Whistle While Your Wife Works
Encyclopedia
"Whistle While Your Wife Works" is the fifth episode of season five of Family Guy
. The show originally aired on November 12, 2006. The plot follows Peter losing his fingers after an accident while holding fireworks
. Behind on his work and threatened with the possibility of dismissal, he asks Lois to catch up on his work for him, to which she agrees. However, he repeatedly attempts to seduce her, eventually succeeding, distracting her from the work. Meanwhile, Brian begins dating a woman named Jillian, much to Stewie's delight as she lacks general knowledge and intelligence.
The episode was written by Steve Callaghan
and directed by Greg Colton
. It received mostly mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
, the episode was viewed in 9.04 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Drew Barrymore
, Bobby Costanzo, Barclay DeVeau, Carrie Fisher
, Anne-Michelle Seiler and Audrey Wasilewski
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
falls during the theme song and injures a stage dancer (consequently puncturing her lung
). Also, Stewie
comes towards the camera screen and suggests they cut from the opening sequence.
Quagmire
returns home from a holiday in Florida
and tells Peter that he has smuggled
some fireworks
into Quahog by hiding them in his anus
(it's unknown if it was painful defacating them out). Peter tells him that fireworks are not illegal in Quahog, so he did not need to hide them and could have just brought them in normally, but Quagmire does not see any fun in doing that. Later on, the Griffins and Quagmire start to play with the firworks. Peter attaches ten M-80s
together and shows Quagmire, but they explode, detaching all the finger
s from his right hand. With Joe's help, Peter is able to find his fingers and later gets them reattached to his hand. The next day, Peter celebrates getting his fingers reattached by going to The Drunken Clam with Cleveland
, Joe and Quagmire, but when the bar closes, the four decide to continue their celebrations at Pawtucket Brewery. Peter is behind on his work at the brewery and is threatened with the prospect or he is finished it means fired if he fails to catch up, so asks Lois
to help him. When Lois agrees to help Peter catch up with his work, Peter attempts to seduce her numerous times. Later at the brewery, after a final attempt to seduce Lois in his office, Lois gives in and they have sex
in front of their co-worker Opie, who runs away screaming.
Meanwhile, Stewie finds out that Brian
has a new girlfriend. Brian allows Stewie to meet his new girlfriend, Jillian. Stewie discovers she is a dumb blonde
, and mocks Brian. Jillian visits the household where Peter and Chris
take an instant liking to her while Lois and Stewie find her stupidity amusing. The next day, Brian goes out with Jillian, where he meets her equally unintelligent friends. Stewie tells Brian that the relationship will not succeed. Brian visits Jillian's apartment to end the relationship (with Stewie waiting in his car), but he is distracted by her naked
body when she answers the door and he has sex with her instead. Stewie realizes this when he returns three hours later, turns on the radio, and starts singing to the tune of Gary Numan
's "Cars
": "Brian had sex/With a really dumb girl/Now he's taking his friend Stewie/To get some ice cream/In his car." After Brian turns off the radio, Stewie responds "Oh, you're a poor sport.".
. When Stewie exclaims "it's like she's fucking five," this was not set to broadcast at its original air date, but rather added in at a later date for unknown reasons. When Stewie is entertaining the elderly citizens
by singing a song entitled "there's a hole in the bottom of the sea," this is actually Seth MacFarlane
's father playing the guitar, as he used to sing it to Seth when he was a child. During the making of this episode, not much thought was put into the character of Jillian, despite the fact she was always meant to be recurring character; although her regular appearances throughout season 5 were described as "a big thing for Family Guy."
In addition to the regular cast, actress Drew Barrymore
, voice actor Bobby Costanzo, voice actor Barclay DeVeau, actress Carrie Fisher
, voice actress Anne-Michelle Seiler and actress Audrey Wasilewski
guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors John G. Brennan
, writer Mark Hentemann
, writer Danny Smith
, writer Alec Sulkin
and writer John Viener made minor appearances.
track that, unlike most Family Guy
episodes, this episode has no cultural references or references to real-world events except for Chris calling Meg "David Koresh
" when they play with fireworks and the cutaway of Peter, Joe, Quagmire, and Cleveland spending last Saturday with the Lord of Darkness from Legend
. There was also a discussion that the gang had about the show Wings while swimming in the beer tank. Quagmire admits that he is the most knowledgeable about the show because he is a pilot and the show focuses on two pilots. When Peter goes to look at his secret stash of pornography
, the intro from Get Smart
is referenced. Stewie asks Brian if Jillian has an alibi
, and Brian says no. Stewie starts singing the song "U.G.L.Y.
", understanding that Jillian does not have an alibi. Brian sets up a cutaway when he says that breaking up with Jillian will be tougher than the reviews for Our American Cousin
. The ensuing gag shows the actors looking for mention of their play following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
.
