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| {{Infobox Television episode | |||
| {{Infobox television episode | |||
| | Title =Peter’s Two Dads | |||
| | |
| series = ] | ||
| | image = Peter's Two Dads - Family Guy promo.png | |||
| | Image =] | |||
| | |
| image_size = 250 | ||
| | caption = Peter meets his biological father, Mickey McFinnigan | |||
| | Season =5 | |||
| | |
| season = 5 | ||
| | |
| episode = 10 | ||
| | airdate = {{Start date|2007|02|11}} | |||
| | Production =5ACX05 | |||
| | |
| production = 5ACX05 | ||
| | writer = ] | |||
| | Director =Cyndi Tang | |||
| | director = ]<ref name="Henry">{{cite video | people=Henry, Mike|date=2007|title=Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> | |||
| | Guests =] as ], ] as ] | |||
| | guests = *Dan Conroy | |||
| | Episode list =] | |||
| *] as Francis Griffin | |||
| | Season list = {{Infobox Family Guy Season 5}} | |||
| *] as Thelma Griffin | |||
| | Prev =] | |||
| *] | |||
| | Next =] | |||
| | season_article = Family Guy season 5 | |||
| | episode_list = List of Family Guy episodes | |||
| | prev = ] | |||
| | next = ] | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| __NOTOC__ | |||
| '''“Peter’s Two Dads”''' is a season five episode of the ] ] '']''. The title of the episode is a parody of the sitcom '']''. | |||
| "'''Peter's Two Dads'''" is the tenth episode in the ] of the American animated television series '']''. It originally aired on the ] in the United States on February 11, 2007. The episode was written by ] and directed by ], with Greg Lovell as co-director. The plot follows ] travelling to ], along with ], to find his biological father, after he accidentally kills his stepfather at ]'s birthday party. Meanwhile, after ] spanks ] for destroying her pearl necklace, he becomes fascinated with it and goes to great lengths to have her hit him again, but she was guilty for doing this and refuses to because doesn't want to hurt him again after making him cry. | |||
| ==Plot summary== | |||
| ] asks Peter and Lois for a party; however, ] and ] have no idea what the party is for, and after being reminded by ] that Meg’s birthday is coming up, they both admit they forgot and, worse yet, aren’t sure how old she will be. Meg doesn’t take too kindly of this fact after she finds out, but reminds them all the same that she is turning 17. Peter and Lois begin to organize the party, which Meg complains is too childish. Peter dresses up as a dirty hobo clown named Peepants and after getting drunk and, while trying to ride his ] down the stairs, accidentally falls and crushes his father, ]. Francis is taken to the hospital, where he later dies, his last words to Peter being, "You’re a fat, stinking drunk!" | |||
| The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to ], it was viewed in 7.97 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Dan Conroy, ], ] and ], along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. It was nominated for a ] for ], for the episode's song entitled "Drunken Irish Dad", at the ].<ref name="Emmys">{{cite web|url=http://www.emmys.org/awards/2007pt/59thnominations.php |title=Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) |access-date=2008-01-14 |year=2007 |publisher=Emmys.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515194730/http://emmys.org/awards/2007pt/59thnominations.php |archive-date=2008-05-15 }}</ref> | |||
| Peter sees this as a sign that his drinking habit was in part responsible his father's death, and vows never to drink again (temporarily switching his vice to ]). ] refers Peter to a ], where he uncovers memories of Francis telling him he is not his real father. Peter goes to talk to ] about it, and she admits that she had an affair with an Irish man while vacationing in ] 40 years earlier. After hearing this, Peter and Brian go to a stereotypical small Irish village to search for Peter’s long-lost father, whose name is ]. Upon asking the locals if they know him, they find out he is the ] (which is depicted as a highly respected position in Ireland). The two finally meet in a local tavern, but Mickey doesn’t believe that he is really Peter's father. Peter is about to give up hope, until Brian encourages him to take up drinking again and challenge Mickey to a drinking contest, saying that "a fat stinking drunk" is who Peter is. So Peter boldly confronts Mickey and wins, which in turn wins Mickey's admiration and proves to him that Peter must be his son. | |||
