Yes, they actually went that far in shaming Brian.
Airdate: March 29, 2009
At a Star Trek convention, Peter makes Meg take a picture of what appears to be a fan dressed as a Klingon, but he actually has the mumps and since Meg didn't get a mumps shot, she contracts them. Meanwhile, at the convention, Stewie attends a Q&A session in hopes of asking questions to the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, he doesn't get a chance to ask any question and all the questions the fans ask are for menial problems not even related to Star Trek.
While Meg is sick in bed, she gets a TV rolled in with only one channel, a religious channel. On the channel, she watches a show where Kirk Cameron preaches that God loves and cares for everyone on this earth, which makes Meg feel happy about herself and as a result, she becomes a born-again Christian.
When she gets better, she spreads new-found wisdom to her family, where she starts getting on their nerves, especially atheist Brian. When Brian lets slip he's an atheist, the Griffins are outraged and Meg tries to convert him to no avail. She then goes and spitefully tells everyone in town about Brian's beliefs and he instantly becomes a pariah.
Since he's banned from every bar in town for being an atheist, he has difficulties living without his precious booze, so he decides to pretend to be a born-again Christian so Meg and everyone else can respect him again. All goes well until Meg takes Brian to a book burning she wants to participate in. Brian is shocked and reveals his facade to Meg. When Meg asks him why he doesn't believe in God, Brian rebuffs by asking Meg why her "caring" God would put her on this earth to be treated like crap by everyone around her. Finally coming to her senses, Meg apologizes to Brian, but asks if there is no God, why does everything exist? Brian replies that that is the most exciting part of life and it will probably be a big thing once we find out. The camera then pans out to reveal that the entire Family Guy universe is inside a lamp in the bedroom of a live-action Adam West and Rob Lowe.
Meanwhile, a furious Stewie uses his teleporter to kidnap the cast and makes them spend the day with him. Throughout the day, the cast act selfish and childish, which gets on Stewie’s nerves. At the end of the day, Stewie scolds the cast for ruining Star Trek: The Next Generation for him and wishes that they all die.
"Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" contains examples of:
- Adam Westing: The TNG cast act like a bunch of idiots.
- The Alcoholic: Brian is refused access to liquor stores as a result of being outed as an atheist, which leads him to lying that he converted just so that he can go drink again.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Brian gives Meg not just one, but three of these, after she tries to force him to burn books that are "harmful to God".Brian: Okay, fine, then let me just ask you this. If there were a God, would he have put you here on Earth with a flat chest and a fat ass?Meg: I'm... made in His image.Brian: Really? Would He give you a smoking hot mom like Lois and have you grow up looking like Peter?Meg: Well...Brian: And what kind of God would put you in a house where no one respects and cares about you, not even enough to give you a damn mumps shot?!
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Three of the books Meg burns near the end of the episode are The Origin of Species, A Brief History of Space and Time and a first-grade logic book.
- Author Filibuster: Brian near the end.
- Author Tract: The popular audience reaction to this episode. On the DVD commentary, Seth MacFarlane and the other writers admit that the heavy-handedness was a mistake, as he was trying to be as evenhanded as he could with the moral, as religion and atheism are touchy subjects to approach for a TV show. Apparently, there was a hitch in the plan, if the Internet complaints on this website and others are indicative of anything.
- Book Burning: Meg attends one to "destroy anything that is harmful to God". Among the books burned are The Origin of Species, A Brief History of Space and Time and a first-grade logic book.
- Bowdlerization:
- Besides the usual bleeping for swearing being unbleeped on DVD, the part where Meg tosses a cross at Brian to get him to fetch it like a stick has it as a crucifix insteadnote .
- The Cutaway Gag of Jesus giving a woman wine has two different versions. When she asks what it is, in the FOX version he slyly replies, "Take a guess." In the other one he bluntly says, "It's my blood."
