IR TV Review: AMERICAN DAD - EPISODE 9 ("Game Night") [TBS-S17]

The inherent buffoonery of Stan Smith knows no bounds. That is why the slightly differently structured episode "Game Night" brings into perspective an idea of the subconscious inside Stan's head: lost but with instincts that overcome his ignorance. While there are elements of "The Game" but also the undeniable hark to "Labyrinth" with Patrick Stewart's CIA Chief as Bowie, the idea is metaphorical in many ways but inherent in why Stan is the way he is. His family lets him win game night over and over again because he become mean and violent when he doesn't win. But like when he is nursed back to health by Francine in an earlier episode, it is all black and white with Stan, no gray. He therapy leads his family into a huge maze his boss created filled with beasts and puzzles of which he has no clue how to solve. Without giving away the progression of the plot, the different rooms can represent a breakdown of Stan's walls of perception but instead of that, it becomes a creature feeding on itself. The side story with Roger trying to unlock the secrets of making foie grae with his geese friends perfectly mirrors this. "Game Night" as an episode of "American Dad" is a story of gluttony that destroys an empire from inside. Stan ultimately sees somewhat the errors of his ways but it is locked inside his mind. He can't see the writing on the wall even when it is read to him.B

By Tim Wassberg