Original air date: 8/1/2001 (produced in 2000)
Production code: 2ACX-19
Peter and the boys fight to reclaim the Drunken Clam from its new British owner; meanwhile, Stewie tries teaching the new owner's daughter proper diction.
Tropes:
- Avenging the Villain: Nigel's daughter intends to kill Lois for getting him hanged for his crimes.
- Bait-and-Switch: Played straight, then subverted.Peter: (talking in his sleep) Oh, Jenny... Jenny... Oh, yeah. Jenny, don't stop. (Lois looks offended) Oh, Richard Jeni, your HBO comedy specials have brought pleasure to millions. (Lois is pleased and shuts her eyes) ... And what a sweet ass. (Lois' eyes pop wide open in shock).
- When Peter, Joe, Quagmire, and Cleveland are on trial:Judge: You are clearly guilty of arson, so you are free to go... straight to jail! Ha! Now you got burned! No bail.
- When Peter, Joe, Quagmire, and Cleveland are on trial:
- Big Creepy-Crawlies: The news reported the possibility the Clam had been burned down by a giant, fire-breathing insect and showed an artist's rendition of the bug. When Peter's arrest as the culprit gets reported, it cuts to the very same bug watching the news from his house.Giant Bug: Good, good...
- The same bug later shows up and says the exact same thing after Stewie finishes reading Eliza's threatening letter.
- British Royal Guards: When the guys try to board a British ship containing beer, Peter tries to walk past the guard, believing he won't move. When the guard kicks him in the groin, Peter comments he thought British guards stood still, with the guard replying "No, that's only our women!".
- Comically Missing the Point:
- When a criminal arrested by Joe tells Joe and the others they're dead, Peter assumes the criminal thinks they're zombies.
- Upon being asked by Lois if the insurance company man doesn't find it suspicious that Nigel's pub would be destroyed so soon after he made that big insurance, he says it's normal and comments on how often it happened to Nigel. Then he understands.
- Confusing Multiple Negatives:Nigel: I expect to see you at Eliza's birthday bash, and I won't take no for an answer. Unless the question is "Do you not like me?" Get it? Double negative, you know.
- Disproportionate Retribution: As bad as arson, insurance fraud, and framing Peter and his friends was, Nigel getting executed over it seems a tad extreme.
- Distant Prologue: The episode begins in the '70s, where Peter tells his friends, "So I told my boss I'm not staying in that stupid toy factory. I'm gonna go places." It flashes forward twice more until the present day, with Peter saying the exact same thing both times.
- Don't Tell Mama: When Stewie mouths a swear to Brian, the latter declares that he will tell on him,, much to Stewie’s panic.
- Dramatic Irony: Lois says that she hopes Nigel gets punished for what he's done, declaring that "whatever he gets is too good for him." Immediately after, we cut to Nigel being hanged for his crimes, which, as bad as arson, insurance fraud, and framing Peter and co. for it was, leans on Disproportionate Retribution.
- Engineered Public Confession: To clear their husbands, Lois, Bonnie, and Loretta try to get Nigel to confess that he burned down his pub to Lois. Unfortunately, when Lois thinks Bonnie and Loretta are in position when Nigel confesses, it turns out to be a globe and Grady Wilson. Fortunately, the insurance man heard the confession, having arrived there with Grady.
- Extreme Omnivore: One line implies that Stewie tried eating kitty litter because "[he] was curious".
- First Injury Reaction: Peter and his friends get what amounts to a Last-Minute Reprieve from their Frame-Up minutes before Steve Bellows (the Serial Killer put away years ago by the force Joe was on) gets to make good on his threat to kill them in retribution. Left to his own devices, Bellows cuts his arm to see how it feels. Realizing the pain, he happens on the revelation that he really does deserve to be locked up.
- Frame-Up: Nigel burned down his pub and framed Peter and his friends for it.
- Gilligan Cut: When the guys cause a disturbance in the pub and refuse to leave, Nigel says he'll use his linguistic skills to convince them to leave. The guys challenge him to try it...then it promptly cuts to them leaving the pub willingly, before they come to their senses and wonder how in the world that happened.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: Peter and company tries out a new bar, and discover that they're the only guys there. When they realize that they're in a lesbian bar, they initially all say "Oh!" excitedly before realizing they have no chance.
- Guilt by Association Gag: Even though Peter, Quagmire, and Cleveland had nothing to do with his imprisonment, the criminal that Joe had arrested intended to kill them along with him.
- Hope Spot: Stewie seems to have finally taught Eliza to be a proper lady, and her introduction to the party guests appears to confirm this. Then she wets herself and immediately reverts back to her previous mannerisms, much to Stewie's disappointment.
- Incompatible Orientation: When the guys find out that they're in a lesbian bar, they are briefly excited, before realizing they can't get with any of the girls. Quagmire still tries to flirt with them and gets thrown out.
- Insurance Fraud: Nigel destroyed his own pub for the insurance and it's heavily implied that he's done this several times before.
- Lampshaded the Obscure Reference: When Lois says all British men are charming, Peter replies, "That's what they said about Benjamin Disraeli
." Cut to Disraeli, who chides the audience: "You don't even know who I am." - Latex Perfection: Quagmire dresses as a priest to lure women into his house during the hurricane.
- Mandatory Line: After Quagmire says "Here's to The Drunken Clam, where they don't ask for proof of age and neither do I.", he forgets to say "Oh!" Cleveland has to remind him.
- Mood-Swinger: When the group tries to find a new bar to go to, they go to what they discover is a lesbian bar. Their reaction: "Oh. (surprised) Oh. (excited) Oh! (disappointed) Oh."
- Mouthing the Profanity: After his attempts to turn Elisa into a proper lady fail, Stewie does this to Brian, who immediately says he's telling Lois. Stewie then claims he was saying "vacuum".
- My God, What Have I Done?: After missing the chance to stab the cop who arrested him, the inmate tries to stab himself. Upon feeling the pain, he finally understands what he did to his previous victims.
- Never My Fault: Or her father's fault. Nigel's daughter believes the punishment he received was Lois' fault for exposing him instead of his own confession.
- Prison Episode: Peter, Joe, Quagmire, and Cleveland are wrongfully sent to prison for arson and end up in the same wing as several criminals Joe arrested. One inmate in particular threatens that he's going to kill them at a very specific time. Fortunately, Lois is able to set them free just before the time. The inmate is surprised to find that the cell is empty, and just out of bored curiosity, shanks himself just to know what it feels like.
- Prison Rape: Subverted. After being framed for arson of a British pub, many of the inmates are commenting that they intend to rape Peter. Peter, however, is taking all of the comments as compliments, appearing to be completely unaware of their intent, until he says, "they are going to be bummed to know I'm not gay but everyone is so nice here".
- Shout-Out: After losing their bar, the group tries drinking beer in front of a fence.
- Peter: Yep.
- Tempting Fate: After Nigel is exposed, Lois says whatever punishment he's given will be too soft. The next scene shows him being hanged.
- Whole-Plot Reference: Stewie's subplot is a parody of My Fair Lady.
- You Need a Breath Mint: At one point, Elisa comments that Stewie's breath smelled like kitty litter.Stewie: "I was curious!"
