Da Boom (Family Guy)
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 "Holy crap! Did anybody else feel that?"
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Da Boom is the third and special episode of the second season of the animated comedy series, Family Guy, and the tenth overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 26, 1999.
Plot
The episode takes place in an alternate timeline, which features the Griffin family after a nuclear holocaust occurs, due to Y2K on New Year's Eve. The family then travels in search of food, and eventually decide to establish a town around a Twinkie factory. Peter then takes over the town, establishing himself as mayor, but eventually becomes power hungry, and is overthrown.
Why It Rocks
- While not a canon episode, it’s an awesome alternate timeline episode, as it shows what would happen if the world was doomed because of the Y2K problem.
- The animation and voice acting is still good, including the debut of Meg’s current voice actor, Mila Kunis.
- Started the memorable gag of Peter's violent rivalry with Ernie the Giant Chicken.
- Peter is likable as he protects his family from the nuclear attack, and then tries to have everyone who lived, adjust to the environment when building New Quahog.
- The other characters are likable as well, as they also try to survive the post-attack state.
- Funny moments in the episode, like when Peter eats the dehydrated meals and grows big, and the conflicts of Quagmire and Cleveland after they merged.
- Peter did have good intentions on trying to make New Quahog have weapons in case of an emergency and they encounter a new enemy.
- Stewie’s mutated Octopus form had him lay eggs, and when the Griffins were kicked out of New Quahog and the guns were destroyed, the eggs hatch and Stewie’s swarm of Octopus offspring destroy new Quahog, which shows the consequences of not believing in one’s ideas of being prepared to defend themselves.
- The Griffin Family decide to move on to another town with another food factory, with high hopes for their future.
- Well-done and funny ending, where the episode was just a dream, and there was a live-action segment parodying "Dallas", but with the show’s characters actually being present, Pam Ewing and Bobby Ewing, as well as the show’s main actors reprising their roles as them, Victoria Principal and Patrick Duffy, respectively. In this sequence, Pam wakes up after having this episode as a dream, which disturbed her, and she goes to tell her husband, Bobby, about her dream, and he comforts her. He then pauses and asks "What's Family Guy?", and then they look at the audience confused. The Family Guy episode being a dream and not real was also well-done here. We can’t say the same for, say, Stewie Kills Lois and Lois Kills Stewie.
- Furthermore, given the uncertainty of the show's future at the time the episode aired (with Family Guy being pulled from the lineup after only two episodes on Thursday against Frasier, and this episode airing as a special to coincide with New Year's 2000 and the fear of the Y2K bug), the idea of Bobby and Pam Ewing being confused about the existence of the show would have been an funny way to end the series.
Reception
The episode received positive reviews. Ahsan Haque of IGN rated the episode a 10/10, saying "Overall, this episode easily ranks as one of the best episodes in the series. Almost every joke succeeds, and the far-fetched alternate reality storyline thoroughly entertains. Despite the fact that all of the events in the episode are revealed to be a dream, it doesn't take away from the high degree of amusement provided." Tom Eames of entertainment website Digital Spy placed the episode at number sixteen on his listing of the best Family Guy episodes in order of "yukyukyuks" and described it as "classic bonkers Family Guy". He added that the episode was "potentially the first time fans realised this wasn't just a Simpsons ripoff."
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