In which Barry tries to buy some speakers and learn a lesson in the process

When you’re a long-running show and you want to stay fresh from a story telling perspective, you better have a deep well of characters from which to draw storylines. Like The Simpsons before it, American Dad! does indeed have that deep well of characters whether it’s Roger (who the producers once called a jack of all trades character they could pretty much do anything with; to their detriment to this recappers opinion) Greg and Terry (pour one out for Terry) or Steve’s friends. This episode chooses to focus on Barry and Snot without heavy/any involvement from Steve or Toshi. Does it work?

Barry’s parents are away and Steve, Snot, and Toshi try to convince Barry to have fun. They end up blowing out the speakers to the stereo. Barry and Snot (without the help of Steve and Toshi who are going on Shark Tank to present their idea for baby bowties) track down a set of speakers. They agree to meet up with the seller at this motel room and of course it’s Roger (named Wally Robel, and he calls everyone else Robel). Robel tries to get them to buy the speakers but he comes on so strong as to scare away Snot and Barry.

Roger eventually tracks Barry down and attempts to scare him into buying the speakers. Snot tells Barry to stand up for himself and reject the speakers. Barry chooses to get a restraining order on Robel but Roger goads him into going crazy which causes Barry to go to jail. Barry gets out and capture Robel (for tormenting him) and Snot (for forcing him to stand up for himself) and forces them to listen to high volume on the speakers to blow out their ear drums. Roger manages to escape and he damages Barry’s ear drums instead. Barry and Snot make amends at the hospital while Robel takes care of the newborns a floor above.

Over on the B-Plot, Stan and family are in the backyard when Stan decides he can do a standing backflip. However, he slips on specially designed ice and lands on his head. At the hospital Stan learns that he can only move by doing standing backflips from now on. And the special designed ice idea is being stolen by one of his doctors. He attempts to backflip his way to the patent office but is told he can’t. Later, the doctor visits him and Stan again tries to flip his way to the patent office again

Stray Observations

• Roger is an audiophile not a pedophile but the motel is full of pedophiles including Randy, from The 42-Year-Old Virgin

• Toshi doesn’t talk anymore.
• I was mildly disappointed we didn’t get evil Barry
• One detail I like is how Steve and Toshi did end up on Shark Tank and the episode is watched by Roger
• The American Dad wiki tells me the title is a reference to I Heard You Paint Houses and I don’t see it.

Thoughts

I do appreciate the move to focus on Barry who is normally just a punchline or just reacts to Steve storyline. That Barry got arrested and jacked and went crazy was pretty good.