8. Not All Dogs Go To Heaven
Brian puts himself forward as a staunch atheist who laughs at the idea of organized religion, which makes him somewhat duplicitous given that he can be seen praying in numerous episodes. While this duality only makes him more interesting and human, Not All Dogs Go To Heaven focuses on the stigma he faces for being an atheist. Meg finds out that Brian doesn't believe in God and the family aren't pleased, which goes double for the town as Brian becomes a social pariah. He is then forced into being dishonest again as nowhere will serve him alcohol on hearing of his religious leanings, which prompts a faux religious epiphany. He does eventually confess to Meg though as he is disgusted by a book burning some zealous locals are having, destroying scientific journals that are deemed "harmful to God." This episode allows Brian to show his sensitive side as, after chastising her for causing him so much grief, he helps Meg realise that she needs to look inside herself for the answers she's looking for. While the episode could be taken as a jab at religion, it's an important piece of character development, especially as Meg doesn't get a lot of love from her family, and seeing Brian reach out and take the time to help her instantly cements his likability.