Review: American Dad “Crystal Clear”

Overview:

Appearances are everything, but they mean even more to someone with an incredibly delicate ego, like Stan Smith. Stan is often able to assert his dominance through the perks that are provided through his work at the CIA, but he finds himself out of his element in a whole new manner when he’s left in a stupor over the sense of style and elegance that emanates from the Yoshida residence. Stan begins to apply a ton of weight to the opinion of Hidecki Yoshida, Toshi’s father, and becomes determined to gain his approval and come across as a fraction as put together. The path that Stan heads down to curry favor with Hidecki begins in a questionable place and only gets worse as Stan leans on Roger for help through his cool crusade.

Stan and Roger are consumed with crystals, but Klaus and Roger have diamonds on the mind when a boys’ night bachelor party weekend does not go as planned for anyone involved.

Our Take:

American Dad has introduced a wide range of characters over the years and one of the series’ luxuries is that there are so many individuals that can be turned to depending on whatever the nature of the story at hand necessitates. In this sense, Hideki Yoshida, Toshi’s father, is a character who’s occasionally gotten some attention in American Dad’s past, but is hardly at the level of a Tuttle, Principal Lewis, or even a Buckle. In theory it’s exciting to have American Dad expand more of its neglected characters and see what comes of it, which makes “Crystal Clear” a worthwhile opportunity. Unfortunately, despite the potential of what’s possible in this installment it amounts to one of the more unessential episodes of the season.

”Crystal Clear” struggles when it comes to its story and plotting, but some of the episode’s funniest moments are the random gags that are allowed to occur along the fringes. The initial use of Kool & the Gang’s “Jungle Boogie” over Steve’s casual Sunday stroll pride is funny and disarming, but the episode’s repeated use of this musical cue for mundane purposes elevates the humorous moment into something special. The same sort of bizarre, chaotic comedy is present with Roger’s “broken” printer or when he elongates his neck to a severe degree for an innocent “prank.” There are laughs in “Crystal Clear,” but it’s just a shame that they’re so disconnected from what’s actually important to the episode. Another bright spot through all of this is that “Crystal Clear” has a lot of fun with the complex interior design of the Smith’s house after Stan goes into luxury mode. None of this is explicitly funny, but it’s impressive just how much detail is put into the house’s makeover for this episode.

“Crystal Clear” never stops moving, but it’s an episode that feels like not a whole lot actually happens, especially when it comes to Stan’s plot, for the majority of the episode. This isn’t always a negative for American Dad, but it’s surprising in an episode that concludes with Steve’s legs getting smashed to pieces. It’s strange that Klaus and Jeff’s B-story has more motivation and drive through most of “Crystal Clear” even though we’re supposed to feel less connected to it. 

“Crystal Clear” is still a funny episode of the series, but it’s just an entry that ends up feeling inconsequential on nearly every front. Admittedly, American Dad isn’t a high-minded comedy that always needs to say something prolific, but it typically manages to accomplish a surprising amount through its trademark brand of comedy. There are individual pieces of “Crystal Clear” that work and it never turns into an unenjoyable endeavor, but it remains an episode that’s refracted into many shards that never fully come together to form an object of beauty. 

Peace, Love, and Titties, y’all.