When You Wish Upon a Weinstein (scrapped version)
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| "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" | |
|---|---|
| Series | 'Family Guy' |
| Original airdate | March 7, 1999 (table draft reading) Scrapped/Reworked April 26, 2020 (major unavailing) |
| Production code | 2AXC02 (formerly) |
| Written by | Ricky Blitt |
| Chronology | |
| Source | |
-->You are currently looking at the scrapped version of the episode found in the table draft. For the final version aired on TV, go here.
While "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" is a well remembered episode of the early years of 'Family Guy', that can't be said for the original version of the episode. On March 7, 1999, a table reading of the episode told place that hosted a completely different version of the episode. This version was scrapped, and reworked into the final version we know today, though some of the remains from it (like certain jokes and scenes) still pop up in the final episode.
For years, this scrapped version of the episode was nearly lost, until April 26, 2020, when Twitter user @ClassicSwim uploaded a thread showcasing a majority of scenes from this version. For his thread on the script, go here, or for a video version of the thread, go here.
NOTE: If you happen to own this script, we'd love if you were able to scan it to a PDF and fire us a message on our talk pages to get them put up here and released on sites like archive.org for public viewing.
Plot Synopsis[edit | edit source]
While sweeping the garage one day with a broom, Peter comes across Chris hitting himself with a mallet, due to failing to ask out Paulina (a girl he likes at school) due to getting nervous and sweaty around her. To help Chris' problem, Peter tells a story from one year ago (originally two years, but was changed due to Chris noting Stewie not being in the story) when Chris was away at sleepaway camp.
In the story, Peter gives Lois's "rainy-day fund" to Jim Kaplan, a scam artist selling volcano insurance. That night, Meg breaks the news that her school nurse told her she needs glasses. Lois tells Peter that he needs to recover the money to buy their daughter a new pair of glasses. After hearing Quagmire and Cleveland talk about how men with Jewish-sounding names have helped them achieve financial success at the Drunken Clam, Peter decides that he needs a Jew to handle his money in an elaborate musical number.
When a Jewish man named Max Weinstein is found inside the Griffin's shed, Peter takes it as a sign and asks Max to help him with his finances. Max agrees after helping Peter get the proper price for the meal he paid for at a deli, and begins to help Peter fill his taxes, balance his checkbooks and get Meg some new glasses. While driving Max home, Peter feels insecure that Max has more confidence than him, especially after Max uses his "magic Jew powers" to haggle a cop, which Max helps him discover he doesn't need to be Jewish to have chutzpah (belief in himself) through a snazzy music number. After this, Peter reaches the conclusion from the song that he has to fight the infamous Man Mountain Mike in order to believe in himself.
Peter tells his family about his big fight, which is met with ire from Lois not wanting Peter to fight him, which Peter ignores by calling Man Mountain Mike after nine o'clock. Because of this, Man Mountain Mike gets on TV saying he's going to castrate him in the ring, yet Peter still stays confident to the night of the fight due to having Max on his side... until Max leaves Peter mere moments before his big fight, and revealing he's a woman, who's really as a chicken, who's really a broom.
With Peter's confidence wiped, he gets completely wrecked by Man Mountain Mike, yet Peter stays in the ring despite Lois telling him to quit because Max believed in him, to which Lois tells Peter she believes in him. With his confidence renewed, Peter wins the fight, and parades the ring with Man Mountain Mike's torn skin on his body.
In present day, Chris asks why Peter would tell him that story, to which Peter tells him that if he truly believed in himself and someone he loves believes in them too, you can do anything. Which gets Chris the idea to ask his crush Paulina out the next day. But as they hug, Chris sees the wall Peter was facing the entire episode has objects that are very familiar to parts in Peter's story, revealing Peter's story was made up from him being drunk and using said objects. Though Peter tells Chris the story was really true, easing Chris' concerns, as the episode ends with Chris going inside and Peter dancing with the broom as "Hava Nagila" plays.