‘Family Guy’ Brings Back Brian Griffin In Latest Episode; Creator Seth MacFarlane Finally Speaks Up [VIDEO]

Brian Griffin is finally back from the dead! The beloved “Family Guy” canine character has been resurrected, just as the fans wanted and had demanded. The eighth episode of the twelfth season, titled “Christmas Guy,” aired in the U.S. on Sunday, and has seen Stewie preventing his death.

Brian was killed in the sixth episode of the season after being hit by a car. The episode “Life of Brian” prompted fans of the show to revolt, demanding that creator Seth MacFarlane and the producers bring back the talking dog.

The producers appeared to be cold-hearted, ignoring the desperate pleas of the viewers. They even aired a full episode without Brian.

But of course, fans couldn’t be fooled for long. Fans have brought up proofs that Brian’s death was just a gimmick, and it turned out that they were right all along.

Read the theories and proofs that confirm Brian isn’t dead here.

In the latest episode, Stewie was able to save Brian with the help of an unlikely ally, Vinny, the dog that the Griffins brought home as Brian’s replacement.

Stewie didn’t have a time machine anymore because he destroyed it just moments before Brian was killed. But upon spotting his past self in the mall, he has come up with an idea to use past Stewie’s time machine and go back in time to save Brian. Vinny helped present Stewie by deceiving past Stewie into leaving his time machine behind, allowing present Stewie to use it.

And so present Stewie went back just in time to save Brian from getting hit by a car, and therefore altering the grim future where Brian was dead.

“Wow, Stewie, thank you for saving my life,” Brian told Stewie after everything was explained to him. “A lot of other families would have just gotten another dog and move on.”

Present Stewie then started to fade into oblivion, which meant that his mission to save Brian’s life was successful and that his timeline, in which Brian was dead, doesn’t exist anymore.

He disappeared just before past Stewie, the one from the same timeline as Brian, appeared, asking his dog who was he talking to.

“A pretty awesome guy,” was Brian’s simple answer.

On the present Christmas day, Brian remained alive and grateful to the toddler for bringing him back from death.

For the first time since the uproar on Brian’s “death” began, MacFarlane has finally spoken up. He maintained his silence during the chaos, choosing to ignore persistent fans who demanded that they bring back Brian. But with the “Christmas Guy” episode airing in the U.S., MacFarlane was now free to talk about the so-called death of the main character.

And thus endeth our warm, fuzzy holiday lesson: Never take those you love for granted, for they can be gone in a flash.
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) December 16, 2013

I mean, you didn't really think we'd kill off Brian, did you? Jesus, we'd have to be fucking high. — Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) December 16, 2013

Oh and hey... thanks for caring so much about the canine Griffin. He is overcome with gratitude.
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) December 16, 2013

But what about Vinny?

Going back to the recent episode, Vinny doesn’t exist in the present day anymore. Stewie was able to say goodbye to him properly, though, before he erased their timeline. Vinny did a big sacrifice in the episode by helping Stewie get Brian back. He knew that by doing so, he would still be at the pet shop. It’s not like he had a drama-free life before the Griffins. His previous owner had died as well so he knew what it’s like to lose a best friend. And now he’s probably back in the pet shop, waiting for another family to love him.

So how about giving Vinny his own satisfying closure?

According to Deadline, “Sopranos” star Tony Sirico, who voiced Vinny, signed on for at least six episodes in the show. And so far, he has only been in three episodes, so there is still hope that viewers haven’t seen the last of him yet.