. The episode also acquired a 3.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic, slightly being edged out by The Simpsons
, while still winning over American Dad!
.
IGN
's Dan Iverson gave a mixed review, commenting that "it is only passable" and that "it did not have that laugh out loud funny" concept. However, Iverson positively comments that the voice of Jillian by Drew Barrymore
was perfect. Iverson added that it's "pretty humorous in this episode was how they made fun of mediocre films." In conclusion, Iverson gave the episode a final rating of 6.9/10. The press release for this episode commented that Jillian is a "very attractive but intellectually challenged," giving no negative comments. The entire scene of Buzz Killington discussing bridges to Peter and his friends in a flashback is Barrymore's favorite scene.
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...
. The show originally aired on November 12, 2006. The plot follows Peter losing his fingers after an accident while holding fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
. Behind on his work and threatened with the possibility of dismissal, he asks Lois to catch up on his work for him, to which she agrees. However, he repeatedly attempts to seduce her, eventually succeeding, distracting her from the work. Meanwhile, Brian begins dating a woman named Jillian, much to Stewie's delight as she lacks general knowledge and intelligence.
The episode was written by Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan
Steve Callaghan is an American screenwriter, producer and voice actor, best known for his work on Family Guy. He is a graduate of the Department of Public Policy at the UCLA School of Public Affairs...
and directed by Greg Colton
Greg Colton
Greg Colton is an American animation director. Colton is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy....
. It received mostly mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, the episode was viewed in 9.04 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
, Bobby Costanzo, Barclay DeVeau, Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
, Anne-Michelle Seiler and Audrey Wasilewski
Audrey Wasilewski
Audrey Wasilewski is an American actress and voice actress.-Life and career:Wasilewski's first role came in the 1994 Japanese animated film Heisei tanuki gassen pompoko, where she was one of the additional voices dubbed in English...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
Plot
The opening title sequence is different from many other episodes in that 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....
falls during the theme song and injures a stage dancer (consequently puncturing her lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
). Also, 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....
comes towards the camera screen and suggests they cut from the opening sequence.
Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
returns home from a holiday in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and tells Peter that he has smuggled
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
some fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
into Quahog by hiding them in his anus
Anus
The anus is an opening at the opposite end of an animal's digestive tract from the mouth. Its function is to control the expulsion of feces, unwanted semi-solid matter produced during digestion, which, depending on the type of animal, may be one or more of: matter which the animal cannot digest,...
(it's unknown if it was painful defacating them out). Peter tells him that fireworks are not illegal in Quahog, so he did not need to hide them and could have just brought them in normally, but Quagmire does not see any fun in doing that. Later on, the Griffins and Quagmire start to play with the firworks. Peter attaches ten M-80s
M-80 (explosive)
M-80s are a class of large firecrackers, sometimes called salutes. The Simulator, Artillery, M80, was originally made in the early 20th century by the U.S. Military to simulate explosives or artillery fire; Later, M-80s were manufactured as fireworks...
together and shows Quagmire, but they explode, detaching all the finger
Finger
A finger is a limb of the human body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates....
s from his right hand. With Joe's help, Peter is able to find his fingers and later gets them reattached to his hand. The next day, Peter celebrates getting his fingers reattached by going to The Drunken Clam with Cleveland
Cleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
, Joe and Quagmire, but when the bar closes, the four decide to continue their celebrations at Pawtucket Brewery. Peter is behind on his work at the brewery and is threatened with the prospect or he is finished it means fired if he fails to catch up, so asks 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...
to help him. When Lois agrees to help Peter catch up with his work, Peter attempts to seduce her numerous times. Later at the brewery, after a final attempt to seduce Lois in his office, Lois gives in and they have sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
in front of their co-worker Opie, who runs away screaming.
Meanwhile, Stewie finds out that 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...
has a new girlfriend. Brian allows Stewie to meet his new girlfriend, Jillian. Stewie discovers she is a dumb blonde
Dumb blonde
The blonde stereotype, the stereotypical perception of blond-haired women, has two aspects. On one hand, over the history, blonde hair in women has been considered attractive and desirable...
, and mocks Brian. Jillian visits the household where Peter and Chris
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
take an instant liking to her while Lois and Stewie find her stupidity amusing. The next day, Brian goes out with Jillian, where he meets her equally unintelligent friends. Stewie tells Brian that the relationship will not succeed. Brian visits Jillian's apartment to end the relationship (with Stewie waiting in his car), but he is distracted by her naked
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
body when she answers the door and he has sex with her instead. Stewie realizes this when he returns three hours later, turns on the radio, and starts singing to the tune of Gary Numan
Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
's "Cars
Cars (song)
Fear Factory, an American industrial metal band, recorded a version of "Cars" and released it as the second single from their third studio album, Obsolete. The song was only included as a bonus track on the limited edition digipak re-release of Obsolete and would be instrumental in breaking Fear...
