Chitty Chitty Death Bang

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“Chitty Chitty Death Bang”
Family Guy episode

Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 3
Guest stars	John O'Hurley Waylon Jennings
Written by	Danny Smith
Directed by	Dominic Polcino
Production no.	1ACX04
Original airdate	April 18, 1999
Episode chronology
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"I Never Met the Dead Man"	"Mind over Murder"
List of Family Guy episodes

"Chitty Chitty Death Bang" is the third episode from season one of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. Guest starring John O'Hurley as the cult leader. The title is a possible reference to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Lois has booked Cheesie Charlie's for Stewie's upcoming first birthday party and sends Peter (along with Chris) to drop off the deposit check at the restaurant. However, once they arrive, Peter sports an attitude that causes the manager to give their reservation to someone else - a move Peter later realizes will infuriate Lois. Meanwhile, Stewie misinterprets the meaning of his birthday and assumes that the same mysterious "Man in White" who delivered him as an infant will be returning to force Stewie back into the womb from which he escaped just one year ago. Also, Meg, who has been having trouble fitting in at school, discovers a new friend named Jennifer.

Stewie turns his birthday party into a disco dance for his first birthday candle wish.

Peter covers his mistake up by telling Lois that they don't need to have Stewie's party at Cheesie Charlie's because they are Nazis who torture, kill and kidnap people. He pretends that he's already planned an extravagant party at home. Meanwhile, Stewie makes it all the way to the airport before deciding that he should face "The Man in White" after all. Peter tries desperately, but ultimately unsuccessfully, to put together a party in time for Stewie's birthday. He finally reroutes a circus into the Griffins' backyard, saving the day - that is, until he reveals to Lois that he gave Meg permission to go to a party at her friend's house. Lois, who wanted the whole family together for Stewie's party, is upset with Peter for letting Meg go. What Peter and Lois don't realize is that Meg's "party" is actually a cult meeting where all the members are about to commit group suicide.

Peter goes to retrieve Meg from her "party", oblivious to the fact that he is sparing her life in the process. The Cult Leader chases after them because he doesn't want to die alone (wearing his ceremonial white robe) and is mistaken by Stewie as "The Man in White". Stewie does away with him and, feeling victorious, joins the others to enjoy his party.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Notes

While in the womb, Stewie writes "Day 171" in his journal. Taken at face value, this would mean Lois was about 5 1/2 months pregnant.

[edit] Cultural references

When Peter talks to Meg about not fitting in, he has a flashback to the West Side Story's unique way of gang fighting, complete with finger-snapping.

When Peter jumps in the ball pit, he yells "Hong Kong Phooey!"

Waylon Jennings narrates the fight over the Dukes of Hazzard watch, as he narrated the TV show.

In his excuse for losing the Cheesy Charlie's reservation, Peter tells a huge lie villainizing the establishment, culminating with a quote of Bruce Banner before transforming into The Incredible Hulk. Upon hearing Peter's story, Brian declares him to be the "Spalding Gray of crap".

Brian chases the chuck wagon from the commercials for Purina Chuck Wagon dog food.

Stewie freezes an airport worker in carbonite, a reference to Star Wars.

Stewie's cry of "It's A Boy!", as well as a textbook method of describing the sex of a newly-born baby, is the tagline, and a line used by Freddy in a similar situation, from A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.

The cult is a reference to both:
- the Peoples Temple cult which committed mass suicide in 1978 with potassium cyanide-laced Flavour Aid commonly erroneously referred to as Kool-Aid.
- the Heaven's Gate (cult), who also committed mass suicide. Many members of the cult submitted to voluntary castration (in show, Jennifer mentions that the male members are eunuchs). The cult leader in the show resembles Marshall Applewhite.

When Peter comes to the third little pig's house, the door swings open, but a paint can comes and hits him in the head; a reference to the first two Home Alone movies, where the boy uses paint cans on ropes to knock the burglars off stairs.

The scene where the sperm cells are fighting to get into the egg cell is a parody of the final battle in Star Wars.

A sound that was deleted from the episode occurred in the scene with Lois asking Stewie what he wanted for his birthday wish. You can then hear several people doing a Hitler salute, while in future broadcast and DVD versions the sound was removed.

[edit] Goofs

While Meg is talking to Jennifer in her house, she is shown for a second without her glasses.
When Peter and Chris are leaving Cheesy Charlie's, all of the arcade games in the background are the same, even though they're walking away.
When Lois tells Meg she can't go to Jennifer's party, she turns herself around in her chair so she's facing Meg instead of the table. After the camera cuts to Meg for a split second, it cuts back to show that Lois is facing the table again.
On Stewie's map of places to bomb (London, Berlin, and a third city), the southeastern portion of the map is not drawn accurately - political as well as geographical lines are not drawn accurately, and bodies of water are not all the same color (noteably, the English Channel and North Sea are a different color than the Tyrrhenian Sea).
After Stewie remembers when he went into Lois' womb, the page his book is on is about 1/3rd written, when the camera angle changes, it is fully written.
During the scene where Stewie is writing in his diary, he has a yellow shirt on, and his overalls are on his pillow. But when the picture changes to a close-up on him, he's in his pyjamas, and the overalls are nowhere in his crib.

[edit] References

Callaghan, Steve. "Chitty Chitty Death Bang." Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1-3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 22 - 25.
Delarte, Alonso. "Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 1." Bob's Poetry Magazine March 2005: 9 - 10. http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs02Mr.pdf