Death Has a Shadow
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| “Death Has a Shadow” | |
|---|---|
| Family Guy episode | |
 |
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| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Guest stars | None |
| Written by | Seth MacFarlane |
| Directed by | Peter Shin |
| Production no. | 1ACX01 |
| Original airdate | January 31, 1999 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "N/A" | "I Never Met the Dead Man" |
| List of Family Guy episodes | |
"Death Has a Shadow" was the first episode of the FOX animated television series Family Guy, which first aired after Super Bowl XXXIII, on 31 January 1999. Much of this episode is based on Seth MacFarlane's original pitch to FOX.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
When Peter is invited to a stag party, Lois allows him to go, but only on the condition that he refrain from drinking while he's there. At the party, Peter breaks his promise and wakes up the next morning with a large hangover, causing him to fall asleep at his job as a toy inspector at the Happy-Go-Lucky Toy Company.
Peter's negligence costs him his job, but he can't bring himself to tell Lois about having been fired. After hiding his unemployed status for a while, Peter realizes he'll need some source of income, so he decides to go on welfare. When he receives his first check, Meg points out that due to a clerical error Peter is receiving $150,000 per week from the government.
Peter goes on a spending spree, telling Lois that he actually got a raise. But when Lois catches wind on what's really going on, she's furious. Peter realizes he has to make things right, so he decides to return the money to taxpayers by dropping the cash from a blimp into the crowd at the Super Bowl, which only results in the blimp being shot down, and a riot among the game patrons storming the field for the falling cash. Peter was subsequently arrested by the police.
Peter was indicted and went on trial for welfare fraud and gives an impassioned speech in his own defense. But when the judge threatens to put both Peter 'and' Lois away for a long time, Stewie (who grudgingly realizes his own dependence on his parents) uses his mind control raygun on the judge to make him realize taking Peter and Lois away from him would be unjust.
[edit] Notes
- Throughout the episode Peter's eyes seem to be different sizes. For example, after he licks the butter rum ice cream, and when he's watching the Tom Hanks movie.
[edit] Original Pilot
- This episode is different from the originally pitched pilot, in various details, such as running time and color choices. For example: Lois has blonde hair, her shirt is purple and her pants are green; Meg's cap is blue instead of pink, and her shirt is white; Stewie is wearing purple dungarees instead of red. Chris' personality is much different, as he was initially intended to be a fraternity boy. He is also wearing shorts. The animation was produced by Film Roman.
- Although Quagmire is not referred to by name, he tempts Peter to drink at the party. He and Cleveland can be spotted in the court scene.
- "Bullshit" is completely heard in the pilot. But in the TV version, just as he says "shit", the audience drowns his voice out. All that is heard is, "Aw, that is bull-".
- In the pitch version, Cleveland makes a cameo as one of the fathers with "brain implants" who came in to the Griffins house.
- Quagmire's appearance in the pitch version hardly looks like himself. His appearance in this version is a regular person.
- Some characters' voices are different, including Mr. Weed, Meg and Chris in the pitch version.
- Tom Tucker was named Mike Tucker.
- Tom and Diane had a different appearance in the pitch version.
- In the pitch version, the family already knows that Peter is going to a stag party.
- Lois knows about Peter being fired in the pitch version. In the TV version, she did not know.
- In the pitch version, during the cutaway of Peter and his family watching Philadelphia, instead of "everything", he says "anything".
- Meg Griffen's was provided by Tara Strong for the Original Pilot, before when she went on the real episodes of this show.
[edit] Cultural references
- The family watches an episode of The Brady Bunch in which the children are disciplined, prompting Peter to say "The worst we have are Jemima's Witnesses", a play on Jehovah's Witnesses and Aunt Jemima pancakes.
- At Peter's job, a co-worker creates a new toy line known as "G.I. Jew." His catchphrase is "you call these bagels?", delivered in a voice similar to Woody Allen's.
- In a commercial, Peter says "I'm caca for Cuckoo Puffs!", a reference to the breakfast cereal Cocoa Puffs's slogan.
- Bill Clinton, President of the United States at the time, is shown as drunk and hostile at a press conference. When a large reporter asks why Clinton is so popular (at the time, his poll approval ratings were at a high 69 percent[1]), he responds with "Probably because you're so fat!" This cut-scene was also shown in one of the later episodes.
- A kid is holding a box labeled "Pound Poochies", a reference to the late-1980's children's toy, Pound Puppies.
- The incident of a man confronting a tank during Tiananmen Square protest is shown in a cut-scene.
- Lois talks to the mail-woman about the moat Peter built, and how "It does keep the Black Knight at bay!" is a reference to either King Arthur or Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
- At the Super Bowl, Pat Summerall and John Madden (who called Super Bowl XXXIII prior to the episode's premiere) comment on the fictional game shown in the episode.
- The Kool-Aid Man shows up in the courtroom.
[edit] References
- Callaghan, Steve. "Death Has a Shadow." Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1-3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 14 - 17.
- Delarte, Alonso. "Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 1." Bob's Poetry Magazine March 2005: 7 - 8. http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs02Mr.pdf
| Preceded by: N/A (Series premiere) |
Family Guy episodes | Followed by: I Never Met the Dead Man |
