Family Guy/Brian Goes Back to College

Brian Goes Back to College
Season 4, Episode 15
Airdate	November 13, 2005
Production Number	5ACX05
Written by	Matt Fleckenstein
Directed by	Greg Colton
← 4x14 PTV	4x16 → The Courtship of Stewie's Father
Family Guy — Season Four

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Brian Goes Back to College is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of Family Guy, and the sixty-fifth episode overall.

In this episode, Brian returns to Brown University to complete his college degree and Stewie stows along for the ride. Peter and the neighborhood guys form their own "A-Team" and look to help out the community after winning an 80's costume contest.

Guest Stars: Ralph Garman (Fielding and Lance), Mark Hentemann (Goth Freshmen and Guy #1), Chris Sheridan (James), Phil LaMarr (Various), John Viener (Emcee), Danny Smith (Various), Johnny Brennan (Various), Patrick Warburton (Joe), Fred Tatasciore (Announcer, Father, and Professor), Anne-Michelle Seiler (Female Student, and Little Girl)

Plot Overview

Peter, Cleveland, Quagmire and Joe attend a 1980s-themed party and enter a costume contest. The foursome decide to come dressed as the characters from The A-Team (Peter as team leader Hannibal Smith, Cleveland as B.A. Baracus, Quagmire as Templeton "Face" Peck, and Joe as (a paraplegic) Murdock). The foursome win the contest, and are inspired to form their own community action group based on the 1980s action-adventure TV series. Peter buys a used GMC van and paints it to look like the one used by the characters they are mimicking.

As could be imagined, Quahog's A-Team blunder in their efforts. First, they try rescuing a cat from a high tree by firing machine guns at the tree, causing it to fall over on the girl's house; the girl's father angrily orders them away. Later, they learn that a local park is targeted for redevelopment, and the team shows up to run the contractors off; however, the contractors manage to explain that the process to condemn the park has been completed legally. Peter decides at this point to disband the A-Team.

Peter's antics, however, serve as the subplot for the main story, centering on Brian's desire to go back to college. Brian writes a story about the costume contest for the local newspaper, and the editor of The New Yorker is so impressed by the reporting that he invites Brian to write for the magazine. When Brian lets slip that he never completed college, he is fired. A depressed Brian — with Lois' encouragement — realizes that the only way to realize his dreams is to re-enrol at Brown University.

Stewie tags along, his only goal to party on campus; he gets Gary Coleman to dress up like him, to fool the family into thinking Stewie is still at home. Meanwhile, Brian doesn't hit it off well with his professor, who is a quadriplegic. However, the relationship improves once Brian gets a high grade on a test. What the teacher doesn't know is that Brian cheated. Brian goes to a party — where his professor and his wife, also a quadriplegic, are attending — to admit what he did, but is cut off by the teacher's explanation that he inspired him and also caused him to become so depressed he seriously considered suicide. Brian realizes he needs to study, but is pestered by a party-hungry Stewie. Precious days pass, and Brian is unable to study, due Stewie's constant interruptions but also because of his conscience; he eventually wilts under pressure and realizes he needs to find a way to cheat, so he can pass the test.

The two stories merge once again near the end, after Brian has overslept on the day of the test. Peter is moping around the house, bemoaning the failure of his "A-Team," when Lois suggests that he drive Brian to college. Peter and his buddies reconvene their team and rush off to college, crashing the van into the auditorium and delivering Brian in time. Brian fails the test, but tells the family he is proud that he took the test honestly.

Trivia

Allusions and References

• Ashlee Simpson — Simpson's lip-synch snafu on Saturday Night Live — where the wrong record is played instead of her pre-recorded vocals for a song she planned to perform — is spoofed.
• The A-Team — Much of the subplot is a spoof of the 1980s TV series starring Mr. T and George Peppard.
• Brown vs. Board of Education — The 1954 Supreme Court case litigants serve as the names of the teams in the football game, where Brown University competes against an outmanned "Board of Education" team.
• Debbie Gibson — Peter makes a remark about Debbie Gibson's controversial nude pictoral in Playboy magazine.
• Diff'rent Strokes — A Gary Coleman lookalike dresses as Stewie (an obvious disguise that fools Lois) and acts like the Diff'rent Strokes character Arnold Jackson — i.e., "Whatchoo talkin' about?" — while Stewie stays with Brian at college.
• Rocky IV — The scenes of Brian going through a severe workout regiment in the dead of winter is almost like the scenes of Rocky Balboa in the 1985 movie.
• Snoopy, Come Home — The scenes where Brian loses his job at The New Yorker, the boss hangs a "No Dogs Allowed" sign on the door, and a depressed Brian lies on top of the doghouse is inspired by the 1972 "Peanuts" television special.

Memorable Moments

The classic A-Team opening montage, Family guy style !

Link to Video Clip