Review: American Dad “The Last Ride of the Dodge City Rambler”

Overview(Spoilers Below):

Stan and the rest of the Smith family celebrate the final voyage of a legendary locomotive by getting tickets and embracing a simpler time, but not everyone in the family is particularly excited about the expedition. Stan’s complaints have more to do with their destination than the train itself, but he soon has to swallow his pride and push forward when he learns that the train is under attack and that none of them may make it off the steam engine alive.

While Stan tries to keep the peace and foil the plans of this dangerous group of outlaws, Hayley and Steve focus their efforts on a strange fellow train passenger that they’re positive is hiding a major secret regarding his true identity.

Our Take:

American Dad is a well-defined show that knows what it is, where it excels, and what its weaknesses are, which has led to some very entertaining stories over the years. American Dad has never been the most grounded animated series, but there are particular occasions where it skews even further towards narratives that are removed from reality or take place in some bizarro alternate timeline. “The Last Ride of the Dodge City Rambler” decks the Smith family out in old-fashioned clothes as they get ready to board an antique train and for a moment it seems like this could be an episode akin to “From West to Mexico.” American Dad has done follow-ups to their other spoof episodes, like the James Bond parody, “Tearjerker,” and as much fun as another send-up of the Western genre would be a lot of fun, “The Last Ride of the Dodge City Rambler” is better off for the fact that it keeps this anachronistic story set in reality.

A lot of the action in this episode comes from Stan’s conflict with Francine or his efforts to defeat the McGillicutty gang, but there’s an entertaining runner that flirts with the idea that Steve is on the spectrum. It starts off as a throwaway joke, but it turns into a satisfying well of humor that the episode periodically draws from. It’s also a detail that feels appropriate for Steve and while I’m sure it won’t come up again, it could be interesting to continue to view Steve’s neurotic behavior through this lens.

“The Last Ride of the Dodge City Rambler” is an unusual episode of American Dad that often feels like it skirts the line with existing in an alternate universe, which is something that wouldn’t have been impossible since the series has indulged in genre pastiches in the past to great effect. This episode has everyone dress up, embraces the past, and even features a storyline that’d be more appropriate in a western or old timey adventure serial. The fact that “The Last Ride of the Dodge City Rambler” pays respect to those influences is a smart decision, even if it nearly gets too weird for its own good at times.

This is still a strong story that’s driven forward by both Stan’s ignorance as well as his love for his family. It aims for a more grandiose feeling to help carry the epic train robbery story that it tells and it succeeds in that respect. It’s not a perfect episode and at times the story gets too thin, but the resolution is clever and is actually earned, which is something that can often be neglected in American Dad. Any episode where marbles can result in a fiery inferno is doing something right.

Also, for those keeping track, that’s two times in a month where marbles have saved the day between this and YOLO: Crystal Fantasy. Buy stocks in marbles. This is their time.