American Dad - General Discussion

[JellyFishQueen]

I know they talked about her in an episode where Francine found out her parents planned to leave everything to Gwen after they die. She thought it was because Gwen is the biological daughter, but it was because Francine had her life together and Gwen was a mess. I can't remember if that was the first time Gwen has been mentioned, though.

They also talked about her when Stan was a meter maid. Also it was mention before in pervious ep's how much of a crush Stan has on Gwen. He mention about how hot Gwen looked at Stan and Francese wedding.

[VCRTracking]

I wondered whenever they mentioned her in the past if we were ever going to finally meet her.

[Blakeston]

I believe the first mention of Gwen was in Lincoln Lover.

Stan: "Greg and Terry - handsome, successful eligible bachelors. We really should set them up with some nice women. Hey, how about your sister?"

 

Francine: "Uh...I don't think so, Stan."

 

Stan: "Yeah, you're right. She's too hot. God, is Gwen hot! And slender. God! And that dress she wore at our wedding? Oh, I have never seen her more beautiful than on that day."

 

 

After building up Gwen as so outrageously hot, I kind of wish we'd never met here. Or at least, I wish they'd handled her storyline better.

 

I feel like the "____'s relative is obviously bad news, but ____ can't accept it" thing is just old. Especially after Stan's con artist father.

[Lazlo]

I know they talked about her in an episode where Francine found out her parents planned to leave everything to Gwen after they die. She thought it was because Gwen is the biological daughter, but it was because Francine had her life together and Gwen was a mess. I can't remember if that was the first time Gwen has been mentioned, though.

 

The weird thing is she was portrayed as a completely different kind of mess when we we originally heard of her back in Season 3 - more of a Jillian from Family Guy type hot airhead, which is why Francine's parents left her everything.

 

Bah Bah: Because Gwen is moron. She needs lots of help! She fail math in school! Imagine Chinese girl can't do math?

Stan: It's embarrassing when children don't adhere to stereotypes.

Bah Bah: Francine is our smart daughter. We never have to worry about her. Plus she marry okay.

 

So somewhere along the way they obviously changed from 'Gwen is an idiot' to 'Gwen is a screwup'.

[Spartan Girl]

So we actually got to meet Hot Gwen -- voiced by Uma Thurman!  No idea it was her until the credits.

 

I know this episode was kind of inconsistent with everything we heard about Gwen before, but I still enjoyed it.  Stan teaching Steve how to use a hug for a cheap feel was hilarious and all sorts of wrong.

 

"You smoked in the science lab?"

 

"You think I give a shiiiit?"  Oh Francine.  Getting moved to TBS was the best thing that happened to this show.

[ganesh]

Where did she say 'fuck?'

[SmithW6079]

Where did she say 'fuck?'

 

She didn't -- it was "shit." Still not digging that the move to TBS means more swears just for the sake of swears.

 

For some reason, I always assumed Francine was the oldest, that the Lings adopted her first and then had Gwen. Isn't it mentioned for the first time that Francine had a sister in the episode where Stan is secretly figure skating? I remember him following the phone cord and overhears Francine say, "Oh, hey sis...I always call you sis."

 

I didn't like the episode as it was playing, because I was sad to see that Gwen was just a common criminal, but I liked we discover she was covering for Francine. Still, it was an accident, so why did she go to jail?

 

Steve's perversity is hilarious. "If Francine wasn't my mama, you'd know I want to bone her..." in "Rubbernecking" and now he's overjoyed to have "feelings" for Aunt Gwen, whom he's not related to by blood. And Stan's explanation that if Gwen thought Steve was "special" it meant more hugs was so wrong and so funny.

 

Got a kick out of it when everybody got on Hayley for saying "Ont" not "ant."

[ganesh]

I liked the episode because everyone was involved. The last two were basically all Stan. Francine has her own brand of crazy that they just don't do enough with.

 

I don't mind that they're swearing now. I do all the time. I think it would be actually funnier if it were just Hayley and Francine that were swearing.

 

"Smokum peace pipe" was a funny line too.

