Peter, Chris, & Brian

"Peter, Chris, & Brian" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth season of the animated sitcom Family Guy, and the 254th episode overall. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 8, 2015, and is written by Patrick Meighan and directed by Joe Vaux.^[1]

Plot

Peter receives a letter from his late mother Thelma's estate, stating that her house is being sold, and he is upset since he has a box of pornography stashed there. At the Drunken Clam, he tells his friends the problem and convinces them to assist him in breaking into the house to find the porn. Before they put their plan into action, the current owner finds them and upon learning about why they're at his house, he hands the porn over to them. While Peter is watching the porn (and quickly getting turned off by it), he discovers a videotape that he recorded as a teenager and notices all the ways that his childhood dreams didn't come true, leaving him feeling like an aging loser. As the young Peter dances to the song "Danger Zone" while twirling nun chucks around, Chris mimics his actions. Peter then decides he will make sure Chris becomes successful and doesn't repeat his mistakes.

Peter starts his mission by keeping Chris from watching TV, much to Lois' annoyance. He progresses his mission by making Chris dress up in flashy clothing and wear giant top hats while walking in high steps. When Brian discovers the plan, he advises Peter to let Chris follow his own way to life. Peter misinterprets his advice, thinking that Chris would be better off if he followed Brian around and do the same things he does. Brian, although unsure at first, agrees to this. Chris and Brian have a splendid time together with smart activities, such as doing art and solving a complex math question. When Chris and Brian come home for supper, Chris begins acting like Brian, making Peter proud of his successful mission. He suggests a celebration by throwing tater tots at a newborn infant giant panda at the zoo, only for Chris to turn him down in favor of going to a terrible film screening with Brian, disappointing Peter.

Jealous of Chris and Brian's bonding, Peter rues his plan to make Chris a success and wants his son back. He tries to win Chris over with a "World's Greatest Son" mug, but he has 'son' misspelled as 'sun'. His attempt to provide Kate Upton for Chris also proves to be a failure, as Chris is more attracted to Catherine Keener. During his latest attempt, Peter says to Lois that, although Chris now has a successful future ahead of him, he misses the old Chris and, unknown to Peter, Chris overhears this. At a book club, Brian starts giving inaccurate details about a book the club is reading, much to Chris's annoyance, prompting him to covertly confront Brian and eventually stop bonding with him. Chris sees Peter throwing tater tots at the infant panda at the zoo, and they reconcile when Chris mentions about how Peter isn't afraid to be his foolish self around others, which makes him Chris' role model, much to Peter's joy.

Back at the Griffin home, the family (minus a silent Meg) begin talking about the morality of being true to one's self while Tom Tucker is talking over them on the television commenting how studies have been telling that merely turning your head and speaking to the "fat and gross family members" will not deactivate a functioning television. This leads to Stewie to shut it off as Tom quotes "There we go."

Reception

The episode received an audience of 2.58 million, making it the fourth most watched show on Fox that night behind Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bob's Burgers and The Simpsons episode "Friend with Benefit".^[2]

References