Review: American Dad “Scents and Sensei-bility”

Spoilers Below

In “Scents and Sensei-bility” it’s bullying season again and Steve and Snot learn from a fellow nerd that the art of karate is a great way to save themselves from a butt kicking. The two go to a hilariously named Dojo and take up the martial art, but the experience doesn’t help them grow, only fall apart. Meanwhile, Klause begins to stink up the house with his fish odor, so Stan makes the decision to make him an “outside fish”. Klause fears for his life in the outdoors and begins to decline into insanity.

If you ask me, and by reading this review you sort of are; I think this is shaping up to be one of the best seasons of American Dad yet. I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that towards the end of it’s run on Fox, I was getting a little exhausted with the show. The jokes weren’t hitting me the right way, and I felt like the show was becoming a parody of itself. So far on TBS, my concerns have proven to be pointless. I’m really enjoying this season so far, and last night’s episode was no different.
There was a lot of good writing in this episode. The jokes were clever, even the little gags had me laughing. Everything from the name of Sensei Tom’s dojo to a kid at school whose voice strongly resembles the announcer from Mortal Kombat. There were a lot of funny things happening in this episode. There were some great references to classic movies that I appreciate, especially in the right context.

I also like that Klause got some of the spotlight in this episode. I’ve always found you can keep a show fresh if you find a way to utilize the strengths of less popular characters. I like Stan and Roger, but too many episodes focused on them can get boring. I think this episode found a nice balance.
It wasn’t all perfect, I must admit. While I did have a lot of laughs, there was a lack of creativity when it came to the stories. Klause becoming an outside fish felt a lot like the story we saw on Family Guy last season where Brian had to become an outside dog. I admit, the two played out very differently, but the two do share a lot in common. Steve and Snot being at odds is also nothing new. I think these two characters fight more than they actually try being friends. I think a very similar story would have worked, but instead of them fighting, they team up to take on some bullies or something. The two having another falling out felt too obvious to me.

Ultimately, I think you guys and gals will really like this one. The lack of creativity in the two plots are really masked by a lot of great jokes and interactions. It really didn’t really like a half hour episode. When it was ending, I had to do a double-take at my clock because I thought it was only about half way in. That’s certainly a sign it was a good episode. Not a perfect episode by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s certainly another strong entry in this great season. I really hope they keep this up, because it makes writing these reviews a lot more fun to do! (Not that I don’t like tearing things apart from time to time.)

What did you guys think of last night’s American Dad? Let us know, and enjoy the rest of your week! Catch you guys next time!