History Recap / FamilyGuyS3E1TheThinWhiteLine

* LineOfSightAlias: Parodied. When the director of the rehab clinic asks for Peter's name, he panics and starts looking around. The first thing he sees is a leftover pea on someone's tray, followed by a crying woman's tear and finally [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers a griffon flying through the room]]. He then tells her his name is "Pea-tear Griffon."

-->Okay, they're-they're in the woods...the camera keeps on moving...Uh, I think they're, they're looking for some witch or something, I-I don't know, I wasn't listening...nothing's happening, nothing's happening, something about a map, nothing's happening, it's over, a lot of people in the audience look pissed.

* SeenStarWarsTwentySevenTimes: Brian has seen Creator/LeifGarrett's episode of ''Series/BehindTheMusic'' enough times that he knows it by heart. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss5nZso6j1E A cutway]] shows him mouthing along to the scene where Leif reunites with Roland.

** Rocky the Flying Squirrel shows up and says, "And now, here's something we hope you'll really like", a frequent segué in ''WesternAnimation/TheRockyAndBullwinkleShow''.

* BrotherSisterIncest: Quagmire assumes this when he talks to Meg and given she's not yet 18 and Chris is the only male closest in age living with her, he thinks they're satisfying each other. Chris and Meg, however, don't know what he's talking about.

** Mr. Weed says he has enough tranquilizer darts "to take-out Creator/RobertDowneyJr", a reference to the actor’s drug problems. A rare self-chastising meta reference has Weed's audience reacting with umbrage to the remark.

* FriendshipMoment: When the director says that Peter is the root cause of his problems, an outraged Brian says that Peter rescued him from the streets and is his best friend.

* PrecisionFStrike: When Brian breaks down crying during the intervention, Stewie mockingly calls him a melan-collie. Everyone just stares at him with disappointed looks and his second attempt at a joke doesn't go any better.

** The name of the episode combines The Thin Blue Line, a colloquial term for the police [[note]]The full expression is that the police is "The thin blue line between order and chaos.[[/note]], and "white lines", a slang term for cocaine.

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Much of the episode is driven by Brian feeling stuck in a mid-life emotional rut, leading him to take on various volunteer jobs on advice by his therapist. He ends up getting a successful stint working for the police, but he ends up developing a drug habit in search of a deeper thrill, costing him his job and alienating himself from his family. He goes to rehab and eventually comes out clean, but by the end of the episode, he's still lacking in fulfillment, [[{{Cliffhanger}} inspiring him to leave Quahog for Hollywood]].

* TheNoseKnows: The episode kicks off with Brian getting recognized for his high sense of smell, earning him a job at the Quahog police as both a drug-sniffing dog and a cop. Unfortunately, his ability to sniff out drugs ends up leading him to developing a taste for it as well.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Joe's reaction to Horowitz's impression of him.

* HarmfulToMinors: Brian turns to the erotic channel that Lois doesn't know about, much to the shock of the Griffin children.

** The name of the episode combines The Thin Blue Line, a colloquial term for the police, and "white lines", a slang term for cocaine.

** The name of the episode combines The Thin Blue Line, a colloquial term for the police, and “white lines,” a slang term for cocaine.

** At the school assembly Brian is called “[=McGriffin=], the Drug Dog,” a reference to the anti-crime mascot [=McGruff=] the Crime Dog.
** After seeing some cocaine on his nose, Brian exclaims “Got Milk?”, a reference to the ad campaign. “Got Milk?” is also referenced near the beginning of the episode “Holy Crap”.
** While time traveling, Chris finds himself in “the Bible days” and encounters an angry lion, a reference to the early persecution of Christians.
** Rocky The Flying Squirrel shows up and says, “And now, here’s something we hope you’ll really like,” a frequent segué in ''WesternAnimation/TheRockyAndBullwinkleShow''.

* TakeThat: Brian is a guide dog for a blind man watching ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'':

** Mr. Weed says he has enough tranquilizer darts “to take-out Creator/RobertDowneyJr,” a reference to the actor’s drug problems. A rare self-chastising meta reference has Weed’s audience reacting with umbrage to the remark.