Let's Go to the Hop

"Let's Go to the Hop"

"Let's Go to the Hop" is an episode from the second season of the FOX animated series Family Guy. It is the 21st episode of Family Guy to air. Its title is derived from the hit song "At the Hop" by Danny & the Juniors. It guest-stars Gregg Allman as himself and Fairuza Balk as Connie D'Amico.

Plot summary

During a large storm one night over Rhode Island, a Colombian cartel plane is struck by lightning in mid-flight and crashes. Zooming in the wreckage, the cargo is revealed: psychoactive toads, which get into the hands of teenagers and begin drug fanaticism among the middle and high schools. Lois and Peter become concerned when the toad-licking problem arises in school. After finding a toad in Chris' pocket they suspect him, but then they discover that Meg was holding the toad for one of the popular kids in the hope that doing so would secure her a date to the Winter Snow Ball. Peter recalls his nervousness when he first asked his high school crush, Phoebe Diamond, to the prom. Later, Lois and Peter decide they need to do something to protect their kids from this drug problem. So, Peter talks with Meg's principal about it and arrives at school the next day as "Lando Griffin", an undercover student, no relation to Meg Griffin.

File:FGLetsGototheHop.jpg

Things get "too real" for Peter.

Before long, Peter (as Lando) actually succeeds in convincing the kids at James Woods High that it's not cool to lick toad. Meg, seeing an opportunity, tells the cool kids that Lando has asked her to the Winter Snow Ball, which immediately increases her popularity. Meanwhile, Peter seems to be enjoying his "high school" experience and persona a little too much. In fact, when Meg shows up at school on the day of the big dance, she is stunned to learn that "Lando" is, in fact, going to the Winter Snow Ball with Connie D'Amico, a member of the popular clique.

Lois can't believe Peter's preposterous behavior until Brian explains that Peter has transferred his feelings for his old crush, Phoebe, onto Connie. Against Lois forbidding Peter to go to dance, he sneaks out to go to the dance. Lois encourages Meg to go to the dance by herself. When Peter (as Lando) and Connie are about to be crowned king and queen of the Winter Snow Ball, Peter uses the opportunity to tell the crowd that Meg was really his first choice as a date for the dance. This gets Meg lots of the attention she was seeking. "Lando" then drives recklessly off into the night, never to be heard from again. The next day, the news reports that "Lando" died when he went off Dead Man’s Curve. Although no body was found, the police decided it was best to not ask questions and get on with life. Meg becomes cool at school and the yearbook is dedicated to Lando.

Notes

• While some toads do produce venom that can cause a psychoactive effect (see psychoactive toad), merely licking the toad would not likely produce a strong effect. Also, there is no actual species of toad called the "Colombian Spotted Toad"; this toad was deliberately made up with a fictional effect being given when licked.
• At the beginning of the episode the two parachuting Colombians speak ungrammatical Spanish with Korean subtitles. The first Colombian says, "When the [lady] boss hears about this, we’re dead." The second asks, "Did you remember to close the garage door this morning?" The Korean subtitles are 1. "사장이 알면 우리는 파리 목숨이야!" and 2. "너 오늘아침 차고문 닫은것 기억하니?"; they say something similar to what is said in Spanish.
• During the cutaway to the United States Supreme Court, it is implied that David Souter is the newest justice, and there are two women justices shown. However, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman ever to serve on the court, was not appointed until after Souter.
• At the end of the episode, the flagpole outside James Woods High School is flying the American flag at half-staff, in memory of the "deceased" Lando Griffin.
• The bondage costume Lois wears in this episode (when she and Peter are discussing what to do about the school drug problem while preparing for S&M role-playing) would later be worn by Lois in "Peter's Two Dads."
• In the scene where Peter goes up to his room after Lois yells at him, he looks up at an Allman Brothers poster and asks Gregg Allman's picture what he did when times were bad. The poster comes alive and responds, featuring a voice cameo by Gregg Allman himself ("Let's see, I did a lot of drugs and married some broad named Cher, and I really wouldn't recommend either of them.")
• At the dance in the background there is a black version of Phoebe Diamond, Peter's high school crush.

