Tales of a Third Grade Nothing
"Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" | |
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Family Guy episode | |
Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 6 |
Directed by | Jerry Langford |
Written by | Alex Carter |
Production code | 6ACX10[1] |
Original air date | November 16, 2008 |
Guest appearances | |
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"Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" is the sixth episode and mid-season finale in the seventh season of American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 16, 2008. The episode follows Peter (voiced by show creator Seth MacFarlane) as he goes back to school to finish the third grade in order to get a promotion at work. It also follows Brian (also voiced by MacFarlane) and Frank Sinatra Jr. (voiced by himself) as they buy a club and give it to Stewie (MacFarlane) so that he can remodel it.
The episode was written by Alex Carter and directed by
Plot
Peter does badly at school and offends his teacher Mrs. Wilson by telling an inappropriate story about her (forgetting that Mrs. Wilson was also Peter's teacher when he was a third grader), and makes fun of top student Omar. Mrs. Wilson allows Peter to attend the spelling bee after spelling out "buttlickers" which even Omar can't spell; she tells him that he will pass third grade if he succeeds. Omar fails the spelling bee because he misspelled "coagulate", but Peter succeeds after correctly spelling "lesbians". When Peter returns to work, however, Angela tells him that instead of being promoted, he will go to jail for the hospital explosion. Fortunately for him, he receives only one week in prison and is told he will be released the following Sunday night at 9:00 (Family Guy's usual time slot).
Meanwhile, Frank Sinatra Jr. comes back to town to perform with Brian at the Quahog Cabana Club. Since the club owner is looking to sell, Brian and Frank buy the establishment and they let Stewie transform it into a hip, modern nightclub called pLace. At first, Frank and Brian feel uncomfortable, but their feelings change once they get into the club life themselves. However, the club swiftly loses its popularity once Andy Dick bursts in, causing all the partygoers to flee. Once the club has emptied, Frank and Brian perform another song.
Production
"Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" was written by newcomer Alex Carter.[3] It was directed by former Mission Hill and The Oblongs director Jerry Langford, who had joined the show's directing staff that season making this his first Family Guy episode, he would direct the episode "Stew-Roids" later that season.[3][4] Series regulars Peter Shin and James Purdum served as supervising directors.[3] Composer Walter Murphy, who has worked on the series since its inception, returned to compose the music for "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing".[3]
Actress Carrie Fisher, who was most famous for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars,[5] returned to voice Peter's boss, Angela, as she first did in the fourth season episode "Jungle Love".[6] Fisher was given high praise for her portrayal of the character, with The Hollywood Reporter calling it one of her "5 Most Iconic Roles."[5] Singer Frank Sinatra Jr. also returned to voice himself, as he did in another fourth season episode "Brian Sings and Swings".[3][7]
In addition to Fisher, Sinatra and the regular cast, former game show host
Cultural references
"Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" makes several media references. The name of the episode itself is a reference to
Stewie references singer
Reception
In its original broadcast in the United States on November 16, 2008, "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" was watched by 8.52 million homes and acquired a 4.2
The episode received positive reviews. Ahsan Haque of IGN praised "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing", writing that it had "a convoluted storyline that actually has some kind of logical flow, and more than a fair share of genuinely funny and outrageously offensive jokes.". He graded the episode 8.5 out of 10.[8] Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club wrote that the episode was an above average episode, and graded it B.[10] In contrast, Robin Pierson of The TV Critic gave the episode a negative review, saying that while it was funnier than the usual episodes of the show it was still "plotless ramblings".[9]
Notes
- ^ sex transition in 2015.[2]
References
- 20th Century Fox. Archived from the originalon July 11, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
- ^ Leibovitz, Annie (June 1, 2015). "Introducing Caitlyn Jenner". Vanity Fair. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ Yahoo! TV. Archived from the originalon 2012-11-03. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- Yahoo! TV. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ a b Fernandez, Sofia (August 8, 2011). "Carrie Fisher's 5 Most Iconic Roles". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ "Family Guy: Jungle Love Credits". AMC. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- Yahoo! TV. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Haque, Ahsan (November 17, 2008). "Family Guy: Tales of a Third Grade Nothing Review". IGN. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Pierson, Robin (29 March 2012). "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing Review". The TV Critic. Archived from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ a b Heisler, Steve (November 16, 2008). "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words/A Bill Full of Dollars/Tales of a Third Grade Nothing/Pulling Double Booty". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (November 17, 2008). "Sunday Ratings: CBS wins with NFL and Obama, NBC with Romo and Fox with Family Guy". TV by the Numbers. Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
External links
- "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" at IMDb