The Ladybugs, led by Christie White, are the antagonists of "Not Particularly Desperate Housewives", a 2005 episode of the animated sitcom "American Dad!".
Protagonist Francine Smith is shopping at the Red State Grocery one day, when she spots Christie White (Molly Shannon), Katie (Sandra Oh) and Casey (Paget Brewster), who are part of an elite social circle of women called "The Ladybugs". She is in awe of the trio and attempts to gain their favor, which fails miserably. Back outside, Francine spots a crowd of people in the parking lot. Upon closer inspection, she sees that a woman was crushed to death by a train of shopping carts.
Francine decides to step up her efforts to impress the ladies by attending the "Boo!" art gallery. Due to a series of embarrassing accidents on her part, she winds up inside of a janitor's closet with the valet. Misconstruing that Francine has been cheating on her husband with a younger man, the Ladybugs decide to welcome her into their group, which they reveal, is based around the secret affairs that each of them have.
For a while, Francine decides to play along, but soon feels that she's in over her head when she's unable to prove the affair is real. Because they do not have the dirt on her that she has on them, however, Christie threatens Francine that if she doesn't start a real affair within 24 hours, she'll end up like Anne Flemming. After a little sleuthing, Francine learns that Flemming was the woman that had been killed at the grocery store, having been a former member of the Lady Bugs who presumably also attempted to leave the villainous group.
Francine goes to both the police and the newspaper to inform them, but is horrified to see that there are Ladybug members working there as well. Pretty soon, a giant mob of them manage to chase her to the same parking lot as before, where she is tied to the grocery cart station. When she reaffirms that she will not cheat on Stan for real, Christie arranges another train of shopping carts to kill her with. In the nick of time, however, Francine's good friend Linda Memari intervenes and gives the protagonist a passionate kiss. Now thinking that Francine has actually been having a lesbian affair, the Ladybugs determine that this is adequately scandalous, but threaten to "out" her if she ever reveals their circle.
Trivia[]
- Paget Brewster (the voice of Casey) also played the psychotic Gretchen Mercer in Seth McFarlane's Family Guy, as well as Paula Foster in Law & Order: SVU.
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