6. Dog Gone
In Dog Gone it seems like Brian is finally going to receive some praise for his novel 'Faster Than the Speed of Love', only to find that it has become popular within a Quahog group with learning difficulties thanks to its simplistic style. Driving home with a few drinks in his system, Brian hits and kills a dog in his car, in a rather prescient moment. Wracked with guilt he tries to cover up the crime, only to be tormented into confessing by Stewie, who witnessed the event. The episode deals with Brian's place in the world; after learning that it's no big deal to have killed a dog he suffers an existential crisis. He believes that, as a mere animal he does not have as much value as the rest of the family, which propels a personal crisis. Stewie proves him wrong by faking Brian's death to show him how much the Griffin's would miss him if he were gone. Brian is able to go on a solid emotional journey through this episode, from feeling worthless to realising how important he is to the family and - by extension - the show, and it is this episode that most fans will likely remember given the circumstances of Brian's death in Life Of Brian.