| ==Plot== | |||
| Meanwhile, ] is going through a phase of selfishness that is typical of toddlers his age. Lois finally gets fed up over it after he starts rummaging through her belongings and ] him as punishment. Apparently traumatized, Stewie runs away and causes Lois, herself immediately horrified at what she'd just done, to apologize profusely. However, Stewie soon gets over it when he discovers the rush he felt out of it and develops ]. He repeatedly tries to get into trouble so Lois can strike him, but she has gained a much more tolerant attitude, having sworn to never lay a hand on him again. Stewie eventually gives up trying after realizing and admitting he has serious problems, and his addiction to pain immediately dissipates. | |||
| ], who is turning seventeen, asks ] and ] if she can have a ], preferably a teenager-type party with a ] playing at her house. Unfortunately, Peter and Lois offend her by throwing her a kiddie-type party, with games such as ], and reveal that they got her age wrong as they bought sixteen candles. At the party, Peter dresses up as "Pee Pants the Inebriated Hobo Clown", and tells Meg that he got her "a dozen scarves" as a gift which he then proceeds to regurgitate as one long scarf, as he has actually tied and swallowed them (which Lois says he was not supposed to do), causing him to cough and vomit. Peter hands Meg the long scarf, regurgitates his long johns from his stomach, and then crouches in pain following the ordeal. He then gets drunk, and attempts to ride a unicycle down the staircase, but falls off and crushes his father, ], who later dies in the hospital from the accident, with his last dying words condemning Peter as a "fat stinking drunk". | |||
| A disappointed Peter feels Francis did not care about him, and after giving up drinking and trying crack (which ] notes is not a good substitute), he sees a hypnotherapist (]), who helps him discover that Francis was not his biological father. When Peter confronts his mom, ], she reveals that she had an affair with an Irish man named Mickey McFinnigan, who is Peter's biological father. Brian and Peter travel to a village in ] to find Mickey, who they discover is the ]. At first horrified, Peter finds out it is considered an honorable position in Ireland by the locals. Mickey refuses to believe that Peter is his son and mocks him. | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| * This Episode has been nominated for the 2007 Primetime Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics . | |||
| Lamenting that he would only be able to convince Mickey of the truth if he were a "fat stinking drunk", Peter recalls Francis' last words to him and challenges Mickey to a drinking contest, which he wins. Mickey finally believes that Peter is his son, feeling that nobody but a member of his own family could beat him in a drinking contest. Peter is excited to have formed a bond with his real father, but Brian points out that while Francis may not have been Peter's real father, he did raise Peter like he was his own son, showing that deep down, Francis really did love Peter. Peter accepts this, but is still willing to have Mickey as his biological father. The three and the bar patrons sing and dance to "Drunken Irish Dad". | |||
| * When Peter and Brian are on the plane heading to Ireland, Peter makes a remark that the Irish drink too much. Brian states that what Peter said was a negitive stereotype and the Irish have a very rich culture. This was one of the few times out of all the Family Guy episodes that a character openly pointed out a negative stereotype. Stereotypes are not usually mentioned, but often used by the main characters of Family Guy. Pointing out stereotypes rarely happens unless it has something to do with the characters themselves (Peter being Irish and Cleveland being African American for example). When Peter makes stereotypical remarks about the Jewish, Asians, or Mexicans, nobody bothers to stop him. Peter makes these remarks just about every chance he can get, which usually means that by the end of each episode Peter has made several ofensive remarks. | |||
| == |
===Subplot=== | ||
| After discovering ] opening most of Meg's presents, Lois realises he is going through the "mine" phase. She later discovers him going through her jewelry, and when she tells him to stop and take everything off he snaps a pearl necklace to pieces so she spanks him. She immediately feels guilty for hurting him when he started to cry and tries to give him a hug. | |||
