In which Steve tries to keep a friendship alive…

While not as sacred as Treehouse of Horror, nor as critically well received as AD!s own Christmas episodes, American Dad! actually does have a history of horror tinged episodes (“Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls”, “Poltergasm”). How does this episode stack up to those? Well, given this season…

Steve and Billy are in science club, talking about how Steve is worried about Snot not being invested in the club, which would affect their friendship. Snot comes in to see the science club turtle, Bartleby, which he admits is the only reason he stays in science club. Bartleby escapes the science club, where Bartleby is promptly run over by a car. This prompts Snot to join the croquet club, leaving Steve feeling alone and wanting to revive the club to save his friendship.

Steve and Billy steal Dr. Kalgary’s machine that reanimates the dead. They are able to bring Bartleby back to life during the Halloween pep rally. This bothers Principal Lewis, who vows to destroy the machine. However, Lewis falls down into the school basement, where Steve ties him up so he won’t destroy the machine and he can save the science club and his friendship with Snot. However, Lewis points out that everyone will miss Lewis if he’s locked away. Realizing this is true, Steve and Billy go grave robbing, dig up some of Lewis’s relatives and create a Frankenlewis. This Frankenlewis is able to fool the school but Lewis points out that the superintendent (who is visiting for an annual lunch the next day) won’t be fooled by the non-verbal Frankenlewis

Realizing this is the case, Steve wants to teach the Frankenlewis English but realizes that he has already learned some English by watching The Gilmore Girls. This is able to fool the Superintendent. However, after Steve blows off Frankenlewis’s demand of a lunch at Luke’s (from the show) he captures Snot. Teaming up with Lewis, he and Steve track Frankenlewis to the “real” Stars Hollow. Steve tries to be Frankenlewis’s Lorelai but it doesn’t work after paying too much attention to Snot. The real Lewis steps in and agrees to be Frankenlewis’s Lorelai and that calms everything down.

• 

In the B-Plot, there is a notice from the town that the water may be contaminated by formaldehyde which threatens Halloween. Stan, Francine, Hayley, Roger, and Jeff all go down to the townhall meeting. Of course, one of Roger’s personas (Mrs. Harriet Bustax) is the CEO of the company polluting the river, Octaduel, who promptly blows of their concerns. The family ends up drinking the formaldehyde and becomes so sick that they can’t celebrate Halloween while Roger actually has a costume idea for it (which we never see, which seems to be a sign from the writers again)

Stray Observations

• Halloween is apparently celebrated for a week in Langley Falls
• Roger’s older persona was previously the CEO of Octaduel, which was rebranded from Tetraduel, which previously polluted the water in Nevada.
• Principal Lewis is also keeping a guy locked in his basement and hasn’t been able to feed him.
• The Superintendent returns after a long absence. I believe she last appeared in The Worst Stan, where she ends up marrying Lewis’s old cellmate.
• Roger: “Of course it’s one of Roger’s personas”

Thoughts: And so ends this season of American Dad! It was certainly a season. See you all back here for a Christmas episode hopefully