View source for The Courtship of Stewie's Father

{{Infobox television episode
| series       =[[Family Guy]]
| image        =
| caption      =
| season       =4
| episode      =16
| airdate      ={{Start date|2005|11|20}}
| production   =4ACX19
| writer       =[[Kirker Butler]]
| director     =Kurt Dumas
| guests       =*[[Mo Collins]]
*[[Carrie Fisher]] as Angela
*[[Hunter Gomez]]
*[[Phil LaMarr]]
*Kim Parks
*[[Kevin Michael Richardson]]
*Jennifer Jean Snyder
*[[Tara Strong]]
*[[Fred Tatasciore]]
| season_article = Family Guy season 4
| episode_list = List of Family Guy episodes
| prev         =[[Brian Goes Back to College]]
| next         =[[The Fat Guy Strangler]]
}}
"'''The Courtship of Stewie's Father'''" is the 16th episode of the fourth season of ''[[Family Guy]]'', which originally aired on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] on November 20, 2005.<ref name="IMDb">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0576967/|title="Family Guy" The Courtship of Stewie's Father|accessdate=2008-04-20|publisher=The [[Internet Movie Database]]}}</ref> The episode sees [[Peter Griffin|Peter]] attempt to bond with [[Stewie Griffin|Stewie]] after realizing that Stewie enjoys seeing [[Lois Griffin|Lois]] get hurt. After things go too far and Lois confronts Peter over the escalating pranks, Stewie feels betrayed, prompting a repentant Peter to take him to [[Walt Disney World Resort]]. Meanwhile, [[Chris Griffin|Chris]] is made to assist [[Herbert (Family Guy)|Herbert]] in his household chores after breaking his window, much to the delight of Herbert.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074g3l|title=The Courtship of Stewie's Father|accessdate=2008-04-20|publisher=[[British Broadcasting Corporation]]}}</ref>
==Plot==
After failing to receive the Employee of the Month award at Pawtucket Brewery, [[Peter Griffin|Peter]] attempts to charm his supervisor, [[List of Family Guy characters#Angela|Angela]], who is unimpressed by his work performance. He organizes a surprise [[cockfight]] in her house since she likes animals, but she returns to find the remains of several chickens who have killed each other. When his special needs co-worker, [[List of Family Guy characters#Opie|Opie]], gets promoted and replaced by [[Soundwave (Transformers)|Soundwave]] from the [[Transformers]], Peter still fails to win Employee of the Month. After speaking with [[Stewie Griffin|Stewie]]'s preschool teacher, [[Lois Griffin|Lois]] discovers several graphic pictures Stewie has drawn that show him [[Matricide|killing her]]. She is oblivious to the obvious interpretation and instead notes that Peter is not included in any of the pictures.
Lois suggests that Peter make more effort to bond with Stewie. Peter reluctantly agrees, but fails to make headway until—while helping Lois in the kitchen—he accidentally knocks a box off a high shelf in the kitchen, hitting Lois in the head, causing Stewie to laugh hysterically. After striking her with larger boxes and then a jar, and seeing Stewie's delight, Peter interprets Lois being hurt as a sign of father-son bonding. This prompts more vicious pranks on Lois, including spraying her with a [[water hose]] while she is in the bathroom, culminating with an incident where Peter pushes her into the cargo area of the station wagon before driving it to the lake, where he and Stewie push it into the water. Peter and Stewie enjoy their bonding time and Stewie even begins to dress just like Peter. Later, a furious Lois returns home and, after sending Stewie to his room, demands an explanation from Peter. When Peter fails to win the argument and realizes he went too far, Stewie feels betrayed and refuses to talk to his father.
