Brian Griffin
From Free net encyclopedia
| Family Guy character | |
| Brian Griffin | |
|---|---|
| Hometown: | Austin, Texas |
| Species: | Dog - Able to speak English and a few other languages |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 3 ft 3 in (1 m) |
| Weight: | 61 lbs. |
| Age: | 7 (as of the second season episode "Brian in Love") |
| Favorite Beverage: | Martini or Vodka stinger with a whiskey back |
| Political Leanings: | Liberal |
| Religion: | None |
| First Episode Appearance: | "Death Has a Shadow" |
| Voice Actor: | Seth MacFarlane |
Brian Griffin is a cartoon character on the TV show Family Guy and is voiced by the show's creator, Seth MacFarlane.
Brian may be described as the Griffin family dog, but he is more accurately described as a dog who chooses to live with the Griffin family. He is called Brian Griffin only because he is a member of the Griffin family. His real name is simply "Brian". While he exhibits some "typical" dog behaviors like eating garbage, licking himself, leaving dead birds on the porch, intensely fearing the vacuum cleaner, and sleeping at the foot of master Peter Griffin's bed, he can speak intelligently, walk bipedally, and has a sharp wit. Peter is his best friend, although Brian sometimes wonders why - he is clearly much more intelligent than Peter is.
Brian has a cultured background. He loves opera and jazz (he is a fan of John Coltrane) and speaks French, Tagalog, and a little Spanish. If told to speak, he will speak French. He loves to sing, and can replicate a barbershop quartet without accompaniment. He is an avid writer, having once been invited to write for The New Yorker, though he was fired for having dropped out of Brown University. He has also attempted to write a novel, although he seems to have made little progress on it (Stewie mocks him for this). He has some issues which have led him to see a therapist; he is a borderline alcoholic and recovered cocaine addict, problems which he eventually discovered to have stemmed from his mother abandoning him. As the most sensible member of the Griffin family, Brian often serves as the voice of reason or as a mediator during family arguments.
Because of his intelligence and dry, deadpan manner, Brian acts as the "straight man" of the show.
Contents |
Background
In the Family Guy universe, dogs seem to fall into one of two classes: talking, anthropomorphic creatures like Brian and his cousin Jasper, and more realistic dogs, such as his mother Biscuit. Both classes are subject to the same rules, such as not being allowed inside some shops or to wander the streets without an owner. Brian's "humanity" is rarely remarked upon, one notable exception being the occasion when Peter's boss, Mr. Weed, referred to him as a "funny talking dog," another being when Brian tries to explain his relationship troubles to Peter, who responds, "Holy crap! You can talk!"
Brian was born on a farm in Austin, Texas in a litter of about eight puppies, of whom he was the only anthropomorphic one. His youth and adolescence have not been discussed in detail, although he somehow made his way to Rhode Island and attended Brown University. He is currently one class short of graduating from Brown (in the Season 4 episode "Brian Goes Back to College," Brian re-enrolls in an attempt to earn his degree. He fails, but this does not concern him, as he is happy that he at least finished college.) Brian has also served in the Peace Corps. He has mentioned that he hung out with Andy Warhol in the 1970s, though this particular interlude is most likely one of the show's reality-bending cutaways, as he is only seven years old. Brian spent some time as a homeless stray washing car windshields for change before he met Peter, who offered him a home with his family in Quahog, Rhode Island. When Brian returned to Austin with Peter's son Stewie years later to find his mother, Biscuit, he found that she had passed away and her owners were using her stuffed body as a table. Brian and Stewie absconded with her body to give it a proper burial.
The Griffins had another talking dog named Todd, who died at the age of fifteen.
Despite his anthropomorphic intelligence, Brian shares certain traits and shortcomings with real dogs; for example, he cleans himself with his tongue and itches at fleas with his hind leg. He also couldn't control his animal urges for the prized Pewterschmidt dog, Seabreeze. Furthermore, although his maturity and broad range of experiences seem to imply that he is as old as a middle aged human, as a dog he is only seven years old. Peter has been known to tease him about his shorter lifespan.
Relationships
In addition to behaving like a human, Brian sometimes pursues relationships with humans. Such interactions are apparently acceptable within the show's reality; no character has ever commented on the bestial aspects of a sexual relationship between Brian and a human, except in "The Perfect Castaway" (see below), where Peter asks Lois why she wants to stay with Brian, then remarks, "that, plus, he's a dog." Seth MacFarlane mentions in the commentary for "Castaway" that making episodes about Brian being in love is "always a line that we have to walk," concerning the mainstream media's anxiety regarding bestiality. However, FOX, the broadcasting company that airs Family Guy, has always been known to push the envelope of controversy – which may be why the show is allowed to make risque jokes about taboo subjects.
