Blind Ambition (Family Guy)
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“Blind Ambition” is the third episode of season four of Family Guy. The episode broadcast on May 15, 2005.[1] Peter becomes blind after eating an excessive amount of nickels, becoming blind and unkowingly saving Horace from a fire at The Drunken Clam. Meanwhile, Quagmire is forced to refrain for performing his usual sexual behavior after being threatened at the concept of being removed from the neighborhood.[2] Guest stars on the episode included Gina Gershon and Judd Hirsch.[3][4] Overall, the episode received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
At the bowling alley, Mort Goldman bowls a 300 game and becomes an overnight celebrity. When Lois arrives to pick Peter and his friends up, she goes to the toilet, but is interrupted by Quagmire, who is spying on her from the ceiling. Quagmire is arrested, but released shortly after by Joe. After arriving in the neighborhood, Lois, Bonnie and Loretta protest him returning due to his sexual behavior, but agree that he can stay in the neighborhood if he ends his inappropriate behavior. After intense operant conditioning on Quagmire to teach him self control by Peter and his friends, they believe Quagmire to have reformed himself and take him out in public. After being disturbed by women playing in a fountain in the mall, Quagmire runs into a CCTV camera operation room, which monitors woman's changing rooms. After discovering a lady in a fitting room is having a heart attack, he runs to her aid and performs CPR on her, this saving her life and Quagmire being deemed a hero, despite his intentions had been to seduce her unconscious body.
Upset at his friends being well known within Quahog, Peter attempts to set a world record for eating the highest number of nickel eaten by man, but develops nickel poisoning and loses his vision. In an attempt to drown his sorrows, Peter goes to The Drunken Clam with his guide dog and attempts to attach its leash to a parking meter, instead attaching to a homeless person neck, which results in him being killed when the guide dog chases another dog in a vehicle. Unknowing to Peter, The Drunken Clam is on fire, but he enters. Peter saves Horace, the bar owners life, who was trapped under debris, learning from Tom Tucker that the bar was on fire, he realizes this will ensure he will be remembered for something.[2]
Production
During Family Guy's third season, the show was cancelled and, in the event of it ever broadcasting again, five short scripts were written for future episodes in 2001,[5] the synopsis of this episode being one of them.[5] The show received a letter of complaint regarding this episode, mainly because of Quagmire watching Lois go to the toilet,[5] but Chris Sheridan comments that he believed the number of complaints received to have exceeded one.[6] This episode marked the first reappearance of Ernie the Giant Chicken, but had originally been set to broadcast in The Cleveland–Loretta Quagmire, but was moved to this episode because of The Cleveland Loretta Quagmire concluding with a fight between Cleveland and Glen, as well as that episode over-running its time allowance.[3][7][5]
Several gags had been designed showing Peter and his friends attempting to rehabilitate Quagmire, one of these being Brian Griffin transporting a fork-lift truck load of porn magazines away from Quagmire's house.[5] A selection of action figures were created of Peter acting as Gary, The No Trash Cougar.[6] Show producer, David Goodman received many telephone calls regarding the gag of Peter attempting to seduce Chris, believing him to have been his wife, Lois as some viewers saw it as encouraging molestation.[5] God exclaims "Jesus Christ" after vaporising somebody, Jesus then appears and the two run away — this scene had to be animated in that way, as it is prohibited to say 'Jesus Christ' without actually referring to the person himself, so they had to make him respond to God's call in order for it to be suitable for television airing.[5][3]
Cultural references
When Lois is placing toilet paper on the toilet seat of a public washroom at the beginning of the show, it is a reference to the film Copycat. Stewie discovers the Keebler Elves after crashing into the tree, this is a reference to fictional characters: Snap, Crackle and Pop.[3] Beforehand, a ship crashes through Quahog buildings, a reference to Speed 2: Cruise Control.[5][3] Peter discusses Scrubs with Horace in the bar, a show which both Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan have written for, as well as Family Guy.[5] Peter receives his award from Mayor West, the entire scene is a reenactment of the ending of original 1977 Star Wars film A New Hope after Lucasfilm permitted the reproduction of the characters and music.[3] The airplane that kills Ernie the Giant Chicken in the fight is a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark.[7] Stewie being launched into a tree is a reference to The Brady Bunch.[5]
Reception
PopMatters's Kevin Wong gave the episode a positive review, feeling it was better than the two previous episodes of the season. He commented on the fight scene between Peter and Ernie the giant chicken as "a cartoon action sequence to end all cartoon action sequences: vehicles explode and limbs flail as Peter and the chicken beat each other senseless."[8] Blind Ambition was criticized by IGN's Mike Druker, who found that "the long fight with the chicken in Blind Ambition was funny once before, but borderline tiring here". However, Drucker commented that the Star Wars ending was "one of my favorite jokes in the series".[9]
References
- ^ Blind Ambition tv.com. Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
- ^ a b Plot synopsis information for the episode "Blind Ambition" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. 2005.
{{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b c d e f Commentators (2005). Family Guy volume 4 Region 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Blind Ambition" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
{{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Full Cast and Crew. Family Guy: Blind Ambition. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Goodman, David (2005). Family Guy volume 4 Region 1 (Season 4) DVD commentary for the episode "Blind Ambition" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
{{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b Sheridan, Chris (2005). Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Blind Ambition" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
{{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b Callaghan, Steve (2005). Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Blind Ambition" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
{{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ Wong, Kevin (13 June, 2005). "Family Guy". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2008-01-22.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Drucker, Mike (November 29, 2005). "Family Guy – Volume 3". Tv.ign.com. Retrieved 2008-01-15.
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External links