To make amends with Stewie after using Brian's advice, Peter takes him to [[Walt Disney World Resort]] in [[Florida]]. Excited at the prospect of visiting Disney World, Stewie forgives Peter, although pretending to be annoyed. When the pair arrive, Peter inadvertently loses Stewie, who is captured by Disney World employees and forced to sing at the Tiny World ride, complying to do so  after learning that the alternative is to be in a [[The Santa Clause|Christmas movie with]] [[Tim Allen]]. Peter finds him and takes him away while also freeing the slave children, but is chased across the theme park by a [[security guard]], who eventually loses them in ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom|The Temple of Doom]]'' style (with Peter dressed as [[Indiana Jones (character)|Indiana Jones]] and Stewie as [[List of Indiana Jones characters#Short Round|Short Round]]). The pair return home after a brief encounter with [[Michael Eisner]] and Stewie's faith in Peter is restored.
Meanwhile, after playing baseball in the street, [[Chris Griffin|Chris]] accidentally smashes his neighbor [[Herbert (Family Guy)|Herbert]]'s window. In an attempt to repay his debt to Herbert, Chris agrees to help the elderly man in his household chores, much to Herbert's delight. Herbert takes Chris to dinner at a fine restaurant, where a photographer takes their photograph. Herbert then sings "Somewhere That's Green", envisioning a family life with Chris, but he falls asleep at the table after the song ends. In the coda, Herbert and his dog, Jesse, mope around the house until the [[ESPN]] [[Little League World Series]] comes on, perking up Herbert's spirits.
==Production==
[[File:Kirker Butler by Gage Skidmore.jpg|right|thumb|160px|Kirker Butler wrote the episode.]]
This is the first storyline the show has produced which focuses largely on [[Herbert (Family Guy)|Herbert]].<ref name="MacFarlane">{{cite video | people=MacFarlane, Seth|date=2005|title=Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "The Courtship of Stewie's Father"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Originally, the Herbert storyline was designed to be longer, and several other gags had been created showing Herbert attempting to come on to Chris,<ref name="Goodman">{{cite video | people=Goodman, David|date=2005|title=Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "The Courtship of Stewie's Father"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref><ref name="Butler">{{cite video | people=Butler, Kirker|date=2005|title=Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "The Courtship of Stewie's Father"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref><ref name="Henry">{{cite video | people=Henry, Mike|date=2005|title=Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "The Courtship of Stewie's Father"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> but broadcasting standards were nervous about the episode and forced the show to reduce the amount of time spent on the storyline.<ref name="MacFarlane"/>  When Herbert comes to the house to tell Peter and Lois that Chris broke his window, he was meant to say more, but it was cut;<ref name="Goodman"/> one scene was intended to have Peter replying with "If he wants you to do a job, give him the best job you've ever given".<ref name="Butler"/><ref name="Henry"/> When Quagmire is describing how he seduced two homeless twins, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] censored the gesture which saw Quagmire pretending to put his hand up a woman's [[vagina]] (along with many other implied [[Human sexual activity|sexual acts]]) and showed Peter covering Stewie's ears.<ref name="MacFarlane"/> When [[List of Family Guy characters#God|God]] speaks to his lover after being telephoned by Jesus, he asks her "where were we", which she replies with "right about here" and hands him a condom. After telling her it's his birthday (so he won't have to use it), she replies a firm "no". The gag was designed in this way because broadcasting standards wanted to portray the message that God would not have [[Bareback (sex)|unprotected sex]].<ref name="MacFarlane"/>
Upon learning he has lost Stewie, a deleted scene was created showing Peter listing things he was going to do before finding Stewie, always leaving Stewie at the end of the list and putting his own needs before Stewie's.<ref name="MacFarlane"/>
Show producer [[Seth MacFarlane]] comments that the aftermath of the cockfight which Peter arranged was "a great drawing by Kurt Dumas".<ref name="MacFarlane"/> MacFarlane comments that it was "amazing lighting" on the flying car scene and that it is "so cool-looking".<ref name="Goodman"/> Stewie going crazy with excitement after learning Peter is taking him to [[Disney World]] is described by MacFarlane to be "a great piece of animation",<ref name="MacFarlane"/> and the scene "is a little more crazy than they [the show] normally go".<ref name="MacFarlane"/> In the DVD commentary, MacFarlane describes the vocal performance by [[Mike Henry (actor)|Mike Henry]], when singing as Herbert, to be "nothing short of brilliant", adding that "there's so much feeling in the song, you almost root for Herbert to get at least a wink from Chris".<ref name="MacFarlane"/>
MacFarlane made the sound effects of Stewie and Peter laughing excessively after attacking Lois,<ref name="MacFarlane"/><ref name="Butler"/> with no sounds of laughter being used from previous episodes.<ref name="Goodman"/> MacFarlane comments that he was "sweaty and exhausted after it".<ref name="MacFarlane"/> The reaction to the "[[Buckwheat Boyz|Peanut Butter Jelly Time]]" scene astonished MacFarlane, as he believes it has become repetitious and annoying after he visited a karaoke bar in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] and the club played it excessively. This scene was recreated in the ninth-season episode "[[The Big Bang Theory (Family Guy)|The Big Bang Theory]]" with Stewie being the one in the banana.
