“American Dad!”, that enduring animated sitcom where the mundane and the outlandish collide with the force of a poorly-timed Roger disguise. In the upcoming episode, “The Violence of the Clams,” airing Monday, December 2nd, it seems the Smith family is once again facing a crisis of, well, let’s just call it questionable importance.
Young Steve, bless his pubescent heart, finds himself ostracized by his social circle, not for some grand moral failing, but for his disdain for a trendy new fast-food establishment. Because nothing screams teenage social suicide quite like having a differing opinion on where to get your grease-laden sustenance. One can only imagine the agonizing cafeteria whispers and pointed stares Steve must endure as he stands firm in his culinary contrarianism. Will he crack under the pressure of peer disapproval and embrace the blandishments of mass-produced burgers, or will he remain a culinary rebel, forever doomed to eat alone?
Meanwhile, on a slightly less critical front, Stan and Francine, paragons of suburban normalcy (ha!), grapple with the moral quandary of… misdelivered mail. Yes, apparently a rogue envelope has found its way into their mailbox, and the Smith parents are faced with the weighty decision of whether to simply ignore it or, God forbid, return it. One can practically hear the gears grinding in Stan’s militarized mind as he weighs the pros and cons of potential mail fraud against the inconvenience of a trip to the post office. One shudders to think of the potential international incidents that could arise from such a seemingly innocuous error.
Another week, another glimpse into the beautifully dysfunctional world of the Smith family. Will Steve succumb to the siren song of processed food conformity? Will Stan and Francine become accidental postal criminals? Tune in to TBS on Monday, December 2nd at 10 PM to find out, because apparently, these are the questions that keep America up at night.
