American Dad Season 8 Episode 8 Recap

Tonight’s episode of American Dad, is entitled “Finger Lenting Good,” begins with Steve wailing away, in tears due to the news that their longtime mailman is retiring. Stan yells at him for crying all the time, which gives Francine an idea. Since the family did not follow through with their New Year’s resolutions, Francine attempts to encourage them all to give up their own vices after Roger’s Mardi Gras party. Steve’s vice is crying, Stan’s is yelling, Jeff’s vice is hugging everyone, Francine’s is smoking and Haley’s is junk food.

Francine makes the family a deal: they can get drunk at Roger’s party in exchange for giving up their vices. The family agrees, but come to regret it the next morning when Stan’s boss, Bullock, reveals that the entire family agreed to let him cut off the thumb of the first person who gives in to temptation.

The episode is mostly spent with everyone trying to get everyone else to give in and let Bullock cut off a finger. First, Stan asks Steve to just sacrifice his finger for Dear Old Dad, but to no avail. The two then join forces in an effort to break Jeff, the weak one, by trying to get him to hug them. This doesn’t work either, as the hug is interrupted by Haley. Haley, Stan and Jeff, in one of American Dad’s funniest moments of the season so far, join forces and begin singing Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares To You” in an attempt to crack Steve; as Steve chimes in yelling for them to stop in his typical whiney/cracking voice.

 

When Steve doesn’t crack, Haley, Stan, Steve and Jeff all gang up on Francine to get her to smoke. In their valiant effort, the family creates an elaborate scheme in which Francine comes home only to find them all brutally murdered. After speaking to the cop, Francine lights up a cigarette and they all reveal that it was a hoax to get her smoke. Bullock then attempts to ceremoniously chop off Francine’s finger, but Stan sacrifices his own finger to save hers.

Meanwhile, Roger’s story of the night delves into the very strange. In a Mardi Gras/Cinderella/American Dad mash-up, after Roger’s party, he takes himself and Klaus on a journey to uncover the identity of the woman he fell in love with at the party (with only a stripper’s tassle to guide them). This journey brings them to an ancient know-all stripper and a truly disturbing animated scene (an old stripper giving an old man a lap dance). Roger and Klaus’ journey then brings them to a fairy tale-esque cottage, where we hilariously learn that Roger was actually chasing a cow, not a human female.

Tonight’s episode is a textbook example of why American Dad continues to shine through the use of over the top, general silliness. Instead of aiming to offend with jokes like it’s dirty little cousin, Family Guy, American Dad straddles the line between offensive and poking fun at just the right spot. Tonight’s episode receives an 8.5 out of 10 from us here at Den Of Geek.

What are your thoughts on tonight’s episode?

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