Seth MacFarlane almost didn't make it to one hundred. Seriously. Between the 2002 cancellation and the DVD sales that miraculously resurrected the Griffin family, the road to the 100th episode Family Guy milestone was less of a victory lap and more of a gritty survival story. When "Stewie Kills Lois" finally aired on November 4, 2007, it wasn't just another Sunday night slot for Fox. It was a middle finger to the skeptics and a massive, cinematic "thank you" to the fans who bought those Season 1 and 2 box sets in droves.
Most shows do a clip show for their centennial. Not this one.
The writers decided to finally pull the trigger—literally—on the show’s longest-running gag: Stewie’s matricidal obsession. It’s a weirdly dark premise for a milestone. Usually, you’d expect a retrospective or a "very special episode" where everyone learns a lesson. Instead, we got a cruise ship, a hail of gunfire, and a baby finally achieving his lifelong dream of world domination.
The Bold Risk of "Stewie Kills Lois"
By the time the show reached its 100th episode, the formula was starting to settle. You knew the beats. Peter does something stupid, Brian acts pretentious, and Meg gets bullied. But "Stewie Kills Lois" (and its conclusion, "Lois Kills Stewie") broke the mold by leaning into a high-stakes, two-part thriller format. It felt like a movie. The animation looked sharper, the score was more orchestral, and the stakes felt... well, they felt real for about twenty minutes.
I remember watching it live. There was this genuine sense of "Are they actually doing this?" when Stewie leaves Lois for dead in the middle of the ocean. It was peak 100th episode Family Guy energy—taking the most absurd premise and playing it completely straight for the drama.
Honest truth? The episode works because it understands the Stewie/Lois dynamic better than any other entry in the series. It’s not just about the gadgets or the cutaway gags. It’s about that weird, twisted relationship between a genius infant and the mother he desperately wants to impress/destroy. It was the culmination of years of "Victory shall be mine!"
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Why the Twist Matters
We have to talk about the ending. You know the one. The simulation.
Some fans hated it. They felt cheated. "Wait, it was all a virtual reality simulation?" Yeah, it was. But from a writing perspective, it was the only move they had. You can't actually kill off a main character in a syndicated sitcom unless you’re planning to end the show. By making it a simulation, the writers got to have their cake and eat it too. They showed us exactly what would happen if Stewie won, and then they reset the board.
It was a meta-commentary on the nature of status quo television.
Production Secrets and the 2007 Writers Strike
The timing of this episode was chaotic. It aired right as the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike was kicking off. Seth MacFarlane, a staunch supporter of the guild, actually stopped working on the show during the strike. There was a huge drama behind the scenes about whether Fox would air episodes without his final touch.
Actually, the 100th episode Family Guy celebration was one of the last "pure" moments before that hiatus disrupted the flow of Season 6. If you look closely at the production credits, you can see the fingerprints of the "A-Team" writers like David A. Goodman and Danny Smith, who were firing on all cylinders back then.
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Cultural Impact of the Century Mark
One hundred episodes is the magic number for syndication. It’s when a show becomes "immortal" in the world of television business. For Family Guy, this meant it would live on in reruns on Adult Swim and local networks forever. But more than the money, it proved that the show’s brand of humor—random, edgy, and reference-heavy—had staying power.
Think about the landscape in 2007. The Simpsons was already a legacy act. South Park was in its prime. Family Guy was the loud, obnoxious kid that everyone tried to ignore, but eventually, you had to acknowledge he was the funniest person in the room.
Breaking Down the Best Moments
- The Cruise Ship Sequence: The setting provided a confined space that made the "murder" feel more intimate and terrifying.
- The Powerpoint Presentation: Stewie explaining his plan to Brian remains one of the best-written scenes in the series. It’s so mundane yet so evil.
- The "Lois" Reveal: When Lois walks back into the house at the end of Part 1, it was one of the few genuine cliffhangers in animated history that actually had people talking at the water cooler the next morning.
Honestly, the 100th episode Family Guy special succeeded because it wasn't afraid to be mean. It didn't try to soften the characters for the milestone. It leaned into their worst impulses.
The "What If" Factor
What if they hadn't used the simulation ending? Some critics, including those from The A.V. Club at the time, argued that the show could have used the 100th episode to permanently evolve Stewie’s character.
Instead of being the "evil genius," he started transitioning into the flamboyant, sci-fi adventurer we see today. The 100th episode was basically the funeral for "Evil Stewie." After this, the character changed. He became more of a companion to Brian and less of a threat to Lois. In a way, the simulation was the writers' way of saying, "We’ve done the world domination thing. Let's try something else."
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It’s a pivot point. If you watch the episodes before 100 and the episodes after, the tone shifts. The humor becomes more experimental. The "Road To" episodes start taking center stage.
The Musical Legacy
We can't talk about Family Guy without mentioning the music. The 100th episode didn't skimp on the big band sound. Walter Murphy, the show's composer, treated these two episodes like a feature film. The brass sections are louder, the stings are sharper. It’s a testament to the fact that, despite the fart jokes, the show has always had a high level of technical craft.
How to Revisit the 100th Episode Family Guy Special Today
If you're going back to watch it now, don't just look for the jokes. Look at the pacing. Most modern Family Guy episodes are breakneck. They move so fast you barely have time to process the gag. "Stewie Kills Lois" actually lets the scenes breathe. It builds tension. It’s a masterclass in how to structure a 22-minute narrative (or 44-minute, if you count both parts).
Actionable Steps for the Ultimate Rewatch:
- Watch the "100th Episode Special" first: This was a separate retrospective hosted by Seth MacFarlane that aired before the actual episode. It features the "top 10" musical numbers and is a great time capsule of what the creators thought was their best work at the time.
- Look for the Easter Eggs: There are several nods to the pilot episode "Death Has a Shadow" tucked away in the background of the Griffin house.
- Compare Part 1 and Part 2: Notice how Part 1 is a thriller/mystery, while Part 2 turns into a political satire/action movie. It’s a jarring but intentional shift.
- Pay attention to the background characters: Joe, Quagmire, and Cleveland get some of their best "reaction" lines during Stewie's rise to power.
The 100th episode Family Guy remains a high-water mark for the series. It represents a time when the show was still trying to prove itself, even though it had already won. It’s bold, it’s unapologetically violent, and it’s arguably the last time Stewie Griffin was truly a villain. Whether you love the "it was all a dream" trope or hate it, you can't deny the impact this milestone had on the future of adult animation.
Go back and watch it on Hulu or Disney+. It’s worth seeing how much—and how little—the show has changed in the nearly twenty years since Lois Griffin "died" on that cruise ship.
Next Steps for Fans: Check out the DVD commentary for "Stewie Kills Lois" if you can find it. The insights from the writers about the legal hurdles of using certain parody characters are fascinating. Also, compare this milestone to the 200th ("Yug Ylimaf") and 300th ("Dog Bites Bear") episodes to see how the show’s philosophy on "event television" evolved over the decades.