Brian: Portrait of a Dog

I really enjoyed this one.

For a show that revolves around silly gags and puerile jokes, this episode has a surprising amount of heart and emotion. We really feel for Brian and his struggle to be accepted and the lick he gives Peter at the end is heartbreakingly sweet.

The most hilarious scene for me is when Peter & Brian are transported back into an old timey cartoon about fixin' the shed. It's great & adorable.

A superb episode that expertly balances the laughs with a genuine story.

Great episode one of my favorites. The first episode with Brian going against Peter's wishes.

This is the best episode of Season 1 Family Guy. It gives a backstory to how Brain became a member of the Griffin family, and also adds insight to Brian as a character.

It's also a really great episode in general. Brian refuses to be treated like a second class citizen, and leaves the Griffins, where he can't even roam the streets on his own, and can't even walk into stores as they don't allow dogs.

There isn't just a good story, but a funny episode as well. Sadly, in the later seasons Brian gets a lot lamer and becomes more watered down as you begin to look at him with contempt. Still a great character, but... man, he got so much worse.

9/10.

If you're a big Brian Griffin fan, there's no doubt that you consider this among your favorite episodes. We get a lot of character development in this episode for Brian, learning about his feelings, his strengths and weaknesses, and the vital presence he brings to the Griffin table.

The first episode of Family Guy to feature Brian as a standout character, before he was purely a voice of reason who set Peter in the right direction but from this episode onwards he's given his own personality and worldview as we see things from his perspective more often. Brian episodes always tend to be more grounded than other characters and they are usually some of my favorites and this one sets a good precedent for Brian as a character which the next few seasons would continue to develop.