Review: American Dad “Between A Ring And A Hardass”

Overview:

The Smith family are put under the microscope when a foreboding visit from Social Services over Steve’s well-being pushes everyone into panic mode. The news that a particularly callous Social Services agent is due to make a visit pushes everyone to orchestrate an elaborate ruse that will hopefully prove that the Smith household is the perfect place for Steve. As this intricate plan begins to fall apart, Steve’s future with his family is left hanging in the balance.

Our Take:

After two decades of content, American Dad has unquestionably earned a place in animated sitcom history. The animated comedy has been around long enough to witness many changes across the medium of television and it’s always a lot of fun when American Dad indulges in classic sitcom archetypes, albeit with a modern, subversive twist. What’s so incredible about “Between a Ring and a Hardass” is that it’s a big dinner party episode–the type of story that one would regularly see on Frasier or Three’s Company. A simple dinner must go off without a hitch, which of course means that anything and everything will go wrong when the pressure is on. It’s a structure that American Dad has turned to during its earliest seasons when the comedy was still finding its voice, most blatantly with “Bush Comes to Dinner.” However, “Between a Ring and a Hardass” operates like a season one story, but with two decades’ worth of hindsight and character development so that such a simple premise gets elevated to comedic gold. This American Dad episode absolutely nails the humor and structural elements, but it also reinforces the genuinely sweet message that the Smiths will always be there for each other, despite their unconventional ways.

“Between a Ring and a Hardass” is an incredibly economical episode that doesn’t waste any time. There’s rocket-speed pacing throughout the entire entry and the stage gets set for Jack Hardass’ social services visit by the end of the cold open. Furthermore, there’s no B-story to cut away to through any of this and the entire episode is devoted to this dinner party from hell. This can be a death knell in certain American Dad episodes, but it becomes one of this entry’s strengths. The luxury of cutting away from Jack Hardass’ visit defeats the purpose of this extended exercise in tension. This is an episode that’s supposed to feel increasingly stressful and “Between a Ring and a Hardass” absolutely accomplishes this goal. This isn’t quite a bottle episode, but ⅔ of “Between a Ring and a Hardass” is stuck at this dinner party with no relief. This is all so much more enjoyable than if this episode were to send Steve to another family or become some slap-dash lesson in appreciation and how “the grass is always greener…” None of that is necessary and ”Between a Ring and a Hardass” even explicitly mocks such a pat resolution, which hits even harder since the previous installment succumbed to these exact, lazy pitfalls.

“Between a Ring and a Hardass” doesn’t struggle with its broader plotting, but it also triumphs when it comes to simple, innocuous character touches, like Jeff’s mispronunciation of “Disney”, Roger’s Encanto-esque antics, or Rogu’s song-and-dance routine. There’s also a bevy of Lord of the Rings gags that should satisfy all the Tolkien heads out there more than a Rings of Power episode. Every single line that comes out of Stan as he attempts to cover for a dozen simultaneous fires is exceptional, but everyone’s dialogue shines here. It’s particularly impressive that “Between a Ring and a Hardass” is only Kevin Tyler’s second script for American Dad after last season’s “American Dad Graffito.” There’s an effortlessness and awareness of classic sitcom tropes that makes this instalment feel like it’s from one of the series’ veterans. There’s even a sly callback to Steve’s previous foray with social services in “Tapped Out” that builds upon this previous scenario rather than simply repeating itself. I look forward to the next episode that Tyler eventually pens.

“Between a Ring and a Hardass” is an all-time classic American Dad episode and easily one of the strongest installments of this season. This is a smart entry that celebrates the entire Smith family, but also the very genre of sitcoms and the conveniently contrived situations that have kept American Dad running for over 360 episodes. It’s a gambit that absolutely pays off, focuses on the fundamentals, and is a testament to the series’ characters and how they’re so often lightning rods for chaos, especially when they’re working together and conducting greater electricity. Episodes like “Between a Ring and a Hardass” can’t be done too often, but American Dad would be wise to emulate this formula as a recurring trope in the show’s future. It’s the perfect way to get every character at their best while they fight for something incredibly important in the stupidest way possible.