Brian Griffin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brian Griffin | |
|---|---|
| Family Guy Character | |
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| Character Information | |
| Full Name | Brian Griffin |
| Hometown | Austin, Texas |
| Age | 7 (41–44 in dog years) |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair Color | White |
| Height | 3' 4" (1m) |
| Weight | 61 lb (28Kg) |
| General Characteristics | |
| Political Leaning | Liberal |
| Vehicle | Toyota Prius (2005 model) |
| Favorite Drink | Martini Jack Daniel's and the Bacardi Mojito |
| Best Friend | Peter Griffin |
| Show Information | |
| First Episode | "Death Has a Shadow" |
| Voice actor | Seth MacFarlane |
| WikiQuote | |
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Brian Griffin is a cartoon character on the FOX animated television series Family Guy, and is voiced by show creator, Seth McFarlane.
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[edit] Overview
Brian may be described as the Griffin family's talking dog, but he is more accurately described as a dog who chooses to live with the Griffin family. He is called Brian Griffin only because he lives with and was adopted by the Griffin family. His real name is simply "Brian." While he exhibits some typical dog behaviors like eating garbage, licking himself, leaving dead birds on the porch, intensely fearing the vacuum cleaner and the dog whistle, and sleeping at the foot of Peter Griffin's bed, he also possesses various anthropomorphic qualities, such as the ability to speak intelligently, drive a car, and walk bipedally. He also has a particularly sharp wit. Peter is his best friend, despite Brian's being substantially more intelligent than Peter.
Brian has a cultured background. He loves opera and jazz (he is a fan of John Coltrane) and speaks French, Tagalog, and a little Spanish. He is also a member of Mensa. He loves to sing, and can imitate a barbershop quartet without accompaniment. He is an avid writer, having once been invited to write for The New Yorker, though he was fired once the magazine learned he did not graduate from college. He has also attempted to write a novel, although he seems to have made little progress on it (for which Stewie Griffin mocks him). He is an alcoholic and recovered cocaine addict, which he eventually discovered to have stemmed from his mother abandoning him and which led him to see a therapist. As the most sensible member of the Griffin family, Brian often serves as the voice of reason or as a mediator during family arguments. He is also usually the first (and often only) one to realize that there is impending danger.
Because of his intelligence and dry, deadpan manner, Brian sometimes acts as the "straight man" of the show.
He released his big secret to the world when he told Meg Griffin that he actually cared for her and was telling the truth in the episode Deep Throats when he tried to convince Meg that Adam West was corrupt and that she should not have been dating him.
Brian was bloodily beaten by Stewie for not paying back his gambling debts to him in the episode Patriot Games. He eventually repaid Stewie the money, and, for the beatings, kicked Stewie in front of a bus.
[edit] Background
In the Family Guy universe, dogs are either talking, anthropomorphic creatures like Brian and his cousin Jasper, or more realistic dogs, such as his mother Biscuit and his lover Seabreeze. Both classes are subject to the same rules, such as not being allowed inside some shops or to wander the streets without an owner. Brian's "humanity" is rarely remarked upon, one notable exception being the occasion when Peter's boss, Mr. Weed, referred to him as a "funny talking dog," another being in the episode Brian in Love when Brian tries to explain his relationship troubles to Peter, who responds, "Oh my God! You can talk!" (this was not the first time Peter had talked with Brian). Another example of Brian's "humanity" is his attraction to human women: Brian has dated several since the show began and is, in fact, deeply in love with Lois.
Brian was born on a farm in Austin, Texas, in a litter of five puppies, of whom he was the only anthropomorphic one. His youth and adolescence have not been discussed in detail, although he somehow made his way to Rhode Island and attended Brown University. He is currently one class short of graduating from Brown (in the Season 4 episode Brian Goes Back to College, Brian re-enrolls in an attempt to earn his degree. He fails, but this does not concern him, as he is happy that he at least finished college). Brian has also served in the Peace Corps. He has mentioned that he hung out with Andy Warhol in the 1970s, though this particular interlude is most likely one of the show's reality-bending cutaways, as he is said to be only seven years old. His age is usually treated differently depending on the joke, similar to Stewie's ability to communicate with adults. Brian spent some time as a homeless stray washing car windshields for change before he met Peter, who offered him a home with his family in Quahog, Rhode Island. When Brian returned to Austin with Peter's son Stewie years later to find his mother, Biscuit, he found that she had died and her owners were using her stuffed body as a table. Brian and Stewie absconded with her body to give it a proper burial.
The Griffins had another talking dog named Todd, who died at the age of fifteen.
