The Best Family Guy Episode

Family Guy has finally made a triumphant return with a new season on Fox, complete with all the bawdiness, political incorrectness and adult content that has always defined this cartoon from all the other formulaic drivel so often found on TV. With bizarre yet creative interjections of random scenes woven into the main plotline, sharp dialogue and unusual characters, Family Guy is not only strangely hilarious but also a pointed critique of many aspects of American culture.

While there have been many great episodes throughout the history of Family Guy, which began in 1999, and there will hopefully be many more in the Family Guy future, one particular episode from season 2 stands out as a true classic, and possibly the best episode of the series.

"Road to Rhode Island," released originally in May of 2000, captures the best of Family Guy because it focuses primarily on Stewie and Brian, it depicts a story about coming to terms with one's past rather than a plot with an overtly moral message, and it's full of memorable lines and moments that demonstrate the irreverent and unique humor of this animated hit.

The Plotline

Road to Rhode Island opens with the family dog, Brian, a learned individual who talks, drinks and acts like any other fortysomething, reminiscing in his shrink's office about being taken away from his mother while still a young puppy. Grappling with his abandonment issues, his insecurity is clear as his emotions flare from sad to anxious to confrontational. To take his mind off things and get a change of scenery, Brian offers to pick up Stewie, the baby, from his grandparents' place in

Palm Springs , thereby letting mom Lois off the hook to get some much needed rest. (As the episode's subplot, she attempts to improve communication between her and Peter, the husband and father of the family, by getting self-help tapes that turn out to be soft-core porn. Ironically, this brings them closer together than any preachy programs could have.)

Back in

Palm Springs , in the airport waiting for their plane back to

Providence , Brian gets drunk in the airport bar, he and Stewie miss the flight and must spend the night in a trashy motel, from which they are forced to flee when their credit card is rejected. While traveling in the back of a truck packed with immigrants, they pass

Austin, Texas , which is where Brian was born and then taken from as a puppy. Believing this to be fate, the pair finds the farm from which Brian came so he can reconcile his feelings with his mother. Once they get there Brian finds peace by learning that his mother loved him and only gave him up so he could have a better life.

Unfortunately, they also learn that his mother died recently, and in a macabre twist, she has been stuffed and is being used as an end table next to the couch. Horrified, Brian steals her rigid body and they bury her properly. That night, Stewie and Brian travel home in a boxcar, indulge in a song-and-dance number about their trip, and arrive back in

Rhode Island with no one the wiser to their adventures. Woven into this seemingly basic story are the characteristics that make it great: Brian and Stewie's personalities, a universal but non-judgmental story, and a plethora of hilarious moments.

Quality Characters

Although "Family Guy" is full of funny characters, Stewie and Brian are the most original and help define the show's individuality from other sitcoms and cartoons. While Peter's buffoonery is constantly entertaining, he will always pale in comparison to Homer Simpson, who still captures the stereotypical clueless American perfectly. Lois too resembles her Simpson counterpart Marge in that she passed up a life of privilege and didn't capitalize on her artistic talents, choosing instead to dedicate her life to her overweight, underachieving and dimwitted husband. The other kids Chris and Meg are amusing for their utter stupidity and inescapable nerdiness respectively, but Stewie and Brian are truly unique individuals.

As the homicidal genius with an English accent, burning desire to ruthlessly rule the world, as well as unmistakable homosexual tendencies, Stewie defies all usual portrayals of infants or young children. He can build elaborate devices from weapons to time machines and delights in murderous violence, but he also believes his teddy bear Rupert is real and once mistook a fantasyland on a children's show for an actual place. In "Road to

Rhode Island ," he leaves Rupert in charge of the bags while he searches for Brian (who he finds drunk in the bar), and then is surprised when the bags have been stolen upon his return. (The plane tickets having been stolen along with the bags is what leads him and Brian to stay in the trashy motel.) By having this character, the diabolical mastermind/naïve child, as a centerpiece of the episode, the story is funny and also sickly twisted.

Brian's character also stands out from the others as a complex individual with many sides. As an intellectual, he is smarter and wiser than the other characters, including his best friend Peter, and can appreciate the finer things in life. This intelligence also leaves him feeling stifled as a simple house dog, and multiple episodes focus on his need for personal fulfillment. Conversely, he is a reckless epicurean who smokes and drinks excessively. Conflicted and cynical yet knowledgeable and caring, Brian embodies many human qualities and reflects aspects of ourselves or people we know even more than the other, one-dimensional characters. Since "Road to Rhode Island" centers around his emotional problems from his childhood, his response to these feelings with abundant drinking and his journey to resolve them, this episode displays remarkable depth of character in a cartoon.

By focusing on these two dynamic and original individuals, this episode remains interesting and comical, since the interaction between them is so varied. On one level, they're both very intelligent and can communicate equally; on another, Stewie's evil nature clashes with Brian's kind pragmatism, and while the former is still an inexperienced baby, the latter is a seasoned adult. With the emphasis on these two characters, "Road to

Rhode Island " depicts the most fascinating individuals on the show.

A Story, Not a Message

Simply put, this episode is a story about coming to terms with one's ambivalence towards one's parents and finding closure to personal pain. There is no explicit moral lesson, which is usually found in a cartoon plot. This is not to say that all morals in cartoons are bad, quite the opposite in fact: Cartoons are a great medium for teaching children right from wrong and they express ideas and situations that couldn't be done with real actors. This is why so many cartoons have become legendary for their comedy and artistry (i.e. "Looney Tunes" and "The Simpsons"). But "Family Guy" is not meant for children and it has plenty of episodes with morals. "Road to

Rhode Island " is distinguished by being different. Its simplicity defines it and leaves it as a snapshot to be enjoyed. By not getting bogged down with any particular message, this episode is just funny and even touching, but not preachy.

Classic Moments

No matter how great the structure and premise are, the most important part of a comedy is how funny it is. In this crucial aspect, "Road to

Rhode Island " doesn't disappoint. Once in the motel, Stewie is determined to call Lois for some money, but since he can't remember his own phone number, he dials every number combination starting with 111-1111, 111-1112 and so on, cursing each time Lois does not answer on the other end. While in the process of stealing a car from the motel parking lot, Stewie and Brian casually discuss whether a navy blue car is worthy of being taken, with Stewie in favor of it since "it doesn't show dirt." As they're burying Brian's stuffed mother, Stewie's eulogy consists of Abraham asking God to speak louder, and then his declaration, "I never knew Biscuit as a dog, but I did know her has a table."

At other points in the episode, Brian crashes a small plane into two cows in a field, Stewie frames his grandparents' housekeeper for theft, and they sing about their exploitation by Fox and how Stewie is "an intellectual who craps inside his pants." These are lines and scenes that surprise and entertain, especially since the words and actions are coming from an infant and a dog. While it might not be funny to watch a regular person get drunk, leer at women and vomit, it's strangely comical when a dog does it. Here is where the structure and premise pay off: Since the episode is focused on unusual characters without moral pretense, there is plenty of room for a story about loss and an emotional journey to be made sardonic and funny. So while enjoying the new episodes of "Family Guy" remember to watch this season 2 classic, if only to see an infant throw a dog into a running shower and slap him out of a drunken stupor. What other show has that?