"BFFs" is the season premiere of the third season of the animated comedy series The Cleveland Show, and the 44th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Fox in the United States on September 25, 2011. In the episode, Cleveland makes an effort to bond with his friends by taking them on a camping trip. The episode is written by Kirker Butler and directed by Steve Robertson. It features Peter Griffin from Family Guy. This episode received mostly mixed to positive reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references, Simon Abrams of The A.V. Club graded the episode a B. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 6.13 million homes in its original airing.
Plot
When Cleveland finds out that Peter stopped by Stoolbend but did not visit with him, he decides to go to Quahog, Rhode Island to see Peter himself. After getting brushed off by Peter, Cleveland decides to bond with the guys. Searching out bonding experiences, The guys decide on a camping trip hosted by Ric Flair. While canoeing to a gathering place, the guys upset their canoes and are tossed overboard. Gathering themselves on the bank, they become lost and are found by a group of hillbillies who plan on raping them. When Cleveland understands what is about to happen, he makes a break for it but the others fail to get away. Cleveland finds himself at the intended gathering spot and after a spa and massage, goes back to rescue his friends. Cleveland is caught as well but before he can be raped, Peter comes to their rescue. Peter admits he had second thoughts after Cleveland left and after therapy from dealing with abandonment issues from his father thought it was best to avoid the same feelings with Cleveland. Cleveland reminds Peter that they are and will always be friends. Meanwhile, Rallo gets invited to a reunion of his daycare graduation. While there, Donna feels she has not pushed Rallo to advance himself as the other class mothers have and Donna has Rollo compete in a Quiz Bowl tournament to prove that he is just as smart as the other kids in his class. When Rallo bombs at the Quiz Bowl, he demonstrates a thorough understanding of practical knowledge rather than trivia and he leaves triumphantly with Donna.
Simon Abrams of The A.V. Club graded the episode a B, stating: "The ironic register of the jokes in “BFFs,” tonight's season premiere of The Cleveland Show, is characteristically off the charts. Episode writer Kirker Butler kicks the episode off with an obnoxious table-setting scene where almost none of the jokes hit their mark. Cleveland Brown complains to his buddies, including stereotypical hick Lester and a talking Bear, that he had a slight fever, which caused him to reflect on who his best friends really were". Kristen Elizabeth of TV Equals gave the episode a positive review, saying "All in all, it was a surprisingly flat episode of The Cleveland Show, especially as it kicked off the entire season. There were lots of laugh-worthy moments, but not as many as in the season finale last May. Looking forward to better things next week".