| He runs off in fear and tears, but quickly realises that he actually ] and might be "one of those people" so he goes to great lengths in order for him to get spanked again. Lois gets annoyed at his antics but, not wanting to hurt her child again, refuses to punish him despite him begging her to. When Stewie hears himself begging Lois to rub dirt in his eyes and violate him with a wine bottle, he realises he has problems and stops. | |||
| ==Production== | |||
| The following scenes were cut on FOX and Cartoon Network (for time) but left intact on the DVD: | |||
| This episode marks the third appearance of ]. As of now, episode writer and series co-executive producer ] has written all ''Family Guy'' episodes to date to feature ] when he was alive.<ref name="Goodman">{{cite video | people=Goodman, David|date=2007|title=Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Show creator ] comments that the episode came together and played great from start to finish.<ref name="MacFarlane">{{cite video | people=MacFarlane, Seth|date=2007|title=Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Prior to the making of the episode, there had been several different ideas and disagreements for Peter's father's appearance.<ref name="MacFarlane"/> MacFarlane comments that he had always pictured Peter's father to be a fat, drunk ].<ref name="MacFarlane"/> The negativity of Francis was becoming "dull to write for", hence the storyline of Peter finding his biological father. MacFarlane also mentions not having ideas to write for Kevin, Joe Swanson's son, who was mentioned in a later episode that he died in the war of Iraq (]).<ref name="Smith">{{cite video | people=Smith, Danny|date=2007|title=Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> A deleted scene showed Peter pretending to quit drinking, but continuing quietly was one of several scenes that was removed from airing as it and the others were described by the producers to be "not going anywhere."<ref name="Goodman"/> | |||
| The scene with Peter in the hypnotherapist's office was censored for television; a portion of the scene, which sees hypnotherapist Bruce discuss Peter's genitals and reproductive organs, was cut out.<ref name="MacFarlane"/> When Peter comes to the realization that Francis is not his real father and when Stewie dreams about being tortured by Lois, a ] sound can be heard; MacFarlane comments that even small things like that take a lot of work to produce.<ref name="MacFarlane"/> The alcohol bottles being pushed by the airplane that Peter and Brian are traveling on were animated by computer, as is the taxi driving along the street. On the DVD commentary, MacFarlane notes that the scene would not have looked good without computer aid. He said it makes the animations seem more realistic than without a computer.<ref name="MacFarlane"/> The two men circling each other for fifty years and waiting for the other to throw the first punch was not broadcast for television.<ref name="Goodman"/><ref name="Tang">{{cite video | people=Tang, Cyndi|date=2007|title=Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> | |||
| *While Peter is at the hypnotherapist office, Bruce, the hypnotherapist/performance artist, has additional dialogue; he talks about the wind blowing up his legs, genitals, and anus, tells Peter that the anus has the second highest concentration of nerve endings, and lets slip other references that show he may be ] (making inappropriate art projects in school and being great at jumping rope, despite being disqualified from competitions because of his gender). | |||
| *When Peter and Brian ask the Irish man if they are in McSwiggen Village, he carries out his regular talk to the sweaters being thick (with a cut to a nun poking a man in the chest, who proudly declares that he can't feel anything because of this thick sweater). Brian then asks about two men, who are circling one another. The man who welcomes Brian and Peter to McSwiggan Village says that they are the McMurphy brothers, who have been circling one another for fifty years, waiting for one of them to throw the first punch. | |||
| In addition to the regular cast, actor Dan Conroy, actress ], actor ], and voice actor ] guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors ], Chris Cox, writer ], writer ], and writer John Viener made minor appearances. | |||
| ==Cultural references== | ==Cultural references== | ||
