Brian Sings and Swings
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“Brian Sings and Swings” is the nineteenth episode, of the fourth season of Family Guy. The episode was first broadcast on January 8, 2006.[1] The plot follows Brian almost being killed by Peter's careless driving, thus giving him a new outlook on life. Although depressed upon recovery, Brian meets Frank Sinatra, Jr. and begins to perform on stage with him, removing his state of depression, yet making him angry and ignorant towards the rest of the family. When Stewie accompanies Brian to a performance, Stewie has to lift his Brian's spirits, as he becomes depressed again, to the extent of drinking wine in a gutter. Meanwhile, Meg is offered a chance to join the Lesbian Alliance Club at her school, deciding to make herself a lesbian to become popular among her fellow students. However, when informing her new friend, Sarah, that she is heterosexual, she returns back to normal.[2]
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[edit] Plot
Peter awakes in the morning to find he has eaten a sheep in his sleep. Undisturbed by the incident, he prepares to leave for work. While backing his car out of the driveway, he hits Brian, who needs treatment at a hospital. Upon Brian's return, Peter makes too much of an effort to welcome him back into the family. Meanwhile, Meg makes friends with Sarah at her school, unaware that she is about to be offered a place in the Lesbian Alliance Club (LAC). After speaking with Neil Goldman, Meg realizes that she is now considered a lesbian by the group, and prepares to drop out, however, when she realizes the effect of being a member may have on her social status, she pretends to be a lesbian. Meanwhile, Brian becomes depressed after the accident, but after speaking with Frank Sinatra, Jr., he begins to perform with him, changing his outlook on life to that of positivity. After being told of Brian's new lifestyle, the family are impressed and encourage him to continue. However, when he is invited by Sinatra to perform with him again, their duo is interrupted by Stewie, who joins the performance. Meanwhile, Meg tells the family that she is now a lesbian, but is mocked by Lois, knowing that she is not being honest. Meanwhile, Brian and Stewie continue their performances across Quahog with Sinatra. In a drunken condition following a performance, Brian loses Stewie, which results in Stewie's ear being bitten off by a deer. Displeased at Brian's behavior, Peter goes to telephone Mia Farrow (whom he believes to be Sinatra's mother) to tell her that her son is a bad influence on Brian. Also, Peter continues chiding him that he will stop performing with Sinatra. Angry at the way Peter bossing about his life, Brian bites his arm, which makes Peter fearful of him.
Brian, regretful of biting Peter, quits performing with Stewie and Sinatra, resorting to drinking wine from a gutter. However, Brian regains his confidence when Stewie searches for him, where he tells Brian that there are things in life which are beyond his control, telling him that even though they aren't in his control, they do matter, contrary to Brian's common beliefs. Meanwhile, Meg prepares to tell Sarah that she is not a lesbian and that she only pretended to be in order to make friends; however, Sarah gets undressed, believing Meg to has come to her house to have sex with her. They are both interrupted by Quagmire and his production team filming their antics.[3]
[edit] Production
Scripts and other production materials were altered and modified extensively. The rhythm and pacing of the show required frequent rewrites due to the inclusion of musical performances.[4] MacFarlane comments that "having Frank Sinatra, Jr. on board was a pleasure to the team."[5] Music originally written by John Williams was used in the episode, however Williams prohibits the usage of his music, so the producers of the show had to re-record it using their own band. When the episode aired Williams insisted that it was his music and it had not been remade by the band, however no further actions was taken against Family Guy or 20th Century Fox.[5] The synopsis for this episode partially focuses on Meg becoming a lesbian, this was because Seth MacFarlane believed the United States loved lesbians, which he describes as "the best kind of love".[5] As Brian and Stewie move back and forth on the stage when performing with Frank Sinatra, Jr., the scene originally appeared wrong, as the characters did not match the movement of the background.[6] Brian makes a comment about Stewie's weird laugh when he finds something really funny. This is the only time on Family Guy when MacFarlane has not voiced Stewie; instead, the laughing was performed by Ricky Blitt, a former writer of Family Guy.[5]
[edit] Cultural references
As Brian and Sinatra, Jr. are performing on stage, the song they are singing was originally composed for 1969 film, High Time; however after the film, the song became so popular it was used in a new movie in 1973.[7] Another musical performance performed by Brian and Sinatra was based on a musical composition used in the film Scared Stiff.[5]
[edit] Reception
Family Guy and this episode are considered legendary in the music community of Los Angeles, because the show features a lot of music and uses its own orchestra.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Brian Sings and Swings. IMDb.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ Brian Sings and Swings. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on 2007-12-23.
- ^ (2005). Plot synopsis information for the episode "Brian Sings and Swings" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Smith, Shannon. (2005). Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Brian Sings and Swings" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b c d e MacFarlane, Seth. (2005). Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Brian Sings and Swings" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ Moncrief, Zac. (2005). Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Brian Sings and Swings" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Sinatra, Jr., Frank. (2005). Family Guy season 4 DVD commentary for the episode "Brian Sings and Swings" [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
[edit] External links
