Brian Goes Back to College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Brian Goes Back to College”
Family Guy episode

Brian studies for his exams, while Stewie enjoys college life.
Episode no. Season 4
Episode 15
Written by Matt Fleckenstein
Directed by Greg Colton
Production no. 4ACX18
Original airdate November 13, 2005
Season 4 episodes
Family Guy - Season 4
May 1, 2005 – May 21, 2006
  1. North by North Quahog
  2. Fast Times at Buddy Cianci, Jr. High
  3. Blind Ambition
  4. Don't Make Me Over
  5. The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire
  6. Petarded
  7. Brian the Bachelor
  8. 8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter
  9. Breaking Out Is Hard to Do
  10. Model Misbehavior
  11. Peter's Got Woods
  12. Perfect Castaway
  13. Jungle Love
  14. PTV
  15. Brian Goes Back to College
  16. The Courtship of Stewie's Father
  17. The Fat Guy Strangler
  18. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz
  19. Brian Sings and Swings
  20. Patriot Games
  21. I Take Thee Quagmire
  22. Sibling Rivalry
  23. Deep Throats
  24. Peterotica
  25. You May Now Kiss the...Uh...Guy Who Receives
  26. Petergeist
  27. Untitled Griffin Family History
  28. Stewie B. Goode (1)
  29. Bango Was His Name Oh! (2)
  30. Stu and Stewie's Excellent Adventure (3)
← Season 3 Season 5 →
List of Family Guy episodes

"Brian Goes Back to College" is the fifteenth episode of Family Guy 's fourth season. The episode originally aired on Sunday November 13, 2005. Guest stars on the show were Ralph Garman, Mark Hentemann and Phil LaMarr.[1] The episode was described by show creator Seth MacFarlane to be "a real treat for The A-Team fans."[2] The episode contained several connections with The New Yorker; in response, they wrote a friendly article about the episode.[3] The plot consists of Peter, Joe, Cleveland, and Quagmire winning a costume contest dressed as characters from The A-Team, and deciding to improve their community by continuing to act like the characters of the show. Brian is hired by The New Yorker, but is later dismissed as he did not complete college, so he returns to finish his education.[4]

Contents

[edit] Plot

Peter, Joe, Cleveland, and Quagmire attend a costume contest as characters from The A-Team. Peter and his friends find Brian, who is writing a report for the local newspaper. When Peter and his friends win the costume contest, Brian writes a report about it, and is later telephoned by a member of The New Yorker, who tell him they would like him to work for their magazine. Brian is initially given a warm welcome by the staff, but he is immediately fired after he informs them he never graduated from college. Meanwhile, disappointed at no longer being able to be The A-Team, Peter decides to become an unofficial A-Team alongside Joe, Cleveland and Quagmire, and decide to help their local community. Peter designs of replica of the van used by The A-Team.

After encouragement from Lois, Brian decides to return to College in order to complete his education so he can return to The New Yorker. Stewie, unknowing to Brian, returns to college with him and is briefly replaced by Gary Coleman, when Stewie enjoys college life. Brian's new teacher takes an instant disliking to him, but his opinion of Brian quickly changes after he cheats on a test and gets a high mark. Brain goes to tell his teacher that he cheated, but was interrupted, and the teacher tells him Brian has inspired him, and he was so depressed that he was planning to commit suicide. Brian eventually cracks under the pressure of a final test and knowing he will only pass if he cheats, he decides to return home with Stewie. A shocked Lois attempts to encourage him to go back and finish the test, and eventually chases him away with a vacuum cleaner.

Brian ends up exercising for hours with the help of Stewie, but realises his test is only a few hours away. He becomes stressed at being late for his exam, so Lois persuades Peter to revive The A-Team and drive Brian to his test, which is successful, and Brian arrives on time. He fails his test, but remains proud of himself for not cheating, much to the dismay of the family, who tell him that he probably should have cheated.

[edit] Production

Several people who were involved in the production of the original A-Team worked with show producers for this episode. Ron Jones wrote the music during the scene of Peter and his friends helping the man in the bar, Jones had also written music for the actual The A-Team series in the 1980s.[2]

This episode marks the third appearance of Brian's wheelchair-bound teacher. He originally appeared in the episode Ready, Willing, and Disabled and Brian The Bachelor when playing in the Special Olympics and attempting to become a candidate for The Bachelorette. The professor's and his wife's voices were not played by a real person; they were made from a generic computer system in the studio.[2] A deleted scene was animated which showed the professor informing Brian that he once had a student who was identical to him, but instead took human form and had a mustache. David Goodman commented this as being a pretty strange gag.[2][5] Several viewers contacted Greg Colton, a Family Guy director, asking him if Roger Williams Park (a real public park in Rhode Island) was due to be demolished. He commented that one couple were extremely worried, because they were due to have their wedding there.[6] The title of the episode was originally meant to be "Brian Goes Back to College and Stewie Goes With Him," but it was changed.[7]

[edit] Cultural references

The episode is based on the 1980s American drama series The A-Team.[2] When the introduction sequence of The A-Team was made for Family Guy, it took the writers and producers several attempts to animate it correctly. The background images used were real images used from The A-Team introduction sequence.[2] When Brian is thrown out of The New Yorker offices, he is informed that he is fired, and Shepherdson adds a sign to the door reading No Dogs Allowed. Brian then goes to a doghouse on a field and lies on top, a reference to Snoopy in 1972 film, Snoopy, Come Home. When Brian is shown to be exercising heavily at a ski resort under the supervision of Stewie, he climbs the mountain then shouts from the top, this complete scene is a reference to Rocky IV.[2] Also, in one scene, Peter fires his gun inside the house, creating a hole in which Chris falls through from upstairs. This could be a parody of the shoot through the floor trick use in the 1993 movie Nemesis, in which Olivier Gruner's character shoots bullets through the floor, enabling him to fall through the hole the bullets make.

A reference of Ashlee Simpson's lip sync screw up on Saturday Night Live is made, where Ol' Man River is played while she is trying to sing.

[edit] Reception

This episode did not receive much reception from its creators or third parties; however, The New Yorker wrote a friendly response article to this episode, as they were the main subject. The New Yorker appeared to take no offense at the episode, and did not retaliate.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Brian Goes Back to College: Recurring roles.. TV.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-15.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h MacFarlane, Seth. (2005). Family Guy Season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Brian Goes Back to College" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  3. ^ Franklin, Nancy. American idiots. The New Yorker.. Retrieved on 2007-11-24.
  4. ^ Brian Goes Back to College. BBC Programmes.. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  5. ^ Goodman, David. (2005). Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Brian Goes Back to College" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  6. ^ Colt, Greg. (2005). Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Brian Goes Back to College" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
  7. ^ Fleckenstein, Matt. (2005). Family Guy Season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Brian Goes Back to College" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.

[edit] External links