“Family Guy” fans, relax and rejoice — Brian the dog is back from the dead.
The Griffin pooch is back where he belongs, drinking and womanizing among his friends and family in Quahog. The Fox animated comedy revived Brian Sunday night and, in turn, said goodbye to the new family hound, Vinny (Tony Sirico).
To bring back one of the show’s most popular characters, baby Stewie and Vinny stole a time machine return pad from a different version of the diabolical infant that they encountered by happenstance in a toy store. Time-traveling Stewie was on hand to buy the hot Christmas toy of the season, but was distracted by Vinny’s suggestion he try modeling. Real-time Stewie was able to nab the device and save his friend. It all makes (slightly) more sense in context.
Also read: ‘Family Guy’ Fans Try to Raise Brian From the Dead With Petition
On Nov. 24’s episode, Brian was hit by a car while playing street hockey with Stewie, ultimately dying. In altering the timeline last night, Stewie tackled his best friend out of harm’s way, preventing the tragedy and saving the Griffin family Christmas.
So going forward, Brian never died, and the Griffins never adopted Vinny. The twist was predicted — and possibly even expected — given the nature of the show and Brian’s popularity, but that did not curb fans from panicking in the interim.
Here’s creator Seth MacFarlane answering the fans, who went so far as to create a petition to bring Brian back.
https://twitter.com/SethMacFarlane/status/412407556942753792