Some reviewers here don't seem to understand cartoon-world, and certainly not Family Guy, one that's been through 23 years and characters shifting in persona. The latter I praise as it would have long been unwatchable if they were the same as season 1. Peter being a bit of a Homer rip-off, Quagmire constantly giggety-ing, and Stewie saying "Victory is mine", "Vile woman" etc. One reviewer complaining the plot's not feasible because Peter is such a different size to Quagmire must be new to this. What about their faces getting ripped off, then a few seconds later they're back to normal? That stuff has been going on since the earlier seasons. If you can't appreciate this, then stick with SpongeBob! As for the episode, it's not bad, just not up to my favourite era of around seasons 6-11. I like the odd cutaway, which this strangely lacks and I feel they could have had more fun around the underwear plot, so it's lost stars there for me. The Stewie and Doug plot is based around Strangers on a Train, a fifties Hitchcock film and done well for the limited time. It's a clever episode title. Brief Encounter being another old film about two strangers meeting in a railway-based situation, plus it being the reference to Peter and Quagmire's underwear adventure.
Review of Brief Encounter
