At the beginning of Family Guy’s run, the central duo was Peter and Brian. Peter would do and say ridiculous things as a less family-friendly version of Homer Simpson and Brian would react to his antics as the dry, deadpan voice of reason. However, as the show went on, the writers found that there was even more comedic potential in pairing Brian with diabolical baby Stewie.
From Brian accidentally reversing the course of time to Stewie getting pregnant with a bunch of their human-dog hybrid babies, these are Stewie and Brian’s best team-ups from Family Guy’s storied history.
11 The Tan Aquatic With Steve Zissou (Season 5, Episode 11)
Stewie gets into tanning after Peter takes him out in the sun without sunscreen in season 5’s “The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou,” but he overdoes it and fears he might have cancer.
While Stewie waits to hear back from the doctor, Brian helps him check off all the items on his bucket list. Since Stewie isn’t definitely dying, Brian has very little patience for his convoluted, demanding final wishes.
10 Saving Private Brian (Season 5, Episode 4)
When Brian visits the military recruiter who tried to sign up Chris to give him a piece of his mind, Stewie ends up enlisting both himself and Brian in season 5’s “Saving Private Brian.” After passing boot camp, they’re shipped off to fight. Sending Stewie and Brian to the frontlines was a great lens through which to satirize the Iraq War.
At first, the premise is just a vehicle for jokes, but Stewie convinces Brian to stick with it because he has a history of quitting, giving the episode an emotional arc lacking from most Family Guy installments.
9 Stewie Is Enceinte (Season 13, Episode 12)
Stewie notices Brian growing distant in season 13’s “Stewie is Enceinte,” and he decides to get closer to him in the most disturbing way possible: stealing Brian’s DNA and impregnating himself with a bunch of human-dog hybrid babies.
This episode is controversial for its dark premise and graphic moments, but it’s a highlight for this duo. Stewie and Brian manage to bond over trying to figure out the kids’ confusing biology.
8 Yug Ylimaf (Season 11, Episode 4)
After his pickup attempts fail miserably, Brian starts using Stewie’s time machine to impress women in season 11’s “Yug Ylimaf.” When he tries to turn back the year-o-meter to cover his tracks, time starts moving in reverse.
Many of Stewie and Brian’s best sci-fi adventures begin with Brian screwing something up and Stewie struggling to fix it, but in “Yug Ylimaf,” it’s left in Brian’s hands when the reverse time catches up with Stewie’s birth.
7 Stuck Together, Torn Apart (Season 3, Episode 19)
While Peter and Lois give separation a try, Brian and Stewie get stuck to each other with industrial-strength glue in the season 3 episode “Stuck Together, Torn Apart.”
Naturally, after having to spend every waking moment together for days on end, Brian and Stewie grow to hate each other. But they eventually use the time to bond and become so close that even after the solvent arrives, they keep holding hands.
6 Peter’s Daughter (Season 6, Episode 7)
Stewie convinces Brian to invest in a fixer-upper in the B-plot of season 6’s “Peter’s Daughter.” They quickly find they’ve bitten off more than they can chew as neither of them knows the first thing about home renovation and they have constant communication problems (primarily with the classic “over” walkie-talkie bit).
When Stewie suggests blowing up the building, he and Brian dive away from the explosion in dozens of different camera angles, the same way action movies milk explosions for every ounce of spectacle they can.
5 North By North Quahog (Season 4, Episode 1)
While Peter and Lois are on vacation trying to spice up their marriage in the season 4 premiere “North by North Quahog” (the first episode after the show was un-cancelled by Fox), Brian is left in charge of the kids and instantly proves to be an ineffective disciplinarian.
Stewie helps out and they quickly morph into a bickering married couple. This was one of the early episodes that solidified Brian and Stewie’s dynamic and started them on the journey to becoming Family Guy’s central double act.
4 Movin’ Out (Brian’s Song) (Season 6, Episode 2)
Brian gets an apartment with his girlfriend Jillian in season 6’s “Movin’ Out (Brian’s Song).” Stewie moves in to help with the rent and quickly establishes himself as an annoying roommate. Brian thought Stewie got on his nerves at the Griffins’ house, but that was nothing compared to sharing an apartment with him.
Since he’s still just a baby (albeit a baby with walking-around money), Stewie wants to sleep in Brian and Jillian’s bed when he’s scared. He drops a glass in the kitchen and spills his drink under the fridge and cries out, “Oh, we are gonna have ants!” In other words, Stewie is a terrible roommate.
3 Back To The Pilot (Season 10, Episode 5)
In season 10’s “Back to the Pilot,” Stewie takes Brian back in time to Family Guy’s pilot episode to see where he buried a bone. The stakes are raised when Brian seizes the opportunity to prevent 9/11, which has dire multiversal ramifications.
The episode has a lot of meta gags about how much Family Guy and its characters have changed since the pilot episode as the glossy, modern Stewie and Brian enter the cruder animation of the show’s early seasons.
2 Brian & Stewie (Season 8, Episode 17)
Easily the greatest episode revolving around Brian and Stewie outside the “Road to...” specials is the extended episode that puts the focus squarely on their friendship. In season 8’s “Brian & Stewie,” the titular duo gets locked in a bank over a weekend.
A prime example of a bottle episode, “Brian & Stewie” breaks many Family Guy traditions. It has no other characters, no cutaway gags, and no music besides the opening theme. Brian and Stewie simply sit in the bank’s safety deposit box room, which leads to a deep dive into their relationship. Brian reveals that he occasionally has suicidal thoughts and Stewie reveals that he depends on Brian, which gives him a reason to live.
1 Roads To Vegas (Season 11, Episode 21)
There are a handful of Bing and Crosby-style episodes, dubbed the “Road to...” episodes, that focus on Brian and Stewie’s globetrotting adventures. Arguably the most hilarious (and ambitious) “Road to...” installment is season 11’s “Roads to Vegas.”
Stewie tries teleporting himself and Brian to Vegas for a Cher concert, and when the experiment seems to have failed, clones of Stewie and Brian arrive in Sin City. While one Stewie and Brian have the time of their lives, the other Stewie and Brian suffer the consequences.
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June 21, 2021 at 12:00AM
