After last week's "Hamerican Dad!" turned out to be one of the worst American Dad episodes I've ever reviewed, can AD turn it around this week? Kind of.
I will give "Demolition Daddy" credit that if finds a fresh and interesting character pairing to anchor the main storyline, as Roger lures Snot into the world of demolition racing. This entire plot centers around Snot's father, a character who we've never actually seen before. Roger had a close connection with the man, because of course he did, and tries to get Snot to follow in his father's footsteps. The biggest problem with this entire set-up, and the storyline as a whole, is that we haven't seen Snot's father before, and have no real attachment or understanding of his character. When Mrs. Lonstein or Roger talk about him, it means nothing, though I will at least give credit that it does follow Snot's character for him to do whatever it takes to live up to his father. Roger's character of Mr. Keebler is another fun persona, albeit one that does get a bit grating towards the end. The visual gag of the Red Rammer taken apart and strewn throughout the house is a very good one, though the episode is mostly very confused about Mrs. Lonstein's stance on all this. She goes from completely against Snot following his father to helping Snot retake the Red Rammer from Roger, to the point of just becoming her son's spotter for no apparent reason. I will admit that the episode finds a very satisfying conclusion, as it takes an literal abrupt turn, with Snot letting go of his father's life and accepting his mother as the only parent he needs. It's a touching way to end an entertaining, though flawed, main storyline.
The A-plot this week may have been entertaining and flawed, but the B-plot of "Demolition Daddy" goes all in on the flaws and gains little of the entertainment. Hayley attempts to teach Steve to drive while hauling a large amount of contraband salami, and Hayley's character is incredibly awful. She just spends the episode spouting horrific one liners in a role that might've been fun if it was someone like Roger instead. I will admit that Jeff's agony over potentially having to shot a cop is hilarious, but then trucks start flying into the Sun and I'm just left completely confused. I did appreciate the two plots intersecting at the end, but this was a rare case of an American Dad B-plot that didn't work for me.
5/10
I feel like "Demolition Daddy" it the perfect example of American Dad's focus on visual gags and shock humor over actual plot. The writing the last two weeks has just been abysmal, and I've had to cut back on my reviews because there's so little to talk about. Coherent storytelling has never been American Dad's strong suit, but it just doesn't feel like they're trying these days. I will give credit that the main storyline was incredibly fresh and mostly quite fun, but the B-plot was just so bad that the entire episode leaves a sour taste in my mouth. What a depressing way to end a review.
I will give "Demolition Daddy" credit that if finds a fresh and interesting character pairing to anchor the main storyline, as Roger lures Snot into the world of demolition racing. This entire plot centers around Snot's father, a character who we've never actually seen before. Roger had a close connection with the man, because of course he did, and tries to get Snot to follow in his father's footsteps. The biggest problem with this entire set-up, and the storyline as a whole, is that we haven't seen Snot's father before, and have no real attachment or understanding of his character. When Mrs. Lonstein or Roger talk about him, it means nothing, though I will at least give credit that it does follow Snot's character for him to do whatever it takes to live up to his father. Roger's character of Mr. Keebler is another fun persona, albeit one that does get a bit grating towards the end. The visual gag of the Red Rammer taken apart and strewn throughout the house is a very good one, though the episode is mostly very confused about Mrs. Lonstein's stance on all this. She goes from completely against Snot following his father to helping Snot retake the Red Rammer from Roger, to the point of just becoming her son's spotter for no apparent reason. I will admit that the episode finds a very satisfying conclusion, as it takes an literal abrupt turn, with Snot letting go of his father's life and accepting his mother as the only parent he needs. It's a touching way to end an entertaining, though flawed, main storyline.
The A-plot this week may have been entertaining and flawed, but the B-plot of "Demolition Daddy" goes all in on the flaws and gains little of the entertainment. Hayley attempts to teach Steve to drive while hauling a large amount of contraband salami, and Hayley's character is incredibly awful. She just spends the episode spouting horrific one liners in a role that might've been fun if it was someone like Roger instead. I will admit that Jeff's agony over potentially having to shot a cop is hilarious, but then trucks start flying into the Sun and I'm just left completely confused. I did appreciate the two plots intersecting at the end, but this was a rare case of an American Dad B-plot that didn't work for me.
5/10
I feel like "Demolition Daddy" it the perfect example of American Dad's focus on visual gags and shock humor over actual plot. The writing the last two weeks has just been abysmal, and I've had to cut back on my reviews because there's so little to talk about. Coherent storytelling has never been American Dad's strong suit, but it just doesn't feel like they're trying these days. I will give credit that the main storyline was incredibly fresh and mostly quite fun, but the B-plot was just so bad that the entire episode leaves a sour taste in my mouth. What a depressing way to end a review.
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