"Loud Night" is the sixth episode of the American fantasy comedy series Ted. It was written by Julius Sharpe and directed by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the series. The episode first aired on Peacock, an American streaming service, along with the rest of season one, on January 11, 2024. The series introduces the childhood lives of the main characters from the Ted movie franchise.

Set in 1993, the story follows John Bennett (played by Max Burkholder), a nervous teenager, and Ted (played by Seth MacFarlane), a talking teddy bear. They live with John’s family, including Susan (Alanna Ubach), his kind mother, and Matty (Scott Grimes), his traditional father. Also living with them is Blaire (Giorgia Whigham), John’s cousin, who has strong opinions about politics and often argues with Matty. In "Loud Night," the family learns that Blaire is sexually fluid and is dating her friend Sarah (Marissa Shankar). At the same time, Matty receives a talking toy truck that shares his conservative views.

Alanna Ubach mentioned that her favorite scene was when she walked in on Blaire and Sarah together. This scene required many attempts to film. After its release, critics praised the episode, with one calling it the best part of the season.

Plot

John and Ted bake cookies for Christmas while their mother, Susan, tells them that their cousin Blaire's friend, Sarah, will be visiting for the holiday. John's father, Matty, enters and asks John to help shovel ice. John refuses, and Matty makes an unkind comment about women. Blaire, upset by this, criticizes Matty for his unfair treatment of people who are not heterosexual, causing him to leave angrily. The family prepares for church, where Susan will sing with the choir. Matty decides to stay home instead, which makes Blaire upset. Alone, Matty talks to his childhood toy, a red fire truck named Dennis, and shares his political ideas with it. After Susan ignores Matty for missing her solo, he wishes on a shooting star for Dennis to come to life and become his friend. Surprised when his wish comes true, Matty shows Dennis to his family, who are not surprised. Dennis then makes unfair comments about people from other countries, which offends Sarah, who is an immigrant.

Susan brings cookies to Blaire and Sarah to comfort them, but finds them kissing on Blaire's bed. Susan thinks it is just a friendly gesture and does not believe they are in a relationship. At dinner, Blaire can no longer accept Matty and Dennis's unfair remarks and announces she is dating Sarah and identifies as sexually fluid. Matty, influenced by Dennis, expresses his dislike for their relationship, causing Blaire and Sarah to leave. Susan scolds Matty and refuses to let him eat dinner until he apologizes. John and Ted support Blaire, though they use unclear words to do so. Blaire tries to help Matty understand her sexuality, but Dennis interrupts with more unfair comments, making Blaire angry. Matty confronts Dennis, who admits he is secretly gay and acts unfairly toward women to hide his true feelings. Matty kicks Dennis out of the house, and Dennis leaves while apologizing to the family. Matty finally apologizes to Blaire and Sarah, who accept his apology. The family happily opens gifts on Christmas morning as Dennis leaves for Massachusetts in the snow.

Later, after arguing with someone at church about what a miracle from God means, Ted believes he is the reincarnation of Jesus. Ted shares his "wisdom" with the Bennett family, especially while Matty and Blaire argue. When Sarah tells Ted that Jesus was crucified, Ted stops pretending and returns to his normal behavior.

Production

A Christmas special titled "Loud Night" was directed by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the series, and written by Julius Sharpe. In the episode, Dennis is credited as being portrayed by Bobby Strom. However, it is believed that Seth MacFarlane may actually be the voice actor for the role. Some critics have suggested that Bobby Strom might be a fake name used for the character. Marissa Shankar, who had previously appeared in several independent films before joining the series, made her only appearance as Sarah during the first season of the show in "Loud Night."

In an interview with Comic Book Resources, Scott Grimes, who plays Matty in the series, discussed the episode. He said the episode was "no different" from the rest of the series in terms of the use of strong language. Grimes explained that the episode was not intended to upset viewers, as serious moments were always followed by jokes. To highlight how the episode fits with the rest of the series, Grimes joked that he had to "call his mother" after reading each script because of the amount of strong language, and he said "Loud Night" was no different.

Alanna Ubach mentioned that her favorite scene to film was the one where Susan walks in on Blaire making out with Sarah. She said the scene required being filmed "over and over and over again" to complete. The script did not include Susan showing enjoyment while watching the kiss, but Ubach added her own reactions, which became "funny."

Like the rest of the series, "Loud Night" was filmed using Viewscreen technology. This allowed Seth MacFarlane to act live with the cast as Ted, since Viewscreen helps the production team see what Ted will look like in each scene in real time.

Release and reception

The episode "Loud Night" was first made available on January 11, 2024, on the American streaming platform Peacock, along with the other episodes of the first season.

Critics observed that "Loud Night" was different from the other episodes in the season. Nick Schager of The Daily Beast mentioned in his review of the season that the episode had humorous and bold elements, which he said were not harsh enough to cause real offense. Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter, who also reviewed the season, described the subplot involving Ted as one of his least thoughtful ideas but still called it one of the most memorable parts of the series. Anna Govert of Paste praised the emotional depth of the episode, calling it the most standout part of the season. She noted that the episode portrayed homosexuality with sincerity and emotional impact. Govert pointed out that Susan’s refusal to accept Blaire’s sexuality was amusing, showing Susan’s lack of understanding about the topic during the 1990s. Jarrod Jones of The A.V. Club wrote that the episode struggled to stay relevant, as it tried to mix the show’s usual humor with a new political focus. He highlighted the subplot where Ted believes he is Jesus as an example of this challenge.

In her analysis, Valerie Anne of Autostraddle praised "Loud Night" for its representation of LGBTQ+ characters, emphasizing the value of including such portrayals in shows not specifically aimed at these audiences. After the episode was released, actor Scott Grimes later complimented Giorgia Whigham’s performance, saying it was a key reason the episode succeeded. He noted that her portrayal of her character’s reactions to Matty’s treatment of others reflected her acting skills. Grimes also praised Matty’s dialogue, especially a line in which Matty discusses how he was raised, which he interpreted as showing the influence of Matty’s father on the character.