In the episode "Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows", Brian falls deeply in love with an elderly human woman named Pearl Burton; before she passes away, Brian shares a virtual reality vision of their possible future together that involves marriage and children. He once made a pass at Peter's daughter Meg while drunk, and had a brief fling with a hooker named Tina while he was hooked on cocaine. During the show's fourth season, in "Brian the Bachelor", he falls for a woman named Brooke Roberts while appearing as a contestant on The Bachelorette. Although she chooses Brian as the winner, she doesn't return his affections outside of the show.
In a different episode ("Peter's Got Woods"), Brian has another brief romance, with Shauna Parks, one of Meg's teachers at James Woods High. She seems to find him cute ("Nothing cuter than a nervous white dog"), but breaks up with him over his loyalty to Peter, who foiled her (and Brian's) attempts to change the name of the high school to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. Parks is African American, in contrast to Brian's previous girlfriends, who have all appeared to be white. Brian is paranoically careful to avoid appearing racist to her and other blacks, such as Meg's one-time producer Dr. Diddy, although his discomfort on the subject has caused embarrassing lapses; he will occasionally bark violently at black people, which he blames on the influence of his father Coco, who is "from a different generation."
Brian has a special relationship with Peter's wife, Lois. He realizes that he harbors romantic and sexual feelings towards her in the episode "Brian in Love," but learns to accept friendship in lieu of a romantic relationship. He seems to retain a certain amount of longing for her, however; In the episode "The Perfect Castaway", Brian was married to Lois for a period of several months after they thought Peter and his friends were killed in a hurricane while fishing. The marriage was largely based on Brian's ability to support the family financially in Peter's absence by taking a job at the local Hummer dealership. Despite Brian's desire to consummate their relationship, Lois insisted throughout their marriage on keeping their beds separated. When Peter unexpectedly returns home alive, Lois' feelings for Peter rekindle and Brian and Lois divorce, as Brian accepts that Lois still loves Peter. Lois declares shortly afterwards that she was one day from deciding to finally have sex with Brian, to his great frustration. Brian was once seen cross-dressing as Lois.
Although he seems to be somewhat ashamed of it, Brian also has relationships with "regular" dogs; in the episode "Screwed the Pooch", he is almost threatened with castration as punishment for impregnating Seabreeze, a racing dog owned by Lois' father, Carter Pewterschmidt, but in the last moment, he discover that the impregnating male turns out to be Ted Turner.
Brian is often called Peter's best friend. He often makes efforts to cheer Peter up, such as dressing up as the Dancing Banana and singing "Peanut Butter Jelly Time." He also looks out for Peter's long-term interests; When Peter built an indoor water slide by running water down the stairs and promptly injured himself by falling down them, Brian told Peter "I'm not going to take you to the hospital because if I do, you won't learn anything."
Brian and Stewie have an interesting relationship. They are the only two major characters, being a dog and an infant, respectively, who would be unable to speak in reality. This connection is perhaps why Brian is the only recurring character that seems to consistently, fully consider Stewie's words. Therefore, Brian often becomes involved in Stewie's schemes, whether attempting to hinder him or help him. Brian and Stewie also appear to share a certain level of intelligence and sophistication, but also share certain humorous reality-based shortcomings. Also, Brian and Stewie have joked with each other over their respective similarities in appearance to Snoopy and Charlie Brown. Brian is often given the responsibility of caring for Stewie, particularly over the older siblings, Meg and Chris.
Political beliefs
He seems to have liberal political leanings, which mirror MacFarlane's; Brian is meant to be a manifestation of Family Guy's creator within the show (MacFarlane uses his ordinary speaking voice while portraying Brian). Brian's views have been demonstrated several times: through his criticism of then-Presidential candidate George W. Bush in his musical number "You've Got a Lot to See"; he is shown reading Michael Moore's book Dude, Where's My Country? in one episode; his car (which appears to be a Toyota Prius) displays a "KUCINICH '04" bumper sticker; he mentions in the episode "Don't Make Me Over" that he votes Democrat, though he also said in another episode, "This is why I don't vote." He has denied that he is a racist despite his tendency to bark viciously in the presence of a black person, or his one-time refusal to pick up Cleveland in his cab. This is different from Stewie's conservatism, suggested in Stewie Griffin: the Untold Story, in which Stewie suggests that a flat tax rate would be a good thing.
