Allow me to first introduce, and then compare myself to Stewart Gilligan Griffin, or "Stewie" as he is otherwise known. He is my most favorite character from the show Family Guy, created by Seth MacFarlane. In fact, he does Stewie's voice too. But before I get into any technicalities, and I don't intend to, let me tell you a little more about this seemingly tiny tot.
There are several episodes where Stewie attempts to hatch his plans to rule the world, but often fails. The closest he comes to actually doing this is when he kills Lois and holds Brian hostage, which eventually results in his becoming "ruler of the World". This story is told in a two-part episode, the first part of which is titled "Stewie kills Lois", the second one being "Lois kills Stewie". But even after killing his mother in the first part, or rather immediately after that, Stewie falls down, hurts his arm, and begins to cry for his mother, albeit briefly. And it's the little things like this which make him so easy to relate to, perhaps because it's at times like these that we ask ourselves if we are who we are, or what we do, or maybe even what we believe. Like, is Stewie really a tiny tyrant, or is he just a baby after all? Or maybe, it's just me who asks these kinds of questions.
Don't let appearances fool you, because Stewie is definitely anything but your average infant. In fact, with his sole drive and purpose in life being to take over the world, and to kill his mother Lois, it's plainly evident that this child is anything but ordinary. What's more, he speaks with a British accent and says some certainly "dastardly" things as well. Yet, I think what endeared me to Stewie was the fact that in spite of his cold, heartless drive to conquer all and sundry, and his I'm-top-dog-in-the-colonial-British-Army accent, he is still a baby and wants his "mummy" when he falls and hurts himself. I think this particular sense of character irony appeals to me because it's something I can relate to at a very fundamental level.
There are several episodes where Stewie attempts to hatch his plans to rule the world, but often fails. The closest he comes to actually doing this is when he kills Lois and holds Brian hostage, which eventually results in his becoming "ruler of the World". This story is told in a two-part episode, the first part of which is titled "Stewie kills Lois", the second one being "Lois kills Stewie". But even after killing his mother in the first part, or rather immediately after that, Stewie falls down, hurts his arm, and begins to cry for his mother, albeit briefly. And it's the little things like this which make him so easy to relate to, perhaps because it's at times like these that we ask ourselves if we are who we are, or what we do, or maybe even what we believe. Like, is Stewie really a tiny tyrant, or is he just a baby after all? Or maybe, it's just me who asks these kinds of questions.
Similar to Eric Cartman from South Park, Stewie's character has a lot of attitude. I believe this to be a good thing because I guess I know what it's like to be the nice guy and get treated like the door mat outside a front door. And, if nothing else, his ranting has a great deal of comic value to it because of some really choice phrases; none of which come to mind right now, unfortunately. He can be loud and obnoxious, or rather, he is these things most of the time, and it's great to watch him get his way for the most part. Sure, the humor can be a little droll at times, and I mean that in not such an interesting or particularly funny way, but I always feel the need to want to know what happens next. From his schemes for world domination, to his often ribald jokes, Stewie Griffin is a definite "must-see" character for me.
I can remember this one episode that I watched where Lois walks in on Stewie reading Sun Tzu's, The Art of War, and she takes them from him by chiding him about it not being a children's book. Now, technically, Stewie shouldn't be able to read, but his choice of reading material makes him seem almost clinical in his approach, and that's another thing I love about his character. I guess I've always wanted to be able to execute a plan as cleanly and effortlessly as possible, and though I never planned to take over the world, it's a treat to watch someone do this and be able to follow the kinds of things that they consider, or at least how they think. Don't get me wrong, I'm not watching Stewie's character for some sort of play-by-play commentary of how to be successful in my own life. On the contrary, I think that this aspect of Stewie's character is pure entertainment. I have to admit, however, that going from a 4th grader as a role model to someone way younger is just not helping my cause any.
On that note, I would just like to end by encouraging you to watch this show and to let me know what you think about Stewie. Long live the tyrants in all of us!
