TV-Reviewed

One of the things I like about American Dad is the obvious political overtones featured in some of the scenes with Stan. Stan’s clearly a diehard Republican so viewers will find that Stan’s views on various things tend to be conservative. The two gay news anchors were fun to watch sometimes. Stan’s only problem with them was that they’re newsmen and therefore must be liberals.

Even when liberal vs conservative politics weren’t being brought up, there were still occasional politically sensitive issues introduced. Everything from the silly terror threat level system, illegal immigration, gay rights, women’s roles, and even bum fighting managed to make it into this episode. Yes, bum fighting. I remember when some people made money being involved in this a few years ago. It’s sad to think that people are that desperate to make money.

Stan Smith

After a terror scare at home, Francine realized how little she’s done with her life, so she naturally decided to get a job. Being the stereotypical Republican, Stan had a huge problem with it. He didn’t want his wife out selling real estate; he wanted her back at home, taking care of the joint. After giving in, Stan was no longer the breadwinner. Francine’s commissions were pretty impressive and made Stan feel like less of a man.

Rarely without a plan, Stan decided to shake up the economy by having Alan Greenspan’s dog suddenly get kidnapped so that the interest rates would skyrocket and no one would want to buy homes, thus causing Francine to lose her job. It was a long way to go, but I still enjoyed the story. Stan’s not the most politically correct fella around, but I admire his passion.

I’d like to see Klaus get a little more airtime. His accent is very funny and he’s got a big crush on Stan’s wife, Francine. I really like their moments together. I’ve found that the first two episodes, at least, almost seemed to run longer than 21 minutes. I’m wondering if the pacing has something to do with that. I don’t see any other possible explanation.

Rating: 7.3