Cultural references

• The entire plot involving Peter going back to high school while impersonating a high school student, becoming popular and dating a secret family member to encourage popularity with the culmination at a high school dance is similar to the film Never Been Kissed.
• The Griffins watch a Doublefresh Gum commercial, a parody on the Doublemint Gum commercial. Featuring conjoined twins, it was a parody of the actual brand's commercials featuring identical twins.
• The anti-toad licking public service announcement parodies a classic Tootsie Pop ad.
• In a cutaway to "the good old days" of public education a girl correctly recites the quadratic formula, causing the class to deem her a witch and stone her. This is a reference to the Salem witch trials and the atmosphere of sexism and paranoia that facilitated it.
• Lando fakes his way through saying slang terms, one of them being "Poppin' Fresh", a reference to Pillsbury.
• Peter attempts to imitate Happy Days character Fonzie by saying the catchphrase "Aaay" and pounding on a jukebox in order to get it to start. However unlike fonzie, he does not get it to start but instead gets a bloody hand by hitting the glass
• When Peter is seen outside spray-painting "Thompson Twins Rule" on the school wall, a group of the students come up to him, and he acts as if it is deodorant. This is a reference to the opening of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
• When Peter goes to detention, he exclaims, "Holy crap! It's the Breakfast Club!" However, instead of the gang from the 1985 teen movie, he sees several breakfast cereal mascots including Toucan Sam, Tony the Tiger, the Trix Rabbit, Lucky the Leprechaun, and Cap'n Crunch.
• When Meg confronts "Lando" about why he has broken his promise to take her to the dance, he says "Something suddenly came up!" This is what Marcia Brady's date said to her when he changed his mind about taking her to the dance after her nose was broken with a football and swelled up, on The Brady Bunch.
• "Lando" says goodbye to his classmates saying "I will ride recklessly into the night, and up Dead Man's Curve", parodying the climax of the 1982 movie Grease 2.
• At the end of the episode, Peter walks across the football field. He punches his fist into the air and the picture fades to black. This is a parody of the ending of The Breakfast Club. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds is also played, again parodying the ending of the film.
• When Peter sneaks off to the dance and has the tape recorder rigged up underneath his covers, this is a reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
• The music cue heard when Peter sneaks out of the house until he loses his balance is a parody of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
• The name "Lando Griffin" is based on the Star Wars character Lando Calrissian played by Billy Dee Williams.
• While Lando (Peter) was doing a book report on Oliver Twist, Stewie described him as a twit, and the scene did a "cutaway gags" showing that Stewie would have done it a different way, by using his ray gun to get some more food, and make the chef dance in a dress.

Musical References

• Peter spray paints "Thompson Twins Rule" on a school wall, referring to a 1980s Synthpop band.
• The song "Give Up the Toad Now" is based on "You're the One That I Want" from the 1978 film Grease.
• Peter resolves to "fight for my right to party", referencing the Beastie Boys' 1986 release "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)."
• Peter's sneaking out of his room is a parody of Fast Times at Ridgemont High's Stacey sneaking out of her house to have sex with a 27 year old date, with the soundtrack featuring a sound-alike of Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby", which is featured in the original movie.
• The song being played at the dance is "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car" by Billy Ocean.
• The song played at the end as Meg walks down the corridor is "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds which is a song famous for being played in the '80s high school movie The Breakfast Club. It is well known for being a song representing high school and is often played at proms in the U.S.

References

• S. Callaghan, “Let’s Go to the Hop.” Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1–3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 86–89.
• A. Delarte, “Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 2” in Bob’s Poetry Magazine, 2.May 2005: 20–21 http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs02My.pdf

External links

• Template:FGwiki
• Let's Go to the Hop at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com episode