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{{Infobox television episode
| series = [[Family Guy]]
| season = 7

| episode = 13
| airdate = {{Start date|2009|04|26}}
| production = 6ACX18<ref name="prodcode">{{cite web|url=http://www.foxinflight.com/tv/15/ |title=20th Century Fox – Fox In Flight – Family Guy |publisher=20th Century Fox |access-date=April 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711021928/http://www.foxinflight.com/tv/15/ |archive-date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref>
| writer = [[Alec Sulkin]]
| director = [[Jerry Langford]]
| guests = *[[Meredith Baxter-Birney]] as Elyse Keaton
*[[Jeff Bergman]] as Fred Flintstone
*[[Gary Cole]] as Principal Shephard
*[[Chace Crawford]] as Student #1
*[[Camille Guaty]] as Gina
*[[Wentworth Miller]] as Student #2
*[[Mae Whitman]] as Student #3
*[[Lisa Wilhoit]] as Connie D'Amico
| music = "[[Goodbye Horses]]" by [[Q Lazzarus]]
| season_article = Family Guy season 7
| episode_list = List of Family Guy episodes
| prev = [[420 (Family Guy)|420]]
| next = [[We Love You, Conrad]]
}}
"'''Stew-Roids'''" is the 13th episode in the [[Family Guy season 7|seventh season]] of the American [[animated series|animated television series]] ''[[Family Guy]]''. It originally aired on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox network]] in the United States on April 26, 2009. The episode features [[Stewie Griffin|Stewie]] after he is attacked at an outdoor party by [[Joe Swanson|Joe]]'s infant daughter, Susie. While training Stewie, [[Peter Griffin|Peter]] injects him with [[performance-enhancing drugs]], and Stewie becomes incredibly muscular. Meanwhile, [[Chris Griffin|Chris]] becomes the fake boyfriend of popular student [[Connie D'Amico]]. He begins to like her, and the two begin a serious relationship, leading him to become popular. His newfound popularity goes to his head, however, causing him to become mean and self-centered towards everyone around him.

The episode was written by [[Alec Sulkin]] and directed by [[Jerry Langford]]. It received mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references, in addition to receiving criticism from the [[Parents Television Council]]. According to [[Nielsen ratings]], it was viewed by 6.80 million viewers on its original airdate. The episode featured guest performances by Wilhoit, [[Meredith Baxter-Birney]], [[Jeff Bergman]], [[Gary Cole]], [[Chace Crawford]], [[Camille Guaty]], [[Wentworth Miller]] and [[Mae Whitman]] along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.

==Plot==
[[List of Family Guy characters#Joe Swanson|Joe]] and [[List of Family Guy characters#Bonnie Swanson|Bonnie]] host a backyard barbecue, where Joe's baby daughter, Susie, gets into a fight with [[Stewie Griffin|Stewie]] over a doll and attacks him. Upset by this, [[Peter Griffin|Peter]] takes Stewie to train at the local gymnasium. A trainer notices Stewie struggling with [[barbell]]s and offers [[performance-enhancing drugs|steroids]]. Peter injects the drugs into Stewie, who becomes incredibly buff and develops an aggressive personality, much to the horror of his family. Stewie becomes tormenting towards Brian. As time passes, Stewie's drugs gradually wear off, much to his shock. His skin becomes incredibly loose and flabby. Stewie jumps out of his bedroom window to avoid Brian's wrath, only to have his loosened skin help him glide to safety.

Elsewhere, [[Connie D'Amico]] is unhappy to learn that she has dated nearly every single boy in the school and plans to date an unpopular boy to gain better popularity, eventually deciding on [[Chris Griffin|Chris]]. During their first date, Chris reveals that he likes Connie, who is surprised by his kind heart and actually becomes attracted to him. As a result, Chris's popularity increases at school, which leads to accolades by the jocks, cheerleaders, and other socially powerful students. [[Meg Griffin|Meg]] tries to use the relationship to gain popularity herself, only to find herself snubbed off by Chris's newfound shallowness. That weekend night, Chris and Connie plan a house party at the Griffins’ house, but Connie becomes upset when she finds out that Chris is cheating on her with two other girls, making Connie a social [[social rejection|outcast]]. She turns to a reluctant Meg, who eventually relents when a [[javelin]] thrown by Chris impales Meg's shoulder. They publicly release a video of Chris dancing naked in his room in the style of [[Buffalo Bill (character)|Buffalo Bill]] from ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]''. Connie instantly becomes popular again, while Chris is rendered back to his low social standing and apologizes to Meg for everything, and he tells her what it was like to be a part of the "in-crowd".

