«screwed again by fox»
I thought this would be the full season 2, but alas, it's just another 'volume' - I really should've known better since Fox is notorious for doing this with the McFarlane franchise. Thanks Fox! Thanks for taking my money again & giving me (& everyone else) less than the full season!
& if anyone from Fox does actually read these reviews, you may want to consider exactly how many reviewers are b#^@*ing specifically about this - if you release a whole season at once (what a novel idea!), you'd be making your key demographic a lot less angry. As it is now, you've established yourself as more shifty than Disney.
[Friday, November 27, 2009]
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«American Dad has hit its stride»
When it first aired, American Dad seemed like a poor cousin to Family Guy. As the show progressed, it quickly gained its own identity. Now, as we plunge into the second season, American Dad now really shows what it can do.
The best way I can describe American Dad is weird and wonderful. On the one hand, it borrows from the Archie Bunker-style of a stupid dad who lvoes his family, which was made popular in animation throught the Simpsons and Family Guy. On the other hand, Stan Smith is a crack CIA agent who lives in a house with a neurotic alien and a talking fish. These episodes include moments such as Stan and his wife Francine spending a year in Europe as part of an elaborate plot to destroy George Clooney, Stan's son Steve divorcing his parents and seemingly drowning in a pool of cherry jello, and a hilarious time traveling, history-altering Christmas special. American Dad has the same core that a lot of other family sitcoms have, but also dives head-first into weirdness to marvelous effect. Unlike Family Guy, the episodes don't use cutaways, so all the craziness becomes part of the plot rather than a throwaway joke.
It's great to see a show this good building steam. American Dad is one of the best comedies on television, and it is well worth checking out this excellent volume.
[Friday, November 06, 2009]
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«"My one regret is not watching enough television"---Roger»
I regard American Dad as an animated show that is a notch below South Park, Family Guy, and Seasons 2-8 of The Simpsons. The main reason is re-watchability. There are episodes of those other shows that I crave like chocolate sometimes and look up the Season, track down the DVD box in my cabinet, hook up the DVD player if it is unhooked, and pop in the disc just to watch them (certain South Park episodes, especially). This Volume of AD has some of those re-watchable episodes. My two all-time favorite American Dad episodes "Roger N Me" and "Lincoln Lover" are both in Volume 2. There are other highlights here as well, like "Star Trek," "Rough Trade," and "Of Ice and Men." This Volume is not perfect. There are a few episodes that are too absurd for my tastes. I can't give it 5-stars because I reserve such ratings for the best of SP, FG and The Simpsons, but there are 5-star episodes on here.
Disc 1:
"Stannie Get Your Gun"--To improve their relationship, Stan takes his liberal daughter to an amusement park for gun enthusiasts. Meanwhile, Roger makes Steve believe he is adopted (I've always suspected that since he doesn't look like Stan or Francine). This is not one of the better episodes.
"Star Trek"--Steve writes a book about Roger and co-opts Roger's dream of being rich and famous. Funny--Steve tells his dad that his teacher is a fan and wants his autograph. So Stan writes, "Keep on rockin', Yours in Christ..." Then Hayley breaks the news, "Dad that's Steve's report card." The 'Child of the Month' scene is a highlight, too.
"Not Particularly Desperate Housewives"--To break her life of routine, Francine inadvertently joins a social group for adulteresses. Meanwhile, Stan falls in love with a little dog.
"Rough Trade"--Stan bludgeons Senator Diane Feinstein while demonstrating a new weapon. Later, Stan & Roger decide to change places and Stan ends up arrested for domestic abuse, animal cruelty, child pornography, and attempted murder. Hilarious!
"Finances With Wolves"--Francine starts a muffin-selling business at the mall and Stan puts Klaus's brain in a human body so he can have someone to cook his meals. "Klaus" turns on Stan so he can get freaky with Francine. Meanwhile, Steve thinks he's a werewolf. The parking lot scene is hilarious, especially with the musical accompaniment. The environmentalist who was born a tree but trapped in a man's body is also clever.
"It's Good To Be The Queen"--Stan freaks out when he finds out Francine didn't really win Homecoming Queen. Meanwhile, Steve goes on a zen journey with a pizza delivery guy.
