New Kidney in Town

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"New Kidney in Town"
Family Guy episode
Episode no.Season 9
Episode 8
Directed byPete Michels
Written byMatt Harrigan
Dave Willis
Production code8ACX10
Original air dateJanuary 9, 2011 (2011-01-09)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Road to the North Pole" 		Next →
"And I'm Joyce Kinney"
Family Guy season 9
List of episodes

"New Kidney in Town" is the eighth episode of the

animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 9, 2011. The episode follows Peter, after he drinks kerosene, causing him to suffer immediate kidney failure. In need of a replacement kidney, Peter is unable to locate a match, until it is discovered that his anthropomorphic dog Brian is a match, but would require the donation of both his kidneys. Meanwhile, Chris is instructed by his English teacher to write an essay about hope, in preparation of United States President Barack Obama's appearance at their school. Unable to write anything inspiring, he decides to pick his sister Meg
's brain and use her ideas.

The episode was written by

Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Comedy Series
" category in 2011.

Plot

At the Drunken Clam, Peter is introduced to Red Bull by Quagmire. He ends up becoming highly addicted to it and it makes him operate at high speeds. Peter buys packs of Red Bull and introduces it to his family, though things get out of hand as soon as he starts performing everything too fast. One day, Peter comes home to find that Lois has dumped out the Red Bull in an attempt to make Peter give up his new addiction. An angered Peter attempts to make his own in retaliation. Because of a misreading, Peter decides to put kerosene in his beverage believing that fuel causes the effect Red Bull caused him. Brian warns Peter that kerosene is dangerous, but Peter ignores him and drinks it, causing him to collapse on the floor.

The family learns that Peter has been diagnosed with

Joe and Quagmire to skip one treatment, assured it would not hurt him at all, but is quickly proven wrong when he becomes jaundiced and vomits blood
.

Back again at the hospital, the family learns that Peter's condition has a high chance of killing him instantly, and that the only other option aside from the daily procedures is that one must give up one of their kidneys to Peter. Lois volunteers to give up one of hers, but is informed that she is not a match, and she refuses Dr. Hartman's suggestion of volunteering one of the kids. Brian then volunteers, and they discover that he has the same kidney type as Peter. However, as dog kidneys are smaller than a human's, two would need to be donated to have a small chance at being successful, meaning the procedure would kill Brian, and could kill Peter too if unsuccessful. However, Brian decides to go along with the procedure to save Peter's life. Unwilling to lose Brian, Stewie kidnaps him and takes him to the local playground, in hopes of staying there for the rest of their lives. Brian convinces Stewie to let him go, stating that Stewie can live without a dog but not without a father. The next day, Brian and Peter prepare to undergo the kidney transfer. However, Hartman reveals that he himself is a match for Peter and has decided to donate one of his own kidneys, which would be a more guaranteed success. Brian's life is spared and Peter is saved.

Meanwhile, at the same time during the kidney crisis, United States President Barack Obama has decided to visit Quahog, and Chris' entire English class is assigned to write an essay about hope. He consults his sister Meg for her opinion and she lists her personal opinion on the subject, which Chris plagiarizes. Meg is angry that he decided to take her words and call them his own, but she is eventually given credit for co-writing the speech, and she and Chris introduce Obama to the school where he begins singing and playing the guitar as students swoon over his performance.

Production and development

Dave Willis co-wrote the episode with Matt Harrigan.

"New Kidney in Town" was co-written by Williams Street writers Dave Willis and Matt Harrigan, in their first official episode for the series. The two have also worked for Aqua Teen Hunger Force,[1][2] Space Ghost Coast to Coast,[2][3] and Squidbillies,[2][3] among others. The episode was directed by series regular Pete Michels, shortly after the conclusion of the eighth production season, in his first episode for the season.[4] Series veterans Peter Shin and James Purdum, both of whom having previously served as animation directors, served as supervising directors for the episode, with Alex Carter, Andrew Goldberg, Elaine Ko, Spencer Porter and Aaron Blitzstein serving as staff writers for the episode.[5] Composer Walter Murphy, who has worked on the series since its inception, returned to compose the music for "New Kidney in Town".[5][6]

In addition to the regular cast, actress

John G. Brennan, actor Ralph Garman, writer Danny Smith and writer John Viener made minor appearances in the episode.[6][7]

Cultural references

Comedian and game show host Drew Carey appeared in the episode.

