Review: American Dad “Stompe Le Monde”

The Village Voice folded over a year ago, Stan!

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Stan’s not-so-secretly racist Uncle Mitch is dead, and the family rejoices. The five thousand bucks bequeathed to them will pay for a flashy NYC vacation for the Smith/Fischers. However, Stan wishes to invest the money instead. Despite getting outvoted by his family, he distracts them with ten leather jackets and invests like he never invested before.

For the low price of all his money, Stan buys the North American rights to the 1990s off-Broadway sensation, Stomp. Even though he makes this deal in a seedy motel room with a disheveled stranger, the investment isn’t as risky as it appears. The local production sells out in hours and it’s Stan and Roger’s shortcomings that ruin the deal, not the investment itself.

Having had no rehearsals, the show flops (I personally blame Tuttle). With the whole town angry and calling for their blood, the Smith/Fischers are forced to flee as they’ve never fled before. After a few nights in Jeff’s van, they decide to fake Stomp performances all across America. With people jonesing for 90s nostalgia, it’s easy for them to pull the con and speed away before the heat catches up to them. However, their Trainspotting-esque addiction to grifting gets so out of control, they become danger junkies and smash up a Sonic Drive-In like they never smashed up a Sonic Drive-In before. Steve goes so far as to offer a “pressed ham slider” (which isn’t even on Sonic’s menu) while thrusting his butt cheeks against a couple’s windshield.

After circling the continental USA, they get confronted by a group of locals in a small town they accidentally conned twice. Forced to perform, the family realizes they learned the show through osmosis and stomp for the crowd like they’ve never stomped before. Amazingly, a Broadway scout is in the audience and the Smith/Fischers make it to NYC in the most roundabout way possible.

Almost a year later, Stan Smith’s Stomp is going strong on Broadway; however, everyone except Stan has become way too immersed in the New York lifestyle. At first, Stan is dismayed by the Woody Allenization (SOA, anyone?) of his kin, but soon finds out they are just as miserable as him—and as miserable as all New Yorkers. So, instead of signing a lifetime extension he sabotages their act by replacing the traditional Stomp brooms with rakes. Once again, the family is run out of town and they head back to Langley Falls for another wacky adventure next week.

Our Take

This episode marked a return to form for the Smiths, and that includes Roger who we got to see do many delightfully irresponsible things. The family dynamic was strong throughout, and the absence of a B-plot added a much-needed urgency to this cyclical journey. The story was split into three distinct acts, each flowing into the next with ease and grace.

Jeff, who works better as a side character, exited the limelight after a few weeks of headlining while Klaus also leaned into a diminished role. These two characters work because of their brevity, not in spite of it. It’s good to see them back in their proper roles and the show was sharper because of it.

There were a lot of funny one-liners and absurd situations that haven’t been as prominent lately. But now American Dad seems to be hitting its stride just in time for the back half of the season. It helped that the characters weren’t stuck in a singular scenario like Jeff and Stan’s imaginary bear hunt, or Stan and Roger’s awkward escalator PTSD. The quick pacing and scene changes throughout this enjoyable twenty-two minutes kept everything feeling fresh and unpredictable.

Stomp was a great nod to the banality of 90s nostalgia without beating the audience over the head with it. The digs at NYC were loud and obvious, but we’re all in good fun and didn’t sound like the rambling of a writer with an ax to grind. Claiming Domino’s Pizza is better than authentic NYC pie is so ridiculous even the staunchest New Yorker would have to laugh. And finally, how about those CostGo leather jackets? Could they be a contender for the American Dad running joke of the year? Nah, that honor will probably go to Steve’s private school spin-off.