And the Wiener Is...

"And the Wiener Is..." is the fifth episode of the third season of the animated comedy series Family Guy, the last episode produced for Season 2. It originally aired on Fox on August 8, 2001. The episode features Chris and Peter, when Peter finds out his son has a bigger penis than he does. Insecure about his manhood, Peter attempts to out-do his son's newfound manhood by joining the National Gun Association, thinking it will make up for the size of his own penis.

The episode was written by Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman and directed by Bert Ring. The episode featured guest performances by Patrick Duffy, Rachael MacFarlane, Tara Strong, Lisa Wilhoit and Debra Wilson, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.

Plot

In this episode, Peter is sure his son Chris will never beat him at anything, from skating, to stacking dinnerware on top of their heads, and playing basketball. But when Peter and Chris are in the sauna at the gym after playing a game of basketball, naked, Peter suddenly discovers that Chris has a bigger penis than he does. Suddenly insecure, Peter buys a long, red car, in which he drives in and out of a tunnel imitating sexual penetration. Later, he joins the National Gun Association because he thinks that it will make up for the size of his own penis. On a hunting trip, a bear attacks Peter and Chris, and Peter realizes that being a man is about bravery and not size when Chris drives away the bear that threatened to kill them both.

Meanwhile, Meg tries out for cheerleading but is accepted into the flag girl squad instead. As her squad performs and the band plays what sounds like "Electric Avenue," several of the “cooler” kids rig a device that pelts Meg with rotten meat. Lois then devises a plan for revenge. Meg makes friends with Connie, but this does not last, as Connie and her friends trick Meg at a party for Connie's 16th birthday. Thinking she was going to kiss a popular boy while locked in a closet, Meg instead finds herself, in front of all the others, kissing a pig held by the popular boy. In the end, Lois sends Quagmire to molest Connie and her friends.

Production

Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman wrote the episode.

The episode was written by series regulars Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman and directed by Bert Ring, before the conclusion of the third production season.

In addition to the regular cast, actor Patrick Duffy, voice actress Rachael MacFarlane, voice actress Tara Strong, actress Lisa Wilhoit and actress Debra Wilson guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actor Danny Smith also made a minor appearance. Recurring guest cast members Jennifer Tilly, Mike Henry and Patrick Warburton reprised their roles of Bonnie Swanson, Cleveland Brown and Joe Swanson respectively. ,

Cultural references

• Stewie performs the song "Rocket Man" by Elton John, in reference to William Shatner's famous performance of the song at the 1978 Sci-Fi Awards.
• While Meg parades as the flag girl, the marching band plays what sounds like "Electric Avenue" by Eddy Grant. The meat thrown on to her by the more popular students was a reference to Carrie.

• Lois tells Meg that the band Whitesnake is the music "mommies and daddies listen to."
• Peter skeet shoots Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope after he becomes a gun enthusiast.
• Peter throws darts with Andy Capp at the bar, who later gets in a tussle with his wife.
• While hunting, Peter tells Chris to call him "Rooster Cogburn", the protagonist in the film True Grit.

Controversy

The Parents Television Council, a frequent critic of MacFarlane-produced shows, named Family Guy the “Worst TV Show of the Week” for the January 23, 2005 rebroadcast of the episode on FOX.^[1] They went on to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission about the broadcast, although the episode, rated TV-14 for suggestive dialogue (D), offensive language (L), and moderate sexual references (S)^[2] originally aired in 2001 without any complaints, and the nudity originally present was censored out.^[3][4] However, the FCC denied their complaint, finding “that because of the absence of explicit or graphic descriptions or depictions of any sexual organ, along with the absence of shocking, pandering, and/or titillating effect, the episode, taken as a whole, is not patently offensive.” ^[5]

References

• S. Callaghan, “And the Wiener is...” Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1–3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 144–147.

External links

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