Death Has a Shadow

The Griffins watching television.

Death Has a Shadow
Peter loses his job, but finds a fortune in welfare fraud for $150,000.

Season: 1 Episode: 1
Total Episode Count: 1
Prod. no.: 1ACX01
First Aired: January 31, 1999

Featuring: Peter, Lois, Brian, Stewie, Chris, Meg
Also Appearing: Quagmire, Cleveland, Tom, Diane, Johnson, Mr. Weed, Judge, Aunt Jemima, Hitler, God, Tom Hanks, Bill Clinton, Jerry Seinfeld, John Madden, Pat Summerall, Kool Aid Man
Director: Peter Shin
Writers: Seth MacFarlane
Storyboarders: Shawna Cha-Callego, John Rice, Mark Zoeller


Plot: As Lois prepares dinner, Stewie puts the final touches on his mind-control device, only to be taken away from him by Lois, who won't allow 'toys' at the table.

Later, Peter asks Lois for permission to attend an upcoming stag party. After he promises he won't drink, Lois lets him go. Unfortunately, Peter does not heed his wife's advice. He goes to work the next day with a hangover, and falls asleep on the job as a safety inspector in a toy factory. The company receives bad press after releasing unsafe toy products, and Peter is promptly fired.

Peter accidentally getting the $150,000 check from the government.

At dinner, he breaks the news to his children, but decides to keep it from Lois. Peter tries different jobs, but fails miserably. Brian pressures him to tell her the truth, but all he manages to do is to tell Lois how fat she is. Brian insists that Peter must look out for his family's welfare.

With the word "welfare" in his mind, Peter soon applies for a government assistance at a welfare office. But a processing error creates a weekly check for $150,000. Telling Lois he received a big raise, Peter spends his money on many foolish things.

Unfortunately, Lois sees one of the welfare payments in the mail and storms at Peter. Peter decides to return the money to the taxpayers by dumping it from a blimp during the Super Bowl, and Brian accompanies him. They end up in prison.

Eventually, Lois recieves the bad news and goes to court, where the judge sentences Peter to 24 months in prison. Lois tries to explain he's not that bad and she loves him, and insists that no matter what, she will always stand by her husband. The judge agrees, and sends her to jail with him. Stewie, being a baby, must have his parents by his side, regardless his burning hate for them. He then whips out his mind control device and forces the judge into letting his father go free and get his job back.

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