==Production==
[[File:Mae Whitman by Gage Skidmore.jpg|right|thumb|175px|Mae Whitman guest starred in the episode.]]
"Stew-Roids" was written by series regular [[Alec Sulkin]] in his first writing job for the season.<ref name=yahoo!/> It was directed by former ''[[Mission Hill (TV series)|Mission Hill]]'' and ''[[The Oblongs]]'' director [[Jerry Langford]], who had joined the show's staff that season when he directed the episode "[[Tales of a Third Grade Nothing]]".<ref name=yahoo!>{{cite web|url= https://tv.yahoo.com/family-guy/show/stew-roids/episode/205378|publisher=[[Yahoo! TV]]|title= Family Guy – Stew-Roids |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://tv.yahoo.com/family-guy/show/tales-of-a-third-grade-nothing/episode/188967;_ylt=Ajmbb4fnCBKOOWaq9fm8jka9v9EF|publisher=[[Yahoo! TV]]|title= Family Guy – Tales of a Third Grade Nothing |access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> Series regulars [[Peter Shin]] and James Purdum served as supervising directors.<ref name=yahoo!/>

The role of Kevin Swanson has been portrayed by several people, including actor [[Jon Cryer]] in the [[Family Guy season 2|second season]] episode "[[There's Something About Paulie]]"; the character was revealed in this episode to have died in the [[Iraq War]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url= http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jon-cryer/credits/158524 |title=Jon Fryer Credits – TV Guide|magazine=[[TV Guide]]|access-date=October 8, 2012}}</ref> This would later be retconned in the [[Family Guy season 10|tenth season]] episode "[[Thanksgiving (Family Guy)|Thanksgiving]]", in which Kevin, now voiced by actor [[Scott Grimes]], is revealed to have faked his death to escape Iraq.<ref name="avclub">{{cite news |url=https://www.avclub.com/family-guy-thanksgiving-1798170581 |title='Thanksgiving' – ''Family Guy'' – ''A.V Club'' | author =McFarland, Kevin|newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=November 21, 2011|access-date=September 29, 2012 }}</ref>

In addition to the regular cast, actors [[Meredith Baxter-Birney]], [[Jeff Bergman]], [[Gary Cole]], [[Chace Crawford]], [[Camille Guaty]], [[Wentworth Miller]], [[Mae Whitman]] and [[Lisa Wilhoit]] guest starred in the episode.<ref name=TVGuide/><ref name="cast">{{cite web|url=https://tv.yahoo.com/episode/205378/castcrew|title=Family Guy: Stew-Roids Cast and Crew|publisher=[[Yahoo! TV]]|access-date=September 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615065744/https://tv.yahoo.com/episode/205378/castcrew |archive-date=2011-06-15}}</ref> The episode featured many of the show's recurring guest voice actors including: [[Alexandra Breckenridge]], Chris Cox, [[Ralph Garman]], and writers [[Danny Smith (writer)|Danny Smith]], Alec Sulkin, and John Viener also made minor appearances.<ref name="TVGuide">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/family-guy-2009/episode-13-season-8/stew-roids/100148|title=''Family Guy'' Episode: 'Stew-Roids'|magazine=[[TV Guide]]|access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> Recurring voice actors [[Jennifer Tilly]] and [[Patrick Warburton]] reprise their roles of Bonnie and Joe Swanson respectively.<ref name=yahoo!/>

==Cultural references==
The episode includes various cultural references, including [[Johnson & Johnson]]'s "No more tears" slogan.<ref name=ign/> Peter is seen watching [[Spike (TV channel)|Spike TV]].<ref name="channelguide">{{Cite web|url=http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2009/04/27/family-guy-season-7-episode-13-recap-stew-roids|title=Channel Guide Magazine – Family Guy – Stew–Roids|author=Sarah|date=April 27, 2009|publisher=Channel Guide|access-date= September 29, 2012}}</ref> Stewie enters a fight with Susie over a [[Barbie doll]].<ref name="channelguide"/> Stewie composes a song about his toned body, pronouncing the word ''body'' as "bah-dy" a reference to the pronunciation of the word in [[John Mayer]]'s "[[Your Body Is a Wonderland]]".<ref name=channelguide/> Chris' nude dance is a reference to a similar scene in ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence Of The Lambs]]''; this is in itself an in-joke as Chris Griffin's voice was initially Seth Green's impression of Buffalo Bill.<ref>{{cite video|people=[[Seth Green|Green, Seth]]|title=Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story: Audio Commentary|medium=DVD|date=September 27, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Fans help 'Family Guy' return to Fox|work=[[Observer-Reporter]]|date=April 29, 2005|page=E5}}</ref> Brian compares Stewie's muscular body to actor [[Lou Ferrigno]]'s [[feces]].<ref name= pta/> Lois and Brian sit on the couch while they watch ''[[Lady and the Tramp]] and [[Michael Vick]]''.<ref name= pta/> [[Adam Sandler]]'s movie career is referenced.<ref name="channelguide"/> Connie's best friend Gina says that Chris smells like [[Fred Flintstone]]'s behind. Folkloric figure [[Santa Claus]] is seen getting a [[Driving under the influence|DUI]].<ref name="channelguide"/>

