Freakin' Sweet Forum 10.29.07: The Son Also Draws - Episode 6
Posted by Cory Lynn Schibler on 10.29.2007
Canada Sucks
And we’re BAAAAACCCKKK!!!!! Welcome to another enlightening addition of the Freakin’ Sweet Forum. Today it is Chris’s turn to get a full episode devoted to him. It’s The Son Also Draws and it’s coming your way…right…NOW!
The Son Also Draws Original Air date: May 9, 1999 Production Code: 1ACX06
Written by Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan
Directed by Roy Allen Smith
Principal Cast Peter/Brian/Stewie: Seth McFarlane Lois: Alex Borstein Chris: Seth Green Meg: Lacey Chabert
We begin with Stewie in search of something to eat and drink. Upon not being able to find something, Stewie races up the steps and bursts into his parents’ room and finds them in the ACT OF FORNICATION. At the kitchen table the next day, Lois is trying to explain that what he saw was actually a beautiful thing and was how he came to be born. Stewie says that her concept of beauty is skewed and that she is lying. Brian, ever the opportunist, takes this time to tell Stewie that Lois and Peter have done it in his tub as well.
After the opening theme, we see Chris at his Boy Scout meeting, where his scout leader is screaming at him for not sitting in the semi-circle. We then see that Chris is a fantastic artist (an idea that will return in season 2) and has drawn a picture of his scout leader’s face on a person’s butt.
Back at home, the family is enjoying an episode of Happy Days where Richie is trying to explain that he likes Potsie. His father then says that they understand that he has a homosexual attraction to his friend. Brian then asks if the TV goes lower than mute. After being easily entertained by the Fonz, Peter takes Chris to the garage where he has constructed a soapbox derby car out of a beer keg. Chris says that the rules say he is supposed to build it himself. Peter tells him that rules are for breaking and we then see a cutaway of Peter standing next to a button that says “Do Not Press.” Peter, after some deliberation, presses the button. A short, balding Asian man then walks out, bows to Peter, and kicks the crap out of him.
Back at the garage, Chris is trying to explain to his father that he doesn’t want to be in the Scouts anymore, which goes right through Peter’s head. Chris then goes to Meg for advice. She tells him to sit on Peter’s lap, look in his eyes, and give him a kiss, and then he will get what he wants. Chris does so, and Peter tells him that he is leaving the room and they should never mention this again.
So we arrive at the soapbox derby race and we see Speed Racer and his father. Speed is demanding that he race and his father says that the Mach 5 isn’t ready. The go on for a few minutes, but I just can’t do justice to how funny it is, you’ll just have to watch it for yourself.
However, Chris is busy drawing again and not paying attention, and ends up getting disqualified from the race. The scoutmaster tries to kick Chris out because he hasn’t earned any merit badges in two years. Peter is able to persuade him to give Chris another chance. The master says Chris has three days. Then Peter, the lovable oaf, says this…
Peter: “Three days, that’s tomorrow! We gotta get going.”
Chris comes home the next day and tells Peter that he had to turn in his uniform. Peter tells him they can’t give in because Griffins don’t know when to quit. We then see Peter using a defibrillator on a hospital patient with no heartbeat. He finally brings him back and as the guy thanks him for saving his life, Peter shocks him again and kills him.
Peter decides to take the whole family to New York to go to the head scout office. Lois is having difficulty convincing Stewie that the car seat is for his protection. She tells him that she has his Raffi tape and Stewie calms down.
Stewie: “Play ‘Wheels on the Bus’ and get the hell out of my sight.”
Meanwhile, Brian decides he is not going because New York is “like Prague sans the whimsy.” While watching PBS, Brian sees a doctor about to expose the secret to long life in canines. While on the edge of his seat waiting for the answer, the program is interrupted to show One Day at a Time.
Back on the road, the Griffin family is lost. Peter says that he can’t stop and ask for directions because he is a man. His stomach then begins to disagree with him and we are treated to a series of poop jokes (a common thing for this show) via billboards, signs, and bumper stickers. This all leads to the family pulling over at an Indian casino. While at the casino, Stewie attends a performance by Carrot Scalp. Meanwhile, Lois gets addicted to the video poker machine and we soon find out that she has lost the car to the casino. Peter then says he has to find a high roller who will pay a million dollars to sleep with Lois (ala Indecent Proposal) and Lois objects. Peter tells her it’s ok because “these people took $24 dollars for the island of Manhattan they have no idea what things are worth.
The family decides that they can get Brian to wire them some money, but he is drunk and has become addicted to One Day at a Time, so he doesn’t answer.
Back at the casino, Peter tries to convince the Indians that he is a member of the tribe so he can get a share of the casino profits. The council of elders decides that he will have to go on a vision quest to prove that he is an Indian.
Of course, the Indians made all this up so they won’t have to give him his car back. Peter tells Lois it is no big deal because he has had messages before. We then see Peter and Brian at the breakfast table, where Peter says his Alphabits are telling him something. He says that they say “ooooooooo.” Brian then explains that Peter is eating Cheerios.
Chris decides to go with Peter and they are gone for hours. Back at the casino, Lois learns that the Indians have never been on a vision quest.
In the woods, Peter finally communicates with nature and we learn that if a tree falls in the forest it does indeed make a noise. In fact, according to the other trees, they never shut up. Peter’s spiritual guide, the Fonz, then appears and tells Peter that he needs to listen to his son. He then tells Peter, per his request, that he got gonorrhea twice and the clap.
The trees then sing Cat’s in the Cradle and accidentally set themselves on fire.
Back at the casino, Peter explains that he had his quest and the Indians discover that they have lost the roots. They then remember that they make six million a week, so they don’t care about their roots.
As they prepare to leave, Stewie makes an offhanded comment about the Indians, which leads to a series of “The More You Know” parodies that ends like this.
Peter: “Which is more than we get from those freeloading Canadians…”
Screen fades to black on Peter
Peter: “Canada Sucks.”
With the exception of the Speed Racer and “The More You Know” parodies, there is not that much in this episode that I enjoy. Chris just isn’t a strong enough character at this point for there to be an entire episode devoted to his character, but I still love this show. One of the best episodes of the series is coming your way next week, so be sure to tune in. Same freakin’ time, same freakin’ channel.
The 411: Speed Racer and public service announcements make this episode worth watching, but it is probably the weakest episode of the series so far. I am a huge fan of devoting entire episodes of a show to one character in order to better develop them, but this one doesn’t really accomplish that for Chris. I think this episode would have been fine later in the series after another episode to develop Chris’s character. However, I guess you could also make the point that since Chris is a teenager his character will kind of stay undeveloped in order to convey the awkwardness of teendom. I, however, found the episode to be severely lacking and the weakest one we’ve looked at so far. 6.0 out of 10.0.
