American animated comedy which has aired on Fox and TBS since 2005. Reviews by Dikachu and Aranaktu
In which Stan and Francine get heated… The Stan/Francine marriage dynamic is one that feels well explored because it’s one that has been done on American Dad’s contemporaries, such as The Simpsons and Family Guy. However, often times they’ll throw … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 8 “A Song of Knives and Fire”
In which Klaus maybe isn’t’ the worst?… Klaus is designed to be the punching bag. The one everyone hates because it’s easy to be mean to a man in a fish. The show and its characters can score easy jokes … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 7 “Beyond the Alcove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Klaus”
In which Stan tries to save a restaurant… As originally conceived, American Dad! was animated All in the Family with Family Guy sensibilities. That is to say, an arch-Conservative father butting heads with his liberal hippy daughter. The show has … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 6 “American Dad Graffito”
In which Stan tries to hold on to his memories… Stan is a person defined by his traumatic childhood. He has a father who abandoned him, and a mother who needed the attention after her husband left. So Stan often … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 5 “Epic Powder Dump”
In which Steve and Snot try to hold it together… The Steve and Snot friendship is always one that seems to be teetering on the brink of disaster. From “Jenny Fromdablock” to “Steve’s Franken Out” there always seems to be … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 4 “A Roger Story”
In which Stan can’t chop it… Stan Smith is a man out of place in the world, whether it was the original conception of the show where he was a Conservative butting up against a liberal world, or just a … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 3 “The Book of Fischer”
In which Stan gets a new look… The immutable nature of episodic television means that the characters can almost never change from episode to episode (both metaphorically personally and literally physically whether it be clothes or body). We’ve seen AD! … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 2 “Dressed Down”
In which Francine and Roger are reality TV stars… Like the progenitors of American Dad! (The Simpsons and Family Guy specifically) the long running nature of the show and the malleability of some of its characters means that in order … Continue reading American Dad! Season 19, Ep. 1 “Langley Dollar Listings”
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 … Continue reading American Dad! Season 18, Ep. 22 “Steve’s Franken Out”
In which a bunch of shit happens having to do with crystals The Smiths are visiting Toshi’s house. They are very impressed with the set up. When Stan goes to find the bathroom, he sees Hideki’s fantastic rooms in his … Continue reading American Dad! Season 18, Ep. 21 “Crystal Clear”
In which the Smiths go to dinner Stan is asking everybody at work about their weekend plans (as he always does). Dr. Weitzman offers Stan a coupon for a new buffet in hopes of joining him. Stan steals the coupon … Continue reading American Dad! Season 18 Ep. 19 “Family Time”
In which Hayley burns it all down Hayley and Jeff are trying to generate interest in helping the planet but no one wants to hear from them. That’s when they meet Roger (as Dr. Sunderson) and his new solar energy … Continue reading American Dad! Season 18 Episode 18 “Dr. Sunderson’s SunSuckers”
In which Hayley fears she’s changing Hayley meets new classmate Eunice who she is initially disgusted by because she’s so old. However, after finding out she’s adventurous even in her old age, Hayley decides she wants to be just like … Continue reading American Dad! Season 18 Ep. 17 “The Sinister Fate!”
In which it’s Stan vs. the family in a dumb episode The Smiths are going to enjoy a picnic at sunset at their real estate investment, their cemetery plot. However, they see another family has already taken their spot, forcing … Continue reading American Dad! Season 18 Ep. 16 “Plot Heavy”
In which Stan gets some new hair One of the great things about American Dad is its willingness to keep continuity or callbacks to earlier seasons. So when this episode brings up Stan’s baldness from way back in “Chimdale” you … Continue reading American Dad Season 18 Ep. 15 “Comb Over: A Hair Piece”
In which Francine has a secret… When Francine rushes out to the library after dinner, Stan worries she might be a nerd. Roger, after finding out from Rogu that Francine does not poop at the house, realizes what she’s actually … Continue reading American Dad Season 18 Episode 14 “Flush After Reading”
In which Stan and Francine travel back in time… As established in prior episodes, Stan and Francine’s marriage is only ever as stable as their next argument. While out to dinner at Jeff and Hayley’s place (Jeff’s van), Stan and … Continue reading American Dad Season 18 Episode 13 “Stan & Francine & Stan & Francine & Radika”
In which Stan is forced to spend time with Jeff, again For a lot of episodic sitcoms with no serialized narrative “status quo is god,” meaning essentially everything goes back to the way it was before the episode started. That … Continue reading American Dad! Season 18 Episode 12 “Lumberjerk”
In which Hayley wants some guidance from anybody Hayley takes a journalism class, hoping to make it a career. However, her hopes are dashed when she learns journalism is dead. With no support coming from Francine (or Stan who is … Continue reading American Dad Season 18 Ep. 11 “Hot Scoomp”
“In which Stan’s ‘Imaginary Friend’ comes to collect a debt” When Stan selfishly runs out alone again, Francine is left alone in the house until a mysterious stranger, Hank Henderson, barges his way in, demanding to speak to Jack Smith. … Continue reading American Dad Season 18 Ep. 10 “Henderson”
In which Klaus acts as inspiration to Roger After Roger heckles Klaus at an open mic night, Klaus attempts to bring Roger down by saying that he’s not creative. Roger later reveals that Klaus has been the inspiration for Roger’s … Continue reading American Dad S18 Ep. 9 “Mused and Abused”