Chris says he hates classic rock stations because they always end up playing “[[We Built This City]]” from [[Starship (band)|Starship]]. The radio station Chris tunes in to is "Classic Rock 103.7 WHTT". WHTT was the callsign for the current Boston, MA radio station [[WBGB (FM)|WODS]], a classic hits station at the time that played the same music the fictional WHTT apparently airs before flipping to Top 40 in 2012 as ''103.3 Amp Radio''. The station had the callsign from 1983 to 1986. This further references Boston influences on the TV show. Another station actually holds the callsigns now, 104.1 [[WHTT-FM]] in Buffalo, NY, with the same format.<ref name="channelguide"/> After Stewie is injected with steroids, he lifts a barbell on one side and says "I have the power!" and the show then shifts scenes the same as in ''[[Masters of the Universe]]''.<ref name=ign/> It is mentioned that Connie is the key to One-Eyed Willy's gold, a reference to ''[[The Goonies]]''.<ref name="channelguide"/> [[Paul Sorvino]] and [[Chazz Palminteri]] are seen acting in a fictional movie called "Distracting Trumpet". After Stewie's steroids injection wears off and he jumps out the bedroom window, the music playing is from the cartoon series ''[[The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show]]''.<ref name="channelguide"/>

==Reception==

In a slight drop from the previous week, "Stew-Roids" was viewed in 6.80 million homes in its original airing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-tv-ratings-041909,0,5300310.story |title=TV Ratings: CBS, 'Desperate Housewives' are Sunday best |publisher=[[Zap2it]] |access-date=April 27, 2009 |date=October 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423045808/http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-tv-ratings-041909%2C0%2C5300310.story |archive-date=April 23, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It also received a 4.0/6 in Nielsen ratings, the [[audience measurement]] systems developed to determine the [[audience]] size and composition of [[broadcast programming|television programming]] in the United States.<ref name=Ratings>{{cite web|url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-tv-ratings-042609,0,4972628.story|title=TV ratings: Another split verdict for CBS, ABC|date=April 27, 2009|publisher=[[Zap2It]]|access-date=April 27, 2009|archive-date=July 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728112852/http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-tv-ratings-042609,0,4972628.story|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ahsan Haque of [[IGN]] gave the episode a score of 8.2 out of 10, commending Chris' storyline and praising Stewie's temporary build, but criticizing the staleness of Meg's continued poor treatment.<ref name=ign>{{cite web| title = Family Guy: 'Stew–Roids' Review| author = Haque, Ahsan | website = [[IGN]] | url = http://tv.ign.com/articles/976/976654p1.html |date=April 27, 2009| access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref> Steve Heisler of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' gave a much more critical review giving the episode a grade of a C. Heisler stated that neither of the storylines "held any water", because they were "ridiculously short". He also commented: "I'm starting to wonder if this show is even watchable anymore – 18 minutes of filler, 45 seconds of inspired silliness."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/serves-me-right-for-giving-general-george-s-patton-th-1798206128|title=Serves Me Right For Giving General George S. Patton The Bathroom Key'/'Father Knows Worst'/'Miracles Are Real'/'Stew-Roids'/'Every Which Way But Lose'|work=[[The A.V. Club]]|author=Heisler, Steve|date=April 26, 2009|access-date=September 29, 2012}}</ref>

The [[Parents Television Council]], a frequent critic of ''Family Guy'', named "Stew-Roids" its "Worst TV Show of the Week" for the week ending August 28, 2009; the review was based on a repeat airing. The PTC's review cited the episode's crude jokes, "tiresome pop culture cutaways" and "its conceit that its content is original." The latter referred to the plotline about Chris' sudden popularity at school and having a swelled ego as a result.<ref name=pta>{{cite web|title=Worst TV Show of the Week |publisher=[[Parents Television Council]] |url=http://parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/2009/0828worst.asp |date=August 28, 2009 |access-date=September 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125114716/http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/2009/0828worst.asp |archive-date=November 25, 2009 }}</ref>

"Stew-Roids", along with the seven other episodes from ''Family Guy''{{'}}s eighth season and seven from the seventh season, were released on a three-disc [[DVD]] set in the United States on June 15, 2010. The sets included brief audio commentaries by Seth MacFarlane and various crew and cast members for several episodes, a collection of deleted scenes, a special mini-feature which discussed the process behind animating "[[Road to the Multiverse]]", and mini-feature entitled "''Family Guy'' Karaoke".<ref name="DVDs8">{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Family-Guy-Volume-8/13518 |title=Family Guy — This Just In: Volume 8 DVD Announced to Retailers, with Complete Details |publisher=TVShowsonDVD.com |date=March 24, 2010 |access-date=September 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329203405/http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Family-Guy-Volume-8/13518 |archive-date=March 29, 2010 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Family_Guy/Season_7#Stew-Roids|<br />"Stew-Roids"}}
{{Portal|Television}}
*{{IMDb episode|id=1408574}}

{{Family Guy episodes|7}}

[[Category:2009 American television episodes]]
[[Category:Family Guy season 7 episodes]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Adam Sandler]]
[[Category:Television episodes about bullying]]

Stew-Roids - Revision history

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