Saving Private Brian

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“Saving Private Brian”
Family Guy episode

Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 4
Guest stars	Louis Gossett, Jr., Macaulay Culkin
Written by	Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Directed by	Cyndi Tang
Production no.	4ACX34
Original airdate	November 5, 2006
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List of Family Guy episodes

"Saving Private Brian" is the 4th episode of season 5 of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. The title is a parody of the film Saving Private Ryan.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

A US Army recruiter visits Chris' school, giving a picture of army life consisting of women in bikinis, money, and Oscar awards (with the disclaimer, "your experience may differ"). Chris is impressed, and tells his parents he wants to join. They are opposed to the idea, and decide to find another activity to distract him.

Peter notices a metal band practicing at the school, and introduces Chris. They doubt Chris can sing, but are impressed by his scream when Peter drops a piano on Chris' foot. The band, Splash Log, is a hit with Chris singing "Evil, Evil Monkey" at a school dance, but the noise and antisocial attitude Chris picks up bothers Lois and Peter. They notice he's a fan of Marilyn Manson, so they confront Manson at the Grammy Awards. He goes back to the house to talk to Chris. Manson encourages Chris to respect his parents and be a responsible citizen. Manson suggests that Peter and Chris share an activity like fishing.

Meanwhile, Brian is outraged by the army's distortions, and, along with Stewie, goes to the recruiting station to complain. However, Stewie is impressed by the guns and enlists himself and Brian. Brian does poorly at boot camp and plans to desert, but Stewie encourages him to stay. They pass basic training and are deployed to Iraq, but attempt to get discharged. Fortunately for them, democracy abruptly kicks in exactly as George W. Bush predicted, allowing them to go home.

[edit] Notes

Vern and Johnny, an Old Time vaudeville duo that had appeared in many previous episodes, are killed by Stewie in this episode, after which he says, "Okay, they're dead, alright? You're not gonna be seeing 'em again." In the DVD commentary for the episode The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz one of the commentators says "God rest their souls" when they appear in that episode, in regards to their deaths in this one. The DVD was released nine days after the episode aired.
The scene showing an Iraqi terrorist about to behead an American on camera (only to be stopped by democracy kicking in in Iraq) is an obvious reference to the beheadings of Nicholas Berg, Jack Hensley, and Eugene Armstrong.
The song "Evil, Evil Monkey" is a reference to the Evil Monkey that lives in Chris' closet.
A cutaway shows Peter in Dr Katz's office receiving therapy saying how much he wants to hit Meg (though he already has on a few occasions), then comments that Dr. Katz's skin is moving, a reference to the "Squigglevision" animation used in his series.
The democracy kicking in montage is similar to a scene in an American Dad episode Stan of Arabia: Part 2, American Dad being another of Seth McFarlane's creations.
When Brian plans on deserting the army, Stewie states "They will come after you, just like how Peter went after that Hockey Coach." After nothing happens, Stewie inquires, "What? No clip? I thought we had a clip," which is poking fun at criticism of how they cut away so often for jokes.

[edit] Goofs

The Soldier who notifies them that democracy has broken out in Iraq has both the insignia of a general on his collar and a sergeant first class on his sleeve.
When Brian and Stewie are running, the cadence caller is on the wrong side of the formation. (In the U.S. Army, the person controlling a group of marching or running Soldiers and calling the cadence is on the left side of the formation.)

[edit] Cultural references

The army recruiting video shown to Chris's school plays an instrumental version of Def Leppard's hit 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'
Peter refers to Mickey Rooney.
Brian accuses Stewie of trying to plagiarize from The Onion.
The sergeant's banter with Brian includes lyrics from Tina Turner's "Private Dancer", and Primus' "Sgt. Baker".
Muddy Waters tries to pass a kidney stone; his screams of pain form a call and response with the Chicago blues band in his bathroom.
The boot camp scene uses some of the dialogue from similar scenes in Full Metal Jacket and An Officer and a Gentleman.
The birthday telegram delivery by Zinedine Zidane is a reference to his headbutt of Marco Materazzi during the 2006 FIFA World Cup final.
During the obstacle course Brian rides a unicycle, solves a Rubik's Cube, plays Perfection, finds Waldo, offers a couple eating salad at a dinner table some fresh pepper, and consoles a woman who was just dumped by her boyfriend.
Also during the obstacle course, the theme to the film Stripes plays. The music to the film was written by Elmer Bernstein.
When the Griffins are looking for Marilyn Manson at the Grammys some well known musicians are seen in the background which include Bob Geldof, Michael Jackson, MC Hammer, Ashlee Simpson, Will Smith and Sisqó.
When the Grammy host annunciates that Ja Rule wins the Grammy for the biggest posse Madonna gets jealous because she missunderstood the word "posse".
While in Chris's room Lois and Peter repeat lines from a popular Wu-Tang Clan song titled "Bring Da Ruckus" found on Chris's floor.
When Brian and Stewie are running in boot camp, the cadence is: West Side Story, Anything Goes, two of our favorite Broadway shows. Miss Saigon and Cabaret, over-rated, I should say. The march then turns into choreographed dancing to "Mambo" from "The Dance at the Gym" in West Side Story.
After a suicide bomber blows himself up near Stewie and Brian, part of Stewie's distress call is "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman", an obscure soap opera satire from the mid-seventies. He also says "Charlie Tango Cash," which references to the 1989 film Tango & Cash starring Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell.
Stewie misunderstands the location of their deployment to be "Fraggle Ir-rock", rather than Iraq.
A cutscene mentions Gregory Peck where he is driving a car with his children, who are all Gregory Pecks.
A reference is made to Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst on the sign for the Grammys, which does not welcome him.
The scene where the drill sergeant discovers a half-eaten bird in Brian's footlocker parodies a similar scene in Full Metal Jacket where a jelly donut is discovered instead of a half-eaten bird.
The drill sergeant's "steers and queers" remark also parodies Full Metal Jacket, and the earlier An Officer and a Gentleman.
After Chris falls through the floor at the school dance, Mayor West is seen playing poker with the dogs from a famous painting by C. M. Coolidge.