"Roger N Me"--I think this is my favorite AD ep (well, maybe second to "Lincoln Lover"). After being thrown out of an old friend's bachelor party, Stan and Roger get loaded and participate in an alien buddies ritual involving probing. Meanwhile, Hayley and Steve join forces to break up a young couple (using a common storyline and taking it to a whole new morbid level).
"Helping Handis"--To help Steve be a popular jock, Stan gives him steroids which has a titillating side effect (get it!?). Meanwhile, Hayley has little respect for her mom, the housewife. That doctor degree thing was too far-fetched, even for this show. One of my least favorite ADs.
Disc 2:
"With Friends Like Steve's"--When Steve loses interest in his father's occupational perks, Stan starts paling around with Steve's fat friend Barry, who wants to takes Steve's place. Meanwhile, Roger joins a fraternity.
"Tears of a Clooney"--Stan helps Francine fulfill her dream of ruining George Clooney after he stole her scene years ago on "The Scarecrow and Mrs. King." While they're away, Roger brings in foster children to use as migrant workers and Hayley survives cancer. Crazy episode. I don't care much for eps of any animated show that include celebrity guest characters.
"Camp Refoogee"--Stan wants Steve to go to summer camp and unintentionally sends him to a refugee camp in Africa (listen for snippets of the Toto song). Meanwhile, Roger and Francine do some role-playing (not what you think, sicko).
"The American Dad After School Special"--Steve starts dating Debbie who Stan does not accept because she is not a beautiful cheerleader. Seeing Steve's fat girlfriend makes him paranoid about his own weight and he becomes anorexic. I like Debbie as a semi-regular for this show. She is not the typical female animated character. She's goth but not to an anti-social point and she is a realistic catch for Steve. She is also not made a loser fat chick like Meg.
"Failure Is Not A Factory-Installed Option"--Stan is one of the CIA's top investigators but meets his match in a car salesman. Steve takes advantage of all the extra cars that serve as a makeshift drive-in to impress girls (was this episode written before the Debbie character was introduced?). The golden turd story continues.
"Lincoln Lover"--My favorite AD episode (maybe tied with "Roger N Me")! To show Steve what it means to be a true, manly Republican, Stan puts on a play about Lincoln. Unbeknown to Stan, his play's theme of Lincoln's close relationship with a bodyguard attracts the one group he wishes to shut out of the party--the Log Cabin Republicans. This episode had me laughing out loud, especially the gay test at the entrance of the Langley Conservative Republicans meeting and Stan's speech at the RNC: "My fellow Republicans...Last night I kissed a man named Terry."
"Dungeons and Wagons"--To bring excitement in his bored wife's life (that seems to be an on-going theme in AD), Stan takes up road racing and re-creating Whitesnake videos. Meanwhile, Hayley breaks up with her obsessive boyfriend and he drowns his sorrows by online gaming with Steve. I like how they incorporated the online game characters in the show. It wasn't as awesome as South Park's "Make Love Not Warcraft," but it was well-done.
"Iced, Iced Babies"--Steve's relationship with Debbie causes Francine to go to extreme lengths to feel like a mother again. Meanwhile, Roger becomes a professor at Hayley's college and inspires Hayley's love interest to murder his father.
Disc 3:
"Of Ice and Men"--Stan and Francine enter an ice skating competition but Stan's competitive streak may put Francine in danger (reminds me of that extreme move in "Blades of Glory"). Meanwhile, Steve and his friends acquire a mail-order Russian bride. The ending with Roger and the news anchor couple is hilarious!
"Irregarding Steve"--After Steve discovers his father is not the genius he thought he was, he and Roger run away to New York where they bet their superior intellects will make them rich. This episode is heavy and macabre, even the squirrel side-story (a take-off of "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?").
"The Best Christmas Story Never"--Stan is angry at the secularization of Christmas (even the "Christmas Rapist" is renamed the "Holiday Rapist"). The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Stan to 1970 where Stan escapes to kill Jane Fonda. An encounter with Martin Scorsese changes the future that destroys America.
Bonus Features--Audio commentary on all the episodes (on the corresponding DVDs), deleted and extended scenes, Multi-Angle Studies of Francine attacking Stan in "Tears of a Clooney" (on disc 2) and "Irregarding Steve" (I don't really see the point of these), and three featurettes: "An American Dad Like No Other," "Drawing Roger," "Favorite Scenes."
[Wednesday, March 04, 2009]
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