Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington

"Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington"

“Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington” is an episode of Family Guy. The title parodies the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Guest-starring Alyssa Milano as herself, Ricky Blitt as her agent, Joel, and Jack Sheldon as the Bill.

Plot summary

Peter is almost fired from the toy factory for skipping work to go to a baseball game. But the El Dorado Cigarette Company takes over the toy factory and Peter is retained.

El Dorado immediately starts making toys to promote underage smoking. Lois is concerned and prods Peter to confront the management about it, but when he does, the El Dorado board makes Peter president of the toy company to distract him. Included with the new jobs are perks that make Lois forget her opposition. Brian however is not swayed, and pledges to quit smoking.

When El Dorado holds a meeting, they reason that the only way to communicate with the idiots in Congress is to send someone just as dumb, and they decide to send Peter. Lois remembers the company's abuses after she catches Stewie smoking, and she and Stewie follow Peter to Washington, D.C. Peter is easily able to communicate with the congressmen. Peter prepares to deliver his speech on the floors of congress assembled, but sees Stewie in the back and he finally realizes that he has not only started smoking but has developed a hacking cough. He tells Congress to reject El Dorado's proposal, and Congress imposes a fine on the company for promoting underage smoking.

Goofs

• At the baseball stadium scene, Peter is sitting on the second seat, Lois is sitting on the third seat and Stewie is sitting on the fourth seat. But after the Mike Tyson cutaway, Peter is sitting on the first seat, Lois is sitting on the second seat and Stewie is sitting on the third seat. There was also a boy who was sitting next to Stewie on the fifth seat. In a shot, the boy is not sitting there, but a man who is on the fourth seat.

Cultural references

• The episode’s title is a reference to the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
• A cutaway shows an episode of the 1950s/1960s children’s television series Lassie with subliminal pro-smoking messages. Subliminal advertising was a popular urban legend during the early days of television.
• Two of the perks the El Dorado company gives to the Griffins are Martha Stewart as a housekeeper, and a micro-thin coating of Teflon on the inside of the house to make it easier to clean.
• A flashback shows Peter giving false testimony at the 1991 confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Clarance Thomas, where Thomas’ alleged sexual harassment of former aide Anita Hill became an issue. After his lies are called out, he screams “Baba Booey! Baba Booey! Howard Stern’s penis! Baba Booey! Baba Booey!” Stern encourages listeners to interrupt high-profile political and media events and give him publicity, often shouting “Baba Booey,” the nickname of Stern’s producer Gary Dell’Abate, as a codeword.
• According to Seth McFarlane on the DVD commentary, the Bush and Gore scene originally was going to predict that Gore would win the election, because as McFarlane put it, “We never thought that Bush could actually fucking win.”
• Peter says that, since he’s been president, “profits have been higher than Alyssa Milano,” referring to tabloid accusations about the actress’s drug abuse. In a live-action scene, Milano appears as herself and urges her lawyer to sue the Fox Network. Her lawyer was played by the episode’s writer, Ricky Blitt.
• The series of magazine ads features:
  • Peter as a parody of the Marlboro Man.
  • Peter drawn like Joe Camel.
  • Peter in an ad with the slogan “You’ve come a long way honey” which is similar to the motto for Virginia Slims.
• When the tobacco executives decide to send Peter to Washington as a lobbyist, they parody the opening of the old sitcom That Girl from 1966.
• The scene where there is an anthropomorphic legal bill singing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol Building is a reference to the 1970s educational cartoon series Schoolhouse Rock!
• Another pop culture reference is to the comic strip Dilbert, depicting the strip's characters as not being funny.
• When the committee chooses Peter to represent them in Washington D.C., the boss exclaims "That Guy!". As Peter's about to put his tongue in the fan, the scene freezes & then goes into the opening theme song (including lyrics) of That Girl, with Peter stepping in for Marlo Thomas.

References

• S. Callaghan, “Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington.” Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1–3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 136–139.
• A. Delarte, “Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 3” in Bob’s Poetry Magazine, 2.August 2005: 37–38 http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs02Au.pdf