About The Most Recent Episode Of Family Guy.......

**Warning! This post contains a MAJOR spoiler for the most recent episode of Family Guy** 

So last night on Family Guy, we all saw the end of Brian Griffin. After another close call with Stewie's time machine, Stewie made the tough decision to destroy it once and for all. After crushing the time machine in a trash compactor, a hockey net at the dump is used as a take-home present. Sounds like a harmless decision, right? Well, Brian was the victim of bad timing. In the blink of an eye, Brian was struck by a speeding car.

At this point in the show, I was expecting Brian to comeback somehow. Remember that episode, where Meg and Chris injured Stewie during Stewie's trip to the imaginary grocery store? Stewie had a NASTY head wound. The entire storyline revolving around Meg and Chris focused on both of them trying to cover up an unconscious Stewie's injuries, until Peter found a way to pin Stewie's injuries on Lois (i.e. throwing a lifeless Stewie underneath the car, so Lois could take the blame for injuring Stewie).

I was waiting for a similar scenario last night. Brian has to come back. Stewie will find a way to fix the time machine, or he'll build another one. There's no way they could kill him off. But the veterinarian made the grave announcement, Brian said his final good-bye to the entire family, and Brian's life came to an end on the operating table. 

Family Guy pulled off a LEGIT shocker last night. Brian isn't Greased Up Deaf Guy or the Kool-Aid Man. We're talking about a member of The Griffin Family, who's been there since day one. For me, it's a bigger surprise than Maude Flanders unexpected (and bizarre) demise. I haven't  been a die hard Family Guy fan recently, because my interest in the show fades every now and then, and I've missed a few episodes (although, I caught up eventually) over the years. But Brian's death pulled me in again. Why? Because I have to see how things will unfold in the future.

Of course, Brian (with some help from his arch nemesis, Quagmire, and kudos to Family Guy for honoring the rivalry, with Quagmire watching a Red Sox game during Brian's funeral) was exposed as a pretentious phony over the years, and well, he was kind of jerk sometimes. Remember Brian using Cheryl Tiegs to stick it to Quagmire during his "Learn How To Pick Up Women" class?

Still, Brian Griffin delivered plenty of great moments. Who could forget all the memories from the Road To (**insert destination here**) episodes with Stewie? On top of that, Brian and Stewie provided a ton fun and laughs during their hilarious adventures together. Yeah, things with Jillian didn't work out, but Brian can still brag about "Wish It. Want It. Do It."

As for Vinny as a replacement, I'll reserve judgement for now, because it's hard to make a fair assessment after one episode. Hopefully, we'll all have a chance to pick up a copy of "Faster Than Speed Of Love" to honor Brian's memory.