). While looking through Peter's papers, Hartman realizes that Peter has not had a prostate exam. Peter agrees to get one, despite not knowing what it involves. Upon receiving the procedure, Peter feels sexually violated and proceeds to tell Lois about his ordeal, and she is rather unsupportive and finds it amusing, up to the point of cursing and calling him an idiot. [1] [note 1] He then suffers a mental breakdown and tells his friends about the incident, at which point they reveal that Dr. Hartman has also "raped" them. Peter decides to sue Hartman in a court of law, and Lois is unable to talk him out of it.

Meanwhile, Stewie plays at the park with his teddy bear, Rupert. A vicious dog grabs Rupert from him and tears it to shreds. Lois runs after the dog, retrieves Rupert, and repairs him, causing Stewie to rethink all the bad thoughts he has had of Lois. Stewie becomes enamored with her, which she takes as refreshing at first, but eventually, she becomes exhausted and frustrated at his increased dependency and even has a nightmare of murdering him. Taking Brian's advice, she starts ignoring his demands for attention until he injures himself by falling down the stairs; Lois tries to apologize for her behavior, but Stewie is so disgusted by it that it causes him to hate her once again. [2]

In the courtroom, Peter exaggerates the story. The judge is not convinced and even recalls his prostate exam being uneventful. However, after further prompting from Peter, the judge "remembers" being abused and declares Hartman guilty, revoking his license. As Peter celebrates his victory at The Drunken Clam, his frequent need to urinate causes great concern among his friends, where Seamus, the peg-limbed sailor, informs him that his prostate may be infected, and if he doesn't get it checked, it'll likely get worse. This makes Peter finally understand that a prostate exam is an important and legitimate medical procedure. However, his lawsuit makes it unlikely that any doctor would treat him, and indeed, not one does. Realizing the critical situation he has placed himself in, Peter has no choice but to seek Dr. Hartman for help. He visits Dr. Hartman in disguise and unsuccessfully tries to trick him into giving the exam. Peter admits that he was wrong and pleads with Hartman to help him. Despite what Peter did to him, the doctor decides that his Hippocratic Oath requires him to go ahead with the examination anyway. Peter's constant urinating turns out to be due to minor infection and blockage caused by Mr. Sulu somehow being up Peter's rectum. In the epilogue, Dr. Hartman's license is reinstated, and he and Peter reconcile.

Production

Writer Mark Hentemann wrote the episode. Mark Hentemann by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
Writer Mark Hentemann wrote the episode.

When Stewie is fantasizing about murdering and harming Lois, he performs several karate and kung-fu moves. This is a reference to an individual whom Mark Hentemann, a writer for Family Guy, used to know. He was the boy who would come to school, car washes or other events and tell stories about the people who he had been in physical fights with. [3] During the scene when Stewie describes Lois as being the female version of Bonnie Hunt, MacFarlane comments that he feels bad about that joke, as just before it was broadcast — Hunt telephoned him on his mobile phone and told him about how much she enjoyed the show, however the gag was not removed due to its expected airing date being so close to when the telephone call was made. On the uncut version of this episode, there is a scene where Peter sleepily mistakes Stewie's mouth for Lois's genitals, muttering, "Oh, you are so ready!" The edited TV version does not have this part, but leaves in the first half, in which Peter sleepily mistakes Stewie's nose for Lois's nipple. [3]

For a reason which was not specified, the sound of Lois's footsteps when going down the basement stairs during her dream of killing Stewie, had to be overcome by Stewie talking more often. This line of Stewie making general conversation in the same scene, was altered several times due to lack of laughter from the audience. [3] MacFarlane comments that the scene of Peter standing up to his teacher who was giving the class a test, is a reference to "80's TV bullshit". [3] [4]

In addition to the regular cast, actress Ellen Albertini Dow, voice actors Dave Boat, Phil LaMarr and Kevin Michael Richardson, and actress Anne-Michelle Seiler guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Lori Alan, Alex Breckenridge, writer Mike Henry, writer Danny Smith, writer Alec Sulkin and writer John Viener also made minor appearances. [5] Recurring cast members Adam West and Patrick Warburton guest starred in the episode as well.

