In which Stan tries to fight through a cold and then the family has to fight Stan

Something that’s been commented on in these recaps is that the neo-Fox era of American Dad! has been remixing plots from earlier episodes. But this is also true of any long running show. Plot points will be repeated. This has been a theme of these recaps so far. And this episode is no different. We’ve remixed the crack addiction episode with some of the body horror episodes of the TBS era to come up with tonight’s plot.

Stan discovers Steve home sick and Francine choosing to baby him (not the only time but we don’t about… that). He defiantly states that his method of how to deal with any malady he may have is “powering through” (hey that’s the name of the episode). So when Steve infects him with his cold, Stan at first does just that. He takes all manner of pill but won’t just rest. He tries to go to Dr. Weissman but it backfires and he develops a disease that’s the first of its kind.

Steve tries to get him to rest but it all goes wrong after Stan tricks him. Stan becomes a feral bat-like monster and the infection soon starts to spread throughout Langley. Weissman and his team try to help but the team gets taken out. The family comes to the realization that Stan’s sense of self-worth is tied up in working. They push Steve out of the room to get the blood sample and eventually Steve learns to power through and get the blood. Stan gets cured and learns to take it easy.

Stray Observations

• Non-traditional opening this week, the second week in a row.
• Stan drinks a Cougar Boost as part of his powering through.
• No B-plot as the Smiths’ focus is on dealing with Stan.

Final Thoughts: A solid episode that harkens back on some old storylines and character beats but nonetheless still enjoyable.