Lethal Weapons

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See also: Lethal Weapon

“Lethal Weapons”
Family Guy episode

Episode no.	Season 3 Episode 35
Guest stars	Michael Chiklis
Written by	Chris Sheridan
Directed by	Brian Hogan
Production no.	2ACX18
Original airdate	August 22, 2001
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"Lethal Weapons" is an episode from the third season of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. Guest starring Michael Chiklis as a leafer. Included in the "Freakin' Sweet Collection".

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The quiet of Quahog is disrupted when the leaves start turning fall colors and "leafers" from New York City invade town. Bonnie invites Lois to a Tae Jitsu class where Lois quickly advances to black belt. Peter exploits Lois's fighting abilities to drive the leafers back to New York. In one occurrence in a scene Lois "rapes" Peter (she actually emasculated him in bed).

But when Stewie strikes Peter with a baseball bat, Lois resolves to rid the house of anger. Family therapy fails, and so does an attempt by Brian to convince them they've taken mood elevating drugs but it ends up that he lied and gave them placebos. The family ends up in an all-out brawl. Finally exhausted, they blame the violence on TV.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Notes

In a self-referential joke, Peter scoffs at the network for allowing violence, which results in the show's budget getting cut (shown when Peter stiffly wobbles into the kitchen for a beer).
In the episode Road to Rupert, Stewie will mention Jack Joke Shop, and tells a bad joke he paid for from the shop.

[edit] Cultural references

Peter says "brothers and sisters fighting is as natural as a white man’s dialogue in a Spike Lee movie," leading to a cutaway parodying Lee’s movie Do the Right Thing.
Lois says she is cutting loose just like "Julie Andrews in that movie where she shows her breasts," leading to a cutaway of Mary Poppins in which Andrews inexplicably opens her blouse. In reality, the movie Lois is referring to is the 1981 film, S.O.B..
Cleveland says that protesters at the Million Man March set fire to their port-a-potties.
While voicing the "man-eating tree," Peter claims he ate "insane New York anchorman Dan Rather" and "asexual former Mayor Ed Koch."
Peter says Lois "floats like a butterfly and stings like when I pee," a reference to Muhammad Ali’s famous quote: "Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee."
Peter refers to the Tae Jitsu instructor as "Ralph Macchio," the star of The Karate Kid.
Lucy from the comic strip Peanuts appears and pulls away a football as Lois tries to kick it (as she does to Charlie Brown). Lois then kicks her in the face and she cries.
Among the garbage the leafers dump on the Griffins yard is the publications New York Magazine and The New York Post and the Major League Baseball team the New York Mets.
Lois suggests they go to the Olive Garden for breadsticks, who then chants "Me likey breadsticks!" as a throwback to an earlier scene in the episode.
At the bar, Peter says "Krypton sucks," angering General Zod and his partners, the Kryptonian villains from Superman II.
Lois challenges Jared by saying "Spin the wheel, raggedy man," a quote from the 1985 movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
Peter watches a fictitious sequel to the movie Speed 2: Cruise Control. (Speed 3: Glaicier of Doom.)
In Stewie’s fantasy radio program, he interviews deceased variety show host Ed Sullivan and then imitates a commercial for the board game Operation.
To frighten the therapist, Stewie imitates "Martin Lawrence on a bender," a reference to the comedian’s spouts of violence and supposed drug abuse.
While under the influence of Brian’s "mood-enhancing pills," the Griffins imitate South African mbube group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
While the family lists derogative terms for a fat person, Stewie shouts "country virtuoso Roy Clark."
Peter calls Lois "Martin Mull" because of her bleaching the facial hair in her upper lip. Mull is famous for sporting a blonde upper lip moustache and has sometimes guest starred in the show. In the Spanish version he says Burt Reynolds.
The part where Lois grabs Peter's crotch and says "This is mine! This is where my babies come from!", is a reference to a real incident that happened between O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson when they were still married.

[edit] Goofs

After Peter gets his head hit by a picture of a donkey everyone starts to laugh. Towards the end you can hear Peter's laughter, but not see his mouth open when he laughs.

Stewie says that Jack's Joke Shop, in South Attleboro, Massachusetts, is off Exit 14 of I-295. However, there is no such exit on that highway, although the road does end in Massachusetts near Attleboro. In the real world, Jack's has been in Boston for 50 years [1][2].

After a woman tells Lois off from her losing Stewie's spot on a swing she calls the swing a jungle gym

After Peter cracks a beer open in anger and after drinking most the spilt beer on the table, the stains mysteriously disappear soon after.

[edit] References

S. Callaghan, "Lethal Weapons." Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1-3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 152 - 155.
A. Delarte, "Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 3" in Bob's Poetry Magazine, 2.August 2005: 42 http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs02Au.pdf
Trial Transcript, http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Simpson/Dardenca.htm