Cultural references

During the scene when a car is about to fall off a cliff, Robin the Boy Wonder appears and attempts to save the people. However, upon arrival, he is criticized as he will not be able to save them: this is a reference to the portrayal of Robin from the 1960s Batman series. Throughout the episode, other references are made to fictitious super heroes. In total, three references were made to Star Trek , all of which involve Star Trek actor George Takei's character, Mr. Sulu. When Peter has a flashback about passing his college test he is running around with the song "I'm Free" by Kenny Loggins playing in the background. This is a reference to the movie Footloose . When Peter is recounting what Hartman did to him, he goes into a flashback in court, and everything turns black and white and grainy: this is a reference to The Accused , starring Jodie Foster. [3] [4] During one of the kitchen scenes, Brian teases Stewie singing "Stewie loves Lois!" Stewie retorts by singing, "Brian loves Olympia Dukakis!" To which he replies, "Oh yeah, I do."

When Stewie imagines how a holiday in Hawaii would be with Rupert, he references the classic Calvin and Hobbes series.

Lois makes a reference to Barbara Bush after waking up from her dream of killing Stewie. She claims "I'm just like that Texas woman who gave her son brain damage by holding him underwater, I'm just like Barbara Bush". When the fisherman Seamus is telling Peter about the serious consequences of not getting a prostate exam, he shows Peter a picture of band Primus, to which Peter asks him why he carries such random pictures around with him. [6]

The closing credits are a reference to All in the Family , an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS in the 1970s. At the beginning of the credits, the voice of Peter says "Family Guy was recorded on tape before a live audience" as 'footage' of the city of Quahog is shown.

Reception

IGN's Dan Iverson commented that "the Stewie/Lois story was really kind of funny", noting that the scene was "a nice window in on parenting". He describes the scene of Stewie shouting at Brian in Spanish as being "very funny". However, Iverson criticized the episode, noting that the scene of Peter giving his story in court went from just "creepy and awkward to just plain disturbing". The episode received a final rating by Iverson of 4.5/10. [7] 9.93 million people watched this episode in the US on its first airing ranking #2 on FOX that night behind The Simpsons , making this episode the highest rated of season five. [8]

Notes

  1. Note that this only occurs in the DVD version; on TV, this is censored as "( bleep )in' idiot".

Related Research Articles

"Brian Goes Back to College" is the 15th episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 13, 2005. Guest stars on the show were Ralph Garman, Mark Hentemann and Phil LaMarr. The episode was described by show creator Seth MacFarlane to be "a real treat for The A-Team fans". The episode contained several connections with The New Yorker; in response, they wrote a friendly article about the episode. The plot consists of Peter, Joe, Cleveland and Quagmire winning a costume contest dressed as characters from The A-Team, and deciding to improve their community by continuing to act like the characters of the show. Brian is hired by The New Yorker, but is later dismissed as he did not complete college, so he returns to finish his education.

"The Fat Guy Strangler" is the 17th episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 27, 2005. In the episode, Lois discovers she has a long-lost brother, Patrick who was institutionalized after seeing his mother being seduced. Lois gets him released, but after a childhood flashback induced by Peter, Patrick becomes traumatized and starts murdering overweight people.

"Deep Throats" is the 23rd episode of season four of the television series Family Guy. It was written by Alex Borstein and directed by Greg Colton. Appalled at parking charges introduced by Mayor West, Brian decides to expose the corruption of the Mayor, despite the prospect of potentially destroying Meg's new career as the Mayor's intern. Meanwhile, Peter and Lois decide to participate in the Quahog community talent show with a folk singing act, as they did in the 1980s, but the couple becomes largely reliant on marijuana for inspiration and eventually fail the competition for their poor performance, despite their belief that they were singing well when under the influence of the drugs.

"Mother Tucker" is the second episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on September 17, 2006. The episode follows Peter's mother, Thelma, divorcing Peter's father, Francis, and dating news anchorman Tom Tucker. Peter becomes closely attached to Tucker, only for his mother to end the relationship suddenly, leaving Peter feeling abandoned. Meanwhile, Stewie and Brian are employed as DJs on a local radio station, but have creative differences over the tone of the show, which eventually forces Brian to quit.

"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. 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.

"Saving Private Brian" is the fourth episode of season five of Family Guy, an episode produced for Season 5. The episode originally broadcast on November 5, 2006. The episode follows Stewie and Brian after they unintentionally join the United States Army, and end up leaving to serve in Iraq, only to return home when the war ends. Meanwhile, Chris joins a heavy metal band, and develops an anti-social attitude, which requires Marilyn Manson to intervene.

