Stewie Loves Lois
Encyclopedia
"Stewie Loves Lois" is the first episode of the fifth season
of the animated
comedy series
Family Guy
. It originally aired on Fox
on September 10, 2006. The episode features Stewie
after his teddy bear
, which has been destroyed by an unfamiliar dog at the park, is repaired by his mother, Lois
, causing him to become overly affectionate of her. Meanwhile, Peter
gets a prostate exam
from Dr. Hartman, but believes that he has been raped instead, and decides to prosecute his doctor in court.
The episode was written by Mark Hentemann
and directed by Mike Kim. It received mostly negative reviews from critics for its storyline, and many cultural references, in addition to receiving some criticism from the Parents Television Council
. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 9.93 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Ellen Albertini Dow
, Dave Boat
, Phil LaMarr
, Kevin Michael Richardson
and Anne-Michelle Seiler, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
goes to see Dr. Hartman for a vaccine. Although the vaccines are in short supply and must be saved for the elderly, Peter manages to get one anyway (by pretending to fall onto the syringe). While looking through Peter's papers, Hartman realizes that Peter has not had a prostate exam
. Peter agrees to get one, despite not knowing what it involves. Upon receiving the procedure, Peter feels sexually violated
and proceeds to tell Lois
about his ordeal, and she is rather unsupportive and finds it amusing, up to the point to calling him a "fucking idiot". He then suffers a mental breakdown
and tells his friends about the incident, at which point they reveal that Dr. Hartman also "rape
d" them. Peter decides to sue Hartman in a court of law, and Lois is unable to talk him out of it.
In the courtroom, Peter exaggerates the story. The judge is not convinced, and even recalls his own prostate exam being uneventful. However, after further prompting from Peter, the judge "remembers
" being abused and declares Hartman guilty, revoking his license. As Peter celebrates his victory at The Drunken Clam, his frequent need to urinate causes concern among his friends, where Seamus informs him that his prostate may be infected
. However, his lawsuit makes it unlikely that any doctor would treat him, and indeed, not one does. Peter visits Dr. Hartman in disguise and unsuccessfully tries to trick him into giving the exam, but the doctor decides that his Hippocratic Oath
requires him to go ahead with the examination anyway. Peter's constant urinating turns out to be due to a minor infection and blockage caused by Mr. Sulu somehow being up Peter's rectum. In the epilogue, Dr. Hartman's license is reinstated.
Meanwhile, Stewie
plays at the park with his teddy, Rupert. A vicious dog grabs Rupert from him and tears it to shreds. Lois runs after the dog, retrieves Rupert, and repairs him, causing Stewie to rethink all the bad thoughts he's had of Lois. Stewie becomes enamored with her, which she takes as refreshing at first, but eventually, she becomes exhausted and frustrated at his increased dependency and even has a nightmare of murdering him. Taking Brian
's advice, she starts ignoring his demands for attention until he injures himself falling down the stairs; Lois tries to apologize for her behavior, but Stewie is so disgusted by it that it causes him to hate her once again.
, MacFarlane comments that he feels bad about that joke, as just before it was broadcast — Hunt telephoned him on his mobile phone and told him about how much she enjoyed the show, however the gag was not removed due to its expected airing date being so close to when the telephone call was made.
For a reason which was not specified, the sound of Lois's footsteps when going down the basement stairs during her dream of killing Stewie, had to be overcome by Stewie talking more often. This line of Stewie making general conversation in the same scene, was altered several times due to lack of laughter from the audience. MacFarlane comments that the scene of Peter standing up to his teacher who was giving the class a test, is a reference to "80's TV bullshit".
In addition to the regular cast, actress Ellen Albertini Dow
, voice actors Dave Boat
, Phil LaMarr
and Kevin Michael Richardson
, and actress Anne-Michelle Seiler guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Lori Alan
, Alex Breckenridge
, writer Danny Smith
, writer Alec Sulkin
and writer John Viener also made minor appearances.
from the 1960s Batman series
. Throughout the episode, other references are made to fictitious super heroes. In total, three references were made to Star Trek
, all of which involve Star Trek
actor George Takei
's character, Mr. Sulu. When Peter has a flashback about passing his college test he is running around with the song "I'm Free" by Kenny Loggins
playing in the background. This is a reference to the movie Footloose. When Peter is recounting what Hartman did to him, he goes into a flashback in court, and everything turns black and white and grainy: this is a reference to The Accused, starring Jodie Foster
.
Lois makes a reference to Barbara Bush
after waking up from her dream of killing Stewie. She claims "I'm just like that Texas woman who gave her son brain damage by holding him underwater
, I'm just like Barbara Bush". When the fisherman is telling Peter about the serious consequences of not getting a prostate exam, he shows Peter a picture of band Primus
, to which Peter asks him why he carries such random pictures around with him.