Edited November 19, 2014 by ganesh

[VCRTracking]

Also Steve said "I don't know shit about hugging!"

 

I think they didn't go for Gwen being a dummy because that's a stereotype now, (example: Brenda Song's character on The Suite Life with Zach and Cody.) Classified in TVTropes as Asian Airhead. Her parents may have also said that about Gwen because she's dumb by Asian standards.

Edited November 20, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Blakeston]

For some reason, I always assumed Francine was the oldest, that the Lings adopted her first and then had Gwen. Isn't it mentioned for the first time that Francine had a sister in the episode where Stan is secretly figure skating? I remember him following the phone cord and overhears Francine say, "Oh, hey sis...I always call you sis."

 

I didn't like the episode as it was playing, because I was sad to see that Gwen was just a common criminal, but I liked we discover she was covering for Francine. Still, it was an accident, so why did she go to jail?."

 

Lincoln Lover came a bit earlier than Of Ice and Men. So unless there was a reference to Gwen before LIncoln Lover, the "Gwen is so hot!" dialogue was the first we ever heard of her.

 

I could see Gwen going to jail, even with it being an accident. Breaking into a high school, and smoking in the science lab (even though you went to jail for the same crime earlier), and starting a fire, could bring a ton of charges with it. 

[SmithW6079]

I love how twisted the "American Dad" Christmas episodes are.

[Spartan Girl]

Me too.  And I love how they threw the "real" family in the mix halfway through: it kept it from being yet ANOTHER It's A Wonderful Life ripoff/spoof.

[jbrecken]

A Christmas alternate reality episode just isn't the same without Michelle the lawyer angel.

[ganesh]

I thought it was too Stan-focused though I did like the "real family" twist. I'd like either the family verse xmas, like the big shootout with Santa, or the family being more involved in most of the show. 

 

I have a hard time thinking Francine would be so uptight hosting the party. She was kind of insufferable. I picture her fussing around beforehand getting set up and then drinking too much. 

[SmithW6079]

I'd like either the family verse xmas, like the big shootout with Santa, or the family being more involved in most of the show.

 

Yeah, I'm partial to those really twisted ones. In this Christmas episode, Stan learned a lesson, which while it made me go "awww..." isn't really in keeping with the spirit of their other ones. (Cartoon Network just aired the Krampus episode the other night.)

[ganesh]

I'm doubtful Stan's "lesson" will stick in the first place because that's just not how sitcoms work anyway. I don't mind the AWL spoof, but they should have gone way more over the top. Did it need to be from Stan's pov, or could it have been another character for a change? 

[SmithW6079]

I'm doubtful Stan's "lesson" will stick in the first place because that's just not how sitcoms work anyway.

 

Well, no, of course it's not going to "stick." I was just surprised that they bothered to put a lesson in. Although now that I think about it, except for the Christmas episode that takes place after the Rapture, Stan usually does learn a lesson about the love of family.

[Lazlo]

A Christmas alternate reality episode just isn't the same without Michelle the lawyer angel.

 

Me too. I was a little creeped out by the idea Stan's Christmas wish supervising angel who died might have been a reference to her.

[Matt K]

This was probably the first of the TBS episode I really enjoyed.  Liked the switcharoo with Brian, loved the "real family" and real Rodger too.

[TVSpectator]

Your Media topic!

New episodes air in February.

 

Do you know a specific date when the new episodes will air in February?

[OnceSane]

Do you know a specific date when the new episodes will air in February?

No, sorry. I checked the TBS web site and that was the only info.

[TVSpectator]

No, sorry. I checked the TBS web site and that was the only info.

 

Alright, thanks.

[OnceSane]

Hayley's dream of playing for a roller decent squad hinges on whether she can recruit her "sister" Steve to play. Meanwhile, a carpenter with a magic touch stops by Stan and Francine's; and Roger takes over the local roller-skating rink.

[OnceSane]

When Steve swears at Francine, she refuses to cook for him, and he becomes a successful chef, appearing on a popular morning show. Meanwhile, Stan thinks he can make people invisible by snapping his fingers.

