Family Guy Season 23 Episode 16 recap: Brian is a hypocrite in this episode

A Change, Perhaps” is the 16th episode of Family Guy Season 23, and boy, it’s packed with chaos, satire, and everything you either love or hate about the show. This episode splits its focus between two wild and controversial stories. One follows Peter Griffin becoming a literal piece of art, and the other follows Brian winning a boat and trying to be a hero in a very messy way.

The episode gives us two main stories:

1. Peter becomes a human artwork after someone draws on his face during a night of drinking.
2. Brian wins a boat on The Price is Right and tries to use it to help women from Texas access abortion clinics, only to face moral dilemmas and financial trouble.

Both plots are filled with jokes, satire, and some uncomfortable truths.

Stewie gets excited about The Price is Right coming to New York. Brian, being the snobby intellectual dog he is, mocks the show and its old host, Bob Barker. But when the show starts casting, he ends up being the one called up on stage, not Stewie.

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Brian wins a boat in Family Guy

Brian plays the pricing game and, to everyone’s surprise (especially Stewie's), he wins a boat in Family Guy. He even names it "Row versus Wade," a pun on Roe v. Wade, the famous U.S. Supreme Court abortion ruling.

Despite mocking the show earlier, Brian is now obsessed with being a boat owner. He even takes a class that mostly teaches how to drink beer while boating and lie to the Coast Guard. Hypocrisy? Check.

After Stewie calls out Brian’s boat name as just virtue signaling, Brian decides to “do something real.” So, they both sail to Texas to help pregnant women get abortions elsewhere.

They bring back 12 women, who get seasick and complain the entire trip in Family Guy.

Then comes the big twist: Brian learns he owes $40,000 in taxes on the boat because game show prizes are taxed. Yep, suddenly, being a game show winner isn’t so great.

Instead of selling the boat or facing the consequences, Brian and Stewie actually consider turning in four of the women to the Texas government for cash bounties in Family Guy. That way, they can pay the tax and still help eight others. Yikes. Even Stewie questions their morality for a second.

Peter wakes up with something drawn on his face. Turns out, it looks just like the work of Banksy, the mysterious street artist. People believe it’s real when Banksy himself posts about it on Instagram.

Peter is invited to join the Quahog Urban Museum (QM) as a living art exhibit. Lois isn’t thrilled, but Peter is all in. He gives a dramatic speech like in Friday Night Lights, but it turns into him insulting himself. Classic Peter.

Soon, art collectors want to buy him. The museum even plans to sell Peter as artwork to the highest bidder. Peter imagines living large, being his own boss, and making millions.

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Lois paints the truth in Family Guy

At the auction, Lois throws paint on Peter’s face, destroying the artwork. Everyone is shocked until Banksy posts again. He reveals this entire setup was the real art piece. A comment on capitalism, fame, and relationships in Family Guy. Suddenly, everyone acts like they get it.

Peter’s value as art drops. He’s sold for cheap to his father-in-law, Carter Pewterschmidt, who just wants someone to sit quietly while he watches TV.

Both Brian and Peter start out with beliefs or values, but abandon them the moment they see a personal gain. That’s the episode’s main point: how easy it is to betray your own morals for money or attention.

The museum plot mocks how the art world overanalyzes everything. A doodle on Peter’s face becomes a million-dollar masterpiece until someone ruins it, and that’s somehow “deep,” too.

Brian’s storyline touches on abortion access, Texas laws, and how good intentions can become self-serving acts. The episode doesn’t take sides; it just shows how messy and complex these topics are.

Naming a boat "Row vs Wade" is a perfect example of how people try to look woke without actually doing anything meaningful until they’re called out.

This episode of Family Guy doesn’t shy away from controversial topics like abortion, art, and activism, but handles them with that signature Family Guy blend of sarcasm and absurdity. It’s a rollercoaster of laughs, eye-rolls, and "did-they-really-just-do-that" moments.

Some fans loved the boldness, while others felt the episode crossed too many lines. Either way, it sparked a lot of online debate, just like Family Guy always does.

“A Change, Perhaps” is exactly what you expect from Family Guy: funny, messy, awkwardly smart, and full of social commentary hidden in fart jokes. Brian and Peter’s storylines mirror each other in their moral failures, and the ending gives no clean resolution, just like real life.

It’s offensive. It’s clever. It’s Family Guy.

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