Review: American Dad! “Father’s Daze”

Not a good way to start the season!

Spoilers Below

This week’s new episode of American Dad! really kicked off the season in a weird way. I felt the episode was lackluster, not memorable or very amusing at all. I’m not sure that I laughed even once. Maybe it’s too early in the season to judge anything properly, but it’s tough to compare an episode like “Father’s Daze” to one like “Roots” (the season opener from the last season of AD).

In “Father’s Daze”, we’re continuing the tradition of the cold open like last season, and then the theme song plays afterward. Basically, the episode begins with some strange goings on at the CIA, as Stan remembers that the Smith family forgot Father’s Day. Stan tells the family he’s upset, and they all offer to make the next day a great and special individualized Father’s Day to make up for it.

The plot from here plays out like so many other American Dad! episodes, and that’s why I think it feels flat and uninspired. (Of course) there’s a CIA device that Stan uses to repeat the day ad infinitum, to try and get the family to give him the perfect Father’s Day. And, true to form, when he feels the family continues to fail, he berates them. Then, of course, the Smiths make a pilgrimage to the CIA museum, and Stan redeems himself, etc, etc. This storyline is so much like SEVERAL other episodes. Also, the final outcome of the episode is so similar to others before it. It’s so predictable and I repeatedly keep getting the feeling that this overall premise is generic American Dad!

The dialogue and events of “Father’s Daze” are so mediocre– the only slightly interesting piece of the story involves the infamous American Dad! reoccurring plotline, the jewel-encrusted golden turd from so many other episodes. I was wondering if they purposefully made this episode kind of bland to make that golden turd part stand out.

I hope the remainder of this season of American Dad! is much better than this first episode. I feel like this is one of the weakest American Dad! episodes of recent memory. It will not be a re-watcher for me– it’s so bland and too similar to so many other episodes. There was nothing unique or interesting or of note about it this episode. However, that can change, with other upcoming stories and/or writers. I hope this was just a way for the American Dad! folks to start out the season slow, and to leave a lot of room for the much better episodes on the way.