Chitty Chitty Death Bang
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| Family Guy Episode | |||
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| "Chitty Chitty Death Bang" | |||
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| Episode no.: | 3 | ||
| Prod. code: | 1ACX04 | ||
| Airdate: | April 18, 1999 | ||
| Writer(s): | Danny Smith | ||
| Director: | Dominic Polcino | ||
| Guest star(s): | John O'Hurley | ||
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"Chitty Chitty Death Bang" is the third episode from season one of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. Guest starring John O'Hurley as the cult leader.
[edit] Plot summary
Lois has booked Cheesie Charlie's for Stewie's upcoming first birthday party and sends Peter (along with Chris to drop off the deposit check at the restaurant. However, once they arrive, Peter sports an attitude that causes the manager to give their reservation to someone else - a move Peter later realizes will infuriate Lois. Meanwhile, Stewie misinterprets the meaning of his birthday and assumes that the same mysterious "Man in White" who delivered him as an infant will be returning to force Stewie back into the womb from which he escaped just one year ago. Also, Meg, who has been having trouble fitting in at school, discovers a new friend named Jennifer.
Peter covers his ass by telling Lois that they don't need to have Stewie's party at Cheesie Charlie's because he's already planned an extravagant party at home. Meanwhile, Stewie makes it all the way to the airport before deciding that he should face "The Man in White" after all. Peter tries desperately, but ultimately unsuccessfully, to put together a party in time for Stewie's birthday. He finally reroutes a circus into the Griffins' backyard, saving the day - that is, until he reveals to Lois that he gave Meg permission to go to a party at her friend's house. Lois, who wanted the whole family together for Stewie's party, is upset with Peter for letting Meg go. What Peter and Lois don't realize is that Meg's "party" is actually a cult meeting where all the members are about to commit group suicide.
Peter goes to retrieve Meg from her "party", oblivious to the fact that he is sparing her life in the process. The Cult Leader chases after them (wearing his ceremonial white robe) and is mistaken by Stewie as "The Man in White". Stewie does away with him and, feeling victorious, joins the others to enjoy his party.
[edit] Cultural references
- The title of the episode is a reference of the movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
- When Peter talks to Meg about not fitting in, he has a flashback to the West Side Story's unique way of gang fighting, complete with finger-snapping.
- When Peter jumps in the ball pit, he yells "Hong Kong Phooey!"
- Waylon Jennings narrates the fight over the Dukes of Hazzard watch, as he narrated the TV show.
- In his excuse for losing the Cheesy Charlie's reservation, Peter tells a huge lie villainizing the establishment as some kind of strange cannibalistic Nazi-affiliated torture chamber (headed by a vicious devil-looking man) and then quotes Bruce Banner before transforming into The Incredible Hulk. Upon hearing Peter's story, Brian declares him to be the "Spalding Gray of crap".
- Brian chases the chuck wagon from the commercials for Purina Chuck Wagon dog food.
- Stewie's cry of "It's A Boy!", as well as a textbook method of describing the sex of a newly-born baby, is the tagline, and a line used by Freddy in a similar situation, from A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.
- When Peter sees the band Hanson on his front lawn, he says, "Holy crap, it's the Children of the Corn!!" and proceeds to shoot all three of them with a shotgun. Peter's line refers to the 1984 Stephen King book/movie Children of the Corn where children would kill adults for the glory of their god, a demon they call He Who Walks Behind the Rows.
- The cult is a reference to both:
- the Peoples Temple cult which committed mass suicide in 1978 with potassium cyanide-laced Flavour Aid commonly erroneously referred to as Kool-Aid.
- the Heaven's Gate (cult), who also committed mass suicide. Many members of the cult submitted to voluntary castration (in show, Jennifer mentions that the male members are eunuchs). The cult leader in the show resembles Marshall Applewhite.
- Peter's attempt to get pigs to go in a petting zoo for Stewie's birthday party is a parody of the fairy tale Three Little Pigs.
- When Peter comes to the third little pigs house, the door swings open. But before he can enter, a paint can comes and hits him in the head. This is a reference to the first two Home Alone movies, where the boy uses paint cans on ropes to knock the burglars off stairs.
- The scene where the sperm cells are fighting to get into the egg cell is a parody of the final battle in Star Wars.
- The cities Stewie has designated "BOMB HERE" appear to be London, Paris and Berlin, with the fourth city being undeterminable (see goofs below).
[edit] Goofs
- When Peter and Chris are leaving Cheesy Charlie's, all of the arcade games in the background are the same, even though they're walking away.
- When Lois tells Meg she can't go to Jennifer's party, she turns herself around in her chair so she's facing Meg instead of the table. After the camera cuts to Meg for a split second, it cuts back to show that Lois is facing the table again.
- On Stewie's map, the southeastern portion of the map is not drawn accurately - political as well as geographical lines are not drawn accurately, and bodies of water are not all the same color (noteably, the English Channel and North Sea are a different color than the Tyrrhenian Sea).
[edit] References
- Callaghan, Steve. "Chitty Chitty Death Bang." Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1-3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 22 - 25.
- Delarte, Alonso. "Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 1." Bob's Poetry Magazine March 2005: 9 - 10. http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs02Mr.pdf
| Preceded by: "I Never Met the Dead Man" |
Family Guy Episodes | Followed by: "Mind over Murder" |
