The Family Guy Scene That Proved To Be A Turning Point For Jennifer Tilly's Character
By churning out episode after episode for more than 20 years, "Family Guy" has had plenty of time to develop and evolve each of the show's main characters. In addition to the stars of the show, the dysfunctional Griffin family, staples such as Joe (Patrick Warburton), Quagmire (Seth MacFarlane), and Cleveland (Mike Henry) have all experienced some level of character growth themselves. However, one character seemed like she miht be stuck in the same place forever: Joe's wife, Bonnie, voiced by actress Jennifer Tilly.
Since the start of the series, Bonnie Swanson has been the wife to Joe Swanson, the Griffins' neighbor. Eternally the calm remedy to Joe's (more than) over the top outbursts, Bonnie exudes a motherly persona, ready to take on whatever obstacles her future child will throw her way. However, as fans know, Bonnie's patient waiting for the arrival of her bundle of joy extends a shockingly long time. In fact, for the first 116 episodes of the series, Jennifer Tilly's character consistently remains ready to pop at any moment.
However, after over seven seasons, most fans, as well as Tilly herself, were convinced the birth would never happen. Yet, during one specific episode, viewers at home were blindsided by a massive change in Bonnie. This sudden "narrowing down" of her character, which simultaneously introduced a new character, is what Tilly believes changed Bonnie's persona for good.
The end of a seven year pregnancy changed Bonnie forever
By the time fans of Fox's "Family Guy," began viewing the show's seventh season, they had become pretty familiar with all the consistent characters portrayed on the hit animated comedy. However, Bonnie experienced a major moment that changed her family dynamic permanently. In Season 7, Episode 7 ("Ocean's Three and a Half"), Bonnie finally gives birth to the child she had been pregnant with for years across dozens of episodes. Afterwards, Tilly explains that her character would forever become more than just a pregnant babysitter to her unpredictable husband.
Before the Season 7 shocker, Tilly felt like Bonnie's pregnancy would never end, until one day she went in to record. "And then one day I came in and Bonnie had the baby," she recalled in a promotional interview for Fox. As the episodes went on with Bonnie being a mother to a new baby, Tilly realized her character, and her own performance, was never going to be the same. "Actually, I love it. Now that Bonnie had the baby, I'm going to show my acting chops a little bit," she said. Since then, these acting chops have been lended to new Bonnie moments, such as visiting Paris and having extramarital affairs with both men and women.
It's safe to say that the birth of her child changed Bonnie for the better. There's no doubt that there is more depth and personality to the once two-dimensional character, who now plays a more significant role in the show than just being Joe's pregnant wife. It will be interesting to see, as the seasons/years go on, how Bonnie continues to change, and if she continues on her independent path.