American Dad! Season 13 Episode 5
“It’s different for men. Aging just means that we’re closer to death.” With Hayley and Jeff finding themselves with baby fever, Stan finds himself filling with remorse. He’s none too eager to become a granddad, with the life event only reminding him of his limited mortality and the inevitability of life. This results in some decent jokes that see Stan freaking out or moping while everyone else is celebrating (Offscreen Motors and their aversion to cameras is also such a great, vaudevillian sort of joke). Stan naturally tries to remedy this situation by secretly drugging his daughter and getting Jeff to fumble his way into elective surgery, rather than just talking to them. That in itself would be pretty typical American Dad, only the episode eventually goes one step further with all of this by doing its best Strangers on a Train impression. The allusion to Hitchcock doesn’t exactly feel justified, but it’s practically worth it to see that Stan is just as thrown by the detour. He’s frequently trying to convey to his “stranger” that he’s not interested in a murder pact, and yet, bullets be flying. Stan’s exasperation over this new kink in his plans is enough to give the episode’s second half a strong burst of momentum. With the thought of potential children being in the air, uncle-to-be Steve is suddenly thinking about providing for his not-yet-born relative. This shift in the family dynamic also has Steve contemplating shedding much of his childhood image as well as the toys that come along with it. Accordingly, this more mature version of Steve should be better equipped to impart life lessons to his nephew. This change for Steve also sees the episode barreling down on a joke that beautifully blossoms into a very funny set piece—aided purely by the fact of how long it goes on for. It’s just a strong example of the sharper comedy on display in this installment where even the tired jokes go through a gauntlet that ends up transforming them into highlights of the episode. Oh, and if all of this weren’t enough, Roger gets a sudden, severe infatuation with lifeguarding due to him coming across Baywatch. The idea that Roger has never seen Baywatch before may be a bit of a stretch considering how much of a pop culture junkie he is, but I’ll let it slide because it’s hardly the focus here as the episode’s red-headed C-story. It’s not like it’s the main narrative drive of the episode. Plus, it introduces us to Roger’s cabal of beach-bound alter egos, Rafferty Westmore as Denver Dallas, Patrick Brian David Michael Green-Howard as Kit Kittering, Kay Pardo-Simcard as Lt. Faruza Furtsies, and Lucy Washington Boobs as Patrice Mixhole, so how can you fault this direction that badly? Crazily, this is pretty much the same sort of gag as Steve’s “brand name kids’ toys” rundown, where it’s the sheer length or quantity of the joke that is what makes it really pop. And yet, this is still a very funny joke that works. There’s also some beautifully swept under the carpet (or into the garbage can, as it were) murder courtesy of Roger so he’s able to get what he wants here, which is never not fun. Now if you’ll excuse me Dad’ers, I’ve got some Frontgammon and Starving, Starving Rhinos to play here.
