The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz
Peter creates a religion based on Happy Days.
"The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz," the 18th episode of Family Guy's fourth season, aired December 18, 2005 on Fox. Peter Griffin, seeking a new faith, founds the First United Church of the Fonz after other religions fail him. Written by Danny Smith and directed by James Purdum, the episode earned positive reviews and was watched in 8.26 million homes. Guest stars included Paula Abdul, Tom Bosley, and Charles Durning.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Family Guy
- Season
- 4
- Episode
- 18
- Air date
- 18 December 2005
- Production
- 4ACX22
- Writer
- Danny Smith
- Director
- James Purdum
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Peter's devout Catholic father, Francis, visits Quahog and insists that Stewie be baptized as a Catholic. After visiting a church, Francis is told the holy water is tainted and baptizes Stewie himself with the contaminated water. Stewie becomes unwell and must be quarantined in a germ-free environment. Lois discovers Francis coaxed Peter into having Stewie baptized without her knowledge and tells Peter to choose his own religious beliefs. Peter initially converts to Mormonism but learns Mormons cannot drink alcohol. He tries Jehovah's Witnesses but cannot teach when someone is interested. He attempts Hinduism but gets kicked out after tackling the guru, mistaking the red dot on his head for a sniper laser. Unable to find a suitable religion, Peter creates his own based on Happy Days, calling it the "First United Church of the Fonz".
Production
Episode writer and executive show producer Danny Smith has written all Family Guy episodes to date featuring Francis, beginning with "Holy Crap". Stewie's line about a "bleeding, half-naked Jew nailed to a piece of wood" was censored from FOX and syndicated airings but retained on Cartoon Network, TBS, and DVD versions. A sequence with Peter saying he would "bust a nut" if someone said "taint" was intended but removed for unknown reasons. Stewie's line "It smells like New Orleans in here" was changed to "It smells like Brian Dennehy in here" on all airings because the script was prepared before Hurricane Katrina. The Fonz Statue originally depicted The Fonz like Jesus on the cross but was rejected due to broadcasting standards. An animated scene of the congregation singing the Happy Days theme was created but unused because producers could not obtain rights. Henry Winkler and Garry Marshall could not guest-star, so producers created a scene about Madonna to fill the time gap.
Cultural references
The episode opens with the family tuned into Aquaman, while Peter is seen watching Jaws 5, a bit MacFarlane calls one of his favorites. Stewie directly asks the audience to switch the channel to Desperate Housewives. Peter describes Jesus in a style reminiscent of Quantum Leap. His stammer while trying to say "wrong" mirrors Fonzie's struggle with the same word on Happy Days. A plastic bubble containing Stewie is used as the pinball in a close spoof of Sesame Street's Pinball Number Count. One cutaway shows a cat-costumed Peter in a reworked version of Paula Abdul's "Opposites Attract," replacing MC Skat Kat. The end credits feature "Rock Around the Clock," the original Happy Days theme, with the credits displayed in a matching style and font.
Reception
The episode landed 40th place in the December 12-18, 2005 ratings, drawing 8.26 million viewers. TV Squad's Ryan Budke called it one of the year's funniest, laughing throughout, but noted Henry Winkler's absence. The Parents Television Council, often critical of the show, ranked it the week's worst for its religious content.
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