[OnceSane]

Hayley gets a job and starts to fall for a co-worker. Meanwhile, Stan chauffeurs Steve and Francine to a Mother-Son dance.

[OnceSane]

While on vacation in Los Angeles, Stan joins the world of old Hollywood. Meanwhile, Roger kennel-trains Steve and Hayley.

[Blakeston]

I loved this one. This was one of the few TBS episodes that felt like it would have fit in nicely during the show's peak.

[Spartan Girl]

Good to see American Dad back.  Was surprised they had Steve question his own gender.  Didn't think they'd go that route.  I did laugh my ass off when the girls helped him "tape up" again. 

[SmithW6079]

Good to see American Dad back.  Was surprised they had Steve question his own gender.  Didn't think they'd go that route.  I did laugh my ass off when the girls helped him "tape up" again.

 

I was surprised, yet not, because it made so much sense that he might be transgender. I was surprised that they showed him taped up.

 

Stan and Francine's story I didn't care for so much, because they were rude to Jesus. (Was it the same guy who was the pizza delivery guy who imparted his wisdom to Roger and Steve so many years ago? I forget the episode.)

 

I also wanted to add -- I loved how the sign out front kept highlighting Roger's difficulty in managing his rat problem.

Edited February 25, 2015 by SmithW6079

[OnceSane]

Jesus wasn't the pizza delivery guy, that was just a super Zen mofo. I did not like Stan and Francine being total assholes, but I loved the "Steve is transgender" story line. And the Steve/Hayley duet cracked me up.

[Spartan Girl]

The drunken wrathful hosts and crowd of Morning Mimosa had my sides splitting.

 

Also, a mac and cheese omelet?  Sounds delicious!

[SmithW6079]

The drunken wrathful hosts and crowd of Morning Mimosa had my sides splitting.

 

Could Hoda and Kathie Lee have been anymore obvious? 

 

i thought this was a weird episode. Steve's friends were right on the money when they told him that saying "Fuck you" to his mother changed everything, and Francine was great in portraying that hurt.

 

Why was Hayley so needy and useless all of a sudden? We've never really seen that behavior before to that extent, nor have they indicated that she would take advantage of Francine. 

 

Stan's excitement over the ensuing family drama was fun to watch, but not so much his descent into madness. (Although props to his line about getting a chair with less of an erection.)

 

Did Roger even really have a lot to do last night? It didn't seem like it.

 

It seems like they were all over the place, with characters acting inconsistently based on their previous behaviors. So far, it just seems as though "edgier 'American Dad'" means a few swear words slipped in to dialogue.

[OnceSane]

I loved Francine unplugging Steve's game. Now that's parenting! And when Toshi left the conversation with the boys, I thought he was walking to Steve's house so he could slap him. Game changer, indeed!

I loved the minimal Roger, it seems like that rarely happens as of late.

[Jediknight]

That episode has been the best of the TBS episodes.

 

Toshi just walking off and walking past Snot's house, Stan making everyone disappear, Steve watching the snake bite videos, Morning Mimosa, the monkeys, and Greg and Terry's reaction to Steve and Francine, there was so much to like in this episode.

[Amethyst]

I didn't like the b-plot with Stan at all.  Felt like I was watching Peter Griffin, and AD! is better than some stupid FG knockoff plot.  Stan is dumb, but not that dumb.

 

Morning Mimosa was very funny and I loved how it just devolved into chaos.  

[Spartan Girl]

I loved that Hayley screwed over Roger's plans to scam that guy.  Maybe it wasn't exactly revenge for Jeff, but anytime Roger gets any comeuppance is fine with me.

[OnceSane]

Me too! I should have guessed that his wife was Roger in yet another costume, but I didn't. And once Roger told Hayley he only helped her to help himself, I loved her busting his game.

What was the point of the Francine/Stan/Steve B plot? Actually, for the airtime it got it was more like a Z plot. Utterly pointless and seemed like it was only there to shoehorn them into the episode.

[SmithW6079]

What was the point of the Francine/Stan/Steve B plot? Actually, for the airtime it got it was more like a Z plot. Utterly pointless and seemed like it was only there to shoehorn them into the episode.

