Tales of a Third Grade Nothing

"Tales of a Third Grade Nothing"

"Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of Family Guy that aired on November 16, 2008. Returning guest stars include Carrie Fisher as Angela, Peter's boss, as well as Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Bob Barker as themselves. The episode's title comes from the book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by author Judy Blume. The episode garnered 8.52 million viewers.

Plot

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Promotional image featuring Frank Sinatra, Jr., Brian and Stewie.

Peter, bored at work, decides to go into the executive bathroom. When he enters the bathroom, which is actually a door leading to an outdoor helipad, he is taken by helicopter to a toilet on an isolated, tropical island à la Jurassic Park. Fascinated, Peter becomes motivated to do well at work so that he can become an executive. He tries various things to impress his boss Angela, such as dressing in a suit and cleaning his office, but creates much havoc, such as accidentally blowing up a children's hospital; nevertheless, Angela is impressed by his improvement at work and recommends an open executive spot for him. When he goes to HR to get his promotion, he is told that he must first complete the third grade in order to qualify. At school, Peter enters the spelling bee because he is required to win in order to pass the third grade, since his classwork is less than substantial. Peter wins by correctly spelling "lesbians" and is finally able to graduate. When he goes back to work, he is told by Angela that he will be going to jail for the hospital explosion instead of getting promoted, spoofing the usual instance where Peter does something stupid and oddly gets away with it. Fortunately, he only receives one week in prison, and he will be released the following Sunday night at 9:00 (Family Guy's time slot).

Meanwhile, Frank Sinatra, Jr. comes back to town to perform with Brian at the Quahog Cabana Club, buying the establishment together to boost business. The two are disappointed when they learn from Stewie that people just don't want to go to big band clubs anymore. They leave an improvement of the Cabana Club to Stewie, who creates a modern dance club called pLace. At first, Frank and Brian feel uncomfortable and out of place, but their feelings change once they get into the club life themselves. However, the club immediately loses a well-established reputation once the party is crashed by Andy Dick. At the end, Frank and Brian teach Stewie what real music is all about in a swinging musical number.

Cultural References

• The scene where Peter is flying to the executive bathroom is a reference to the scene in Jurassic Park where they are being flown to the island filled with dinosaurs.

• In an example of a meta-reference, at the end of the episode, when Peter is sentenced for blowing up the children's hospital, the judge gives him up to seven days in jail, to be released the next Sunday at 9:00, at which point, Peter turns to the TV audience, smiles, and winks, breaking the fourth wall. This references Family Guy's regularly scheduled broadcast Sunday Nights at 9pm. However, Family Guy will be preempted by 24: Redemption the following week, along with The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and American Dad!

• The scene where Stewie takes a job with the news station to make money is a near-exact reproduction of a news clip widely circulated on the internet. In the actual clip, a female reporter for Fox Channel 5 falls off a platform to obvious pain, followed by the somewhat apathetic response of the anchors in the studio.

• The tattoo on Frank Sinatra Jr.'s right arm is the Chinese character for "Ram". This refers to Frank Jr. having been born in the Year of the Sheep in the Chinese zodiac.

• Peter also makes a reference to Lewis Black by saying,"I just had the weirdest dream that Lewis Black told jokes that were so funny, he had to shout them so everyone could hear."

• The Lincoln Assassination is parodied depicting Lincoln as a jerk who keeps preventing John Wilkes Booth from watching the play (his stovepipe hat obstructs Booth's view, he laughs loudly and then he talks on his cell phone). Booth then shoots him in anger.

• The 9/11 attacks and subsequent increased persecution of Muslims are referenced when Tom Tucker can't pronounce Omar's last name and says it's "Something September 11thy" and later calls him Omar North Tower. 9/11 references are a recurring joke on the series, referring to the creator's near-death experience on September 11th, who nearly boarded the plane that struck the North Tower.

• Peter asks Tucker to use the word "Lesbians" in a libelous sentence. Tom replies that Gillian Anderson and Helen Hunt are lesbians, and only then can Peter spell it correctly.

• Emperor Palpatine is the only person to show up at Brian's club. He requests "On the Dark Side" by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band.

• Michael Jackson and his dancing style is parodied, particularly his repeated touching of his crotch in the "Black or White" video.

• Yosemite Sam is shown trying on jeans and complains on how tight they are.

• The first song we hear Brian and Frank sing is the title song from the musical Guys and Dolls.

• In the show a reference to pop star Prince is made, parodying his soft speech. Prince is a contestant on The Price Is Right where he tries to bid $350, and Bob Barker (the former host of the show) is unable to hear him.

Reception

Erin Fox of TV Guide said, "This was simply a horrible episode and even more horrible way to bounce back after such a great episode last week." However, IGN was impressed, saying it was "very funny" and giving it an 8.5 out of 10.

External links

• Tales of a Third Grade Nothing at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com episode
• Tales of a Third Grade Nothing at Hulu