In Country...Club
Encyclopedia
"In Country...Club" is the season premiere of the fifth season of American Dad!
. It premiered on September 27, 2009, on Fox
. The episode was watched by 7.12 million viewers.
has been chosen to sing the national anthem at the veteran's fair. However, he sings it with little passion, leading Stan
to believe that the only way he can truly appreciate the national anthem is by experiencing war. Stan signs them both up for a Vietnam War
re-enactment held at a local country club's golf course. Upon enlisting, Steve is immediately put on guard duty but he falls asleep, allowing the Viet Cong to attack their base and capture Stan. Steve goes in on a mission to rescue his father and succeeds. But later, while singing the national anthem at the fair, fireworks are lighted, sending Steve into a "war" flashback
and breaking out a fight between him and other veterans. This causes Steve to be committed to a mental hospital. Later, Steve escapes from the hospital as the doctor questions a limbless man named John Q. Mind (voiced by male pornographic actor Randy Spears
) on how he opened the curtain. He uses his psychic
powers to knock her into the wall as "Mind Quad" goes to commercial. Steve returns to the country club where the re-enactment took place (in a parody of First Blood
). He interrupts the golfing, at which a patron tries convincing him to leave, only for Steve to snap again when he sees a spinning sprinkler, thinking of a helicopter and holes up in the golf cart shed. Stan comes in to apologize for pushing him too far and tells him that he can sing the way he wants to. Unfortunately, Steve sings the anthem in an excited mode while wearing a unitard
; Stan tells a fellow veteran that Steve is his neighbor's son.
Meanwhile, Roger wants to gain the code to the Pay-per-view
channel to see Barbra Streisand
sing the songs of Celine Dion
. However, Stan refuses to give it to him (he agreed when he thought it was $4.99, instead it was $499). So Roger joins the Vietnamese side of the reenactment as Stan's warden, interrogating him while he was captured; he tortures Stan by reading the first draft of the Sex and the City film. When Stan gives him a fake code, Hayley
soon gives him the real code, in exchange for setting free an Ortolan Bunting
, a rare bird, he was planning on cooking and eating. However, he gives her Klaus
dressed as the bird. As Roger watches his show, he eats the bird (which had been cooked by Francine
) and he experiences an acid trip
.
As the credits are rolling, the "Mind Quad" part of the episode returns as a man wearing a black trenchcoat runs into the hospital room. The doctor tells him that John has escaped. The man reveals that John's limbs were not blown off of his body, but into his mind, giving him telekinetic powers. The man vows to catch John as we see John using his psychic powers to ride a motorcycle towards the Pentagon
.
rated this episode 7.2 decent and said "The premise takes a little too long to take shape and kick into gear, but when it does, the laughs come quick. Steve has been chosen to sing the national anthem for a group of veterans, and Stan thinks the best way for him to prepare is to take part in a war reenactment. The twist – the war reenactment is held at a local country club, where deranged war buffs reenact the Vietnam War on a golf course right alongside the grounds crew. This absurd juxtaposition of setting and action leads to some big laughs, like when a group of pretend soldiers have to pause to point an elderly couple in the direction of the club's dining room. The episode also gets a lot of mileage out of its soundtrack, with the theme from Platoon playing over shots of soldiers pretending their golf carts are actually helicopters."
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
. It premiered on September 27, 2009, on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. The episode was watched by 7.12 million viewers.
Plot
SteveSteve Smith (American Dad!)
Steven Anita “Steve” Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. He is Stan and Francine Smith's only son and Hayley's younger brother as well as the youngest of the series' 6 main characters. Steve is voiced by Scott Grimes.According to TVTDB.com, Steve's original...
has been chosen to sing the national anthem at the veteran's fair. However, he sings it with little passion, leading Stan
Stan Smith (American Dad!)
