Save the Clam

"Save the Clam" is the 19th episode of the eleventh season and the 207th overall episode of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 5, 2013, and is written by Chris Sheridan and directed by Brian Iles. The episode's plot revolves around Peter and his friends trying to save Quahog’s local bar, The Drunken Clam, from being closed down after the owner Horace is killed in a freak accident during a ball game.[1]

"Save the Clam"
Family Guy episode
Episode no.Season 11
Episode 20
Directed byBrian Iles
Written byChris Sheridan
Production codeAACX18
Original air dateMay 5, 2013
Guest appearance(s)

Plot

During a Drunken Clam softball game against Mort's team Goldman's Pharmacy, Jerome is brought in as a player for Mort's team. To win the game, Horace attempts to strike Jerome out. Unfortunately for Horace, Jerome uses the bat to hit the ball so hard that it accidentally flies into Horace's face and fractures his skull, killing him in the process. During the funeral, Jerome tells Peter that he just feels awful about the situation; noting that Horace was a good bartender and a very good guy; he also wishes there was something he could do. Peter acknowledges that Jerome didn't mean to do it. The guys say their goodbyes and head out to drink at The Drunken Clam only to find the bar is foreclosed. The guys are forced to drink at Peter's home, but Lois objects. Peter and the guys sneak into the Clam for a night of drinking. Next morning, they find the building is about to be demolished and Peter pulls out a Mossberg and demands they stop as he claims ownership of the bar. During the stand-off, Joe finds himself in an uneasy position and bails out. Lois shows up and demands he come out. Joe is given the task to talk the guys out but when he enters, he rejoins their side and turns against the police chief. As they are all threatened with arrest, Jerome appears and reveals that he used his sports earnings from playing lacrosse (which is also his brother's name) to buy the Clam and keep it open to honor Horace and keep his legacy going, stating that it was pretty much all his fault that he wound up killing Horace and that it is seemingly his responsibility to keep the bar open. The guys find the Drunken Clam modified and themselves relegated to a space on the floor near the garbage since there are three black guys in their usual booth.

During Horace's funeral, Meg has to go to the bathroom and stumbles into an embalming session. Her lack of squeamishness impresses the undertaker and he offers her a job. Soon, Chris shows up and plays with the deceased bodies to Meg's annoyance since he got locked out of the house and doesn't have the key. When she goes to dress the body of Mr. Dugan, she finds it is missing and accuses Chris of stealing Mr. Dugan's body. Chris admits that he used it to get into "R" rated movies until it fell apart in the swimming pool and because of that, during the funeral, Chris poses as Mr. Dugan (since they weren't able to find Mr. Dugan's body) despite having itchy balls. As they progress, they learn from Helen Dugan that the deceased face was donated for a transplant to a woman who lost her face in a freak chimpanzee accident and Chris loses his. Back at the house, Chris tells Meg that even though he cannot frown, he is unhappy.

Reception

The episode received a 2.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and was watched by a total of 4.79 million viewers. This made it the second most watched show on Fox's Animation Domination line-up that night, beating The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers but losing to American Dad!.[2] The episode was met with mixed reviews from critics. Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B, saying "That’s a pretty standard way to appreciate anything that Family Guy does these days, tuning out the deliberately provocative jokes as though they're comments made by an older relative at Thanksgiving who gets a pass because they 'grew up in a different time.' Family Guy doesn't have that excuse, so when the material doesn't work because it trades in lazy stereotypes, it hurts the episode. Still, I laughed more this week at the remaining bits than I have in a few months."[3] Carter Dotson of TV Fanatic gave the episode three out of five stars, saying "This was a rather pedestrian episode of the show, not a classic but not terrible. If your DVR didn't record it, you didn't miss much."[4]

References
  1. "Family Guy Episode Guide 2013 Season 11 - Save the Clam, Episode 20". TVGuide.com. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  2. "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Amazing Race' & 'Celebrity Apprentice' Adjusted Up; 'Red Widow' Adjusted Down + Final FOX Numbers". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  3. McFarland, Kevin. ""Save The Clam" | Family Guy | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  4. "Family Guy Review: Wicked Comebacker". TV Fanatic. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
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