| Stewie draws a picture of ] on the wall to try to get Lois to hit him. It also mocks the main character's decisions in '']'' when Peter buried Francis' body at the same cemetery to resurrect him, but decided against it after Francis, as a zombie, jumped out of the grave in a jump scare, remarking "Okay, maybe I'll bury him in a regular cemetery." Peter briefly transforms into ] after discovering his biological father is not Francis: this is a reference to '']'', and although the show could not receive rights to reproduce the original music, the scene was still broadcast.<ref name="Goodman"/> Before Peter and Brian leave to Ireland, Meg tells Peter she loves him, in which he replies, "That'll do, pig, that'll do", which is a reference to the film '']''. | |||
| {{fictioncruft}} | |||
| When Francis showed up as a ghost along with ] and ], ] (who played ] in the ]) also appears and says "And I'm Hayden Christensen!", as a reference to the ending of the 2004 remastered ] release of '']''. The song Chris and Herbert sing at the party and up in a tree is "]" by ] and ].<ref name="MacFarlane"/> | |||
| * On the Fox website, the teaser details states, “This week, the manatees picked out topic balls reading ‘Peter’s real father lives in Ireland and Peter goes there to find him,’ ” a reference to ''South Park'' episodes “]” and “]” which suggested that the Family Guy "writers" (a group of manatees) use lottery balls with words on them (topic balls) to create random plots and jokes for the show. | |||
| <!-- Please note that any additions to this section must be accompanied by a citation to a reliable source ] or they will be removed --> | |||
| * Peter tries to bury his dad in the ], a reference to the book by Stephen King. | |||
| * The song Lois sings in the flashback to Meg’s last birthday party is “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” from '']''. | |||
| ==Reception== | |||
| * The song that Chris (and Herbert) sings at Meg’s birthday party is called “Friends and Lovers” by ] and ]. | |||
| In a significant decrease from the previous week, the episode was viewed in 7.97 million homes in its original airing, according to ]. The episode also acquired a 2.8 rating in the 18–49 demographic, being slightly edged out by '']'', while still winning over '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=021307_05 |title=Weekly Program Rankings |publisher=ABC Medianet |date=2007-02-13 |access-date=2010-05-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528010254/http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=021307_05 |archive-date=2010-05-28 }}</ref> | |||
| * When Peter discovers his biological father is in Ireland he performs the trademark transformation spin into ] as done by actress ] in the '']'' TV series. | |||
| * During “My Drunken Irish Dad,” Lazar Wolfe can be seen dancing, a reference to the play '']''. | |||
| A reviewer from ''Boxxet'' commented that "when I checked the schedule and saw the title of this episode was 'Peter's Two Dads', I was a little torn. First, the Peter-centric episodes generally have a much higher chance of going off the rails,"<ref name="Boxxet">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxxet.com/Family_Guy/Review_Family_Guy_Peter_s_Two_Dads.y5b13.d|title=Peter's Two Dads|access-date=2008-01-14|year=2007|publisher=Boxxet.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124075959/http://www.boxxet.com/Family_Guy/Review_Family_Guy_Peter_s_Two_Dads.y5b13.d |archive-date=2007-11-24}}</ref> following on to comment that "the episode that we did see still left me with something of a mixed reaction." concluding with a positive comment that the episode "was well constructed."<ref name="TVsquad">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/12/family-guy-peters-two-dads/|title=Family Guy: Peter's Two Dads|access-date=2008-01-14|year=2007|publisher=Tvsquad.com|archive-date=2008-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129201532/http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/02/12/family-guy-peters-two-dads/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
| * As a birthday present, Meg receives a copy of the first season of the TV show '']'' on DVD from Cleveland. | |||
| <!-- Deleted image removed: ] --> | |||