Stan Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency officer. Although once a case officer, he is now a weapons expert. Stan is voiced by the series' creator and executive producer, Seth MacFarlane.-Summary:Stan Smith born 12 February,...
to believe that the only way he can truly appreciate the national anthem is by experiencing war. Stan signs them both up for a Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
re-enactment held at a local country club's golf course. Upon enlisting, Steve is immediately put on guard duty but he falls asleep, allowing the Viet Cong to attack their base and capture Stan. Steve goes in on a mission to rescue his father and succeeds. But later, while singing the national anthem at the fair, fireworks are lighted, sending Steve into a "war" flashback
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
and breaking out a fight between him and other veterans. This causes Steve to be committed to a mental hospital. Later, Steve escapes from the hospital as the doctor questions a limbless man named John Q. Mind (voiced by male pornographic actor Randy Spears
Randy Spears
Randy Spears is a well-known pornographic actor, having appeared in approximately 1000features. Sometimes credited as Greg Ory or Greg Slavin....
) on how he opened the curtain. He uses his psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
powers to knock her into the wall as "Mind Quad" goes to commercial. Steve returns to the country club where the re-enactment took place (in a parody of First Blood
First Blood
First Blood is a 1982 action thriller film directed by Ted Kotcheff. The film stars Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled and misunderstood Vietnam War veteran, with Sheriff Will Teasle as his nemesis and Colonel Samuel Trautman as his former commander and only ally...
). He interrupts the golfing, at which a patron tries convincing him to leave, only for Steve to snap again when he sees a spinning sprinkler, thinking of a helicopter and holes up in the golf cart shed. Stan comes in to apologize for pushing him too far and tells him that he can sing the way he wants to. Unfortunately, Steve sings the anthem in an excited mode while wearing a unitard
Unitard
A unitard is a skin-tight one-piece garment with long legs and sometimes long sleeves. It differs from a leotard in that a leotard does not have long legs. The garment can be considered to be a combination of a leotard and tights...
; Stan tells a fellow veteran that Steve is his neighbor's son.
Meanwhile, Roger wants to gain the code to the Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
channel to see Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
sing the songs of Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
. However, Stan refuses to give it to him (he agreed when he thought it was $4.99, instead it was $499). So Roger joins the Vietnamese side of the reenactment as Stan's warden, interrogating him while he was captured; he tortures Stan by reading the first draft of the Sex and the City film. When Stan gives him a fake code, Hayley
Hayley Smith (American Dad!)
Hayley Dreamsmasher Smith Fischer is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. She is voiced by Rachael MacFarlane, the younger sister of one of the series co-creators, Seth MacFarlane....
soon gives him the real code, in exchange for setting free an Ortolan Bunting
Ortolan Bunting
The Ortolan, or Ortolan Bunting, Emberiza hortulana, is a bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a passerine family now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae...
, a rare bird, he was planning on cooking and eating. However, he gives her Klaus
Klaus (American Dad!)
Klaus Heissler is a fictional character on the television series American Dad!. He is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. Despite possessing the brain of a German man and living in the body of a goldfish, the Smith family keeps him under the guise that he is their pet goldfish.-Production history:Dee...
dressed as the bird. As Roger watches his show, he eats the bird (which had been cooked by Francine
Francine Smith
Francine Smith is a fictional character on the animated television series American Dad!. She is the wife of Stan Smith and the mother of Steve and Hayley. Francine is voiced by Wendy Schaal.-Fictional character biography:...
) and he experiences an acid trip
Psychedelic experience
The term "psychedelic experience" is vague – characterized by polyvalence or ambiguity due to its nature – however in modern psychopharmacological science as well as philosophical, psychological, neurological, spiritual-religious and most other ideological discourses it is understood as an altered...
.
As the credits are rolling, the "Mind Quad" part of the episode returns as a man wearing a black trenchcoat runs into the hospital room. The doctor tells him that John has escaped. The man reveals that John's limbs were not blown off of his body, but into his mind, giving him telekinetic powers. The man vows to catch John as we see John using his psychic powers to ride a motorcycle towards the Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
.
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated this episode 7.2 decent and said "The premise takes a little too long to take shape and kick into gear, but when it does, the laughs come quick. Steve has been chosen to sing the national anthem for a group of veterans, and Stan thinks the best way for him to prepare is to take part in a war reenactment. The twist – the war reenactment is held at a local country club, where deranged war buffs reenact the Vietnam War on a golf course right alongside the grounds crew. This absurd juxtaposition of setting and action leads to some big laughs, like when a group of pretend soldiers have to pause to point an elderly couple in the direction of the club's dining room. The episode also gets a lot of mileage out of its soundtrack, with the theme from Platoon playing over shots of soldiers pretending their golf carts are actually helicopters."