Review: American Dad “Echoes”

Overview:

Steve’s apprehension about his upcoming work study program becomes a microcosm for his fears about stepping out of his family’s shadow and becoming an individual. Steve’s earnest quest for work fulfillment and an identity at Channel 3 news puts him on a collision course with a world-ending conspiracy. Steve is confronted with exceptional power and it becomes unclear if he’ll be able to ignore its call or succumb to its temptations. 

While Steve stares into the abyss, Roger contemplates if his whip-cracking persona, Walt Whipman, can make the comeback that his flailing career apparently deserves. 

Our Take:

Any long-running animated family comedy like American Dad, The Simpsons, or Bob’s Burgers faces a reasonable problem when a potential series finale is under discussion. Audiences are conditioned to “big” series finale that feel revelatory, but that can frequently be antithetical to a series that’s largely about the everyday events of an American family. American Dad is slightly irregular in this sense since it’s a show with an alien and any series finale could feature Roger’s return to outer space as a likely conclusion. It’s therefore fascinating to see that “Echoes,” which was originally designed to be American Dad’s series finale before additional seasons were secured, focuses on Steve’s eventual exodus from his family. 

Steve aging out of his family brings American Dad full-circle since the series’ pilot is heavily focused on Stan instilling a vital life lesson in his son. “Echoes” ostensibly has Steve take that life lesson, and the 300+ that have followed, and use it to grow into his best self and possibly fly the coop that’s kept him grounded his entire life. It’s not the first direction that one might think for an American Dad series finale, but “Echoes” makes for a thoughtful conclusion that represents everything that’s great about this ridiculous show.

There’s an unnerving vibe that courses throughout “Echoes,” but the episode begins in ordinary territory as Steve stresses at his work study program at the local news. Steve’s initial concerns are that he won’t get an A and figure out what he wants out of a career, but he stumbles upon a much grander conspiracy theory that could unravel the existence of all things. There’s a very Welcome to Nightvale quality to “Echoes” as Steve begins to harness the greater power of the Doppler radar and forms a crippling addiction to its futuristic visions.

The final turn that the episode takes is so smart and indicative of the subversive ideas that have fueled American Dad for so long. It’s an ending that concludes on a positive note, but also finds a way to have its apocalyptic cake and eat it, too. Initially, “Echoes” feels like an episode that would benefit from a Sliding Doors structure where it chronicles Steve’s branching paths at both Channel 3 and Buckle’s clinic. However, the final minutes of “Echoes” that touch upon this idea work far better than any bifurcated episode ever could. It’s the perfect way to conclude all of this–on the cusp of Armageddon–and Jeff Kauffmann’s script reaches a sublime resolution of the episode’s themes.

As Francine flippantly yet poignantly says during barbecue chicken night, “No one knows what the future holds.” If this had functioned as American Dad’s series finale and triumphant swan song then this legacy of nearly two-decades would have ended on a properly satisfying note. Thankfully, “Echoes” isn’t the end of American Dad and there are more absurdist adventures to come. “Echoes,” and this season as a whole, are testaments to the high level of quality that the series continues to turn out and that another season of American Dad isn’t just logistical in a financial sense, but it’s also creatively justified. There’s still plenty of gas left in this spaceship’s tank. No one knows what the future holds for American Dad, but what’s most important is that it still has a future. 

Thank God for Buckle’s urology clinic.