Send in Stewie, Please

"Send in Stewie, Please"
Family Guy episode
Episode no.	Season 16 Episode 12
Directed by	Joe Vaux
Written by	Gary Janetti
Production code	FACX10
Original air date	March 18, 2018 (2018-03-18)
Running time	25 minutes
Guest appearance
Ian McKellen as Dr. Cecil Pritchfield

"Send in Stewie, Please" is the twelfth episode of the sixteenth season of the animated sitcom Family Guy, and the 301st episode overall. It aired on Fox in the United States on March 18, 2018 with limited commercial interruption due to its runtime of 25 minutes, and is written by Gary Janetti and directed by Joe Vaux. Guest voices include Ian McKellen.

The episodes largely focuses on Stewie Griffin (voiced by creator Seth MacFarlane) about his major secrets, accompanied by a child psychologist (McKellen). None of the Griffin family appear except Brian at the very end, and no cutaway gags accompany the extended runtime. In addition, this episode was commercial free so that FOX can promote the upcoming God of War video game.

Plot

At Quahog Preschool, Stewie is sent to the office of Dr. Cecil Pritchfield, a child psychologist. Stewie begins the therapy session by making observational small talk. He then starts to talk proudly about his British accent, but the psychologist says that he can't hear it, much to Stewie's annoyance.

When the doctor tells him he feels he knows him a bit after only a few minutes in his company, Stewie picks up a photograph of him on vacation with his husband Michael. Stewie begins to analyze their relationship in remarkable detail, revealing Pritchfield's embarrassment and insecurity about being much older than his husband. The psychologist then observes that Stewie is very lonely, at which Stewie suddenly bursts into tears, as Pritchfield's aide Barbara hands him some tissues.

After Stewie regains composure, Pritchfield mentions the incident that brought Stewie to his office, in which he pushed a fellow classmate, Tyler, down the stairs. Stewie protests that he only did it because he liked Tyler and was afraid he wouldn't like him back. Stewie denies being gay and declares that he is "confident" in his heterosexuality. He also expresses his difficulty fitting in when none of the other boys share his interests in musicals and world domination. He admits to pulling out his own hair because of anxiety, and expresses frustration at not being able to be on Broadway. He then performs to Pritchfield part of a number from the musical Hamilton, while fighting hiccups and a runny nose.

Stewie takes up an offer of tea and Pritchfield begins to tell him of his own youth as an orphan in Britain during the Second World War. Stewie interrupts his long story and they return to discussing Stewie's differences and difficulty fitting in. Stewie admits that he has constructed a persona in order to hide his true self, and drops his British accent, revealing his true accent to have been American all along. He makes plans to reveal his true self to others as well, but reconsiders and reverts to his British accent when he faces being just like everyone else.

Pritchfield begins to have a heart attack. He asks Stewie to hand him his heart medication, but Stewie, aware that Pritchfield is the only one who has seen through his façade, lets him die, even as the doctor warns him that if he does so, it will stay with him. Pritchfield calls out to Barbara, but Stewie points out that she has already gone to lunch. As he dies, the doctor picks up the photo of him with his husband and recites a sonnet from Romeo and Juliet. Immediately after his death, Pritchfield's office receives a voice mail from Michael demanding a divorce.

Later that night, Stewie is plagued by guilt over his actions as Pritchfield had warned and asks Brian to sleep with him. He mentions that he has done something awful, though he doesn’t explain further. The episode ends as Stewie lies awake eyes open while Brian falls asleep in his bed.

Reception

The episode was watched by 2.24 million viewers.

Green Lynx of Bubbleblabber gave the episode a 7/10. He said, "It was a breath of fresh air for Family Guy to step away from their long-running formula. I am in shock that there was only one cutscene in the entire show, and that was a short-lived flashback. In fact, this is something of a risk for any animated show, putting two characters in one room for over 20-minutes. Seth MacFarlane proves why he has been keeping this show operating for so long by delivering an incredible performance alongside the legendary Sir Ian McKellen. As for Stewie’s secrets, there were some doozies. While we do not get a definitive answer on his sexuality, we now know for certain that Stewie is not British—not in the slightest. There were some reveals about the baby’s insecurities like his need to be liked, and how he pulls his own hair out. There is a lot of new canon to keep in mind for as long as we are talking about Stewie Griffin."

External links

• "Send in Stewie, Please" at IMDb