E. Peterbus Unum

"E. Peterbus Unum" is the 18th episode from the second season of the FOX animated series Family Guy. It first aired on July 12, 2000. The episode involved main character Peter Griffin establishing his house as an independent nation (or micronation), and then becoming under siege by the U.S. Army after invading their territory. The episode is rated TV-14 DLS.

Plot

Peter becomes jealous of his friends who have bought luxuries with their tax refunds, and plans to build a backyard swimming pool. After learning that he has no right to build it, he attempts to acquire a zoning variance from City Hall. However, as he and Mayor West examine the map of Quahog, they discover that the Griffins' property is actually not incorporated into Quahog, and thus is not even a part of the United States. Peter thus declares his house to be the new independent micronation of "Petoria". He spends the night on a "goodwill mission" in Quahog, drinking at the Drunken Clam, and flaunts his diplomatic immunity by committing crimes.

While representing Petoria at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, Peter and his country are humiliated by the Secretary General and other representatives because of his country's smaller size. During lunch, he is approached by another ambassador, who informs him that his country faced similar ridicule by the same leaders until it invaded Kuwait. Following his advice, Peter "invades" Joe's swimming pool next door. In response to this illegal action, U.S. President Bill Clinton agrees to impose sanctions upon Petoria. Days later, the U.S. Army surrounds Petoria. Peter refuses to surrender, leading to conflict with his family, who are living without basic amenities due to the siege. He invites the leaders of several countries hostile to the United States over for a pool party and barbecue. Not long afterwards, Lois witnesses Stewie imitating an Arab yell, which is enough for her to defect to the U.S. with her children. Peter finally surrenders when an American missile is pointed at him. At the negotiating table with Mayor West, Peter cedes Petoria back to the U.S., but feels better when Lois offers to comfort him every night.

It is then revealed that the events of the episode were part of a film being shown to social studies students 200 years into the future, explaining the brief history of Petoria. The teacher asks her students if they have any questions concerning the video, to which a pupil asks if the Griffin family can actually understand Stewie or not, with the other students nodding their heads in agreement with the question, before the episode abruptly ends.

Reception

In his 2009 review, Ahsan Haque of IGN, rating the episode a 9/10, called "E. Peterbus Unum" a "great episode" and stated that "the over-the-top political satire" is "some of the best" in the series.^[1]

References

• S. Callaghan, “E. Peterbus Unum.” Family Guy: The Official Episode Guide Seasons 1–3. New York: HarperCollins, 2005. 112–115.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: E. Peterbus Unum

• E. Peterbus Unum on IMDb
• "E. Peterbus Unum" at TV.com