| ]'s Ahsan Haque noted that "despite a couple of underdeveloped plotlines and an overabundance of offensive and uncomfortable jokes, this week's episode of ''Family Guy'' somehow manages to succeed with just enough truly hilarious moments and actual story elements."<ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/763/763625p1.html|title=Family Guy: "Peter's Two Dads" Review|access-date=2008-01-14|year=2007|author=Haque, Ahsan|publisher=Tv.ign.com}}</ref> MacFarlane has said that this is one of his favorite episodes, alongside "]" and "]."<ref name="Craveonline">{{cite web|url=http://www.craveonline.com/filmtv/articles/04648396/seth_macfarlane_on_family_guy_100.html|title=Seth MacFarlane on Family Guy #100|access-date=2008-01-14|date=August 25, 2007|publisher=Craveonline.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010222031/http://www.craveonline.com/filmtv/articles/04648396/seth_macfarlane_on_family_guy_100.html|archive-date=October 10, 2007}}</ref> | |||
| * When Peter sees his father in a ghostly vision alongside ] and ], ] appears in Jedi robes, a reference to the 2004 DVD changes to '']''. | |||
| * At the end of Stewie’s fantasy about Lois beating him, he says “I love you ]!” This is a reference to the 1981 film of the same name (and the biography by actress ]'s daughter ]). | |||
| ==References== | |||
| * In a cutaway, ] is seen experiencing an overdose in the backseat of Stewie’s car and then he and some teenagers throw her outside on the sidewalk of a hospital. This is a direct parody to the movies '']'' and '']''. | |||
| {{Reflist|2}} | |||
| * Peter exclaims, “Oh my god! I could’ve had a V8!” and slaps himself in the forehead. This is a reference to the series of commercials for ] ] that played in the 1970s and ’80s, and again in 2007. | |||
| * When Peter's mother answers the door, she says "Hello Honey, did you bring the TV back?" This, and Peter's response, are derived from the movie ]. | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| * The song sang by Peter in the pub in Ireland is a reference to the song “].” | |||
| {{Wikiquote|Family_Guy/Season_5#Peter.27s_Two_Dads_.5B5.10.5D|Peter's Two Dads}} | |||
| * Peter flies to Ireland on JetGreen, what seems to be parody of ]. However, an ] based in Ireland used the name during its short period of operations. | |||
| {{Portal|Television}} | |||
| * “Mickey McFinnigan” is a pun on “],” a drug commonly administered in ]ic drinks, and Tim Finnegan and Mickey Maloney, two alcoholic men in “].” | |||
| *{{IMDb episode|0837967}} | |||
| * In the scene when Stewie is being tortured by Lois, Stewie yelling “thank you” repeatedly is a reference to '']'' where ]’s character loves pain and goes to get a root canal for pleasure. Also, he requests that Lois slice his nostril, a reference to the movie '']''. Jack Nicholson, star of Chinatown, also starred in the original film version of 'Little Shop of Horrors' so its possible that the masochistic portrayal of Stewie is simply an homage to Jack Nicholson. | |||
| * Peter’s line, “So what? So let’s dance!” may be a reference to ]’s line in '']''. | |||
| {{Family Guy episodes|5}} | |||
| * This episode also marks the third time in which Stewie’s interactions (as a baby) with the rest of the family are questioned; when he draws a picture of ] on the wall he says so out loud, and a moment later Lois expresses surprise that the picture Stewie drew looks somewhat like David Tua, as if she had no idea what Stewie had said. Stewie’s intelligence and capacity to talk has only been questioned twice before, in the final scene of “] and again in ].” | |||
| * After Meg says she loves Peter, Peter responds with "That'll do pig, that'll do", a line from ]. | |||
| {{good article}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 01:06, 28 October 2024
10th episode of the 5th season of Family Guy
| "Peter's Two Dads" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Guy episode | |||
 Peter meets his biological father, Mickey McFinnigan | |||
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 10 | ||
| Directed by | Cyndi Tang | ||
| Written by | Danny Smith | ||
| Production code | 5ACX05 | ||
| Original air date | February 11, 2007 (2007-02-11) | ||
| Guest appearances | |||
| |||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
| Family Guy season 5 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"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 spanks Stewie for destroying her pearl necklace, he becomes fascinated with it and goes to great lengths to have her hit him again, but she was guilty for doing this and refuses to because doesn't want to hurt him again after making him cry.
