Review: Family Guy “PeTerminator”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

When Lois attempts to make him eat broccoli, Stewie plans to invent a Terminator resembling Peter to annihilate her. Stewie soon realizes that his life is in danger when the Peter-like Terminator travels to the present to kill him. After Stewie and Brian find out that Future Brian was responsible for the creation of the PeTerminator, they attempt to protect their friendship and change the future.  

Our Take:

Let’s face it. No kid on Earth wants to eat broccoli. They often whine or pout to keep themselves away from this vegetable. For Stewie, however, the only way to deal with this situation is to take the pages right out of The Terminator.

The episode started with a different opening title sequence that clarifies what to expect from the story. Rather than showing the entire cast singing the usual happy-go-lucky theme song, the opening sequence instead showcases the characters as skeletons and the environments being engulfed in flames. This was followed by the Family Guy title resembling the title design for Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

This episode really wants you to know that it enjoys spoofing certain elements from the popular sci-fi franchise, mostly the first two films. You got the Peter Terminator entering the present butt naked, the chase sequence from Terminator 2, and the liquid metal abilities from the T-1000. It’s pretty much what would happen if Seth MacFarlane directed the two sci-fi action classics instead of James Cameron.

Not only was this another suitably enjoyable scenario starring Stewie and Brian, but it’s also a pretty humorous tribute to the franchise that defines Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career. Although its release’s timing had a case of “too little, too late” since the last Terminator film, Dark Fate, left a sour taste in people’s mouths less than two years ago. I think this is something that should’ve been released during one of the show’s earlier seasons. You know, during the time where people were gushing over the Terminator films. This was also an excuse for the animators to take a break from working on original content, as Stewie mentioned in the episode.

Aside from its unfortunate timing and unoriginality, the Terminator episode is another amusing scenario that showcases the complex friendship between Stewie and Brian and many Terminators that resemble some of the Family Guy characters. In fact, it’s so complex that they wind up kissing each other to save themselves from a future in which they become enemies. The humor was funny enough to keep the episode from being terminated, most notably the Peter Terminator shooting the Chicken in the head. There’s also a running gag that involves Peter attempting to jump and reach the branch. That part was an unnecessary addition, to be honest. Not just because it wasn’t as hilarious as the other comedic moments from Stewie and Brian, but also because of Peter falling for a lady version of himself after he finally touched the branch. I’m sorry, but wasn’t he already married?

As someone who enjoys watching the Terminator films, I find this episode to be another entertaining Stewie and Brian misadventure. It’s far from original, but it compensates by representing the characters’ chemistry and satirical humor that pokes fun at the sci-fi action franchise.