": "Brian had sex/With a really dumb girl/Now he's taking his friend Stewie/To get some ice cream/In his car." After Brian turns off the radio, Stewie responds "Oh, you're a poor sport.".
Production
The character of Jillian was altered several times by the show producers before its original airing; however, the final character personality was designed to be that of "a bulimic cheerleader." The character of Jillian was also designed to be "not the brightest bauble on the tree," but this too was repeatedly changed. The description of Jillian's voice being that of a bulimic cheerleader somewhat relates to a future episode plot, where Stewie calls Jillian fat, to which she responds by leaving the room and throwing upVomiting
Vomiting is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose...
. When Stewie exclaims "it's like she's fucking five," this was not set to broadcast at its original air date, but rather added in at a later date for unknown reasons. When Stewie is entertaining the elderly citizens
Old age
Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...
by singing a song entitled "there's a hole in the bottom of the sea," this is actually Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
's father playing the guitar, as he used to sing it to Seth when he was a child. During the making of this episode, not much thought was put into the character of Jillian, despite the fact she was always meant to be recurring character; although her regular appearances throughout season 5 were described as "a big thing for Family Guy."
In addition to the regular cast, actress Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
, voice actor Bobby Costanzo, voice actor Barclay DeVeau, actress Carrie Fisher
Carrie Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher is an American actress, novelist, screenwriter, and lecturer. She is most famous for her portrayal of Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy, her bestselling novel Postcards from the Edge, for which she wrote the screenplay to the film of the same name, and her...
, voice actress Anne-Michelle Seiler and actress Audrey Wasilewski
Audrey Wasilewski
Audrey Wasilewski is an American actress and voice actress.-Life and career:Wasilewski's first role came in the 1994 Japanese animated film Heisei tanuki gassen pompoko, where she was one of the additional voices dubbed in English...
guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors John G. Brennan
John G. Brennan
John G. Brennan , a.k.a. Johnny B., is an American actor, film writer, and voice actor. He is a member of the Jerky Boys prank call duo, with Kamal Ahmed, who formed in 1989 and split up in 2001, but reformed in 2006...
, writer 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...
, 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 made minor appearances.
Cultural references
Show creator Seth MacFarlane claims on the DVD commentaryAudio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
track that, unlike most 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...
episodes, this episode has no cultural references or references to real-world events except for Chris calling Meg "David Koresh
David Koresh
David Koresh , born Vernon Wayne Howell, was the leader of a Branch Davidian religious sect, believing himself to be its final prophet. Howell legally changed his name to David Koresh on May 15, 1990. A 1993 raid by the U.S...
" when they play with fireworks and the cutaway of Peter, Joe, Quagmire, and Cleveland spending last Saturday with the Lord of Darkness from Legend
Legend (film)
Legend is a 1985 fantasy film released by Universal Pictures, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Cruise, Mia Sara, and Tim Curry. Though not a very notable success when first released, it received a single Academy Award nomination for Best Makeup, and since its initial release, has developed...
. There was also a discussion that the gang had about the show Wings while swimming in the beer tank. Quagmire admits that he is the most knowledgeable about the show because he is a pilot and the show focuses on two pilots. When Peter goes to look at his secret stash of pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, the intro from Get Smart
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
is referenced. Stewie asks Brian if Jillian has an alibi
Alibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
, and Brian says no. Stewie starts singing the song "U.G.L.Y.
U.G.L.Y.
"U.G.L.Y." is a song by American recording group Daphne & Celeste, from their full-length studio album We Didn't Say That! . The song was written and composed by Michele Chiavarini, Tracy Kilrow, Michael Marz and Burkes, while the song's producer was Chiavarini...
", understanding that Jillian does not have an alibi. Brian sets up a cutaway when he says that breaking up with Jillian will be tougher than the reviews for Our American Cousin
Our American Cousin
Our American Cousin is an 1858 play in three acts by English playwright Tom Taylor. The play is a farce whose plot is based on the introduction of an awkward, boorish but honest American, Asa Trenchard, to his aristocratic English relatives when he goes to England to claim the family estate...
. The ensuing gag shows the actors looking for mention of their play following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
Reception
In a slight improvement over the previous week, the episode was viewed in 9.04 million homes in its original airing, according to Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
. The episode also acquired a 3.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic, slightly being edged out by 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...
, while still winning over American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
.
IGN
IGN
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 gave a mixed review, commenting that "it is only passable" and that "it did not have that laugh out loud funny" concept. However, Iverson positively comments that the voice of Jillian by Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
was perfect. Iverson added that it's "pretty humorous in this episode was how they made fun of mediocre films." In conclusion, Iverson gave the episode a final rating of 6.9/10. The press release for this episode commented that Jillian is a "very attractive but intellectually challenged," giving no negative comments. The entire scene of Buzz Killington discussing bridges to Peter and his friends in a flashback is Barrymore's favorite scene.