The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 7.97 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Dan Conroy, Phyllis Diller, Charles Durning and Fred Tatasciore, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. It was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, for the episode's song entitled "Drunken Irish Dad", at the 59th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Plot
Meg, who is turning seventeen, asks Lois and Peter if she can have a birthday party, preferably a teenager-type party with a band playing at her house. Unfortunately, Peter and Lois offend her by throwing her a kiddie-type party, with games such as Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and reveal that they got her age wrong as they bought sixteen candles. At the party, Peter dresses up as "Pee Pants the Inebriated Hobo Clown", and tells Meg that he got her "a dozen scarves" as a gift which he then proceeds to regurgitate as one long scarf, as he has actually tied and swallowed them (which Lois says he was not supposed to do), causing him to cough and vomit. Peter hands Meg the long scarf, regurgitates his long johns from his stomach, and then crouches in pain following the ordeal. He then gets drunk, and attempts to ride a unicycle down the staircase, but falls off and crushes his father, Francis, who later dies in the hospital from the accident, with his last dying words condemning Peter as a "fat stinking drunk".
A disappointed Peter feels Francis did not care about him, and after giving up drinking and trying crack (which Brian notes is not a good substitute), he sees a hypnotherapist (Bruce), who helps him discover that Francis was not his biological father. When Peter confronts his mom, Thelma Griffin, she reveals that she had an affair with an Irish man named Mickey McFinnigan, who is Peter's biological father. Brian and Peter travel to a village in Ireland to find Mickey, who they discover is the town drunk. At first horrified, Peter finds out it is considered an honorable position in Ireland by the locals. Mickey refuses to believe that Peter is his son and mocks him.
Lamenting that he would only be able to convince Mickey of the truth if he were a "fat stinking drunk", Peter recalls Francis' last words to him and challenges Mickey to a drinking contest, which he wins. Mickey finally believes that Peter is his son, feeling that nobody but a member of his own family could beat him in a drinking contest. Peter is excited to have formed a bond with his real father, but Brian points out that while Francis may not have been Peter's real father, he did raise Peter like he was his own son, showing that deep down, Francis really did love Peter. Peter accepts this, but is still willing to have Mickey as his biological father. The three and the bar patrons sing and dance to "Drunken Irish Dad".
Subplot
After discovering Stewie opening most of Meg's presents, Lois realises he is going through the "mine" phase. She later discovers him going through her jewelry, and when she tells him to stop and take everything off he snaps a pearl necklace to pieces so she spanks him. She immediately feels guilty for hurting him when he started to cry and tries to give him a hug. He runs off in fear and tears, but quickly realises that he actually enjoyed being hit and might be "one of those people" so he goes to great lengths in order for him to get spanked again. Lois gets annoyed at his antics but, not wanting to hurt her child again, refuses to punish him despite him begging her to. When Stewie hears himself begging Lois to rub dirt in his eyes and violate him with a wine bottle, he realises he has problems and stops.
Production
This episode marks the third appearance of Francis Griffin. As of now, episode writer and series co-executive producer Danny Smith has written all Family Guy episodes to date to feature Francis when he was alive. Show creator Seth MacFarlane comments that the episode came together and played great from start to finish. Prior to the making of the episode, there had been several different ideas and disagreements for Peter's father's appearance. MacFarlane comments that he had always pictured Peter's father to be a fat, drunk leprechaun. The negativity of Francis was becoming "dull to write for", hence the storyline of Peter finding his biological father. MacFarlane also mentions not having ideas to write for Kevin, Joe Swanson's son, who was mentioned in a later episode that he died in the war of Iraq (Stew-Roids). A deleted scene showed Peter pretending to quit drinking, but continuing quietly was one of several scenes that was removed from airing as it and the others were described by the producers to be "not going anywhere."
