Apologies for being a day late with this review, I was busy yesterday. Just like last week's "Enter Stanman", American Dad returns to the well of outlandish ideas mixed with mature storytelling this week, and finds success once again.
"No Weddings and a Funeral" is a Klaus episode, which may scare some fans away off the jump. It's fair to say that Klaus has never been the show's most popular character, though he's proven to be capable of a major role if he has another character to play off of. In this case, it's the entire Smith family, who finally go to far in their abuse of the talking fish, prompting Klaus to pack his bags(or wheelbarrow, as it were) and head off on his own. Admittedly, the early scenes of the family making fun of Klaus felt like Family Guy at its worst, but while their barbs were intended as comedy, the episode at least makes it clear that they've finally crossed the line. Suddenly, we're 15 years into the future, Steve is jacked and runs a robotics company, Jeff and Hayley have a whole litter of kids, Roger has "come out" as an alien and Francine and Stan are divorced, with Francine now married to Toshi, a very odd pairing that the show pretty much completely skips over. The family is brought back together by Klaus' recent death, as a nun attempts to hold a funeral in the goldfish's honor. Of course, the nun is actually just Klaus, who apparently now has the ability to transfer consciousness, don't question it. Klaus is here to force the family to come to terms with his death, but no one but him really seems to care. Roger even figures out what happened, but only is invested in what prank Klaus might pull when he reveals that he's still alive. The Smiths throw together an abysmal funeral, complete with Hayley's stirring rendition of "All Star", a sure tear jerker in swamps across the nation.
The final act of the episode goes even more off the rails, as Klaus kidnaps the family and implants them in his body which he can apparently do now, don't question it. Despite all the bells and whistles, the actual storytelling of this episode is fairly simplistic, as the family bonds over abusing Klaus, calling him the "glue" that holds everyone together. It's a very cheap resolution, one that draws incredibly awful comparisons to Family Guy's "Seahorse Seashell Party". Look, I'm not begging for sophisticated, multi-layered stories every week, but I am looking for something a little less cartoonish. American Dad has always been one of the more mature animated shows on television, one that made it's name off messy characters and messier relationships. Something like this just feels way too clean, way too much like a cliche sitcom. Klaus agreeing to be a near literal punching bag feels wrong on every level, and makes the rest of the family feel more like complete a**holes rather than lovable goofs. The episode reaches a very ridiculous conclusion, as the family are brought together to escape the house using Klaus' body, even forced to pleasure Steve's sexbot, which was both hilarious and horrifying in equal measure.
8/10
Look, maybe I was a little harsh on an episode that was otherwise outstanding. "No Weddings and a Funeral" was American Dad's first real foray into a proper time jump, and it was quite good. The aging up of each character in particular was a testament to quality of animation the show always possess, and the banter and dynamic between the likes of Stan and Francine and Hayley and Steve felt fresh and organic. But I can't overlook the Family Guy-esque trope of having the Smiths bond over abusing Klaus, who surely will just be a normal member of the family by the time next week rolls around. If anything, this episode was a perfect example of everything right and wrong with American Dad during what has been a tumultuous season.
"No Weddings and a Funeral" is a Klaus episode, which may scare some fans away off the jump. It's fair to say that Klaus has never been the show's most popular character, though he's proven to be capable of a major role if he has another character to play off of. In this case, it's the entire Smith family, who finally go to far in their abuse of the talking fish, prompting Klaus to pack his bags(or wheelbarrow, as it were) and head off on his own. Admittedly, the early scenes of the family making fun of Klaus felt like Family Guy at its worst, but while their barbs were intended as comedy, the episode at least makes it clear that they've finally crossed the line. Suddenly, we're 15 years into the future, Steve is jacked and runs a robotics company, Jeff and Hayley have a whole litter of kids, Roger has "come out" as an alien and Francine and Stan are divorced, with Francine now married to Toshi, a very odd pairing that the show pretty much completely skips over. The family is brought back together by Klaus' recent death, as a nun attempts to hold a funeral in the goldfish's honor. Of course, the nun is actually just Klaus, who apparently now has the ability to transfer consciousness, don't question it. Klaus is here to force the family to come to terms with his death, but no one but him really seems to care. Roger even figures out what happened, but only is invested in what prank Klaus might pull when he reveals that he's still alive. The Smiths throw together an abysmal funeral, complete with Hayley's stirring rendition of "All Star", a sure tear jerker in swamps across the nation.
The final act of the episode goes even more off the rails, as Klaus kidnaps the family and implants them in his body which he can apparently do now, don't question it. Despite all the bells and whistles, the actual storytelling of this episode is fairly simplistic, as the family bonds over abusing Klaus, calling him the "glue" that holds everyone together. It's a very cheap resolution, one that draws incredibly awful comparisons to Family Guy's "Seahorse Seashell Party". Look, I'm not begging for sophisticated, multi-layered stories every week, but I am looking for something a little less cartoonish. American Dad has always been one of the more mature animated shows on television, one that made it's name off messy characters and messier relationships. Something like this just feels way too clean, way too much like a cliche sitcom. Klaus agreeing to be a near literal punching bag feels wrong on every level, and makes the rest of the family feel more like complete a**holes rather than lovable goofs. The episode reaches a very ridiculous conclusion, as the family are brought together to escape the house using Klaus' body, even forced to pleasure Steve's sexbot, which was both hilarious and horrifying in equal measure.
8/10
Look, maybe I was a little harsh on an episode that was otherwise outstanding. "No Weddings and a Funeral" was American Dad's first real foray into a proper time jump, and it was quite good. The aging up of each character in particular was a testament to quality of animation the show always possess, and the banter and dynamic between the likes of Stan and Francine and Hayley and Steve felt fresh and organic. But I can't overlook the Family Guy-esque trope of having the Smiths bond over abusing Klaus, who surely will just be a normal member of the family by the time next week rolls around. If anything, this episode was a perfect example of everything right and wrong with American Dad during what has been a tumultuous season.
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