Despite his anthropomorphic intelligence, Brian shares certain traits and shortcomings with real dogs. For example, he cleans himself with his tongue and scratches at fleas with his hind leg. He also couldn't control his animal urges for the prized Pewterschmidt dog, Seabreeze. Furthermore, although his maturity and broad range of experiences seem to imply that he is as old as a middle aged human, as a dog he is only seven years old. Peter has been known to tease him about his shorter lifespan. In one episode, he seems to have a slightly late 'midlife crisis'.
Brian seems somewhat ashamed of his animal urges and insecure about his canine status in general. He once refused to do degrading pet tricks for Peter during a dog show, despite it being necessary to win the money needed to buy the family a new air conditioner to deal with the hot summer weather of Quahog. He also chastised Lady and the Tramp for acting in typical dog-like behavior, saying that "that's just what they want you to do." He suffers mistreatment as a dog, with references to movies like The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman and School Ties, movies about characters who suffer from racial segregation and anti-Semitism. He is humiliated when the Griffins catch him with canine pornography. It is quite likely that the treatment he has suffered at the hands of narrow-minded humans has led him to suffer a form of self-hate based on his being a dog.
Brian is also extraordinarily intelligent, enjoying great works of art such as the opera Carmen and the works of the famed Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He has also heavily invested in the stock market, and collects first editions of literary classics. His intellectual bent makes it very difficult for him to form romantic relationships with most human women, which may be one reason for his substance abuse as a sort of coping mechanism.
In Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, when Stewie travels to the future, it is revealed that Brian died (or rather, will die) after "getting into the garbage and eating some chocolate." However this may not be true because this was in a possible future following Stewie's Near Death Experience.
[edit] Relationships
In addition to behaving like a human, Brian sometimes pursues relationships with humans. No character has ever commented on the bestial aspects of a sexual relationship between Brian and a human, except in "The Perfect Castaway" (see below), where Peter asks Lois why she wants to stay with Brian, then remarks, "that, plus, hello? He's a dog." Seth MacFarlane mentions in the commentary for "Castaway" that making episodes about Brian being in love is "always a line that we have to walk," concerning the mainstream media's anxiety regarding bestiality. However, FOX, the broadcasting company that airs Family Guy, has always been known to push the envelope of controversy—which may be why the show is allowed to make risqué jokes about taboo subjects.
However, Whistle While Your Wife Works was the first time where it was heavily implied that Brian did have sex with a human woman (albeit a very dim-witted one) named Jillian. Stewie pressed Brian the most for these details, noticing that his collar was inside-out after being away for a whole night. After Stewie meets Jillian, he hassles Brian for the rest of the episode about her lack of intelligence, once asking if her parents were "brother and sister". Brian finally decides to attempt to break up with Jillian, but instead, he ends up leaving Stewie in the car for three hours, apparently to have sex with her. In the end, Brian's relationship with Jillian appears to be based solely on sex and had virtually no meaningful qualities.
In the episode Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows, Brian falls deeply in love with an elderly human woman named Pearl Burton. Before Pearl passes away, Brian shares a virtual reality vision of their possible future together that involves marriage and children. He once made a pass at Peter's daughter Meg while drunk, and had a brief fling with a hooker named Tina while he was hooked on cocaine. During the show's fourth season, in Brian the Bachelor, he falls for a woman named Brooke Roberts while appearing as a contestant on The Bachelorette. Although she chooses Brian as the winner, she doesn't return his affections outside of the show.
In a different episode ("Peter's Got Woods"), Brian has another brief romance, with Shauna Parks, one of Meg's teachers at James Woods High. She seems to find him cute ("Nothing cuter than a nervous white dog"), but breaks up with him over his loyalty to Peter, who foiled her (and Brian's) attempts to change the name of the high school to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. Parks is African American, in contrast to Brian's previous girlfriends, who have all appeared to be white. Brian is paranoically careful to avoid appearing racist to her and other blacks, such as Meg's one-time producer Dr. Diddy, although his discomfort on the subject has caused embarrassing lapses. Occasionally, he will bark violently at black people, which he blames on the influence of his father Coco, who is "from a different generation." In contrast, he seems perfectly comfortable around Peter's African-American friend, Cleveland and his family.
