"That's my plane! Wanna take a spin?"
- Chet Stevenson
Chet Stevenson is a Recurring Character on F is for Family. Introduced in Season 3, he takes on the role of supporting cast, and best friend to Frank Murphy; however, he later develops into one of the Season's Main Antagonists. He is voiced by Vince Vaughn.
Biography
Chet Stevenson was first seen in the first episode of season three, saluting while on the parade float for the US Air Force.
At the end of the episode "Mr. Murphy's Wild Ride", Chet sheds a single tear at the sight of a cat on his fence. This may indicate he was referencing himself during his speech about Frank to the snack bar cashier in the episode "Paul Lynde to Block."
Chet is also incredibly sexist and competes with Sue multiple times to prove the superiority of men.
Chet's nervousness and aggressiveness seem to stem from an episode in his early childhood. His father drowned his beloved dog in front of him after the dog pooped on his father's shoe. After that, he shut off his emotions and tried to find an escape in the military, only to find himself committing horrible acts of war.
In "Battle Of The Sexes", it was revealed that Chet is an abusive husband, toward his wife, Nguyen-Nguyen Stevenson. In "Punch Drunk", Sue talked with Nguyen-Nguyen about this but Nguyen-Nguyen assured her that she "helping Chet change, on the inside". Little did Sue know that by "change" Nguyen-Nguyen was actually slowly poisoning Chet. Eventually, Nguyen-Nguyen grew tired of only poisoning him a little, so Nguyen-Nguyen gave him an entire dose of it in one drink, putting him in the hospital, and getting herself sent to jail. Chet was last seen, in horrible condition, lying on a hospital bed, before his story arc ended and he was never seen or mentioned again. Whether or not he actually died was never explicitly stated, though it's most likely he did.
Personality
Chet Stevenson is a Colonel in the United States Air Force. When Chet is first introduced he seems to be the closest thing Frank would have to a friend. Chet's opinion of Frank changes when Sue hits a home run off his pitch. After the game, Chet is passive aggressive towards Frank and Sue and is seen abusing his own wife for disrespecting him.
Chet appears initially friendly and approachable, getting along with Frank near instantly. He gets in a friendship with Frank, becoming an important friend to the latter. Chet also supports Frank multiple times, listening to Frank's marriage problems, getting him food for Sue, and taking charge of building the house extension for the Murphy's coming baby. Chet also seems fond of his time in the military, and is what Frank considers a "real man."
In secret, however, Chet is extremely conniving and self-doubting. This is first seen when he accuses Frank of "being the better man" after Frank rejected Chet's offer to have sex with some of the waitresses in the officer's club. At home, Chet makes sure that Nguyen-Nguyen remembers her place and forces her to do all the menial tasks around their home. Though it is never confirmed whether he physically abuses her, Chet has been shown emotionally toying with his wife and verbally bashing her in the privacy of their home while also isolating her from the other neighbors. Once Sue learns about this abuse and tries to out Chet, Chet conspires to bring the Murphy family to the ground, turning their friends against them.
Episode Appearances
- Paul Lynde to Block
- The Stinger
- Mr. Murphy's Wild Ride
- Battle Of The Sexes
- Punch Drunk
- Summer Vacation (Cameo)
- It's In His Blood
- Frank The Father
Trivia
- Since his last appearance was him, laying down in a hospital bed, after being poisoned, it is unknown whether he is alive or not. Although it's possible that he could have died.
- In Mr. Murphy's Wild Ride, Chet references his wife, Nguyen-Nguyen, saying "She's crazy about me. All night long she calls out my name in her sleep--Chet Chet, Chet Chet!" The word "chet" in Vietnamese translates to "dead" or "death."
- ↑ many elements of Chet’s story that he told to the worker at the drive-in about Frank Murphy we’re actually true to himself. In the story, he says Frank hasn’t had an emotional connection with anything in 2 decades (or 20 years). Chet later says he hasn’t had an emotional connection with anything since his dog was drowned by his father, when he was 6. If the story was true to himself (which it is likely to be so), we can assume that Chet is about 26 years old, during season 3, in the summer 1974, placing his dogs drowning around 1954, and his birth around 1948.