Airdate: May 13th, 2012
When Peter uses a "Come In, We're Open" sign to turn his house into a store, Joe comes in to shut it down. Angry over the government nosing in on people's business, Peter joins the Tea Party, which, as Brian says and is later revealed to be, is set up so rich people like Lois's father, Carter, can shut down the government and do whatever they want (which leads to trouble).
Tropes present in this episode include
- Art Imitates Art: During a Tea Party protest against the government, Peter, Quagmire, and Joe imitate the painting "The Spirit of '76
" by Archibald Willard. - Bestiality Is Depraved: With no government, Quagmire can have sex with a giraffe at the zoo. The result is a baby giraffe with Quagmire's face that says "Giraffity".
- Blue Liquid Absorbent: When Peter is telling Carter about all the bad things happening without the government, he ends it by saying that tampon commercials no longer use blue liquids in their demonstrations. A Cutaway Gag of the family reacting to one of these commercials is then shown.
- Bread Milk Eggs Squick:Peter: Mr. Pewterschmidt, you gotta do something! The potholes ain't getting fixed no more! The stoplights ain't working! Tampon commercials no longer use blue liquids in their demonstrations!(cuts to Peter and the rest of the family watching TV in the living room)(the family reacts with disgust when they see a tampon commercial not using a blue liquid)Stewie: Make it blue, that's always been the deal! You show whatever you want, but you make it blue!
- Disability as an Excuse for Jerkassery: Discussed on the news with Tom Tucker about Autism:Tom Tucker: Coming up: Autism: Is it real or just another excuse for kids these days to forget their manners?
- Half-Human Hybrid: Quagmire sires a child with a giraffe.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Peter snaps at Quagmire for starting a conservation by asking if he's ever unwittingly masturbated to pictures of his mother. This was to show that Peter was in a bad mood over his store getting shut down, but really... who starts a conversation with that?
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Carter as "Joe Everyman"; it's basically him wearing an off-white T-shirt, denim jeans, a construction helmet and a dodgy-looking mullet.
- Squick: The family's in-universe reaction after seeing a tampon commercial without Blue Liquid Absorbent.
- Take That!: This episode really takes its anger out on the Tea Party movement.
- Teacher/Student Romance: Meg says that with no more government, she can finally hold hands with a teacher she has a crush on.
- That Thing Is Not My Child!: Quagmire, immediately after the giraffe gives birth to their hybrid child with a giraffe's body and Quagmire's head.