The closing credits are a reference to All In The Family
, an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS in the 1970's. At the beginning of the credits, the voice of Peter says "Family Guy was recorded on tape before a live audience" as 'footage' of the city of Quahog is shown.
's Dan Iverson commented that "the Stewie/Lois story was really kind of funny", noting that the scene was "a nice window in on parenting". He describes the scene of Stewie shouting at Brian in Spanish
as being "very funny". However, Iverson criticized the episode, noting that the scene of Peter giving his story in court went from just "creepy and awkward to just plain disturbing". The episode received a final rating by Iverson of 4.5/10. 9.93 million people watched this episode in the US on its first airing ranking #2 on FOX that night behind The Simpsons
, this episode was the highest rated of season five.
Family Guy (season 5)
Family Guy fifth season first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" and finished with "Meet the Quagmires"...
of the animated
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
comedy series
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. It originally aired on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on September 10, 2006. The episode features Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
after his teddy bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
, which has been destroyed by an unfamiliar dog at the park, is repaired by his mother, Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
, causing him to become overly affectionate of her. Meanwhile, Peter
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
gets a prostate exam
Rectal examination
A rectal examination or rectal exam is an internal examination of the rectum such as by a physician or other healthcare professional.-Procedure:...
from Dr. Hartman, but believes that he has been raped instead, and decides to prosecute his doctor in court.
The episode was written by Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann is an American animation writer. Hentemann is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy...
and directed by Mike Kim. It received mostly negative reviews from critics for its storyline, and many cultural references, in addition to receiving some criticism from the Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 9.93 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Ellen Albertini Dow
Ellen Albertini Dow
Ellen Albertini Dow is an American character actress. She often portrays feisty old ladies and is perhaps best known as the rapping grandmother who performs in the feature film The Wedding Singer...
, Dave Boat
Dave Boat
-Animated Roles:* Danny Phantom - Vortex* Family Guy - Rupert, Additional Voices* The Super Hero Squad Show - Thor, Trapster, Thing, John Porter, Uatu, Galactus' Mother, Captain Liechtenstein, Baron Mordo, Dracula, Doc Samson, Man-Thing* T.U.F.F...
, Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
, Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
and Anne-Michelle Seiler, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
Plot
Quahog becomes the subject of a flu epidemic, and PeterPeter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
goes to see Dr. Hartman for a vaccine. Although the vaccines are in short supply and must be saved for the elderly, Peter manages to get one anyway (by pretending to fall onto the syringe). While looking through Peter's papers, Hartman realizes that Peter has not had a prostate exam
Rectal examination
A rectal examination or rectal exam is an internal examination of the rectum such as by a physician or other healthcare professional.-Procedure:...
. Peter agrees to get one, despite not knowing what it involves. Upon receiving the procedure, Peter feels sexually violated
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
and proceeds to tell Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
about his ordeal, and she is rather unsupportive and finds it amusing, up to the point to calling him a "fucking idiot". He then suffers a mental breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
and tells his friends about the incident, at which point they reveal that Dr. Hartman also "rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d" them. Peter decides to sue Hartman in a court of law, and Lois is unable to talk him out of it.
In the courtroom, Peter exaggerates the story. The judge is not convinced, and even recalls his own prostate exam being uneventful. However, after further prompting from Peter, the judge "remembers
Confabulation
Confabulation is the process in which a memory is remembered falsely. Confabulations are indicative of a complicated and intricate process that can be led astray at any given point during encoding, storage, or recall of a memory. Two distinct types of confabulation are often distinguished...
" being abused and declares Hartman guilty, revoking his license. As Peter celebrates his victory at The Drunken Clam, his frequent need to urinate causes concern among his friends, where Seamus informs him that his prostate may be infected
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
. However, his lawsuit makes it unlikely that any doctor would treat him, and indeed, not one does. Peter visits Dr. Hartman in disguise and unsuccessfully tries to trick him into giving the exam, but the doctor decides that his Hippocratic Oath
Hippocratic Oath
The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by physicians and other healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine ethically. It is widely believed to have been written by Hippocrates, often regarded as the father of western medicine, or by one of his students. The oath is written in...
requires him to go ahead with the examination anyway. Peter's constant urinating turns out to be due to a minor infection and blockage caused by Mr. Sulu somehow being up Peter's rectum. In the epilogue, Dr. Hartman's license is reinstated.
Meanwhile, Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
plays at the park with his teddy, Rupert. A vicious dog grabs Rupert from him and tears it to shreds. Lois runs after the dog, retrieves Rupert, and repairs him, causing Stewie to rethink all the bad thoughts he's had of Lois. Stewie becomes enamored with her, which she takes as refreshing at first, but eventually, she becomes exhausted and frustrated at his increased dependency and even has a nightmare of murdering him. Taking Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
's advice, she starts ignoring his demands for attention until he injures himself falling down the stairs; Lois tries to apologize for her behavior, but Stewie is so disgusted by it that it causes him to hate her once again.
