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

Peter, bored at work, decides to go into the executive bathroom. When he discovers how lavish the bathroom is, he becomes motivated to do well at work so that he can become an executive. But while trying to impress his boss Angela, he inadvertently blows up part of a children's hospital. Nevertheless, she is impressed by his improvement at work and recommends an open executive spot for him. However, Human Resources tells him he must first complete the third grade in order to qualify.

Peter does badly at school but graduates after correctly spelling the word "lesbians" in a spelling bee. When Peter goes back to work, Angela tells him that he will be going to jail for the hospital explosion instead of getting promoted. Fortunately for him, he receives only one week in prison and is told he will be released the following Sunday night at 9:00 (Family Guy's usual time slot).

Meanwhile, Frank Sinatra, Jr. comes back to town to perform with Brian at the Quahog Cabana Club. They buy the establishment and let Stewie transform it into a modern dance club called pLace. At first, Frank and Brian feel uncomfortable, but their feelings change once they get into the club life themselves. However, the club loses its popularity once Andy Dick is seen there.

Cultural references

• The spelling bee in the second grade class is based on the movie Billy Madison.
• The scene in which Peter is flying to the executive bathroom is a reference to the scene in Jurassic Park, when the helicopter flies to the island filled with dinosaurs. It even uses the music by John Williams.
• In the scene where Stewie asks Brian where he and Sinatra got the clothes, he said "At Barney's. I hear that's where all of the famous people go to get skinny leg jeans." Yosemite Sam is then seen trying on a pair of skinny jeans. His dialogue during the scene as he gripes about the tight britches is similar to his introductory speech in the Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Hare Trigger" ("Whoaaa! These are the tightest, penis compressin'-est, sperm killin'-est, testicle grippin'-est jeans I ever tried on!").
• In the scene where Peter is told by Human Resources that he needs to complete the third grade, a piano falls right on top of him out of nowhere. Peter comes out through the top, with stars (literally) twirling over his head, birds chirping, and piano keys in his teeth, states, "Next time you get a fortune cookie, don't open it!", and walks out of the office while his body scrunches up and down like an accordian with similar sound effects. This is similar to many classic Looney Tunes shorts.
• When Brian asks Stewie what he had in mind for changes in the club, Stewie responds "Just trust me Brian I know exactly what to do, you've got to be a aggressive...even more aggressive than Michael Jackson's treatment of his own groin on stage." The episode then cuts to a clip of Michael Jackson performing dance moves that include severely beating up and abusing his testicles, a parody to his normal dance moves on stage.
• Stewie's club "pLace" is a reference to a real nightclub in Los Angeles called "Area".
• Stewie tells Brian and Frank that they were more out of place in his club than Prince was on "The Price Is Right." The episode then cuts to a clip with Prince having to repeatedly announce his guess on a dining room set ($350) while on the show. This is a reference to how softly Prince speaks in interviews.
• When Brian asks Stewie how he paid for all this, Stewie says "I got a job as a field reporter for the Channel 5 news." It cuts to a clip where he and a woman are stomping grapes, and he says stop, and then goes, but only to fall. This is a reference of a news reporter actually falling while stomping grapes.
• Early on in the episode, when Lois questions Peter's determination to get a promotion, he responds how he won't give up on his dream like he did with his "in-door hot air balloon." The scene then changes to Peter filling up the house with a hot air balloon. It then takes off and crashes into Cleveland's house, causing his bathtub with him in it to fall to the ground. This is the third time the producers had used this gag, after Hell Comes to Quahog and Barely Legal, both in season 5. The house rising from the ground with the balloon might also be a reference to the upcoming Disney/Pixar film, Up.
• The first song Sinatra Jr. and Brian sing is Guys and Dolls, while the second is a spoof of On the Road to Mandalay.
• This marks the second time that Quagmire is shown to have children, the first being in Peter's Got Woods. Quagmire has at least 4 children now: one Caucasian, two Hispanic, and one mentally challenged.
• When Frank Sinatra Jr. attempts to pick up two hip women at his club, he asks them if they'd like a Rob Roy, the preferred drink of Peter Lawford. However, the women had no idea what or who he was talking about.
• In the scene in which Stewie first takes Frank Sinatra Jr. and Brian around the club, Sinatra refers to the DJ mockingly as Maynard G. Krebs, referring to a stereotypically beatnik character played by Bob Denver in the popular '60s sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.
• The scene where Stewie falls over and screams in pain after stomping on grapes is a reference to the Grape stomp lady internet meme.

External links

• Tales of a Third Grade Nothing at IMDb