Brian has a special relationship with Peter's wife, Lois. He realizes that he harbors romantic and sexual feelings towards her in the episode Brian in Love, but learns to accept friendship in lieu of a romantic relationship. But he seems to retain a certain amount of longing for her. In the episode The Perfect Castaway, Brian was married to Lois for a period of several months after they thought Peter and his friends were killed in a hurricane while fishing. The marriage was largely based on Brian's ability to support the family financially in Peter's absence by taking a job at the local Hummer dealership. Despite Brian's desire to consummate their relationship, Lois insisted throughout their marriage on keeping their beds separated. When Peter unexpectedly returns home alive, Lois' feelings for Peter rekindle and Brian and Lois divorce, as Brian accepts that Lois still loves Peter. Lois declares shortly afterwards that she was one day from deciding to finally have sex with Brian, to his great frustration. He additionally reveals that his attraction may go beyond skin-deep; in "Sibling Rivalry, as Lois begins to gain weight, Peter comments that he is no longer attracted to her. When he asks Brian if he still is, he replies "I don't care what she looks like, I would wreck that chick." In I Take Thee Quagmire, Lois discusses, with Brian, problems arising due to her inability to wean Stewie from breastmilk; Brian offers to "medically examine" Lois' breasts while giving Lois the impression that he knew what he was doing. After that discussion, Brian also offers to "medically examine" Lois' crotch area; when Lois becomes confused as to why Brian would want to examine her crotch, Brian simply replies hastily "Please pull down your underpants?". In Prick Up Your Ears, Brian immediately tells Lois, after Meg walked out of her room after her and Lois had a spirited discussion about vaginal intercourse, that he loves her.
Brian was once seen cross-dressing as Lois, much to the surprise and later, disgust, of Stewie.
Although he seems to be somewhat ashamed of it, Brian also has relationships with "regular" dogs. In the episode Screwed the Pooch, he is almost threatened with castration as punishment for impregnating Seabreeze, a racing dog owned by Lois' father, Carter Pewterschmidt. In the last moment, however, he discovers that the impregnating male turns out to be Ted Turner.
Brian is often called Peter's best friend. He often makes efforts to cheer Peter up, such as dressing up as the Dancing Banana and singing "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" in The Courtship of Stewie's Father. He also looks out for Peter's long-term interests; When Peter built an indoor water slide by running water down the stairs and promptly injured himself by falling down them, Brian told Peter "I'm not going to take you to the hospital because you won't learn anything if I do."
Brian and Stewie have an interesting relationship. They are the only two major characters, being a dog and an infant respectively, that would be unable to speak in reality. This connection is perhaps why Brian is the only recurring character that seems to consistently, fully consider Stewie's words. Therefore, Brian often becomes involved in Stewie's schemes, whether attempting to hinder him or help him. Brian and Stewie also appear to share a certain level of intelligence and sophistication, but also share certain humorous reality-based shortcomings. Also, Brian and Stewie have joked with each other over their respective similarities in appearance to Snoopy and Charlie Brown. Brian is often given the responsibility of caring for Stewie, particularly over the older siblings, Meg and Chris.
Brian is one member of the family who does not treat Meg as badly as the others, but he seems to ignore her more than anyone else. He has, however, been known to join in on laughing at Meg's misfortunes, as well as reading her diary along with the rest of the family. Brian also seems to ignore Chris most of the time. He mostly reacts when Chris says something extremely stupid, such as "Brown is the color of poo!", when Brian reminisces about attending Brown University, or answering "eating a pebble!", when Brian asks the family what would be really exciting. In both cases, Brian reacted with a simple, flat "yes", implying that his main attitude towards Chris seems to be bemused tolerance of Chris's stupidity.
[edit] Political beliefs
Brian seems to have liberal political leanings, which mirror MacFarlane's; he is meant to be a manifestation of Family Guy's creator within the show (MacFarlane uses his ordinary speaking voice while portraying Brian, which makes director commentary sound as if done by the character). Brian's views have been demonstrated several times: through his criticism of then-Presidential candidate George W. Bush in his musical number "You've Got a Lot to See"; he is shown reading Michael Moore's book Dude, Where's My Country? in one episode; his car (which appears to be a Toyota Prius) displays a "Kucinich '04" bumper sticker; in Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story he is shown eating Stewie's teddy bear Rupert's leg because of Stewie's support for a flat tax system. Brian mentions in the episode Don't Make Me Over that he votes Democrat, though he also said in the first episode, "This is why I don't vote," suggesting that he was not a registered voter until a later date; in the episode He's Too Sexy For His Fat, Brian is quoted as saying "You know, I like Hillary Clinton, I don't care what anyone says." In the episode You May Now Kiss The...Uh...Guy Who Receives, Brian becomes a crazed activist to prevent a gay marriage ban proposed by mayor Adam West after his cousin Jasper comes to Quahog to get married to his Filipino boyfriend (West merely wanted the ban as a distraction after he squandered the entire city budget on a gold statue of the Dig 'Em Frog).