"Whistle While Your Wife Works" is the fifth episode of season five of Family Guy, the last episode produced for Season 4. The show originally aired on November 12, 2006. The plot follows Peter losing his fingers after an accident while holding fireworks. Behind on his work and threatened with the possibility of dismissal, he asks Lois to catch up on his work for him, to which she agrees. However, he repeatedly attempts to seduce her, eventually succeeding, distracting her from the work. Meanwhile, Brian begins dating a woman named Jillian who, much to Stewie's delight, lacks general knowledge and intelligence.

"Chick Cancer" is the seventh episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally broadcast on November 26, 2006. In the episode, Stewie's old friend and child actress, Olivia Fuller returns to Quahog. Stewie intends to sabotage what little is left of her career, but ends up falling in love with her, only for the relationship to end in ruins due to his personality. Meanwhile, Peter decides to make a chick flick after enjoying one he saw in the cinema with Lois.

"Road to Rupert" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 28, 2007. It is the third episode in the Road to... series of episodes in Family Guy. The episode follows Stewie after Brian accidentally sells Stewie's beloved teddy bear, Rupert, during a yard sale. In an attempt to retrieve him, Stewie and Brian discover that the family Rupert was sold to are former neighbours who had since moved to Aspen, Colorado. As a result, Stewie and Brian travel across the United States to get Rupert back. Meanwhile, Peter has his driving license revoked for careless driving and is forced to be driven around by Meg, which annoys him.

"The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of Family Guy, which originally aired on February 18, 2007. The episode follows Stewie, who develops a tan, but becomes obsessed with his new look and attempts to keep it, eventually stopping after being told by a doctor that he may now have cancer. Meanwhile, Peter discovers Chris being tormented by a bully, and after a series of events, becomes a bully himself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meet the Quagmires</span> 18th episode of the 5th season of Family Guy

"Meet the Quagmires" is the 18th and final episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on May 20, 2007. The episode features Peter after he goes back in time to live the single life a little longer, before he meets future wife Lois. This causes Quagmire to make his own move on Lois, and they ultimately end up marrying and having children; Peter is horrified by this "alternate timeline" and resolves to go back in time again and set things right.

<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.

"Boys Do Cry" is the 15th episode of the fifth season of the American animated sitcom Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 29, 2007. The episode follows the Griffin family after Lois gets a job as an organist at the local church, and she insists that the rest of the family go to church with her. This eventually leads to Stewie drinking and throwing up during a sermon, which causes a mob to form around the Griffin household. In an attempt to prevent the town from supposedly exorcising the devil out of Stewie, the family escape and seek refuge in Texas.

"No Chris Left Behind" is the 16th episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 6, 2007. The episode features Chris after he is expelled from James Woods High School for dragging down their test scores. He is forced to attend an upper-class academy that does not take kindly to Chris's economically middle-class and socially lower-class upbringing. In an effort to fit in, he decides to join the academy's Skull and Bones society, but he quickly finds participation in its activities to be too demanding.

<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" constitute 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 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.

"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.

"Family Goy" is the second episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 4, 2009. In the episode, Lois discovers that her mother is Jewish and begins her struggle to adapt to her newfound heritage. Meanwhile, Irish Catholic Peter begins to embrace his wife's new religion, but after a spiritual visit from his deceased stepfather, Francis, he becomes increasingly antisemitic towards Lois and the family.

"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.

"And Then There Were Fewer" is the hour-long premiere of the ninth season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 26, 2010. The episode follows the citizens of the fictional city of Quahog in the U.S. state of Rhode Island after they are invited by actor James Woods to his stately mansion on a remote island. While there, a series of murders occur, and the group struggles to determine who committed the mysterious acts, before ultimately attempting to escape from the island, and avoid being murdered themselves. The episode borrows its premise and title from Agatha Christie's 1939 murder mystery And Then There Were None, while also serving as a parody of the 1985 film Clue.

References

  1. "Family Guy: 5.01 Stewie loves Lois". movie-censorship.com.
  2. Plot synopsis information for the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2005.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 MacFarlane, Seth (2007). Family Guy volume 5 (Region 1) or Season 6 (Region 2) DVD commentary for the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  4. 1 2 Goodman, David (2006). Family Guy volume 5 (Region 1) season 5 (Region 2) DVD commentary for the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  5. "Family Guy – Stewie Loves Lois Cast and crew". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2007-08-12. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  6. Henry, Mike (2006). Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  7. Iverson, Dan (September 6, 2006). "Stewie Loves Lois". IGN. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
  8. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. 2006-09-12. Archived from the original on 2012-03-29. Retrieved 2010-05-01.