Review: Family Guy “Back to the Pilot”

Spoilers Below!Of all the specials animated shows do, the “Road to…” series are my favorite. When Brian wants his old tennis ball back, Stewie and Brian travel back in time to Jan 31 1999 (Family Guy’s original air date) for the pilot  episode. Things were different then, Stewie was fat and loquacious the cutaway breaks were way more serious compared to how they do it now which is way more lax and laden with excess. However, due to their time travel device’s fledgling D batteries, instead of going back home they instead end up in different parts of Quahog on the same pilot day. Such classic scenes are re-lived like when they transport to the football field with the scene where Peter is dropping money from a blimp to all the fans, ever the opportunists Brian and Stewie take some of the money and pay for fresh D batteries for the device.

Finally, we end up in the present day but, well things are different..Brian was able to somehow become a hero because he told his prior self about 9/11 and then stopped it.  As a result George Bush brings back the Confederate States of America after his re-election falls through. Thinking that this might not be that bad, a bet is wagered between Brian and Stewie as to what the future would look like 5 years from now, welp Family Guy is in 3D and the Cleveland show is cancelled and oh, by the way, COMPLETE AND UTTER CHAOS OUTSIDE. As a result, future Stewie and Brian go back in time to stop um present Stewie and Brian from telling past Brian about 9/11. But, this time apparently when they come back we find out that Brian wrote the Harry Potter series. Before you know it a bunch of Stewies and Brians that are warning about different pasts and futures with even Peter coming along for the ride!

All in all i thought it was unbelievable how the animators were able to seamlessly merge the worlds of the pilot/present day/ and future together in what I think may be the best episode yet. The dig on old-school Meg voiced by Lacey Chabert made me throw up it was so great…but if I have to start wearing 3D glasses to watch new episodes of Family Guy, me and Seth are gonna have words!