Emission Impossible

"Emission Impossible" is an episode of Family Guy that first aired November 8, 2001. The episode was originally scheduled to air on September 19, but was postponed due to the September 11, 2001 attacks. The title of the episode is a reference to the television series Mission: Impossible.

The episode was written by Dave Collard and Ken Goin, directed by Peter Shin. Majel Barrett guest-starred as the voice of Stewie's microbionautical ship, and Wallace Shawn as Bertram, one of Stewie's potential brothers.

Plot summary

Quagmire babysits Meg, Chris and Stewie while Peter accompanies Lois on a visit to her pregnant, newly single sister Carol. When Carol goes into labor, Peter drives her to the hospital, stopping only for cheeseburgers (and a kid's meal for Carol's baby of course). Carol's obstetrician, Dr. Hartman mistakenly jabs himself with several needles, and faints, leaving Peter to deliver the baby himself. Reminded of the wonderful experience of childbirth, Peter tells Lois that he wants to have another child. Lois gleefully tells the rest of the family, but Stewie is less than enthusiastic. He feels threatened in his position as the youngest and resolves to prevent the conception of another sibling.

Stewie attempts to interfere in a romantic moment by crying for attention. Foiled in this effort, he smears one of Peter's shirt collars with lipstick but gets distracted by his own image in the mirror. In another attempt, he chloroforms Peter and utilizes a mechanical replica of him to insult Lois, but Chris accidentally knocks him out the window, where Stewie jumps out in front of Cleveland. When a candlelit dinner threatens to lead to intimacy between his parents, Stewie shrinks himself and a spaceship-like vessel and enters Peter's body to destroy his sperm.

In his well-armed craft, Stewie easily slaughters the defenseless sperm with one exception: Bertram, who seems to be just as diabolically clever as Stewie himself. After a brief struggle and standoff, Stewie realizes that they have much in common. Additionally, with Bertram's help, he could accomplish many goals, including Lois' murder. They part on amicable terms, but Stewie has only moments before the ship reverts to its normal size. After a narrow escape through Peter's tear duct, Stewie steers the craft back to his room with no time to spare.

Peter and Lois, however, reconsider having another child, to Stewie's chagrin. He frantically tries to get her and Peter to resume their plans ("You must receive his seed!"), but Peter retreats to the bathroom and masturbates with the assistance of a lingerie catalog. Stewie, appalled at the apparent death of Bertram, despairs until he notices a twinkle in Peter's eye signifying that Bertram is still alive. His relief is only momentary as he realizes that his unborn brother may be too clever.

Connections to other episodes

Bertram returns in the later episode "Sibling Rivalry", as well as in the video game.
This is the third appearance of the Evil Monkey in Chris's closet.

Censorship

In syndicated airings, when Peter and Lois drop the kids off at Quagmire's, the shot of them ringing the doorbell that's shaped like a woman's mouth several times is cut to show them ringing it only once to make the oral sex reference less obvious.
Quagmire and Chris playing a scavenger hunt was cut out.
Also in syndication, the first scene at Carol's house, where Peter knocks a lamp over and tries to cover it up by dragging the bed over it, is cut.

Cultural references

Stewie's dialogue after opening the fridge is taken verbatim from an old Sunny Delight commercial where kids root around in the refrigerator and pick Sunny D over the other drinks.
Stewie watches an episode of The Smurfs which spoofs the way the characters use the word smurf as a euphemism for an endless number of words.
Before Peter and Lois leave the kids with Quagmire, he mumbles "Well, in accordance with Megan's Law, I'm obligated to inform you...". Megan's Law, named after seven-year-old rape and murder victim Megan Kanka, is a New Jersey law requiring convicted sex offenders to identify themselves to neighbors. The term is used colloquially to refer to similar laws in other states.
Peter asks Carol to say "David Banner, I just slashed your tires" before he rips through one of Ted's shirts. This is meant to mimic the transformation of David Banner into the Incredible Hulk in the 1977-82 Hulk TV series (in all other adaptations of the Hulk, he was named Bruce Banner). The show has been referenced in several other Family Guy episodes.
A cutaway shows the Brady family abusing the youngest boy Bobby after Cousin Oliver arrives. The character was added during the last season of The Brady Bunch because the younger children on the show had grown older and were not capable of the same "cute kid" humor they once were.
After Cleveland sees Stewie escape the Peter robot, he says "I see nothing, nothing!". This was a catch phrase of Sergeant Hans Schultz, a bumbling German Sergeant, on the 1960s sitcom Hogan's Heroes.
Stewie's vessel is similar in function to that in the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage.
The voice of Stewie's ship computer is provided by Majel Barrett, who has provided the LCARS computer voice heard in all Star Trek series.
Stewie's air battle with Peter's sperm parodies that of the Millennium Falcon and the ships of the Galactic Empire in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi with each one of Peter's testicles representing the Death Star.
Stewie cues music "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker in his ship with Bertram.
While Stewie states that Peter's heart rate is increasing either due to sex or watching Batman, it is revealed that Peter watches the 1960s Batman television series while Lois is preparing for sex.
Stewie says farewell (for now) to Bertram using the popular Shave and a Haircut.
To make Peter cry, Stewie and Bertram perform the Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes duet "Up Where We Belong", popularized by the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. This caused Peter to exclaim "I love you, Lou Gossett, Jr." referring to an actor featured in the film.
When Stewie and Bertram are fighting in Stewie's vessel, the beginning of the fight looked almost the same as in the movie The Matrix where Neo and Smith fight under a subway station; most of their fight moves even look the same as they do in the film.
When Stewie is preparing for battle, he tests the ship, with one test being the Air Supply. The Ship starts playing "Lost in Love" by the band Air Supply.

References

S. Callaghan, "Emission Impossible". Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1–3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 152–155.
A. Delarte, "Nitpicking Family Guy: Season 3" in Bob's Poetry Magazine, 2.August 2005: 46 http://bobspoetry.com/Bobs02Au.pdf
Roffman, Deborah M. (2006-02-05). "What Does 'Boys Will Be Boys' Really Mean?". The Washington Post. p. B4.

External links

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