Road to the Multiverse
Stewie and Brian travel parallel universes via remote control.
"Road to the Multiverse" is the first episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on September 27, 2009, and was the first episode produced and aired after the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. The episode won a Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Achievement in Animation for storyboarding.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Family Guy
- Airdate
- 27 September 2009
- Writer
- Wellesley Wild
- Director
- Greg Colton
- Season article
- Family Guy season 8
Facts from the source article.
Plot
At the county fair, Stewie tells Brian he bred a winning pig for Quahog Clam Day, revealing he obtained it from a parallel universe using a remote control that teleports across realities. They first visit a universe where Christianity never existed, so the Dark Ages never occurred and humanity is 1000 years more technologically advanced; the Sistine Chapel exists but was painted by John Hinckley Jr. instead of Michelangelo. Brian asks if the remote can reach other realities, and Stewie guides them through several more, about half featuring alternate Griffin families. Brian eventually realizes Stewie does not know how to return home. They reach a universe where humans are subservient to dogs. Stewie figures out how to modify the remote to go home, but Brian, reluctant to leave a dog-ruled world, takes it. They fight and break the remote, trapping them. They visit the dog version of the Griffin family, where the dog Stewie has also built a universe-traveling device. Human Stewie bites dog Peter out of anger and is sent to the pound to be euthanized. The two Brians and dog Stewie free him, and both Stewie and Brian are sent back to their original universe. Human Brian leaps into the portal at the last moment, makes it to the original universe, but is struck by a car.
Production and development
The episode was announced at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con on July 26, 2008. It was written by Wellesley Wild and directed by Greg Colton after the seventh production season, which consisted of held-over episodes due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. It is the fifth "Road to" episode of the series, parodying the Road to... comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Though not originally intended as a "Road to" episode, Colton convinced Seth MacFarlane and director Cyndi Tang to change the title from "Sliders" to "Road to the Multiverse". Executive producer David A. Goodman, a fan of Sliders, played a key role in development. The production staff watched an episode of Sliders before writing. Peter Shin and James Purdum served as supervising directors, with Andrew Goldberg and Alex Carter as staff writers. Composer Walter Murphy returned for the music; Ron Jones and MacFarlane contributed to music and lyrics.
Cultural references
The first universe visited lacks Christianity, resulting in advanced technology: Quagmire takes a pill to cure AIDS, flying cars exist, and Meg is more attractive while "Drop Dead Legs" by Van Halen plays. The Sistine Chapel features photos of Jodie Foster instead of Michelangelo's painting, done by John Hinckley Jr. Another universe resembles The Flintstones, with Peter and Lois dressed as Fred and Wilma. A universe where Japan conquered the United States after the atomic bombing never occurred references World War II. A Disney-themed universe includes Meg as Ursula from The Little Mermaid and Herbert as the Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Walt Disney's alleged antisemitism is referenced when Mort Goldman is beaten to death. A universe resembling Robot Chicken shows action figures of He-Man, Optimus Prime, Lion-O, and Duke.
Reception
The episode aired on September 27, 2009, as part of Fox's Animation Domination block, preceded by The Simpsons and the pilot of The Cleveland Show, and followed by American Dad!. It was watched by 10.17 million viewers, with a 5.2 rating in the 18–49 demographic, beating The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, and American Dad! in both rating and total viewership. It aired opposite Desperate Housewives, The Amazing Race, and Sunday Night Football. In Canada on Global TV, it drew 1.29 million viewers, first in its timeslot. Critical response was highly positive. The A.V. Club's Emily VanDerWerff rated it a B+, calling it a solid start to the season. IGN's Ahsan Haque gave it 9.6 out of 10, praising its memorable lines and animation. TV Guide's Alex Rocha found it to have great laughs. In 2019, IGN ranked it the fourth best Family Guy episode in a list of the 20 best.
More in Television Episodes About Parallel Universes
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced