Meg gets hooked on drinking booze and partying after Peter tells her to go out and have fun so that way he can have the couch to watch TV. Meanwhile, in the conclusion of the "Brian gets kicked out for Tweeting an allegedly racist joke" arc, Brian (who's in a wheelchair with a broken leg thanks to the events of the previous episode) begins spying on the nearby apartments out of boredom, and thinks Principal Shepherd may have murdered his wife.
Tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: When Lois tried to scold Meg for drinking, she gets distracted by the jokes Meg is making.Meg: I know what you're gonna say, and I know how you're gonna say it.Lois: Oh, really?Meg: Yep. (imitates Lois) I don't want you drinkin' or your life's gonna go down the crappah.Lois: (laughs) That's not bad. I mean, I sound nothing like that, but it's a fun character. But this is serious. Alcoholism runs in our family.Meg: Hey, I'm just glad something runs in this family.Lois: (laughs) I don't mean to (laughs) I-I don't mean to laugh, okay? But that was funny.
- A Day in the Limelight: Somewhat for Principal Shepherd since this is the first time his character's been the driving force for a plot (even if it's only the secondary one) ever since his introduction all the way back in Season 2. Previously, he'd only been used mostly for quick gags.
- Brief Accent Imitation: Meg does an exaggerated imitation of Lois' thick New England accent, when her mother tries to reprimand her.
- Comically Missing the Point: Peter being more surprised that Keyser Soze was gay the whole time rather than faking his palsy.
- How We Got Here: Brian and Peter attempt to pull this trope, but Stewie won't have any of it.Brian: How did I get here? Well, to answer that, we'd have to go back a little while...Stewie: We're not doing that!Later...Peter: What happened? A fair question. And to answer it, we have to go back a ways.Stewie: Stop doing that thing!
- Noodle Incident: Meg is apparently well-known at school for putting the lunch lady in a headlock.
- Series Continuity Error: Principal Shepherd mentioned being divorced in "Once Bitten", and his wife was identified as his ex in "The Peter Principal". But this episode implies that they're currently still married. Though it's perfectly possible that he's gotten into another rocky marriage since then.
- Shout-Out: When Brian looks through windows across the street, he sees what resembles the scene from Home Alone where Kevin uses silhouettes of props to make it appear as if there's a lot of people at home. Similarly, the scar Meg shows off on her hand is based on the one the robber gets after touching the hot doorknob, which is visible in the sequel.
- Skewed Priorities: While stranded at sea, Peter uses the last of his cell phone's battery power to open an app that makes it look like he and Meg have switched faces for a laugh, instead of calling for help.
- Status Quo Is God: Brian is finally allowed to move back in with the Griffins at the end of the episode.
- Story Arc: The third and final week of the three-week story arc involving Brian living on his own, having been exiled from his home, the result of fallout from an inflammatory social media post.
- Take That!: Towards Taco Bell. Peter dismisses Lois's concerns about Meg becoming a drunk until she reveals she found a bag of take-out from said restaurant from her room.
- Worthy Opponent: A downplayed example but Brian spies on Quagmire getting it on with another man's wife. When the husband comes home early, Brian is happy because he can't wait to see Quagmire get in trouble. Quagmire, however, has an escape prepared involving a grapple gun and a passenger jet flying overhead to extract himself from the situation. As he leaves, he notices Brian and flips him off. At the end Brian admits, "I hate the guy. But he is good".
- Whole-Plot Reference: To Rear Window.