[edit] Religious Beliefs
Brian may believe in God, as roughly implied in If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin' when he slapped Peter and said "God... is... pissed!" Brian is also seen reading a Bible once, but also spoke against the Bible's teaching and stories to Chris. However, he is not very religious—in The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz, he spoke to Peter against religion. Brian could be a Deist, but for the most part, his "religion" is undetermined.
[edit] Jobs
Brian briefly worked as a "drug-sniffing" dog for the police department during the episode The Thin White Line screening luggage at the airport, but accidentally became addicted to cocaine (having a puff thrown in his face during his first bust) and quit the force to attend rehab. Brian later worked as a waiter while trying to be a screenwriter in Hollywood; he ended up directing several award-winning porn movies (Brian Does Hollywood).
Brian was briefly Chris' English teacher, where he was known as "Mr. Griffin" (Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High). He loved the job, but was soon reassigned to teach remedial English, beginning a parody of Dead Poets Society. His class, comprised entirely of urban youths and pregnant teenagers, frustrated him with their reluctance to learn and in anger, Brian unintentionally encouraged them to become ditch-diggers, hotel maids, and prostitutes.
Later on, Brian worked for Stewie's pyramid scheme company "Cash$cam" as a telemarketer to make the $300 that would pay for his worm medicine (Model Misbehavior)
On a deleted scene, Lois asks Brian where all his money comes from. The next scene shows Brian as a janitor walking up to a window. He then takes out a sniper rifle and shoots a man wearing a suit and then promptly walks away innocently.
Brian got a job working at a Hummer dealership to support the family after Peter's supposed death.
In the episode Brian Goes Back to College, Brian nearly gets a job (again) at The New Yorker.
In the episode Deep Throats, after Lois lectured him about doing something with his life, Brian gets a job driving a taxi. His job is ended after his cab is destroyed by Griffin neighbor Cleveland Brown, after Brian didn't pick him up earlier (the incident caused Cleveland to think Brian was being racist, but he did not pick him up due to his concern of forgetting to buy milk from the store, so he went immediately).
In the episode Mother Tucker, Brian got a job as a Radio DJ along with Stewie called "Dingo and the Baby". Brian ended up quitting this job after their on-air antics scared away special guest Gore Vidal, and Brian realizes he had sold out for ratings.
[edit] Relationship with Stewie
Brian, in addition to Peter, is close friends with Stewie, the relationship being similar to that of two young men in real life. However, despite him being an infant, Brian has had a haphazard rivalry with Stewie:
- In He's Too Sexy For His Fat, when Stewie becomes overweight, Brian spins him around and around over and over.
- Also, in Screwed the Pooch, during the cold open, he places animal feed into Stewie's pocket, causing the animals to bite/peck at him.
- Another act of cruelty occurs in The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz, when Stewie is relegated to a protective bubble, he is literally kicked out of the house door. Brian also spray-paints his bubble making it impossible for Stewie to see.
- At the end of Patriot Games, Stewie is pushed into a doubledecker bus as revenge for savagely beating Brian earlier in the episode.
Brian has also, though rarely, treated others with similar cruelty, but has never performed this behavior impulsively.
[edit] Death
In "Stewie Griffin the Untold Story", Stewie travels to the future to find that Brian had died. In the movie Brian is seen in heaven sitting at a table with Ernest Hemingway, Vincent Van Gogh and Kurt Cobain. He reveals that he climbed into a dumpster and ate chocolate, because the three were talking about why all three of them committed suicide with firearms. He is intially excited talking to them, but after he hears them explain their suicides, he becomes rather sheepish over his mundane death. However, Stewie changed the future completely, so it is possible that this will never happen.
| Family Guy | |
|---|---|
| Characters | |
| Griffin family: | Peter • Lois • Meg • Chris • Stewie • Brian |
| Griffin relatives: | Francis • Thelma • Bertram |
| Brown family: | Cleveland • Loretta • Cleveland, Jr. |
| Goldman family | Mort • Muriel • Neil |
| Other families: | Pewterschmidts • Swansons |
| Other individuals: | Glenn Quagmire • Herbert • Joe Swanson • Jonathan Weed • Mayor Adam West |
| DVDs and CDs | |
| Off the Cutting Room Floor • Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story • Live in Vegas | |
| Other | |
| Criticism • Episode list • Neologisms • Places • Songs • Voice Actors • Video Game | |
[edit] References
- S. Callaghan Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide : Seasons 1 - 3 New York: Harper Paperbacks, 2005
- A. Delarte, "Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 4" in Bob's Poetry Magazine, 3.January 2006: 11, 14, 17 - 21, 24 - 26 http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs03Ja.pdf
