Our Idiot Brian

"Our Idiot Brian" is the eighth episode of the thirteenth season of the animated sitcom Family Guy, and the 239th episode overall. It aired on Fox in the United States on January 11, 2015, and is written by Aaron Lee and directed by John Holmquist.[1] The title is a play on the film Our Idiot Brother. The episode centers on Brian failing an SAT test, leading the family into thinking that he is not as smart as he claims to be, although Peter shows him the upside to being unintelligent. The cause of Brian's change in behavior is found to be a brain tumor, and Stewie longs for Brian to have it removed to return to normal.

"Our Idiot Brian"
Family Guy episode
Episode no.Season 13
Episode 8
Directed byJohn Holmquist
Written byAaron Lee
Featured music"Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex
Original air dateJanuary 11, 2015 (2015-01-11)
Guest appearances
Chris Diamantopoulos
Glenn Howerton as Lincoln's Cabinet Member
Martha MacIsaac as Patty
Bruce McGill as Lincoln's Cabinet Member
Christina Milian as Esther
Emily Osment as Ruth
DJ Qualls as Centipede
Fred Tatasciore as Russian Astronaut/Hulk
Robert Wu as Salon Patron

Plot

Meg worries about passing her SAT to get into college, so her friends suggest she hire a smart person to take the test for her. She convinces Brian to do so, inflating his ego by reciting quotes from his novel Faster Than the Speed of Love. Brian disguises himself as Meg, goes to school and takes the test for her. Meg shows Brian that he failed badly, scoring just 1,000 out of 2,400. Deciding to spread the news that the remainder of the story will not be a "Meg episode", Chris rides off on his horse, Artemis. When he arrives in the village, Chris forgets what he is going to say and claims that Brian is getting another book published.

Peter tries to get Brian to look on the bright side of being less intelligent, and together they do low-brow activities like watching a demolition derby and visiting Orlando, Florida. However, Stewie is puzzled about Brian's change in attitude as being very uncharacteristic of him. When Brian suffers a massive nosebleed and collapses, he is rushed to the hospital and Dr. Hartman reveals that Brian has a benign brain tumor, which has caused a decline in his intelligence. The family members are split on whether Brian should have the surgery to remove it, with Stewie wanting Brian to return to his old self and Brian enjoying his newfound life of enjoyable stupidity. Stewie uses the lure of a fake Kenny Chesney concert to take Brian to "cultured" activities like the opera, yoga, and an upscale restaurant instead.

However, Brian fully embraces being less intelligent and Stewie gives up and decides to adjust to the new reality, until Brian and Peter decide to enjoy a garage-set "London Fog" night, where they will take long and deep breaths as the exhaust from the car, envelopes them, and Stewie realizes Brian's behavior is actually going to kill him. Deciding to use his stupidity against him, he tricks Brian into getting the operation by claiming that it is an operation to graft him another penis. Brian agrees to come along as he could watch Black Swan and shoot one load at Natalie Portman and another load at Mila Kunis (the actress who portrays Meg; Stewie also interrupts before Brian can say her name). At the hospital, Brian is returned to his normal pretentious self, and berates Stewie for taking away his life of restful sleep and much casual sex and returning him to being a pompous alcoholic who can only hang out with a baby.

Reception

The episode received an audience of 4.12 million, making it the second most watched show on Fox that night after The Simpsons episode "Bart's New Friend".[2]

Seth MacFarlane's role in the episode was nominated for the Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards.[3]

References
  1. "(FG-1205) "Our Idiot Brian"". The Futon Critic. December 16, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  2. Kondolojy, Amanda (January 13, 2015). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Good Wife' Adjusted Up + Final Rating for 'The Golden Globes' and NFL". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  3. Montgomery, Daniel (August 25, 2015). "Voice-Over Emmy: Tress MacNeille ('The Simpsons') vs. four past champs". Gold Derby. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
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