Production
When Stewie is fantasizing about murdering and harming Lois, he performs several karate and kung-fu moves. This is a reference to an individual whom Mark Hentemann, a writer for Family Guy, used to know. He was the boy who would come to school, car washes or other events and tell stories about the people who he had been in physical fights with. During the scene when Stewie describes Lois as being the female version of Bonnie HuntBonnie Hunt
Bonnie Lynne Hunt is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host.- Early life :...
, MacFarlane comments that he feels bad about that joke, as just before it was broadcast — Hunt telephoned him on his mobile phone and told him about how much she enjoyed the show, however the gag was not removed due to its expected airing date being so close to when the telephone call was made.
For a reason which was not specified, the sound of Lois's footsteps when going down the basement stairs during her dream of killing Stewie, had to be overcome by Stewie talking more often. This line of Stewie making general conversation in the same scene, was altered several times due to lack of laughter from the audience. MacFarlane comments that the scene of Peter standing up to his teacher who was giving the class a test, is a reference to "80's TV bullshit".
In addition to the regular cast, actress Ellen Albertini Dow
Ellen Albertini Dow
Ellen Albertini Dow is an American character actress. She often portrays feisty old ladies and is perhaps best known as the rapping grandmother who performs in the feature film The Wedding Singer...
, voice actors Dave Boat
Dave Boat
-Animated Roles:* Danny Phantom - Vortex* Family Guy - Rupert, Additional Voices* The Super Hero Squad Show - Thor, Trapster, Thing, John Porter, Uatu, Galactus' Mother, Captain Liechtenstein, Baron Mordo, Dracula, Doc Samson, Man-Thing* T.U.F.F...
, Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
and Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
, and actress Anne-Michelle Seiler guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Lori Alan
Lori Alan
Lori Alan , sometimes credited as Lori Allen, is an American voice actress who provides the voice of news anchor Diane Simmons on Family Guy, various voices on Hey Arnold!, and SpongeBob SquarePants as Pearl....
, Alex Breckenridge
Alex Breckenridge
Alexandra "Alex" Breckenridge is an American film and television actress, photographer and voice artist. Noted for her role as Willa McPherson on the television series Dirt, she also had a supporting role on the short lived series The Ex List...
, writer Danny Smith
Danny Smith (writer)
Daniel "Danny" Smith is an executive producer, writer and voice actor on the American animated television series Family Guy. He has been with the show since its inception and throughout the years has contributed many episodes, such as "Holy Crap", "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz", "Chitty...
, writer Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin is an American television writer. Most notable for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, he has also contributed to The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane....
and writer John Viener also made minor appearances.
Cultural references
During the scene when a car is about to fall off a cliff, Robin the Boy Wonder appears and attempts to save the people. However, upon arrival, he is criticized as he will not be able to save them: this is a reference to the portrayal of RobinRobin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
from the 1960s Batman series
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
. Throughout the episode, other references are made to fictitious super heroes. In total, three references were made to Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, all of which involve Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
actor George Takei
George Takei
George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...
's character, Mr. Sulu. When Peter has a flashback about passing his college test he is running around with the song "I'm Free" by Kenny Loggins
Kenny Loggins
During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...
playing in the background. This is a reference to the movie Footloose. When Peter is recounting what Hartman did to him, he goes into a flashback in court, and everything turns black and white and grainy: this is a reference to The Accused, starring Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster
Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster is an American actress, film director, producer as well as a former child actress....
.
Lois makes a reference to Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
after waking up from her dream of killing Stewie. She claims "I'm just like that Texas woman who gave her son brain damage by holding him underwater
Andrea Yates
Andrea Yates is a former Houston, Texas resident who killed her five children on June 20, 2001 by drowning them in the bathtub in her house. She had been suffering for some time with very severe postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis...
, I'm just like Barbara Bush". When the fisherman is telling Peter about the serious consequences of not getting a prostate exam, he shows Peter a picture of band Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
, to which Peter asks him why he carries such random pictures around with him.
The closing credits are a reference to All In The Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, an American sitcom that originally aired on CBS in the 1970's. At the beginning of the credits, the voice of Peter says "Family Guy was recorded on tape before a live audience" as 'footage' of the city of Quahog is shown.
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Dan Iverson commented that "the Stewie/Lois story was really kind of funny", noting that the scene was "a nice window in on parenting". He describes the scene of Stewie shouting at Brian in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
as being "very funny". However, Iverson criticized the episode, noting that the scene of Peter giving his story in court went from just "creepy and awkward to just plain disturbing". The episode received a final rating by Iverson of 4.5/10. 9.93 million people watched this episode in the US on its first airing ranking #2 on FOX that night behind The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, this episode was the highest rated of season five.