- Bowling for Ratings: At one point in this episode's B-plot, Stewie takes the TNG cast to the bowling alley. While there, Jonathan Frakes and Patrick Stewart don't have their bowling shoes, and Stewie has to explain to them that they can't wear their own shoes on the bowling lane, to which Patrick believes that the people at the bowling alley just want another $1.50 from him. When Stewie enters their names, Brent Spiner wants his name to be "Rock Kickass" and Michael Dorn wants his name to be "Dirk Diggler", much to Stewie's ire. Patrick also suggests that the White actors be put on one team and the Black actors be put on the other.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: After Meg says she's been reborn, a disappointed Peter addresses the audience.Peter: That's right, folks. It's gonna be a Meg episode. Stick around for the fun. [takes out a remote control] Here's the clicker. No one'd blame ya.
- Butt-Monkey: Meg, moreso than usual. Heck, even Brian, considering he is goaded into accepting Christianity so he can have liquor again. Brian even has to remind Meg of her Butt-Monkey status in order to talk her out of blindly worshipping god so actively.
- Call-Back: Brian previously mentioned to being an atheist in "Love, Blactually".
- Stewie misprounounces Wil Wheaton's name as Whil Hwheaton, similar to how he would emphasize the 'h' in "Cool Whip" in "Barely Legal". He also asks about "Hwhoopi" Goldberg.
- Car Meets House: When word gets out that Brian is an atheist, a car gets thrown through the wall.Brian: I thought he who is without sin can cast the first Prius.
- Demonization: Of Christianity. Also, in-universe, atheists.
- The Dog Bites Back: Brian at the end snaps back at Meg for making a pariah out of him by telling her off that her belief there must be a god is ridiculous because nothing good ever happens to her.
- Dope Slap: When Stewie suggests they spend the day together, only Wil Wheaton thinks that sounds fun. Patrick immediately smacks him in the back of the head.
- Downer Ending: For Meg and Stewie. Meg ends up believing Brian's arguments that God isn't real because he insults her appearance and her life and Stewie's day out with the Star Trek crew ends up pissing him off majorly (he even says that the show is ruined for him and he hopes they all die).
- For Meg, it’s more of a Bittersweet Ending, because despite losing her faith, Brian does bring up that there might be some kind of higher power other than a God. While it’s been shown repeatedly that God does exist in the show, this episode also reveals that there’s another higher power in the form of a live-action Rob Lowe and Adam West.
- Drive-Thru Antics: Stewie takes the TNG cast to a McDonald's' drive-thru, where they stress him out with demands for things the place isn't selling anymore.
- Patrick Stewart: What time do they stop serving breakfast?
Stewie: It's 3:00!
Patrick Stewart: Some of them serve breakfast all day—
Stewie: NONE OF THEM SERVE BREAKFAST ALL DAY!
- Easy Evangelism: It takes a day of a bed-ridden Meg watching Christian television to convert and it’s just as easy for her to fall out of faith after Brian’s “proof” that God doesn’t exist.
- Enraged by Idiocy: Stewie soon falls victim to this trope after spending the day with the cast of Star Trek drives him nuts. He has to explain to them that McDonalds don't serve breakfast all day, nor do they make McDLTs anymore, they have to wear bowling shoes to go bowling, and there was nothing at the carnival that could be bought for five tickets (despite Patrick Stewart insisting his tickets don't go to waste).
- Entitled Bastard: Stewie acts like the Next Generation actors not having time to answer more questions is a personal insult to him, and kidnaps them thinking they "owe" him responses to his incredibly banal inquiries (like what it's like on the set even though the show ended over a decade ago).
- Flat-Earth Atheist: Brian’s an atheist despite the fact that he and the family met Jesus before, who even performed miracles in front of them. What’s worse is that the episode in question is in the same season as this one.
- The Fundamentalist: All the Christians in this episode are depicted as intolerant, book-burning jackasses, with Brian, an atheist, depicted as the Only Sane Man (which he is to an extent, safe for his shallow reasons on why Meg shouldn’t believe in God).
- Godwin's Law: When word gets out that Brian is an athiest, his image appears on the news with the caption "Worse Than Hitler!" Mayor West goes on to claim that being an atheist is worse than being a terrorist, because "terrorists at least believe in a God."
- Hypocritical Humor: Stewie got fed up by the Star Trek fans at the convention asking unrelated questions about Star Trek. What is the first thing he does when he kidnaps the whole cast? Ask unrelated questions about Star Trek while holding them hostage.
