One Little Word (American Dad!)
Encyclopedia
"One Little Word" is the third episode of the fourth season of American Dad!
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 aired on Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...

 in the United States on October 19, 2008. The episode plot mainly revolves around Stan not being able to say NO as he tries to become and stay Bullock's "Number One".

Plot

Stan wishes to become Bullock's "Number One" and see the Executive Lounge. His opportunity arrives when Bullocks demotes his previous Number One, Jackson, for not agreeing to buy opera tickets and instead had to get some family members to the hospital. However, Bullock needs him on an extremely important mission and leaves his adopted son, Avery Junior (shortened to AJ), in the care of Francine. Stan soon learns that Bullock is looking for an overweight Asian woman that accepts his age. Unfortunately, any woman he finds runs at the sight of AJ. Even after a long time of searching (in a large variety of places), they are unsuccessful and Francine gets fed up caring for AJ, as Roger gets jealous of him and begins behaving like a four-year old (four and a half, as he puts it) and takes his anger out on Steve and the house.

Stan leads a team to retrieve Bullock's wife, Miriam, who was being held captive by terrorists in Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....

 and remained there as Bullock does not negotiate with terrorists. Unfortunately, when he brings her back, he informs Bullock that she has been brainwashed into thinking she is an anti-American terrorist and Bullock refuses to see her. Worse, she kidnaps AJ and claims she went to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

, but is really up in the attic. Stan and Francine inform her that AJ is her adopted son, snapping her to normal. Unfortunately, just after Miriam returns to her Western beliefs, Bullock reveals had just got his new mistress Coco, an obese, chain-smoking Asian woman, and does not want Miriam finding out. To remedy the problem, Bullock has Coco hide in the Smiths' home. Francine gets roped into the annoying ordeal and when her romantic Valentine's Day getaway is threatened, she lays down the law for Stan to say "no" to his boss.

Though Stan claims he refused Bullock, he secretly hides Coco in the cabin across Fraser Lake from his, caving into her every demand (from cigarette packs to DVD films featuring Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry is Canadian-American television and film actor.Matthew Perry or Matt Perry may also refer to:*Matthew C. Perry , American naval officer who forcibly opened Japan to trade with the West...

, requesting a good film) without Francine's knowledge under the pretense of collecting firewood. Meanwhile, Roger, having grown attached to AJ, kidnaps him and shows him his crystal spider collection; unfortunately, when Roger shows AJ his favorite one, the infant breaks off a leg. Enraged, Roger attempts to plunge AJ into Fraser Lake in a car, but Stan manages to stop him in time. To save the day (while revealing that, for once, he had quietly paid attention during the episode), Roger calls Bullock as AJ's kidnapper, directing him to Coco's cabin to where AJ is. However, Stan's preoccupiedness results in Francine feeling neglected. She follows Stan to the other cabin, where they find Coco and AJ, just as the Bullocks arrive. Coco reveals to Miriam that she is Avery's mistress and, due to boredom, leaves. Miriam, angry at her husband's betrayal (and even more so after she learned that Coco arrived after she did), does a mock of his proposal, having him get on his knees by shooting him in the right knee, and takes AJ. When Bullock pleads to be taken to a hospital, Stan finally decides to say no at the worst possible time for Bullock, over Francine's protesting and kisses her. Bullock replaces Stan with Dick as his new Number One, who had been across the lake, molesting an unconscious Roger.

Cultural references

  • The position of "Number One" is Patrick Stewart
    Patrick Stewart
    Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...

     (voice of Avery Bullock) providing a reference to his role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation
    Star Trek: The Next Generation
    Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...

    , where Picard often referred to his first officer William T. Riker as "Number One". In addition, a fish tank can be seen in Bullock's home that is similar to the one that was in Picard's ready room.
  • This episode is a semi-sequel to "Four Little Words", which introduced Avery Jr.. Both episodes were written by David Zuckerman
    David Zuckerman
    David Zuckerman is a farmer and a Progressive member of the Vermont House of Representatives, representing Chittenden-3-4 district. He grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts where he attended Brookline High School.-Career:...

    .
  • This is the first time that both American Dad and Family Guy
    Family Guy
    Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...

    have made the same reference on the same air date. This and the episode Road to Germany
    Road to Germany
    "Road to Germany" is the third episode of the seventh season of Family Guy. It originally aired on October 19, 2008, on Fox. It is Brian and Stewie's fourth road adventure, following "Road to Rhode Island", "Road to Europe", "Road to Rupert", and is succeeded by "Road to the Multiverse". The...

     both reference Scarlett Johansson
    Scarlett Johansson
    Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...

    .
  • Roger is part of a "Glass Spider of the Month" club, but has a daddy longleg as his favorite. A daddy longleg however is not a spider, but a harvestman, which is different.
  • A Furry convention is seen in this episode, as one of the many places where Stan accompanies Bullock to in order to discuss his ordeal; others include a goth nightclub and a frat house with a game of spin the bottle. Strangely enough, one of the attendees of the furry convention (revealed to be Dick at the end of the episode) is dressed as a car, and molests other attendees under the pretense of making them "road kill".

Reception

Steve Heisler from The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...

rated this episode Grade B, saying: "There was a not-too-bad episode of American Dad to end the evening–and in the spirit of season firsts, the first Stan-centric one. Throughout his career, Stan's wanted nothing more than to be his boss's Number One (a position that affords plenty of meals in the executive lunchroom, among other things). He finally gets his shot, but with it comes a number of unexpected responsibilities: getting his boss laid, taking care of the man's son, rescuing a captured wife from Fallujah, entertaining the plump Asian mistress (every guy's got a type…), etc. This infringes on his long-standing plans with Francine to spend a romantic Valentine's Day together, and exposes Stan as a guy who just can't say no to his boss. But he finally does, even when the man requires medical attention. The Stan-Francine storyline played out nicely, and opened the door for a few funny bits about furries and a great line from Klaus (upon seeing Koko topless: "…and just like that, I'm gay"). But Roger demanding attention when the family turns away? More whiny distraction than anything, and we already saw this behavior two episodes ago when everyone forgets his birthday. And acting like a four year old ("Four and a half")? That's Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...

's bag.
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