In which the American Dad! treads old ground while the Smiths reach new heights…
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Stan is a selfish jerk and ends up wronging the family, they get mad but end up making up in the end. From the Father’s Day episode with the memory eraser to Epic Powder Dump (an episode slightly reminiscent of this one), this is a well returned to often by the writers. The only way to keep it fresh is to escalate the absurdity. Does it work in this episode. All I know is my gut says maybe.
The family has purchased a new oven but Stan buys the cheaper one because he is Stan. His attempt to install the oven leaves the family near dead because of a gas leak. The family realizes they haven’t accomplished anything in life and when Francine says she always wanted to climb Mt. Everest they decide to do just that. Stan is tasked with finding a trip and turns to Klaus and his new tourism business. When he realizes how expensive it will be, he decides to take the family to the titular Chimborazo, whose summit is the farthest point on Earth’s surface from the Earth’s center
He hides this fact from the family until they are up in the air. Feeling betrayed the family is completely resentful and ignores Stan. He tries to climb the mountain but the family decides to go after him with help from tour guide Vicenta. Vicenta guides them through amazing sites and attractions along the mountain. The family starts to soften because the mountain is in fact amazing. They find Stan who did not take the same path and encountered unseen torments on his hike up. That’s when Vicenta betrays the family and wants to murder them at the summit so that they can’t tell other tourists about how amazing Chimborazo.
On top of the mountain the family tries to distract Vicenta and end up seeing amazing things. They ultimately encounter Pixar animators who are there to get ideas for their next feature, about Chimborazo. The Smiths decide to side with Vicenta and attack the animators but get their asses kicked by the animators until they B-plot and A-plot come together in a delightful bit of murder.
Over in the B-Plot, as Klaus tries get his tourism business going, he tries to get a discount out of Esmeralda. They end up battling in a Zorb match but when she hears that the family is with Vicente they stage a rescue that just ends up murdering the Pixar animators.
Stray Observations
- On the mountain, there is a crystal cave, a great spot for meat, Keebler elves and something called The Devil’s Itchy Butthole.
- Hayley eats the meat so I guess that she did not revert to a vegetarian after that incident with the Gorilla meat
- Roger copies Vicenta because he doesn’t like his look. Him trying to mimic Vicenta was amusing.
- Boy they really socked it to Pixar, someone must work there or something.
Final Thoughts: This one was ok. It really opened up when the heel turn by Vicenta and the mountain became more fantastical. But the Stan betrays the Family dynamic has been played out.