In the opening scene of the episode, after complaining of being exhausted, Peter is introduced to the energy drink

Showcase Showdown game, until the wheel suddenly spins off its axis and into the audience, running over several rows of people.[8] After suffering from Red Bull withdrawal, Peter decides to create his own concoction, including kerosene. After drinking it, he suffers from immediate kidney failure, requiring constant dialysis. Deciding to go to The Drunken Clam with Quagmire and Joe, he is reluctant to go to his scheduled dialysis appointment, in order to watch the 1984 CBS series Charles in Charge.[9]

In preparation for a special appearance at their school,

musical and film Bye Bye Birdie.[10]

Reception

"New Kidney in Town" was broadcast on January 9, 2011, as a part of an animated television night on Fox, and was preceded by

Nielsen ratings, despite airing simultaneously with Desperate Housewives on ABC, Undercover Boss on CBS and The Cape on NBC. The episode also acquired a 4.7 rating in the 18–49 demographic, beating Bob's Burgers and The Cleveland Show in addition to significantly edging out the latter in total viewership.[11] The episode's ratings increased significantly from the previous episode,[12] largely due to the lead-in provided by the NFL Wild Card game that preceded the "Animation Domination" line-up.[11]

Television critics reacted mostly positive toward the episode, calling the storyline "heartfelt."

The Price Is Right.[14] Hughes went on to comment that the episode "taught us about the depths and bonds of love that make a family. Whether it's acceptance, hope or sacrifice, there's no limit to what we will do for family."[14] Kate Moon of TV Fanatic also commented positively on the episode, writing in her review of the storyline, "Overall, I found the installment to be refreshing with everyone taking a part in Peter’s dilemma. It was actually sweet and emotional for a change." Moon also praised the scenes involving President Obama, and Stewie's attempt at saving Brian.[15]

The episode was among four other episodes submitted by the Family Guy production team for consideration of an

Emmy Award nomination, in the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series category. "New Kidney in Town" was submitted, along with "Halloween on Spooner Street", "Road to the North Pole", "And I'm Joyce Kinney" and "Trading Places". The series was successfully nominated in 2009, but failed to merit an award. Mark Hentemann, executive producer and showrunner of Family Guy, said of the nominating process, "We had internal discussions in the writers' room, and it seemed like we were much more akin to the other primetime comedies than we were to children's shows in animation. We assumed we would not get anywhere, and so it was a great surprise when we got the nomination."[16]

References

  1. ^ Ohanesian, Liz (2010-04-27). "Aqua Teen Hunger Force's Dave Willis and Dana Snyder Hit the Road". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  2. ^ a b c "Matt Harrigan – Credits". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  3. ^ a b "Dave Willis – Credits". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  4. ^ "Pete Michels – Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  5. ^ a b Willis, Dave; Harrigan, Matthew; Michels, Pete; MacFarlane, Seth (2011-01-09). "New Kidney in Town". Family Guy. Season 09. Episode 08. Fox.
  6. ^ a b "New Kidney in Town – Cast and crew". Yahoo!. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  7. ^ "Family Guy Episode: "New Kidney in Town"". TV Guide. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  8. ^ a b Deeken, Aimee (2011-01-10). "'Family Guy' Patriarch Covers Madonna, Causes 'Price Is Right' Mayhem". TV Squad. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  9. ^ Moyna, Ciara (2011-01-11). "Family Guy "New Kidney In Town" Review". Daemon's TV. Retrieved 2011-01-11.
  10. ^ "'Family Guy' Shows President Obama Singing Song From 'Bye Bye Birdie' For Some Reason". The Huffington Post. 2011-01-10. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  11. ^ a b Seidman, Robert (2010-01-11). "TV Ratings Sunday: With Help from NFL Fox Animations Surge, 'Bob's Burgers' Strong ; 'The Cape' Premieres OK". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
  12. ^ Seidman, Robert (2010-12-14). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Desperate Housewives,' Adjusted Up; 'The Simpsons,' Down; Plus 'Amazing Race,' 'Undercover Boss,' and 'CSI: Miami'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2010-12-17. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  13. ^ a b c d Kaiser, Rowan (2011-01-10). ""Moms I'd Like To Forget"/"New Kidney In Town"/"Ain't Nothin' But Mutton Bustin'"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
  14. ^ a b Hughes, Jason (2010-01-11). "Sundays With Seth: 'Family Guy' and 'Cleveland Show' Recaps". TV Squad. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
  15. ^ Moon, Kate (2011-01-10). "Family Guy Review: "New Kidney in Town"". TV Fanatic. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
  16. ^ Beachum, Chris (2011-06-21). "Can 'Family Guy' get back into Comedy Series race at Emmys?". Gold Derby. Retrieved 2011-06-28.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to
"New Kidney in Town".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Kidney_in_Town&oldid=1217373645"