Run, Chris, Run

"Run, Chris, Run"
Family Guy episode
Episode no.	Season 14 Episode 19
Directed by	Julius Wu
Written by	Damien Fahey
Production code	DACX17
Original air date	May 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)
Guest actors
Simon Cowell as himself Lucas Grabeel Emily Osment Liam Payne as himself Jim Rash Louis Tomlinson Mae Whitman

"Run, Chris, Run" is the nineteenth episode of the fourteenth season of the animated sitcom Family Guy, and the 268th episode overall. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 15, 2016, and is written by Damien Fahey and directed by Julius Wu. The title is a play on the 1998 German film Run Lola Run.

Plot

During lunchtime at school, Chris, Neil, and the other students hear the announcements from Principal Shepherd for the ballots of this year's Homecoming King. Neil persuades Chris to run for H.K., saying that he will vote for him, and he agrees to it. At home, Chris announces the news to Lois, Brian, and Stewie, but Lois is concerned since he isn't H.K. material. At the election, Chris delivers a silly speech. After the votes are tallied, Chris unexpectedly wins the election, much to the surprise of Lois, Brian, and Stewie.

Meanwhile, at the Drunken Clam, Cleveland leaves for a moment to go to the bathroom. Peter, Joe, and Quagmire head out to get the Taco Bell breakfast foods that are thrown in the dumpster. Cleveland is left to pay the bill for the boys, but Jerome decides to, and they bond over more drinks. At the Griffins' house, Cleveland heads out with Jerome, much to the unnerving of his friends. Wanting to get Cleveland back, they decide to try and win him back through many methods, like dancing foolishly on his lawn, but it fails when Peter stabs his eye with a branch. They try playing Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES, but then Peter (as Bo Jackson) and Quagmire (as Garin Veris) get competitive when playing it, and Peter wins.

At home, Chris is treated with a lot of respect. Meg is skeptical about the votes, saying that this is all part of an elaborate prank to embarrass Chris, so Brian and Stewie go to the school to get information. They go in disguise as an attempt, but Brian gets distracted by two attractive teens and tries to score with them, but is thrown out of the school by security guards in the lady's lavatory. At night, they see a commercial commemorating Chris' victory at being H.K., and based upon the interviews, they conclude that he was elected because the kids feel sorry for him due to his idiocy, and when Chris comes home, he begins acting all high and mighty, much to the duo's consternation. The next day, when Chris annoys them with his ego, an exhausted Brian reveals the truth to Chris, but Chris is skeptical.

When Peter, Joe, and Quagmire attempt a third method to get Cleveland back, they address the fact that Cleveland is hanging out with Jerome, since they're both black people. They head to the Brown house dressed like black people to win Cleveland back, but he states his true reason for hanging with Jerome and dismisses the guys. That night, Cleveland tells Jerome of the guys' theory, but they escalate into a fight when Jerome admits that it has some truth, because his stories are not interesting. This causes Cleveland to rethink his friendship with Jerome.

Regardless of Chris' behavior, Brian and Stewie attend the homecoming dance. Brian even notices that one of the security guards that threw him out is there with his wife. Principal Shepherd unveils Chris as the prom king and post-humously unveils Kathleen Fitzpatrick as the prom queen, following her death by a car crash. When Chris steps up to give a speech, he slowly learns the truth due to the pitiful outcries. This leads to Chris ranting his accusations towards them and he storms off. Before leaving the stage, Chris kicks over the memorial for Kathleen, stating that she was on PCP the night when she died. Outside the school, Chris is sulking where he reconciles with Stewie and Brian, stating that he doesn't need the false friends. Herbert comes over and introduces Chris to a boy named Tyler, whom he goes to the dance with.

Returning to the guys at the Griffins' house, Cleveland and Peter play Double Dribble and get competitive. Peter starts to win, but he soon loses his leverage.

Reception

The episode received an audience of 2.65 million, making it the second most watched show on Fox that night behind The Simpsons. Fox received complaints after the original video of the Double Dribble gameplay used in the episode, from Youtube content creator 'sw1tched's channel, was taken down due to a copyright claim. The video has since been restored.