The scene with Peter in the hypnotherapist's office was censored for television; a portion of the scene, which sees hypnotherapist Bruce discuss Peter's genitals and reproductive organs, was cut out. When Peter comes to the realization that Francis is not his real father and when Stewie dreams about being tortured by Lois, a harp sound can be heard; MacFarlane comments that even small things like that take a lot of work to produce. The alcohol bottles being pushed by the airplane that Peter and Brian are traveling on were animated by computer, as is the taxi driving along the street. On the DVD commentary, MacFarlane notes that the scene would not have looked good without computer aid. He said it makes the animations seem more realistic than without a computer. The two men circling each other for fifty years and waiting for the other to throw the first punch was not broadcast for television.
In addition to the regular cast, actor Dan Conroy, actress Phyllis Diller, actor Charles Durning, and voice actor Fred Tatasciore guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Alex Breckenridge, Chris Cox, writer Danny Smith, writer Alec Sulkin, and writer John Viener made minor appearances.
Cultural references
Stewie draws a picture of David Tua on the wall to try to get Lois to hit him. It also mocks the main character's decisions in Pet Sematary when Peter buried Francis' body at the same cemetery to resurrect him, but decided against it after Francis, as a zombie, jumped out of the grave in a jump scare, remarking "Okay, maybe I'll bury him in a regular cemetery." Peter briefly transforms into Wonder Woman after discovering his biological father is not Francis: this is a reference to Wonder Woman, and although the show could not receive rights to reproduce the original music, the scene was still broadcast. Before Peter and Brian leave to Ireland, Meg tells Peter she loves him, in which he replies, "That'll do, pig, that'll do", which is a reference to the film Babe. When Francis showed up as a ghost along with Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hayden Christensen (who played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars prequel trilogy) also appears and says "And I'm Hayden Christensen!", as a reference to the ending of the 2004 remastered DVD release of Return of the Jedi. The song Chris and Herbert sing at the party and up in a tree is "Friends and Lovers" by Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson.
Reception
In a significant decrease from the previous week, the episode was viewed in 7.97 million homes in its original airing, according to Nielsen ratings. The episode also acquired a 2.8 rating in the 18–49 demographic, being slightly edged out by The Simpsons, while still winning over American Dad!.
A reviewer from Boxxet commented that "when I checked the schedule and saw the title of this episode was 'Peter's Two Dads', I was a little torn. First, the Peter-centric episodes generally have a much higher chance of going off the rails," following on to comment that "the episode that we did see still left me with something of a mixed reaction." concluding with a positive comment that the episode "was well constructed."
IGN's Ahsan Haque noted that "despite a couple of underdeveloped plotlines and an overabundance of offensive and uncomfortable jokes, this week's episode of Family Guy somehow manages to succeed with just enough truly hilarious moments and actual story elements." MacFarlane has said that this is one of his favorite episodes, alongside "PTV" and "Road to Rhode Island."
References
- Henry, Mike (2007). Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- "Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)". Emmys.org. 2007. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
- ^ Goodman, David (2007). Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- ^ MacFarlane, Seth (2007). Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- Smith, Danny (2007). Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- Tang, Cyndi (2007). Family Guy season 5 DVD commentary for the episode "Peter's Two Dads" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
- "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. 13 February 2007. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- "Peter's Two Dads". Boxxet.com. 2007. Archived from the original on 24 November 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
- "Family Guy: Peter's Two Dads". Tvsquad.com. 2007. Archived from the original on 29 January 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
- Haque, Ahsan (2007). "Family Guy: "Peter's Two Dads" Review". Tv.ign.com. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
- "Seth MacFarlane on Family Guy #100". Craveonline.com. 25 August 2007. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2008.
External links
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