Jobs
Brian briefly worked as a "drug-sniffing" dog for the police department, screening luggage at the airport, but became addicted to confiscated cocaine and quit the force to attend rehab. Brian later worked as a waiter while trying to be a screenwriter in Hollywood; he ended up directing several award-winning porn movies.
Brian was briefly Chris' English teacher (where he was known as "Mr. Griffin.") He loved the job, but was soon reassigned to teach remedial English, beginning a parody of "Dead Poets Society". His class, comprised entirely of urban youths and pregnant teenagers, frustrated him with their reluctance to learn; and in anger, Brian unintentionally encouraged them to become ditch-diggers, hotel maids and prostitutes.
Later on, Brian worked for Stewie's pyramid scheme company "Cashscam" as a telemarketer to make the $300 that would pay for his ringworm medicine.
On a deleted scene, Lois asks Brian where all his money comes from. The next scene shows Brian as a janitor walking up to a window. He then takes out a sniper rifle and shoots a man wearing a suit and then promptly walks away innocently.
Brian got a job working at a Hummer dealership to support the family after Peter's supposed death.
In the episode "Brian Goes Back to College," Brian nearly gets a job at The New Yorker.
In the episode "Deep Throats", after Lois lectured him about doing something with his life, Brian gets a job driving a taxi. His job is ended after his cab is destroyed by Cleveland, after Brian didn't pick him up earlier.
Quotes
- Brian (caught panting at a female stranger): Don't flatter yourself honey. I don't have sweat glands.
Also: "... this is how I cool off." - Stewie: Look where my hand is! I say, look where my hand is. It's in a very naughty place. Doesn't that disgust you?
Brian: Kid, you're talking to a guy who uses his tongue for toilet paper. - Brian: Hey, barkeep, whose leg do you have to hump to get a dry martini around here?
- Chris: I don't have to listen to you. You're a dog. You don't have a soul!
Brian: Ow. - Stewie: Brian, wait!
(Brian lowers the taxi window as Stewie approaches. Stewie spits in Brian's face.)
Brian: (raising window) Airport, please. - Stewie: (imitating Brian) I'm the dog! I'm well-read and have a diverse stock portfolio, but am not above eating grass clippings and regurgitating them on the small braided rug in front of the door!
Brian: (imitating Stewie) I'm a pompous little anti-Christ who will probably abandon my plans for world domination when I fall for a rough trick named Jim. - Brian: (drunk) Hey, did you bring enough breasts for the rest of the class? Aha ha ha ha! (passes out)
- Brian: (slurring) I'm not drunk, I have a speech impediment. (vomits) And a stomach virus. (falls down) And an inner ear infection.
- Peter (á la David Letterman): Hey Brian, how 'bout a little tie music?
Brian (á la Paul Shaffer): (singing) Peter's tie, Peter's tie, that's because, Peter's the guy. Yeah, there you go. A little "tie" music. - Brian: (sitting on couch, eating chocolate and is extremely obese, after being neutered) I love chocolate, but I can't eat it, 'cause then I'll get fat. But it's so good!
- Brian: Well Peter, if you're going to pull a party out of your ass, you might want to stand up.
- Brian: How about a little less questions and a little more shut the hell up!
- Brian (as a robot programmed by Stewie): I am a tool. Stewie is much better than me at everything including arts and crafts and the guitar. I have no friends.
- Brian: You want an explanation? God... is... pissed!
- Lois: How are we going to find them?
Brian: Don't worry, Lois, I'm good at finding people. I was the one who found Bush after Hurricane Katrina.
(flashback scene)
Brian: (standing below treehouse) Uh, Mr. President, are you up there?
President Bush (unseen): Go away!
Brian: Sir, there is a disaster in New Orleans.
President Bush: I'm reading Superfudge.
Brian: You've got to come down and do something.
President Bush: Don't make me do stuff. - (At Meg's school play) (Brian punches Stewie, Stewie cries)
Brian: "Uh oh, crying baby; I'll take him out." - Peter: I read about this in a book.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't... nothing?
Peter: Oh yeah. - Police Radio: We have a gang shooting on Third and Main. Three wounded, one dead.
Brian: Is it me, or is rap music getting lazier? - Lois:(sniffs) What's that smell?
Brian: It's either bad meat or good cheese.