Blind Ambition

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Blind Ambition”
Family Guy episode

Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 53
Guest stars	Gina Gershon and Judd Hirsch
Written by	Steve Callaghan
Directed by	Chuck Klein
Production no.	4ACX04
Original airdate	May 15, 2005
Episode chronology
← Previous	Next →
"Fast Times at Buddy Cianci, Jr. High"	"Don't Make Me Over"
List of Family Guy episodes

"Blind Ambition" is the third episode of Season 4 of Family Guy. Guest stars Gina Gershon and Judd Hirsch portray themselves.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

During a trip to the bowling alley, in which Mort Goldman bowls a 300 game with Peter and his friends, Lois goes to the ladies' restroom. While placing toilet paper on the seat, she repeatedly hears someone muttering "giggity." She finally looks up to see Quagmire suspending himself from the ceiling and watching her. Lois, Loretta and Bonnie join forces to demand his eviction from the neighborhood, but Peter protests.

After another protracted fight with the giant chicken first seen in a lengthy flashback from the second season episode "Da Boom", Peter convinces the women to allow him to try to reform Glenn. After intensive operant conditioning therapy (consisting of a whirling ceiling fan being placed just above his nude groin while being shown pornography) Glenn seems to be able to function in normal society again.

As a test, his friends take him to a local mall, where his is repeatedly tempted by provocative situations such as scantily clad lesbian cheerleaders splashing water at each other and making out and a mother breastfeeding her baby. Overwhelmed, Glenn flees only to find himself in the mall's security control room, staring at dozens of closed-circuit television monitors from women's dressing rooms. He sees a woman collapse and rushes to her location, saving her life and becoming a hero, even though he was just using the opportunity to take advantage of her.

Peter grows jealous of his friends' heroic achievements (Joe's continuous medals, Quagmire's heroism, Mort's 300 game, and even Cleveland's job as a Sotheby's auctioneer—in which he was previously a fast-talker—until a totem pole accident rendered his speech into his slow monotone) and attempts to secure his own fame by setting a world record for the most nickels eaten. Unfortunately, he soon loses his sight due to nickel poisoning. Later, the Drunken Clam catches on fire (after God accidentally strikes and vaporises a woman with lightning while flirting), trapping Horace. The oblivious Peter ties his guide dog, Brutus, to a nearby hobo (which he mistakes for a parking meter) and enters the flaming bar. After hearing Horace's cries for help, Peter pulls him free of the debris and carries him to safety. Peter is hailed as a hero, given an award by the mayor, and regains his vision from an eye transplant (from the hobo who was strangled and dragged to death by his guide dog).

[edit] Cultural references

The chicken shouldn't know Peter, because in the end of Da Boom, it is said the whole episode was a dream. However, that part of the episode was a flashback, so it may have occurred even though the events of the episode didn't.
Peter's victory over the giant chicken with the help of a plane's propeller blades parodies a scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the ship plowing through buildings mirrors the end of Speed 2: Cruise Control.
Peter's 'Flying Machine' is a parody of a famous piece of stock footage also parodied in The Simpsons episode: Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming.
Stewie catches the Keebler Elves plotting against Snap, Crackle and Pop, later on it is implied that Snap was killed during the ambush by the Keebler Elves.
Gary the No-Trash Cougar's slogan, "Give a larbage, throw out your garbage," is based on Woodsy Owl's "Give a hoot, don't pollute." Woodsy previously appeared in E Peterbus Unum.
The entire final scene in which Peter receives his award is a reenactment of the ending of the original 1977 Star Wars film (A New Hope), complete with John Williams' music, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and R2-D2. (The episode first aired the Sunday before the release of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith). In the same fashion, the credits were done to the Star Wars theme and style.
In Quagmire's mugshot, his prisoner number is BK4454813. This was the same case number given to British actor Hugh Grant, after he got arrested in June 1995 for picking up prostitute Divine Brown.
At the bowling alley, Peter sees Judd Hirsch working on a missile below the lanes. Later in the show, the Keebler Elves plot against Snap, Crackle and Pop, "assuming Judd Hirsch delivers with the goods". Judd Hirsch voiced himself in this episode.
One of the world's fattest twins says he is trying Atkins, a high-protein diet that has been very popular in recent years. The other twin comments that Atkins is 'not good for you', which highlights the common criticism of the controversial diet. The twins are representations of real twins, the late Billy and Benny McCrary.
'Crappy days', in the Cracked magazine, is a parody of Happy Days, as stated.
Peter spent a week with Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Batman in the Fortress of Solitude from the Superman movies. Peter interrupts their meeting, in which the heroes are disgussing how to foil Lex Luthor in a "Goldfinger" style plan, and asks Superman to use his powers to pick up Mr. Pibbs and Cheez-Its, because it is a 800 mile drive for him, but 5 seconds for them, referencing the speed The Superhero possesses.
The NBC sitcom Scrubs is mentioned briefly in this episode. When the Drunken Clam has caught on fire, Peter being unaware of the danger he is in makes conversation with the panicking Horace saying "Hey Horace, you ever seen that show Scrubs? I dunno Lois was watching it. Anyway I was watching it and I remember thinking...which one's the funny guy?"