==Cultural references==
*The flying car scene is a reference to the 1989 sequel-film ''[[Back to the Future Part II]]''.<ref name="MacFarlane"/><ref name="Goodman"/>
*The song Herbert is singing when dreaming of living with Chris is the song "Somewhere That's Green" from the musical ''[[Little Shop of Horrors (film)|Little Shop of Horrors]]''.<ref name="MacFarlane"/><ref name="Goodman"/>
*The security guard chasing Peter and Stewie in to the "Indiana Jones Ride" (allusion to the [[Indiana Jones Adventure]] which is actually at [[Disneyland]] in California and not in Florida where the episode takes place), as well as the following encounter with [[Michael Eisner]], is a reference to the climax of ''[[Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]]''.<ref name="Goodman"/>
*When Peter encounters the crows from ''[[Dumbo]]'', he remarks about their [[Dumbo#Allegations of racial stereotyping|racial stereotyping]].
*Stewie is put to work on "It's a Tiny World", which is a parody of [[It's a Small World]].<ref name="MacFarlane"/><ref name="Goodman"/>
*Peter and Stewie dropping Lois in the lake may be a reference to [['97 Bonnie & Clyde]] by [[Eminem]].
==Reception==
The episode was watched by over 9 million people on its original airdate.<ref>{{cite news|title=By The Number|date=November 30, 2005|newspaper=[[Dallas Morning News]]}}</ref> The [[Parents Television Council]], a frequent critic of the show, reacted negatively to the episode, branding it the "Worst show of the week" on August 17, 2006, calling it a "sheer vulgar storyline."<ref name="PTC">{{cite web|url=http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/2006/0817worst.asp |title=Worst TV Show of the Week |accessdate=2008-02-24 |author=Fyfe, Kristen |publisher=[[Parents Television Council]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070109020353/http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/2006/0817worst.asp |archivedate=2007-01-09 }}</ref> In a review of the episode by [[TV Squad]], Ryan J. Budge noted "Tonight was another great episode of ''Family Guy''," adding that "these episodes keep getting better and better."<ref name="TVSquad">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2005/11/21/family-guy-the-courtship-of-stewies-father/|title=Family Guy: The Courtship of Stewie's Father|accessdate=2008-08-03|last=Budke|first=Ryan J|publisher=[[TV Squad]]|date=Nov 21, 2005 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213093944/http://www.tvsquad.com/2005/11/21/family-guy-the-courtship-of-stewies-father/ |archivedate=2008-02-13}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{wikiquote|Family_Guy/Season_4#The_Courtship_of_Stewie.27s_Father|The Courtship of Stewie's Father}}
{{Portal|Television}}
* {{IMDb episode|0576967}}
{{Family Guy episodes|4}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtship Of Stewie's Father}}
[[Category:Family Guy season 4 episodes]]
[[Category:2005 American television episodes]]