Episode no. Season 2
Episode 4 Written by Gary Janetti Original air date March 7, 2000 | Directed by Jack Dyer Production code 2ACX01 | |
"Brian in Love" is the fourth episode and the mid-season premiere from the second season of the FOX animated series Family Guy. It aired on March 7, 2000 and guest stars Sam Waterston as Dr. Kaplan. The episode sees Brian Griffin visit a psychiatrist to aid his urinary incontinence, and then discovers his love for Lois.
Contents
Plot summary
Lois is upset that Stewie has wet the carpet in the living room. Stewie emphatically denies doing so, but Lois and Peter are convinced that it is a sign that Stewie is ready to potty train. After a failed attempt by Peter at getting Stewie to use the toilet, the family goes to the supermarket to buy groceries. In the checkout line, Brian accidentally urinates, revealing that Stewie is innocent.
This leads to Brian seeing Dr. Kaplan, a psychiatrist. The doctor decides Brian is having a midlife crisis, so Brian goes traveling. Brian feels better, but shortly after returning, Stewie gets revenge by framing Brian for peeing all over the living room. While unable to remember having done so, Brian believes he has done it himself and returns to Dr. Kaplan to find out why. After revealing that his last accident happened after watching Lois and Peter have a water fight while washing the car, Dr. Kaplan tells Brian that he thinks Brian might be in love with Lois. Stewie catches on when Brian attempts to flirt with Lois and smells one of her shirts and nearly exposes him by cuddling up with Lois. Later, Brian implies to Lois his feelings and she rejects him. He then wonders what would happen if they were both drunk, to which Lois starts to respond, "Well I'd have to be really..." before giving a flat-out "No!" Peter, who is unaware that Brian loves Lois, conjectures that Brian's beloved would "probably end up with some idiot".
Reception
In his 2008 review, Ahsan Haque of IGN rated the episode an 8/10, saying that the episode shows Brian's love for Lois in "a perfectly believable and somewhat heartfelt earnest manner". He stated that "while not every joke works [...] the focus on Brian's feelings is pretty significant for the series from both an entertainment and ongoing storyline perspective."