Holy Crap

Holy Crap is an episode from the FOX animated series Family Guy. This was the ninth episode of Family Guy to be aired. It was produced for season one and aired in season two. After this episode, FOX put the series on hiatus, and then new episodes were shown irregularly thereafter. Guest starring Charles Durning as Francis Griffin, Dwight Schultz as the Pope, Carlos Alazraqui as Mr. Weed and Florence Stanley as Thelma Griffin (the wife of Francis Griffin).

Plot summary

Peter's religiously devout father Francis is forced to retire from his job at the mill. Peter brings his dad to live with his family (much to Lois' chagrin, since Francis hates her because she's Protestant and Peter is Catholic) and immediately problems start. He yells at Chris for masturbating in the bathroom when he is merely defecating, makes Meg feel guilty for holding hands with a neighbor boy, and tells Stewie bedtime stories of the punishments that await sinners in Hell. Chris becomes convinced that defecation is a sin, while Stewie becomes fascinated with God and his "evil powers." When Francis is hired at the Happy-Go-Lucky Toy Factory where Peter works, he displays excellent proficiency and, when he is made foreman, he fires Peter and the two have a big argument. Francis tells Peter he's a failure as a worker and a father. Peter, fed up with his father, says he may not be perfect but at least he loves his family enough to put them before work. Peter also says that he's a "damn good father" and that's more than anyone could ever say about Francis. Peter decides to "kidnap" the Pope. He accomplishes this by taking the place of the Pope's regular driver. The driver has a medical condition where he will pass out for some time if hit (or tapped) on the head. Peter brings the Pope back to his house and His Holiness attempts to mediate his problems.

Peter and Francis reconcile at the end, and Francis is hired for a job with the Pope's tour of the United States. Francis becomes a security guard for the Pope, pushing down random people and people who are allowed to be near the Pope, who are in the way, including FOX personnel, much the Pope and viewers' dismay. At the end of the episode, Peter's mom shows up at the door and wishes to live with the family, prompting them to jump in a pod to escape.

Notes

The character of Francis Griffin could be compared to the character of Joseph from Wuthering Heights. Both characters are very old, with a strong accent and uses the Bible to make people do what they want.
Patrick Warburton, who voices Joe Swanson on the show, appears in this episode voicing Superman (whom he also voiced on a commercial for American Express with Jerry Seinfeld).
This episode marks the first appearance of Vern, the Vaudeville Guy; his piano-playing partner, Johnny, does not appear until the episode "Blind Ambition".
At the end of the episode:
- When the Pope is walking to the church, an atheist symbol is seen on on the building behind him.
- When Peter's mom knocks on the door and demands entry, it is nighttime. However, a few seconds later when the family jumps into the pod and is launched, it is daytime.
In the scene where Peter's mom is shown gambling, she uses the profanity "goddamn", which is uncensored.
Francis Griffin next appears in the episode "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz" (and has a cameo in "The Perfect Castaway" with Thelma for the mourning of Peter, Cleveland, Joe and Quagmire). He also makes another (and last) appearance in "Peter's Two Dads", where he is killed after Peter falls on him. It is also revealed in that episode that he is not Peter's biological father.
During the scene in which the Pope enters the Griffin household, Lois greeted the Pope by calling him His Holiness, but she is a Protestant.
Although the Pope at the time was Pope John Paul II, the pope in this episode had a resemblance to Pope John XXIII.

Cultural references

After Brian mentions the Old Testament story in which "God told Abraham to kill Isaac", a cutaway shows President Abraham Lincoln shooting bartender Isaac from The Love Boat.
Peter uses a Curious George story for one from the Bible while trying to impress his dad.
Peter imagines his father-son business with himself as Lamont Sanford and his father as Fred G. Sanford of Sanford and Son.
The back of the jacket of one of the Pope's road managers reads "Pope-a-Palooza", a reference to the alternative rock festival Lollapalooza.
Peter drives the Pope past the death squad from the movie Cool Hand Luke.
The Pope comments that he doesn't think that he is in Boston, and Peter supposedly points out Harvard, but instead points to a barn. When the Pope says "That's just a barn", Peter replies "Ohh, someone went to Yale!", a reference to the fierce rivalry between Yale and Harvard.
Mirroring the end of The Wizard of Oz, Peter gives encouraging talks to the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman, but instead of the Cowardly Lion, he compliments out-of-the-spotlight actress Kristy McNichol.
The sequence in which Peter exclaims "To the Popemobile!" parodies sequences in which Batman and Robin rush to the Batmobile in the 1960s Batman television series (which starred Family Guy cast member Adam West). It can also be interpreted as a fairly obscure reference to a Monty Python sketch The Bishop (read transcript here[1], watch here[2]).
Peter takes his family along with Francis to a Pawtucket Red Sox game. Although, when buying a Hot Dog, he refers to it as a "Fenway Frank". Fenway Franks are only sold under that name at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts which is home to the Boston Red Sox.
The two father-son teams that finish ahead of Peter and the stalk of corn in the three-legged race are named Hamill and Lawson. This may be a reference to Mark Hamill and Denis Lawson, the actors who played Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antillies, respectively, in the original Star Wars Trilogy.

References

Callaghan, Steve. “Holy Crap.” Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1–3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 47–49.
Delarte, Alonso. “Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 2.” Bob’s Poetry Magazine May 2005: 7–8. http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs02My.pdf