In the third act of “Ted 2,” the main characters find themselves in the middle of the bustling New York Comic-Con showroom. As countless nerds and pop culture enthusiasts mingle, a fight breaks out — courtesy of Flash Gordon himself, Sam J. Jones — that soon engulfs a great many of them. Amid the chaos, someone dressed as “Family Guy” staple Peter Griffin is fighting a person in a chicken suit in the background (via Random Nostalgia Memes on YouTube) — a sight most viewers of the long-running animated sitcom are used to by now.
For years, Griffin (MacFarlane) and Ernie the Giant Chicken (Danny Smith) have gone one-on-one in devastating, city-destroying battles that spawn pretty much out of nowhere in certain episodes. Their feud started when Ernie gave Griffin an expired coupon, which sent him into a blind rage. At this point, these fights are a part of the DNA of “Family Guy,” but that’s not to say they’re unanimously beloved. In a Reddit thread by a now-deleted user, fans seem split on them. Some feel they drag on far too long and aren’t that entertaining, while others think they’re fun and just infrequent enough to avoid becoming irritating.
Peter Griffin and Ernie’s rivalry may not be everyone’s favorite aspect of “Family Guy,” but it’s undoubtedly iconic at this point. Surely, some fans of the animated mainstay are glad “Ted 2” took some time to briefly acknowledge it.
