Ocean's Three and a Half

"Ocean's Three and a Half"
Family Guy episode
Bonnie's baby is finally born.
Episode no.	Season 7 Episode 7
Directed by	John Holmquist
Written by	Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Production code	6ACX11
Original air date	February 15, 2009[1]
Guest stars
James Burkholder as Child Max Burkholder as Child Don LaFontaine as Himself J. P. Manoux Chris Parson Cynthia Watros Frank Welker as Megatron
Episode chronology
← Previous "Tales of a Third Grade Nothing" Next → "Family Gay"
Family Guy (season 7) List of Family Guy episodes

"Ocean's Three and a Half" is the seventh episode of the seventh season of Family Guy. It first aired in the United States on the Fox television network on February 15, 2009. Peter decides to induce Joe's wife Bonnie into labor so that Joe will be able to spend more time with him. Bonnie gives birth to a baby girl named Susie, but now Joe has trouble with medical bills. Peter, Joe, Cleveland and Quagmire decide to rob Peter's father-in-law, Carter Pewterschmidt. Peter's wife and Pewterschmidt's daughter, Lois, convinces Joe to stop. Lois gets the money from Pewterschmidt by telling him she needs the money for a divorce lawyer. A subplot involves Stewie, who becomes infatuated with Susie.

The episode includes a non-sequitur parody of Christian Bale's rant on the set of Terminator Salvation, with actual audio clips of Bale interspersed with Peter's voice. The spoof received positive reception from writers for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, and The Guardian. The episode received a positive overall review on video game website IGN.

Plot

Frustrated that Joe is growing more concerned that Bonnie is due to give birth within days, Peter attempts to induce labor so Joe will spend more time with him, Cleveland and Quagmire. Peter plays Two and a Half Men near Bonnie, hoping that the baby will come out to change the channel, however this is unsuccessful. When Bonnie finally gives birth to her baby, a girl named Susie, Joe is unable to pay the $20,000 he needs for her medical bills. He turns to a loan shark for the money, but ends up in debt to him. Peter and his friends turn to Carter Pewterschmidt for the money to pay off the loan shark, but Carter refuses.

In one final act of desperation, Peter proposes they rob Carter. Once they reach the vault, however, Lois arrives on the scene and convinces Joe to stop. Lois talks Carter into providing the money, telling him she is using it for a divorce lawyer; when Peter asks her if she is joking, Lois says nothing, leaving Peter a little worried. Meanwhile, Stewie falls in love with Susie and attempts to win her heart by writing songs and making a detailed music video featuring him singing a direct version of Bryan Adams' song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You". In the end, however, he states he is over his crush and has an interest in Bryan Adams.

Cultural references

Peter's explanation of the robbery is a slight reference to the plotting scene of Ocean's Eleven. Peter calls Christian Bale "that jerk" after encountering him on the set of Terminator Salvation, with a non-sequitur showing a tape machine playing the actual audio with Peter's voice mixed in for comedic effect.^[2][3] The audio includes approximately two minutes of an actual outburst Bale made on the set of the film, with Peter's comments interspersed throughout.^[4] "You are gonna owe a fortune to the swear jar", says Peter in response to the multiple swear words from Bale.^[2] He also tells Bale: "I don't get why we need another 'Terminator'."^[5] The episode also includes a jab at Microsoft's Zune, an MP3 player which is a competitor to the Apple Inc. iPod.^[6] Carter Pewterschmidt makes fun of Bill Gates, saying he does not own a Zune but rather an iPod, "like the rest of the world".^[6] During Stewie's music video there are many references to other music videos including that of the White Stripes and Pink Floyd, all to the song "Every thing I do" by Bryan Adams.

Reception

The episode received a Nielsen rating of 3.8 among viewers 18-49, garnering second place behind ABC's Desperate Housewives for the night.^[7] Family Guy was among the top 20 shows for the week in the 18-49 demographic,^[8] and ranked sixth among the top 17 shows on the Fox Network for the week.^[9] Ahsan Haque of IGN commented that the Bale spoof "ranks right up there with some of the best timely pop-culture references in the series".^[10] Haque concluded, "It's been a while since we've had new episodes, but it certainly feels like it's been worth the wait as 'Ocean's Three and a Half' turns out to be a triumphant return to form for the series."^[10]

Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club called the episode "fine", and graded it B-.^[11] He wrote that the Bale spoof and Stewie's music video were "funny for a while" but went on "way too long".^[11] Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times wrote positively of the Bale parody, commenting, "Oh, could there possibly be a single iota of humor left in the Christian Bale on-set rant? Why yes, yes there is, thanks to Seth McFarlane and company at 'Family Guy.'"^[12] Jackie Strause of the New York Post called the exchange between Peter Griffin and Bale "typical 'Family Guy' fashion.^[5]

In commenting on the Bale spoof, Ben Child of The Guardian wrote: "Personally, I tend to find Family Guy a bit hit and miss, but the US comedy's rather facile flashback formula does at least make it easy to chuck in the topical references."^[13]

See also

Family Guy portal

• "Bale Out"
• "R U Professional"
• Ocean's Eleven
• Fell In Love With A Girl

References

1. ^ MSN staff (2009). "Family Guy — Episode Guide". MSN TV (MSN). http://tv.msn.com/tv/series-episodes/family-guy/. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Family Guy takes on Christian Bale". yourTV.com.au (ninemsn Pty Ltd). February 18, 2009. http://www.yourtv.com.au/news/?i=154743. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
3. ^ TMZ staff (February 15, 2009). "Christian Bale Goes Bat S**t on Peter Griffin!!!". TMZ.com (TMZ Productions, Inc.). http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/15/bale-wants-peter-griffin-off-the-f-king-set/. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
4. ^ Wearring, Myles (February 17, 2009). "Family Guy spoofs Christian Bale tantrum on the set of Terminator: Salvation". News.com.au (News Limited). 
5. ^ ^{a b} Strause, Jackie (February 16, 2009). "'Family Guy' vs. Christian Bale". New York Post (NYP Holdings, Inc.). http://blogs.nypost.com/tv/archives/2009/02/family_guy_vs_c.html. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Martin, Mel (February 16, 2009). "Zune gets a smackdown on Family Guy". TUAW (AOL). http://www.tuaw.com/2009/02/16/zune-gets-a-smackdown-on-family-guy/. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
7. ^ Vasquez, Diego (February 17, 2009). "Fox's Friday: 'Dollhouse' debut fizzles — Much-hyped Joss Whedon drama places third in timeslot". Media Life Magazine (www.medialifemagazine.com). http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Overnights_50/Fox_s_Friday_Dollhouse_debut_fizzles.asp. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
8. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 18, 2009). "American Idol, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice lead weekly 18-49 viewing". TV by the Numbers (tvbythenumbers.com). http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/02/18/american-idol-greys-anatomy-and-private-practice-lead-weekly-18-49-viewing/13028. Retrieved 2009-02-22. 
9. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 18, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, February 9–15, 2009". TV by the Numbers (tvbythenumbers.com). http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/02/18/top-fox-primetime-shows-february-9-15-2009/13039. Retrieved 2009-02-22. 
10. ^ ^{a b} Haque, Ahsan (February 17, 2009). "Family Guy: "Ocean's Three and a Half" Review — Bonnie finally gives birth, and Stewie falls in love". IGN (IGN Entertainment, Inc.). http://tv.ign.com/articles/954/954497p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Heisler, Steve (February 15, 2009). "Take My Life, Please"/"What Happens At The National Propane Gas Convention In Memphis Stays At The National Propane Gas Convention In Memphis"/"Oceans Three And A Half"/"Family Affair". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/take-my-life-pleasewhat-happens-at-the-national-pr,23836/. Retrieved 2010-02-22. 
12. ^ Boucher, Geoff (February 16, 2009). "Harry Potter, Kenneth Branagh's 'Thor' and Christian Bale, all in Everyday Hero headlines". Hero Complex (Los Angeles Times). http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2009/02/harry-potter-ke.html. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
13. ^ Child, Ben (February 17, 2009). "'You're amateur, Peter': Family Guy spoofs Christian Bale — Just when the Dark Knight star thought it was safe to venture out in public, Seth McFarlane has decided to get in on the act". The Guardian (Guardian News and Media Limited). http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/feb/17/christian-bale-rant-family-guy-spoof. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 

External links

• "Ocean's Three and a Half" at the Internet Movie Database
• "Ocean's Three and a Half" at TV.com

Preceded by Tales of a Third Grade Nothing

Family Guy (season 7)

Succeeded by Family Gay