Original air date: 7/25/2001 (produced in 2000)
Production code: 2ACX-11
Happy-Go-Lucky Toys gets bought out by a cigarette company, and while Peter enjoys the perks of the merger, Brian quits smoking in protest, as the cigarette company executives are using the toys to get kids to pick up the habit.
This episode contains examples of:
- Analogy Backfire: Chris: "I'm so hungry, I could ride a horse. (Beat) I don't get it. I could ride it to the store, I guess..."
- And Knowing Is Half the Battle: At the end of the episode, Peter addresses the audience with his family. You think he's going to say how smoking is bad, but...Peter: Hi, I'm Peter Griffin. You know, we've had a lot of laughs tonight. But I'll tell you what's not funny: Killing strippers. Strippers are people, too. Naked people who may be willing to pleasure you for a price you negotiate later. Besides, there's no need to kill 'em, because most of them are already dead inside. Good night, everyone.
- Anti-Humor: What Peter considers Dilbert:Wally: Hey Dilbert, what do you call it when a guy in middle management moves to upper management?
Dilbert: I don't know. What do you call it?
Wally: A promotion.
Dilbert: Oh, thanks. Here's a memo. - As the Good Book Says...: Brian (incorrectly) reads John 3:16 from the Bible: "And the Lord said: "Go Sox!"."
- Bad Liar: Peter does this three times:
- When calling in sick, he says, "I was in a terrible plane crash. My entire family was killed and I am a vegetable. I'll see you tomorrow."
- Later, when Peter bumps into Mr. Weed at the ball game: "That plane crash I told you about, it turned out to be gas."
- Finally, at work the next day: "I heard you ran into my identical twin brother at the ball game yesterday. If you don't buy that, I'm sorry I was at the ball game yesterday."
- Bait-and-Switch: "Cigarettes killed my father... and raped my mother!"
- Bestiality Is Depraved: Implied to be the reason why Peter was banned from Sea World.
- Brick Joke:
- A bored Peter is seen playing with (and eventually sticking his penis in) his pencil sharpener when he's promoted to his new office. Later, he's seen trying to lick his spinning desk fan.
- When Peter complains to the executives about their agenda, the guy from Subliminal Seduction appears and urges him to smoke.
- Contrived Coincidence: The El Dorado conglomerate takes over control of Happy-Go-Lucky Toys and fires Mr. Weed the day he's ready to fire Peter for actively lying to skip out of work.
- Disposable Vagrant: During a trip to a DC strip club, a Senator accidentally kills one of the employees. Peter says the woman had no family and won't be missed.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Brian tells Peter after his bad excuse: "Face it, Peter, your excuses are lamer than FDR's legs." Peter, Chris, and Meg gasp; Brian dryly replies, "Too soon?"
- Eleventy Zillion: After Peter speaks before congress, they agree to sue El Dorado for "infinity-billion" dollars before quickly deciding that a real number would be better.
- Evil, Inc.: What it turns out the new bosses of Happy Go Lucky Toy Factory are. The boss even shoots puppies just for fun.
- Insane Troll Logic: When one of the senators accidentally kills a hooker:Peter: This girl didn't have a family. It'll be like she never existed. Grab a hold of yourself. You may have killed her when you shoved all those dollar bills down her throat. You may have killed her when you hit her with the stool. I don't know, I'm not a doctor. But I'll tell you what didn't kill her: Smoking.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Since El Dorado's plan was to get kids to take up smoking and buy their cigarettes, Stewie ending up as one of those kids causes Lois, then Peter to ultimately take action against them.
- To a further extent, they fire Mr. Weed just as he was ready to fire Peter for gross incompetence. Had they waited a day, or even a moment, later to fire him, he wouldn't have been there for them to notice anyway, and it's entirely possible whoever they selected instead actually could've succeeded in their endeavors.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kenneth, the bad-ass mail clerk with a heart of gold.Peter: Hi, Kenneth. Did I get any mail?
Kenneth: No! And if you come any closer, I'll slice ya!
Peter: Okay, okay. (to co-worker) Man, what a badass.
Co-worker: Yeah? Well that "badass" just gave half his paycheck to orphans. Orphans with diseases.
(heartwarming music plays as Peter nods appreciatively) - Kick the Dog: Exaggerated in the El Dorado boss's introduction, which has him skeet-shooting a poodle thrown out over the factory floor.
- Logic Bomb: The company suckup who gets attached to Peter with his new parking space agrees with and jubilantly elaborates on everything Peter says. When Peter catches on and gets him to follow insulting him with praising him, he says that out loud and the guy shortly explodes like a robot.
- Medium Blending:Peter: This is the best job I ever had! Since I became president, profits have been higher than Alyssa Milano.
(cut to live action footage of Alyssa Milano watching Family Guy)
Alyssa: What kind of cheap shot?! Joel!
Joel: I'm suing. I'm suing. I'm on it. I'm on it. - Noodle Incident:
- Though it's pretty easy to tell what they're referring to while Peter and Chris are at a whale exhibit.
Chris: Dad, what's the blowhole for?
Peter: I'll tell you what it's not for, son. And when I do, you'll understand why I can never go back to Sea World.- Cigarettes somehow raped someone's mother.
- Pokémon Speak: In a parody of his tendency to speak in the third person, Bob Dole gives his approval of Peter's tobacco campaigning, then randomly repeats his own name until he falls asleep where he's standing.
- Professional Butt-Kisser: When Peter becomes boss of El Dorado Cigarettes, he gets his own company suck-up:Guy: Morning, Mr. Griffin. Nice day.
Peter: Eh, it's a little cloudy.
Guy: It's absolutely cloudy! One of the worst days I've seen in years. So, good news about the Yankees.
Peter: I hate the Yankees.
Guy: Pack of cheaters, that's what they are. I love your tie.
Peter: I hate this tie.
Guy: It's awful, it's gaudy, it's gotta go.
Beat
Peter: And I hate myself.
Guy: I hate ya too, you make me sick, you fat sack of crap.
Peter: But I'm the president.
Guy: The best there is!
Peter: But you just said you hated me.
Guy: But not you, the president. The you who said you hated you. You, who love, hate, Yankees, clouds- (explodes) - Pun: A leprechaun says: "Excuse me. Do you have a dollar? I'm a little short."
- Schmuck Bait: At the game, Stewie offers to trade his home run ball for another kid's baseball bat. After the trade, Stewie uses the bat to hit the kid and take the ball back.
- Shout-Out:
- The title is a spoof of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.
- Peter re-enacts the intro to That Girl when he's chosen to be the new company president.
- Lois repeatedly says Jim Carrey is "Ssssssssmokin'".
- During an establishing shot of Capitol Hill, a bill starts singing.
- When Peter's Jewish writers leave him hanging during his Congress speech, he concludes with, "Well, That's My Mama!"
- Subliminal Seduction: Brian claims that TV turned a generation of kids into smokers with its subliminal advertising. Cut to a clip of Lassie:Mom: Timmy, where's Lassie?
Timmy: She's out in the orchard, Ma. Peaches are coming in mighty early this year.
(cut to a random guy interrupting the show)
Guy: Smoke.
Mom: You know what they say: "Early peaches, long summer".
Guy: Smoke.
(Lassie comes in and barks)
Timmy: What's that, Lassie?
Guy: Are ya smoking yet?! - Take That!: Brian declares out of nowhere, "I don't care for Pottery Barn."
- Unfortunate Names: Peter laughs hysterically upon being introduced to Dick Armey.
