Review: American Dad “Cry Baby”

Overview:

The eyes may be the window to the soul, but this is an admission of vulnerability that American Dad’s Stan Smith is reluctant to accept. Stan’s mantra has always been that a loaded gun and a well-cocked fist is enough to break through to someone and learn their inner secrets. This strategy has done Stan well for many years, but when the CIA’s latest operation prioritizes tears over bullets he finds himself out of his depth and in need of a crash course on empathy. 

Steve attempts to open the floodgates to immerse Stan into emotional honesty, but Roger also finds himself preoccupied with a similar form of self-satisfaction. Roger’s unsuccessful air conditioning business is set to engage in an apology tour to win back their illustrious clientele, which is somehow a responsibility that falls onto the shoulders of Jeff instead of Roger.

Our Take:

Many of the characters in American Dad are defined by their differences, but it’s Stan and Steve who often find themselves at odds with each other in the most significant ways. There’s an inherent level of connection and tension that exists between these two due to their roles of father and son, which in the past has fueled dozens of episodes while one of them attempts to have the other reach their level. There are fundamental differences between Stan and Steve that will never disappear, but it’s the ways in which they contrast with each other that allows them to address their shortcomings  and actually grow into better balanced individuals. 

“Cry Baby” emphasizes the rifts that exist between Stan and Steve, but it uses them to push these characters out of their comfort zones so that they can reach a place of understanding. Stan and Steve don’t only learn more about each other, but they also grow closer together from the experience, too. There are no lack of episodes that are all about the analysis and deconstruction of the major tenets that define American Dad’s characters, but “Cry Baby” still manages to say something new. It blossoms into a surprisingly touching Stan and Steve episode that’s also hilarious and out of control.

“Cry Baby” has a lot of fun with the various exercises that Stan undergoes in order to boost his level of empathy. These are all ridiculous and unhelpful to Stan in different ways, but it results in an entertaining montage that quickly establishes the broader nature of Stan’s pursuit. The sheer concept of empathy baffles Stan, like it’s some scientific formula to split an atom or learn how to fly, which in itself is deeply rewarding. Stan’s repeated efforts to improve himself don’t result in any progress, which is when Steve volunteers himself as Stan’s emotional guru through this journey of vulnerability and self-discovery. Steve’s role through all of this helps “Cry Baby” properly develop as it reflects a fluid structure where Stan and Steve get brought closer together, but also pulled further apart. They’re both forced to answer serious questions about themselves. 

Despite how “Cry Baby” is one of the more plot-centric and character-driven episodes of the season, there are also still several opportunities where gleeful chaos gets to contribute to the comedy. The montage through American Dad’s past doctors is an inspired idea and the repeated references to Dick’s romantic life with actual catfish grow funnier every time. The addition of Robert Wuhl as the lead figure at the Best Boy Awards or a subtle reference to how Jackson from the CIA is apparently good friends with Cleveland Brown are equally absurd. However, perhaps the funniest joke from the entire episode involves an intricate wizard poster that Francine utilizes for spying purposes. This is apparently a recurring thing that she does, which makes it even sillier. Francine is just so off base with her “investigation” and spends the episode cluelessly off on her own island even after everything is resolved and the episode reaches its conclusion. Her obliviousness becomes the episode’s final punchline and it really works. It’s a developing visual gag that becomes exponentially funnier every time that I think about it.

“Cry Baby” is another satisfying American Dad episode that’s able to do a lot with a little. The overall quality of this season has been impeccable, but installments like “Cry Baby” help this season go out on top and leave the audience with fond memories for why American Dad still deserves to be appointment television. “Cry Baby” has a wild, enjoyable sense of humor and it’s willing to take risks with its characters, all of which culminates in one of the funnier and more emotionally compelling episodes from the tail-end of this season of American Dad.

And yes, the ending of Cars 2 is devastating. Shed that salt.