IR TV Review: AMERICAN DAD - EPISODE 1 ("100 Years A Solid Fool") [TBS-S17]

Progressing into a new season is always the idea of where the themes begin and the homages parallel. With the first episode o Season 17 of "American Dad" entitled "100 Years A Solid Fool", the ode to "Miami Vice" (which "Archer " did in years past) really accelerates the fun. Roger The Alien has been on mission rather subversively (much like Stewie with Lois in "Family Guy") to shame Stan, his benefactor, in whatever way possible. "Fool Day" is quite awesome in the fact that it is a completely long con starting with Roger infiltrating Stan and his CIA buddies during their cocaine fueled adventures in the 80s in Miami and then Colombia. The reveal and the pay of it just hits the right pitch. Despite what Roger puts Stan through it never feels vengeful or with malice. It is more like he is just toying with him to show us in a meta way the failings of his hubris. Stan is a character who thinks himself a great intelligence officer but by and far the most clueless of all. This is, of course, by design. The progression of people recognizing Stan in Little Colombia outside Langley as "The Fool" is awesome but the return to Colombia is just as prevalent. Stan has become that cautionary tale that they look to to make their own lives better which is oddly ironic in present time. The efficiency of story with gags in this episode especially with these little threads moving (told mostly as a recollection in Stan' own words) is subversive enough to rank as borderline brilliant.A-

By Tim Wassberg