Questionable title aside, it is really, really great to have American Dad back. The show has been on hiatus since early May, and I've missed it. So let's dive into AD's first episode of 2019.
"One-Woman Swole" feels like a three act episode, and the overall pacing gets more than a little wonky. A lot of the jokes in the early part of this episode just didn't work for me, from Stan darting a gym employee to avoiding paying for a membership to later waiting for an embroidered jacket. It's all way to random, with jokes coming a mile a minute, and nothing has time to really stick. The show takes about ten minutes to set up the main plot, that Francine's a quitter and her family makes fun of her for it, something that could've been explained in about three. From here, the episode improves as it finally finds its feet, and Francine dives fully into bodybuilding to prove her family wrong.
If you've watched this show for any significant portion of time, you've seen a lot of Stan and Francine plots. The couple is the main story of at least half of all episodes, and with so much history in the past, it would take a lot for this episode to stand out. Thankfully, American Dad's wacky animation never disappoints, as the two are quickly absolutely ripped and donning stupid but glorious fake tans. Stan and Roger seek to sabotage Francine's new lifestyle, leading to big pose-off and a brain aneurysm. Words don't really do the visuals of this episode justice, it has to be seen to be believed. In the final act, we see Francine in a coma, performing her one woman show mentioned earlier in the episode. She and Stan work things out, as he realizes he needs to accept her constant lifestyle changes. There's nothing truly groundbreaking in their interactions, which is why I've mostly skipped past them in my review. As I said before, most of this is just new wrinkles on an old formula, but it's worth watching from the disturbingly grotesque and captivating animation only this show can provide.
In the B-plot, Klaus attempts to set the record straight after a documentary refutes his claim to inventing the high five. This feels more like a Roger en devour than a Klaus one, but it's still fun nonetheless. His interactions with the supposed inventor of the high five, Dusty Baker, are hilarious, as Dusty attempts to completely steal the identity of a goldfish. A particular highlight is Dusty's mansion, with all the architecture resembling a high five, though Dusty attempting to become a fish is also stupidly ridiculous.
7/10
While the first third dragged, "One-Woman Swole" is a very solid return for American Dad, complete with the visual gags one comes to expect from this show. It's an easily skippable episode, with nothing revolutionary to offer, but a pretty easy watch, and I enjoyed it a lot. Welcome back, American Dad, television just isn't the same without you.
"One-Woman Swole" feels like a three act episode, and the overall pacing gets more than a little wonky. A lot of the jokes in the early part of this episode just didn't work for me, from Stan darting a gym employee to avoiding paying for a membership to later waiting for an embroidered jacket. It's all way to random, with jokes coming a mile a minute, and nothing has time to really stick. The show takes about ten minutes to set up the main plot, that Francine's a quitter and her family makes fun of her for it, something that could've been explained in about three. From here, the episode improves as it finally finds its feet, and Francine dives fully into bodybuilding to prove her family wrong.
If you've watched this show for any significant portion of time, you've seen a lot of Stan and Francine plots. The couple is the main story of at least half of all episodes, and with so much history in the past, it would take a lot for this episode to stand out. Thankfully, American Dad's wacky animation never disappoints, as the two are quickly absolutely ripped and donning stupid but glorious fake tans. Stan and Roger seek to sabotage Francine's new lifestyle, leading to big pose-off and a brain aneurysm. Words don't really do the visuals of this episode justice, it has to be seen to be believed. In the final act, we see Francine in a coma, performing her one woman show mentioned earlier in the episode. She and Stan work things out, as he realizes he needs to accept her constant lifestyle changes. There's nothing truly groundbreaking in their interactions, which is why I've mostly skipped past them in my review. As I said before, most of this is just new wrinkles on an old formula, but it's worth watching from the disturbingly grotesque and captivating animation only this show can provide.
In the B-plot, Klaus attempts to set the record straight after a documentary refutes his claim to inventing the high five. This feels more like a Roger en devour than a Klaus one, but it's still fun nonetheless. His interactions with the supposed inventor of the high five, Dusty Baker, are hilarious, as Dusty attempts to completely steal the identity of a goldfish. A particular highlight is Dusty's mansion, with all the architecture resembling a high five, though Dusty attempting to become a fish is also stupidly ridiculous.
7/10
While the first third dragged, "One-Woman Swole" is a very solid return for American Dad, complete with the visual gags one comes to expect from this show. It's an easily skippable episode, with nothing revolutionary to offer, but a pretty easy watch, and I enjoyed it a lot. Welcome back, American Dad, television just isn't the same without you.
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