To Love and Die in Dixie

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"To Love and Die in Dixie"
Family Guy episode
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 12
Directed byDan Povenmire
Written bySteve Callaghan
Production code3ACX09
Original air dateNovember 15, 2001 (2001-11-15)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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Family Guy season 3
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"To Love and Die in Dixie" is the 12th episode of the third season of the

animated comedy series Family Guy. Country music singer Waylon Jennings, who died three months after the episode aired on television in the United States, guest-stars in his last appearance on the show.[1] Dakota Fanning also guest starred on the episode. The title is a reference to a line in the traditional Southern song "Dixie".[2]

The episode was written by future showrunner Steve Callaghan, and directed by Dan Povenmire.[3] It features the first appearance of the recurring character John Herbert, an elderly pedophile with a perpetual lust for Peter and Lois' teenage son Chris Griffin.

Plot

Needing extra money,

Witness Protection Program where they are relocated to Bumblescum, a tiny town in the deep South
, about which Meg complains, although Lois remains somewhat optimistic.

Deciding to embrace the South, Peter decorates his car like the General Lee, though he fails to roll the passenger window down for Brian when beckoning him to enter. He then becomes sheriff with Brian as his deputy, although the two neglect their responsibilities in order to drink. Stewie joins a hillbilly jug band, Meg becomes the most successful and popular student among her classmates (besting Oinky the Pig), and Chris makes a new friend named Sam.

Later, when Peter interferes with a Civil War reenactment, claiming the North won the war, despite how they were being portrayed in the play, Sam's dad says Chris and Sam can no longer be friends and Peter and Brian have to answer to the civil war survivors. Not knowing of this, Sam unexpectedly kisses Chris, and Chris assumes Sam is gay. As Chris writes in a journal about what happened with Sam, Brian hears the story (as Chris was speaking out what he wrote), and he explains that kissing Sam seemingly felt right.

When the two meet again, Chris explains to Sam that even though he is flattered that Sam likes him, he is not interested in a romantic relationship and feels that they are probably better off as just friends. Just before the two go swimming, Chris finds out that Sam is a girl, and due to his bad experiences around girls, Chris now feels awkward around Sam. At a party that is held that night, Sam explains to Chris that he had no problem talking to her, when he thought she was a guy, so she tells Chris to think of her as a boy who he can make out with.

After the

FBI
agents who were hired to look over the Griffins home in Quahog accidentally reveal the location of the family (telling the criminal where Meg was, but not Chris), the criminal tracks the family down in Bumblescum, and attempts to kill Chris. During the confrontation, however, the criminal is shot and killed by Sam's father.

With the criminal gone, the Griffins return to Quahog with Chris having to leave Sam behind. Once they are home, they realize that someone had left 113 messages on their answering machine, all of which turn out to be from Herbert, who is looking for Chris.[4]

Production

A man with brown hair, leans forward slightly to speak into a microphone. There is a vague symbol behind him.
Steve Callaghan wrote the episode.

Dan Povenmire, who directed the episode, was granted substantial creative freedom by series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane. Povenmire recalled that MacFarlane would tell him "We've got two minutes to fill. Give me some visual gags. Do whatever you want. I trust you." Povenmire praised this management style for letting him "have fun." Povenmire brought realism, and material from his own experiences, to the visual direction of Family Guy.[5][6]

For this episode,

corpse into the nearby river.[5]
There is also a running gag in the episode of raccoons jumping out of random objects and scratching Peter in the face.

In addition to the regular cast, actors Brian Dunkleman and Kathleen Wilhoite, voice actors Dakota Fanning, Harland Williams, and Rachael MacFarlane, and singer Waylon Jennings, guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors and writers Mike Henry and Danny Smith made minor appearances.

References

General
  • Callaghan, Steve (2005). Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1–3.
    ISBN 0-7528-7399-7
    .
Specific
  1. ^ "Waylon Jennings marched to his own outlaw beat". USATODAY. February 14, 2002. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  2. ^ "Family Guy: To Love and Die in Dixie episode on TV.com". TV.com. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  3. ^ "Mark Hentemann and Steve Callaghan Take Over Family Guy". MovieWeb. September 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  4. ^ "Family Guy "To Love and Die in Dixie" Episode Guide". TV Fanatic. Retrieved 2009-10-30.
  5. ^ a b Callaghan, pp. 174
  6. ^ Callaghan, pp. 142
  7. ^ Callaghan, pp. 171

External links

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