"Oscars Guy" is an episode of Family Guy that first aired on September 25, 2022. Directed by Greg Colton. Written by Damien Fahey. Episode Code Number LACX18.
Peter retells the stories of three Oscar-winning movies in his own style: Silence of the Lambs, American Beauty and Forrest Gump.
Silence of the Lambs
Lois is Clarice Starling, a rookie FBI agent who joins the hunt for Chris as Buffalo Bill. Lois turns to Stewie as Hannibal Lecter for help on the case.
American Beauty
Peter is Lester Burnham, a married middle-aged man who becomes infatuated with a high school cheerleader.
Forrest Gump
Peter is Forrest Gump and Lois is Jenny.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Jerkass: A number actually, since while the Family Guy characters are playing the roles, they are still their base characters.
- While Forrest Gump was a genuinely good hearted, if naive man, Peter as Forrest is no less uncaring as Peter is in the main show, readily leaving behind Lt. Dan (played by Joe) without hesitation.
- While still a villain, Hannibal Lector was cold, generally polite, mostly treating Clarice with dignity. By contrast, Stewie as Lector is petty, throwing a tantrum when "Clarice" fails to follow detail to his quid-pro-quo he didn't even share.
- Brick Joke: In the "Run, Forrest, Run" section of the Forrest Gump parody, a lifeguard interrupts Peter!Forrest's run with a no running rule. Later, as Peter!Forrest and Lois!Jenny are running towards each other at the Reflecting Pool, Peter!Forrest slips and hits his head. The lifeguard in his chair says that this is why no running.
- Casting Gag: Chris portraying Buffalo Bill in the Silence of the Lambs parody is a reference to how Seth Green modeled Chris's voice after Buffalo Bill.
- Faux Symbolism: In-universe. Peter complains about the roses in American Beauty and how they're supposed to be symbolic of something.
- Lemony Narrator: Throughout the shorts, Peter frequently pauses to go on personal tirades about problems he has with the movies, such as complaining about American Beauty, thinking he was going to watch American Pie.
- Incestuous Casting: In-universe example. Meg and Chris portray Jane and Ricky in the American Beauty parody who become a couple in the movie. However, the parody doesn't actually portray that, likely for this very reason.
- Running Gag:
- "Two Princes" playing to demonstrate it's The '90s.
- The Silence of the Lambs parody has numerous intentionally dated references to the early '90s, including a Bush '92 sign.
- Shout-Out: Besides the ones featured in the episode, the other films on the "Best Picture" wheel include Rocky, The Sound of Music, and The Godfather.
- Take That!:
- Peter spins the wheel at the beginning of the episode to decide which Oscar-winning film to retell. It lands on The Great Ziegfeld, so he quickly moves the needle to the next one.
- Peter complains about the symbolism and dated tropes in the pre-9/11 American Beauty. The segment also takes swipes at Kevin Spacey over his abuse allegations and The Phantom Menace.
- Three Shorts: This time based on three Oscar-winning movies: The Silence of the Lambs, American Beauty, and Forrest Gump.
