Freakin' Sweet Forum: 05.05.08: Dammit, Janet
Posted by Jerome Cusson on 05.05.2008
Stewie falls in love. Isn't that cute?
Seth MacFarlane ... Peter Griffin / Brian Griffin / Stewie Griffin / Glen Quagmire / Tom Tucker / Additional Voices
Alex Borstein ... Lois Griffin
Seth Green ... Chris Griffin
Mila Kunis ... Meg Griffin
Lori Alan ... Diane Simmons
Mike Barker ...Additional Voice
Mo Collins ...Additional Voice
Camryn Manheim ...Additional Voice
Haley Joel Osment ...Additional Voice
Danny Smith ... Evil Monkey
Tara Strong ... Janet
Wally Wingert ...Additional Voice
Writers...Matt Weitzman and Mike Barker
Director...Bert Ring
Production Number: 2ACX09
Original airdate: June 13, 2000
I just like the title of this episode. The main plot is pretty weak, while Stewie learning the realities of love is fun stuff. And this is like the third show I’ve seen (following The Critic and The Simpsons) to make a trip to Cuba. I’m kinda tired of it at this point. Plus, Peter’s actions are once again quite reprehensible, since he takes advantage of the job his wife has.
We start off in an unusual way with Stewie having one of his flashback/cutaways. He is allegedly making fast friends with a kid in the sandbox. Too bad Peter has a few kids trapped in a hole. Peter and Chris are taking down Christmas decorations in a rather unorthodox matter (i.e. just throwing rocks at the wall). Lois is concerned about Stewie not getting along with others. She’s just getting this now? Boy, is she dumb. Peter has a flashback when he was visited by “The Cat in the Hat.” Lois decides to put Stewie in daycare as the Christmas decorations come down.
Stewie is left at daycare, and he’s not a happy camper. He even shouts about how the whole killing thing was a bit, and he was just doing schtick. I knew it. Lois, on the other hand, is bored with nothing to do. Brian offers to get hammered with her, but she thinks it’s too early in the morning. She tells Brian to go ahead. I wonder whether she actually pays attention to the fact that her mutt is an alcoholic. He is at least sober enough to suggest Lois get a job, an idea Peter scoffs it at “because it’s not the 1970s.” Peter sure isn’t the progressive type.
Chris is worried about the evil monkey in his closet. YES! EVIL MONKEY! Good debut. The best part comes when we learn about how their whole feud started. Lois just wants some excitement in her life. Peter responds by setting the curtains on fire. Stewie isn’t doing so well at daycare. He’s almost too smart to play a good old-fashioned game of “Duck, duck, goose.” A girl named Janet laughs and Stewie is in love. He hits the girl as goose, but it’s little too hard. Nice WNBA joke. Peter is talking with Cleveland and Quagmire about his wife wanting a job. It’s here we learn that good old Quagmire is a pilot (bet he knows how to fly high…giggidy giggidy) and can get Lois a job as a stewardess. And, as a perk, Peter can ride planes for free.
Peter talks to his wife about becoming a stewardess, as Stewie thinks about Janet. Brian is eating an apple while listening to Stewie talk about this girl Janet. It’s a nice callback to an earlier episode when Stewie was eating an apple while listening to Brian flirt with Lois. Stewie is now watching Janet through some binoculars.
Janet says “Hi” to Stewie as he gets stepped on by some of the kids on the slider. Meanwhile, Lois is dealing with some jerks on the plane, and then falls for a prank perpetrated by the pilots. That’s one plane I wouldn’t want to be taking. Peter is having fun in his fort and harassing the flight attendants. Stewie doesn’t want anything to do with Janet, or so he says. Janet says “Cookie” and we have a connection. Sadly, Stewie doesn’t know that like all women, she’s using him for what he has, not because he’s actually a good person.
Stewie quotes Shakespeare, and is then burped.
Peter is looking at pictures from his outings in various countries, when a very tired Lois returns home. The koala bear coming out of nowhere was hilarious. Doesn’t Peter have a job? Seriously?! Stewie is playing with Janet and then breaks out his song. Were the writers enjoying some musicals from the 1930s and 1940s while passing the bong or something? This is starting to get annoying. It’s really not bad or anything, but when you watch three straight episodes and there’s a musical number in each episode, it’s quite annoying.
Peter is making an ass out himself, with his one man show and doing a horrible impression of Winston Churchill. Lois finally figures this entire scam out, and makes a joke at Julia Roberts’ expense. This provides as good an excuse as any for the plane to be hijacked. Peter is busy joining the “Mile High Club”. Peter and Lois being stuck in the bathroom causes them to be left in Cuba. Stewie is talking of a bright future with Janet. Janet just wants a cookie, so she goes to another boy for the scrumptious snack. Stewie is hanging out with Melinda to make Janet jealous. Their sequence is pretty funny. Stewie claims to have learned from his mistake, that there really is no love. He pleads with Janet, and she says she likes him. This is when everything clicks for the youngest Griffin. He yells at her and walks away.
The black market isn’t as bad as you might think. In fact, it’s a store selling all kinds of stuff. Peter and Lois get on a raft and begin sailing back home. Guess we’ll never know how they get back since the writers never bothered to show it.
The “No Fat Chicks” award for best line/moment of the show: Stewie This is what you dolled up? Why don’t you save yourself years of sexual ambiguity and get fitted for a pair of Doc Martens and a plaid flannel shirt?
The Meg Griffin award for worst line/moment of the show: Even the black market sold out.
I just want to remind everyone of my new blog, which can be found at The Jerome Cusson Experience I'll be writing about all things sports and provide some additional fun things like movie reviews done by my friend Stephanie and some additional televison recaps. Specifcally, I'll be writing about The Critic before moving onto Freaks and Geeks. Stephanie will be reviewing House and my friend Matt will be writing about South Park. So be sure to check it out.
The 411: This is another funny episode. The problem is that when you sit for about five seconds and actually think logically, this episode completely falls apart. Lois cannot be a part-time stewardess so easily, and it seems once he drops off Stewie, that's where he remains the rest of the episode. And we also get into the issue of Peter's job. Doesn't he still have one? I thought he lost it in season three. Good thing I was almost too busy too realize this stuff.
