Airport '07

"Airport '07"
Family Guy episode
Glenn Quagmire meets Hugh Hefner with Holly Madison, Kendra Wilkinson, and Bridget Marquardt.
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 12
Directed by	John Holmquist
Written by	Tom Devanney
Production code	5ACX08
Original air date	March 4, 2007
Guest stars
Hugh Hefner as Himself
Episode chronology
← Previous "The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou" Next → "Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey"
Family Guy (season 5) List of Family Guy episodes

"Airport '07" is the 12th episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally broadcast on March 4, 2007. The plot follows Quagmire being dismissed from his job as a pilot after Peter decided to remove the airplane fueling hose prematurely. Peter, Joe and Cleveland make a plan to get Quagmire his job back and, although the plan itself fails, Quagmire is re-hired.

The episode was written by Tom Devanney and directed by John Holmquist. It received mostly positive reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 8.59 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Barclay DeVeau, Hugh Hefner, Phil LaMarr, Rachael MacFarlane and Fred Tatasciore, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.

Plot

After attending a redneck comedy show, Peter purchases a pickup truck and decides to become a Redneck. Peter begins behaving as if he were a redneck, painting over the entire rear window of his pickup, which results in him reversing the car into his neighbor Quagmire's car. After destroying the car, Peter drives Quagmire to the airport, as he is due to fly an airplane. While at the airport, Peter steals the fuel used for Quagmire's airplane, believing it will make his pickup fly. Quagmire's plane crashes and as a result, he loses his job and is forced to live with the Griffins until he can find another job.

Quagmire exhibits his typical sexual behavior on members of the Griffin family, so Lois tells Peter to help Quagmire get his job back, in order to get him out of the house. Peter, Quagmire, Joe and Cleveland make up a plan to get Quagmire to get his job back, consisting of drugging the pilots and Quagmire steering the plane to safety. While in the airport, Quagmire becomes distracted, and ends up having sex with an airport worker, causing him to miss the flight.

A depressed Quagmire resumes to have a drink in the airport bar, where he is greeted by Hugh Hefner, who gives him advice. Quagmire, via radio, gives Peter detailed instructions on how to land the plane safely, which is successful. As a reward for his work, Quagmire's job is re-instated.

Production

Hugh Hefner guest starred in the episode.

Hugh Hefner provided his own voice for the episode. In the DVD commentary, show producer David Goodman comments that, throughout the episode, little respect is shown for rednecks. The Thai women escaping from Quagmire's car after Peter crashes into it were all voiced by Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, a Family Guy producer. Mayor West is shown reading a book to children at a school, and being told about the plane crash; this is a reference to the reaction of George W. Bush after being informed about the September 11, 2001 attacks. The sketch showing news anchorman Tom Tucker showing several scenarios of how the crash could have turned out is a reference, Seth MacFarlane states, "to how irresponsible it is". The scenario of the man slapping his wife after surviving the plane crash was edited to reduce the number of slaps he struck her with. There is also a crotch shot of Peter getting out of Paris Hilton's car.

The name that the person specified on the telephone when ringing the Griffin's house to contact Quagmire ("Long Rod Von HugenDong") was changed, as broadcasting standards personnel objected to the original name. The "Prom Night Dumpster Baby" gag was pitched by Danny Smith. Walter Murphy resumed to organize a 40-piece orchestra to perform the musical for the episode. The sketch showing Quagmire becoming Joe's careworker and changing his diaper was cut from the Fox airing, as certain types of feces jokes are prohibited from television. Quagmire shown climbing out of a deceased woman's coffin was also censored from television, as broadcasting standards objected to the nature of the joke, since the man speaking at her funeral implied she was a virgin. After engaging in sex with an airport worker, Quagmire states "the contents of your vagina may have shifted during coitus"; this was changed to "the contents of your panties..." for broadcasting on Fox. The conversation between Hugh Hefner and Quagmire in the airport has a slight echo, due to recording in Hefner's den, rather than the production studios. As a result, an echo of similar level was added to Quagmire's voice in order to equal both voices out.

In addition to the regular cast, voice actor Barclay DeVeau, magazine publisher Hugh Hefner, voice actor Phil LaMarr, voice actress Rachael MacFarlane and voice actor Fred Tatasciore guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Lori Alan, actor Ralph Garman, writer Mark Hentemann, writer Danny Smith, writer Alec Sulkin and writer John Viener made minor appearances.

Cultural references

Peter imagining flying his pickup truck through the air and greeting fighter jet pilots is a reference to Top Gun. After Quagmire crashes the plane, his co-pilot is shown to be Nien Nunb, a reference to 1983 science-fiction film Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The scene in which Mayor West is notified of the plane crash while reading to children is a reference to George Bush being told of the September 11 attacks while reading to children, as shown in Michael Moore's documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11. The mice that say "three weeks later" is a reference to 1995 film Babe. The faux introduction after Peter and Lois' conversation is a reference to Will & Grace. The scene of the airplane taking off as Peter and his friends prepare to drug the pilots is a reference to Airplane!, as is "Hugh Hefner's" peptalk to Quagmire and the playing of the Notre Dame Victory March. The plane in the episode shares its flight number, 209, with the aircraft from the Airplane! film. Other music from Airplane! is used as Quagmire is assisting Peter in landing the airplane safely. The style of the end credits in the episode is a reference to the television series Little House on the Prairie.

Reception

In a very slight improvement over the previous week, the episode was viewed in 8.59 million homes in its original airing, according to Nielsen ratings. The episode also acquired a 3.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic, being slightly edged out by The Simpsons, while still winning over American Dad!.

In a review of Family Guy, Volume five, Nancy Basile regarded “Airport ’07,” alongside “Prick Up Your Ears,” and "Barely Legal” as “gem episodes.” Ahsan Haque of IGN commented "When Family Guy is at its best, audiences are typically presented with an overwhelming barrage of cultural references, some disturbing imagery, and usually left with a sufficiently catchy musical number — all put together to tell a somewhat cohesive story. In this respect, "Airport '07" succeeds admirably by excelling at all of the above," adding that "the disturbing elements in this episode seem to be there purely for shock value." Brett Love of TV Squad reviewed the episode positively, writing "Peter finding the identity he'd been searching for his whole life, that of a redneck, was a long way to go to get to him being the cause of Quagmire getting fired, but it was worth the trip," adding "there were a lot of fun bits in the redneck segment." Love concluded to write "Overall, a really good episode."

External links

• "Airport '07" at TV.com
• "Airport '07" at the Internet Movie Database

Preceded by The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Family Guy (season 5)

Succeeded by Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey