We continue with the yo-yo ride of this season, from the last episode's terrible randomness to this week's surprisingly tight pacing.  This episode had two storylines, for the most part, and it stuck to them.  Although the episode started out with a Simpsons-style digression that leads eventually to the even that kicks off the main plot.  I hate that.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this episode is that it paired an extremely intellectual and nuanced plot with a straight-up gross-out plot.  Call this the "something for everyone" episode.

In the main plot, Brian's first script is dredged out of the basement.  "This is actually not too bad a piece of work - this was actually kinda deep, as I recall," Brian says as he flips through his old script at the breakfast table.  We are immediately put on guard, after the debacle that was Brian's masterpiece novel "Faster than the Speed of Love," in which Brian accidentally wrote the story of "Iron Eagle."

As with all his other literary ventures, Lois is Brian's first target.  He tries to coax her into reading it, using more and more desperate tactics.  Brian becomes that obnoxious new writer friend who constantly begs for your "feedback."  Which you can't give, because if you tell him the truth he'll be crushed.  This episode was written by Spencer Porter, who obviously knows what he's talking about in that respect.

Surprisingly, Brian's script turns out to be good.  Outstanding, in fact.  We await the inevitable turnabout, and it comes when Brian's script meets the reality of Hollywood.  

The underhandedness and race to the lowest common denominator is the undoing of Brian's thoughtful, emotionally complex drama.  "It's a small change, Brian!  You won't even notice it!" is the frequent refrain.  It starts by casting James Woods instead of Brian's choice, Elijah Woods.  And then it becomes a sitcom.  With a chimpanzee sidekick.

Meanwhile, Meg and Chris have accidentally knocked Stewie down the stairs.  Instead of pretending to have found him like that and calling 911, Meg and Chris basically re-stage "Weekend and Bernie's" with the unconscious Stewie, whose head wound gets worse and worse.  Peter eventually steps in… to draw open eyes on Stewie's closed eyelids, and rig up Stewie's hand like a marionette.

This sub-plot, which is mean spirited and gross even by "Family Guy" standards, is indeed very effective.  I'll give it that.  I found it literally nauseating.  So, you know.  Congratulations.

I thought the best moment of the episode came late, when Brian's friends and family gather around the television to watch the premiere episode of Brian's show.  (Which is by now a sitcom called "Class Holes.")  The three stars of "2 ½ Men" are there in the Griffin's living room.  

When someone asks what they're doing there Charlie Sheen responds, "Well, you're always saying our show sucks - let's see yours."  Which may as well be "Family Guy" speaking directly to its own critics.  (Although its most effective critic has been "South Park" which, you know, is a show as well.)