 

"American Dad" hasn't had problems before with not showing characters; in fact, they've often made a joke about it -- one episode where Klaus and Hayley joke about saying one line and having to be paid, or the one where Steve plots his revenge against the alpha girls, and there's one scene where he passes through the living room where the family's gathered, but that's all we see of them.

 

This has been two episodes recently where Hayley's been featured prominently, so I like that they're trying to give her something to do, but I'm a little worried that they're making her the Meg of this show -- a punching bag to use and abuse -- which she never was before. 

 

So, while Roger was married to Axe, he's also been married to the warden of the prison for 30 years (when he was Ricky Spanish). He certainly gets around.

[ganesh]

I don't think Hayley is the Meg. She successfully stole weed from the dealer. She was played by Roger, but she screwed Roger over in the end. That's happened to everyone in the Smith house. 

 

We need to see more Klaus flashbacks. 

[SmithW6079]

We need to see more Klaus flashbacks.

 

Flashback Klaus looks suspiciously like fish Klaus (and his human counterpart in the Tearjerker episodes), and nothing like dead Klaus (although, he was a rotting corpse, so I guess it makes sense). However, whenever I think of human Klaus, I picture him as the black man he was in the episode where Francine buys a kiosk at the mall.

[Lazlo]

Kind of a fun episode.

 

Maybe it is just me (because I'm a fan of the film Dead Again) but did anyone else expect Stan to be revealed as the reincarnation of Gloria and Francine to be the reincarnation of Lester?

[OnceSane]

Yes, for a brief moment.

I liked Steve tricking Roger and deleting the episodes.

[Spartan Girl]

I liked Steve tricking Roger and deleting the episodes.

 

Definitely the best part of the episode.  Although I had to laugh at Roger's slow outraged turning to Hayley when she said she deleted the episodes...and then back to Steve when he said Bones wasn't that good anymore.

[SmithW6079]

Definitely the best part of the episode.  Although I had to laugh at Roger's slow outraged turning to Hayley when she said she deleted the episodes...and then back to Steve when he said Bones wasn't that good anymore.

Those were my favorite two parts of that story line. Otherwise, I thought it was pretty stupid. Hey, Smith kids, you have opposable thumbs: why didn't you just reach through the bars and undo the latches? It's not the first time they've made fun of "Bones."

 

Kind of a fun episode.

 

Maybe it is just me (because I'm a fan of the film Dead Again) but did anyone else expect Stan to be revealed as the reincarnation of Gloria and Francine to be the reincarnation of Lester?

Ooh, I hadn't thought of that, but Stan pretty much dismisses Francine's notion at the end. I admit it, I got the biggest kick out of the scenes in the ocean, especially when June makes the boat go forward while they're swimming for it, and later when Stan backs it up over her. 

[ganesh]

There were combination locks on the crates. They wouldn't have been able to get out unless they knew the code.

 

There hasn't been much Stan/Franny plots, so I enjoyed this one. I actually thought the movie was pretty funny. 

 

The whole B plot was clearly built around "I'm about to bury some Bones." Well done. 

[OnceSane]

When Francine's novel is nominated for an award the family head to New York City, where Stan and Hayley socialize with actor-comedian Robert Wuhl, and Steve and Roger break out their Wheels and the Legman personas.

[OnceSane]

After witnessing a scary car crash, Stan decides to see a psychiatrist, while Roger and Klaus prep for a wine tasting.

[SmithW6079]

There were combination locks on the crates. They wouldn't have been able to get out unless they knew the code.

 

Were there? They just looked like regular puppy crates with latches. I'll have to check.

[ganesh]

In the first scene where Roger drops the crates on him, it looked like a 4 number combo lock on the right.

[SmithW6079]

I rewatched, and Roger doesn't use a combination to open the crate; he just squeezes the latch. Steve and Hayley are idiots.

I saw that Adrienne Barbeau and Kate Mulgrew were voices. Was Kate Mulgrew June, and Adrienne Barbeau the maid? And Mickey Rooney was listed. Isn't he dead?