- Kick the Dog: Meg makes the public hate Brian by exposing his atheism to spite him. Brian ends up retaliating by telling Meg that God doesn't exist with shallow points.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Stewie kidnapped the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation and killed Denise Crosby to show he wasn't playing around, then spent the whole day dragging them around town against their will. Yet the actors end up being so annoying and demanding by the end of the day Stewie is exhausted and declares they've ruined Next Generation for him.
- Loony Fan: Stewie, who is so insulted he didn't get a chance to ask the Next Generation cast any questions he kidnaps them and kills Denise Crosby to prove he's not kidding around.
- More than Mind Control: All it took was being bedridden with the mumps and stuck watching television with only one channel to convert the already-often-abused Meg into a born-again Christian.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Meg, at the end of the episode.
- New England Puritan: Meg and the rest of the town of Quahog turn into this, turning against Brian when he comes out as an atheist.
- Palette Swap: Patrick Stewart's model is obviously a reuse of Avery Bullock's from American Dad!.
- Precision F-Strike:
- Stewie asks the cast if working on the show was fun.Michael Dorn: Although I will say it was an awful lot of fun... y'know, when Patrick wasn't hogging the limelight.
Patrick Stewart: Oh, fuck you, Michael! - Then there's Stewie's dressing down the crew to end the episode:Stewie: You are absolutely the most insufferable group of jackasses that I have ever had the misfortune of spending an extended period of time with. I hope you all FUCKING die!
- Stewie asks the cast if working on the show was fun.
- Pretentious Pronunciation: "Hwil Hweaton"!
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Brian to Meg, although more about her beliefs than about Meg herself.Brian: Okay, fine, then let me just ask you this. If there were a God, would He have put you here on Earth with a flat chest and a fat ass?Meg: I'm... made in His image.Brian: Really? Would He give you a smoking hot mom like Lois and have you grow up looking like Peter?Meg: Well...Brian: And what kind of God would put you in a house where no one respects and cares about you, not even enough to give you a damn mumps shot?!
- At the end, the TNG cast manages to piss off Stewie to the point where, as he's about to beam them back, he dishes one out to them."This... was.... exhausting. This whole experience.... was absolutely.... exhausting! You people have ruined Star Trek: The Next Generation for me. You are absolutely the most insufferable group of jackasses that I have ever had the misfortune of spending an extended period of time with. I hope you all FUCKING die!"
- At the end, the TNG cast manages to piss off Stewie to the point where, as he's about to beam them back, he dishes one out to them.
- The Reveal: While Brian is wrong about God not existing (as other episodes prove), it turns out that there is another power than God in their universe: Rob Lowe and Adam West. And the Family Guy universe is inside the lampshade in the two men's bedroom.
- Running Gag: Michael Dorn has to use the bathroom a lot, but like a toddler he needs someone to take him there.
- Shout-Out
- The title is a reference to All Dogs Go to Heaven.
- Brian growls at Meg to the tune of "You Got It (The Right Stuff)".
- "You'll get nothing and like it!"
- Michael Dorn wants his bowling nickname to be Dirk Diggler.
- Rob and Adam's bedroom is built to look like Bert and Ernie's bedroom.
- Take That!: A massive one towards religion (and Kirk Cameron by proxy), YMMV on whether the episode was too mean-spirited or not.
- Tempting Fate:Brian: Okay, this is the 21st century, people are tolerant. What's the worst that can happen?(brick gets thrown through the window)Brian: Probably just a random act of violence.(car gets thrown to the wall)
- Trailers Always Lie: Most episode summaries in cable and TV guides and promos advertise the plot line of Stewie hanging out with the Star Trek: TNG cast" as if it’s the main storyline, clearly because of the array of guest stars featured (although the episode’s main storyline being rather controversial also helps).
- Very Special Episode: The episode tackles religion and atheism. Rather controversially…
- Writer on Board: The episode has been criticized for being a soapbox for Seth MacFarlane to preach atheism, but if you listen to the DVD commentary, MacFarlane and the other writers (some of which are religious or had a religious upbringing, but aren't as devout) were actually trying to be as even-handed as they could with the whole religion vs. atheism argument, but do regret that they came off a little heavy-handed. As for regretting making the episode, they really don't, contrary to what's been heard, if only for the fact that they got to reunite and work with the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
