Welcome back Dadders. For this Father’s Day, like a bad father, Fox has decided to make up for weeks of neglect and give us two episodes today. Oddly only one episode focuses on Stan and not even as a father, more of a husband. But it’s good to have it back after an extended hiatus. This is the kind of thing we have to accept with the show back on Fox but at least it’s back. Do the return episodes live up to expectations? Let’s find out.

Episode 10 In which Steve’s attempt to keep his school open leads to an Armageddon situation…

First up, a Stan-lite episode. Steve has to inspire Lewis to become an educator (his job is mostly administrative) or else risk the school shutting down. After an appearance from Rock Hardass (from the TBS era episode “Between a Ring and a Hardass”) Steve is determined to make sure the school doesn’t fail. He tutors his friends and classmates (including the eponymous Dumbston) but it is going to fail because of each of his friends’ deficiencies. He enlists his friends to help him change the tests. They manage to do it but Dumbston manages to mess it up by changing their grades to 101. This causes Hardass to declare the kids geniuses and save the school

This backfires after a meteor with a volcano heads toward Earth. It manages to kill every genius in the world so the CIA has to recruit the only five remaining geniuses in the world, Steve and his friends. They’re launched into space and after killing the pilot, Steve and Lewis have to guide and support the rest to complete the mission. They manage to do it and save the day.

In a not-quite-a B-plot, Stan is dissatisified with the lunch options of the CIA. Solid running joke that culminates in saying he wish we didn’t survive.

Stray Observations

• Another running joke is Barry seducing a guard at the test facility. It ends with the stinger at the end of the episode when he reveals himself.
• Pulchritudinous is spelled just like it sounds
• Dumbston has a character design of someone that was on the show before. I can’t put my finger on it so sound off in the comments.

Episode 10 Final Thoughts: A good episode after hiatus. Solid jokes and the episode managed to move from point to point without feeling too rushed.

Episode 11 In which Francine has to track down John Mayer and Stan is along for the ride.

In tonight’s second episode, we get a Stan/Francine plot that’s reminiscent to this writer of the episode where Stan erases Francine’s memory (*remember*) or where Stan has amnesia (*remember*) but with the benefit of an extra two decades and a decade and a half respectively, this one hums along nicely with some good jokes.

Stan calls Francine because he forgot the thing before takeoff. Francine manages to rush it to him in time (it was the snacks he was supposed to bring) but he ends up letting her fall out of the helicopter. After some repairs to her skull, Francine believes that John Mayer is communicating with her directly through his satellite radio show. So she has to head off to Vegas. And rather than get her the help that Dr. Faye (a returning Mary Steenburgen) thinks she needs, Stan decides to drive with her, even though they have to drive there with no sleep while Francine has to practice karate and brings zip ties along with her.

When they arrive in Vegas, they also encounter other women who believe that John Mayer is talking to them. This does not help Francine disabuse herself of her notion. Stan tries to distract Francine with a Wayne Newton show but Francine is determined. After she overhears Stan calling her crazy, she locks him in a hyperbolic chamber. Stan escapes but can’t find Francine because Vegas is designed to keep you in the casino. He crashes Wayne Newton’s show and together they work on Stan’s problems, making him feel Donkey Shame (instead of Danke Schoen, get it). He also points out that John Mayer is in the penthouse.

Stan and Wayne climb to the penthouse to discover that Dr. Faye is holding John Mayer hostage. It is revealed that she also believes John Mayer was talking to her. But Francine busts in and it’s revealed that John Mayer really was talking to Francine. Francine manages to subdue Dr. Faye (using karate and zip ties). Stan apologizes to Francine but Francine says she loves him, not John Mayer.

In another not quite B-plot, the rest of the family decide to head to the arboretum but decide to head to Vegas when they discuss that John Mayer is talking to them

Stray Observations

• Wayne Newton really lent his voice and Ru Paul shows up as a concierge.
• “Can this go… back in time?”

Episode 11 Final Thoughts: A solid episode though I liked this less than the first one tonight.