American Dad!

Neighbors Terry and Greg are nervous when Terry's father, football great Tank Bates, announces that he will be coming to town for a visit. Terry is worried because his dad doesn't know he's gay, has a baby or lives with his partner. Meanwhile, Steve goes on a drunken bender and learns the meaning of the phrase beer goggles.

Overall, everything about this episode was fantastic and it deserves a

10 OUT OF 10

perfect!

What I liked: Terry pretending to be married to Francine and his adopted daughter being hers and his, Stan and Greg hanging out at the party, Francine laughing at the wrong time during the joke, the ending of the episode, Steve getting drunk, etc.



Good episode. I think at this point in the series if you hear a suspicious name, or the name of someone who had never been mentioned before, it is a good chance it is Roger in a disguise, like his disguise for buying alcohol for teens. I liked this plot even though it was short, and I liked the main plot, even though I felt bad for Terry because his father could not accept him for who he is, and as such my final grade is an A+.

Yes, animated T.V. cartoon humor has come a long, LONG way since I was a kid. This episode of American Dad is an excellent example of how far. A relatively sophisticated treatment of gay issues that would have left the censors reeling with horror and outrage a few decades ago. I couldn't help but wonder how Fred and Wilma Flinstone would have dealt with the situation that Stan found himself dealing with in this episode. Catatonic shock would have been my guess. People take it for granted nowadays that a show like American Dad would never, never have been possible, and not that long ago at that.

This episode is really funny and some hillarious parts are when Steve was was really drunk and he kept cursing and it was hillarious when Haley and Roger freaked out when they saw Steve making out with Jewel and it was hillarious when Steve said to Snot you still doing and then Snot freaked out and destroyed a locker. Also I cracked up when Steve and his friends where buying liquor and Steve said I don't see him all I are some kids and Barry said we all see the kids Steve jeez. Overall this episode is in my top 5 and it was tied with Three Kings the Family Guy episode that aired on the same night as this.

In the closing moments of last night's Family Guy Peter Griffin introduced American Dad as "whatever Fox is limping to the barn with." While the 9:00 P.M. show might be more popular, as I have been saying for months, it is not better.



I do not know if people really understand how smart this show really is. "Tank Bates" was a great parody of big old timers that were brought in on shows in the 70's and 80's as the backwards speaking fathers, and it is a great arc for a talented guest actor that is rarely utilized on sitcoms nowadays.



Not only that but the show managed to tackle the issue of homosexuality in a classy and tasteful way something Family Guy definitely would not do. While American Dad is absolutely a comedy, they do have some great morals and values blended into their plots every now and then.

Is it just me, or has American Dad! gone soft? Maybe it's just to balance out the faux-intellectualism on McFarlane's other show, but it seems like AD's storylines are no longer frequently based around Republican criticism these days. Even the resolution to this episode's conflict - that sometimes people can't be forced into believing or accepting certain philosophies, that sometimes people just disagree, & ultimately one must surround themselves with loved ones & make the best of an unfortunate situation; all suggest that perhaps AD has turned over a new leaf when it comes to satire. Is this a good thing? Maybe. The satire on this show was always pretty light hearted, & generally offered constructive criticism. The show can definitely stand on the strength of its characters, however, and this past season it appeared to attempt to do so. The plots had little to do with politics, instead focusing on the dynamics between family members. The only episode which moderately approached criticism of Republican policy or culture was this particular episode, & even here there was no real criticism of the party. Maybe it's because Bush is gone or because Republicans are barely holding on in Congress, but the show has changed. It's doubtful that they'll be making any jokes at Obama's expense soon, but I do think the writers have recognized a cultural shift in attitudes toward homosexuality. Many television shows continue to pound on conservatives & Republicans for trashing on the gay community, even as millions of conservatives & Republicans frequently indulge in gay entertainers. They watch Neil Patrick Harris & Ellen Degeneres regularly, own Clay Aiken albums, voted for Adam Lambert, & all dream of going to an Elton John concert. Right or wrong (& I believe as in most cases, it's a little of both), it is partially for these reasons that conservatives are mystified when liberals accuse them of being intolerant. All this is to say that this particular episode of American Dad! does an excellent job handling issues associated with homosexuals coming out of the closet to their heterosexual parents. Am I suggesting that this episode be used as a guide for coming out or mediating disputes when coming out? Of course not. It's an animated comedy show, & in a dazzling display of self-awareness, the writers seem to understand that. They know their place & do not pretend to have any aspirations of relocating. The message is universal & constructive, the jokes are funny. Who could ask for anything more?

Daddy Queerest continues American Dad's ability to combine solid stories with inspired comedy this week as characters come face to face with politically taboo issues. On the one hand there's neighbours Terry and Greg who have to deal with a father who is unaware of their sexuality with the help of Stan and Francine. Then there's Steve who obtains alcohol through Roger who has made a small profit in the business of buying teenagers drink. The result is an engaging twenty minutes that gets the balance between character humour and situation comedy just right; there's also the fact that the central story involving Greg and Terry is never quite wrapped up in a neat bow quite like you'd anticipate from any other show, and yet still manages to fulfil and capitalise on the development that comes beforehand.