The American Dad After School Special
Encyclopedia
"The American Dad After School Special" is the second episode of the second season of the animated series American Dad!
, which aired on September 17, 2006 on FOX
. It aired on September 22, 2006 in the U.l. and had 7.71 million viewers, making it 1st in its timeslot and 31st for the week.
, while attempting to escape from gym class, finds a hideout used by a gothic
, overweight
girl named Debbie whom he finds fascinating, and develops a crush on. When Steve tells Stan
the latter, he is delighted, and helps Steve to build up the courage to ask her out by using a collar that will kill him within twenty-four hours if he does not. However, Stan messes up the device to kill him in twenty-four minutes. Eventually, Steve asks her out, but when Stan sees Debbie for the first time, he is appalled by the fact that she is fat. Francine
and Hayley berate him for this, pointing out that he himself is somewhat overweight (though his suit hides it). When Stan realizes they are right, he goes on a crazy exercise program, and gains an unhealthy obsession with his weight. He even gets a verbally abusive personal trainer named Zack.
Steve dates Debbie, not realizing that Roger
is in love with her and is watching them when the two are kissing. Meanwhile, Stan is surprised that the more he exercises and the less he eats, the fatter and fatter he gets, and suspects that Francine and Hayley are tampering with his vegetables to make him fatter; which turns out to be true. He eventually is suspended from the CIA for his "weight problem" when he passes out during a physical after only taking four steps. What he does not realize about his "weight problem" is that he is actually become horrendously thin---his anorexia
has developed to the point he sees himself as getting fatter and fatter, though he has actually become a walking skeleton, as well as hallucinating Zack. (Francine and Hayley's tampering with his food was an unsuccessful attempt to help him gain weight and prevent his condition.)
The Smith family forces Stan into an anorexia support group
(where he is mistaken for an anorexic teenage girl), and while he seems to be eating more, he has actually learned from Veronica, a girl in the group how to fake eating without actually doing it; and Steve, for his part in helping his father, dumps Debbie, feeling she is the source of Stan's problem. Stan then tries to set Steve up with the anorexic girl, Veronica, he has befriended; and, coincidentally, Roger tricks Debbie to meeting him at the same restaurant at the same time (luring her there by pretending to be part of an Anne Rice
fan club
), but Debbie does not buy it. When Francine and Hayley bust into the restaurant to confront Stan, having found out that Stan is cheating on his diet, Steve becomes very upset, saying that he dumped Debbie, the "best thing that ever happened to [him]", for him. She hears this and they get back together, as Stan overcomes his anorexia, with Zack fading into oblivion as Stan takes a bite of food.
.
This episode was nominated for the 2007 Annie Award for Best Writing in an Animated Television Production.
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...
, which aired on September 17, 2006 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...
. It aired on September 22, 2006 in the U.l. and had 7.71 million viewers, making it 1st in its timeslot and 31st for the week.
Plot
In this episode, 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...
, while attempting to escape from gym class, finds a hideout used by a gothic
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
, overweight
Overweight
Overweight is generally defined as having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is a common condition, especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary...
girl named Debbie whom he finds fascinating, and develops a crush on. When Steve tells Stan
Stan Smith
Stanley Roger "Stan" Smith is a former American tennis player and two time Grand Slam singles champion who also, with his partner Bob Lutz, formed one of the most successful doubles teams of all time. Together, they won many major titles all over the world...
the latter, he is delighted, and helps Steve to build up the courage to ask her out by using a collar that will kill him within twenty-four hours if he does not. However, Stan messes up the device to kill him in twenty-four minutes. Eventually, Steve asks her out, but when Stan sees Debbie for the first time, he is appalled by the fact that she is fat. 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 Hayley berate him for this, pointing out that he himself is somewhat overweight (though his suit hides it). When Stan realizes they are right, he goes on a crazy exercise program, and gains an unhealthy obsession with his weight. He even gets a verbally abusive personal trainer named Zack.
Steve dates Debbie, not realizing that Roger
Roger the Alien
Roger Smith, is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. He is a space alien, reminiscent of the Roswell greys, but with the body that resembles E.T., and lives with the Smith family. Roger is sarcastic, amoral, self-centered, and hedonistic...
is in love with her and is watching them when the two are kissing. Meanwhile, Stan is surprised that the more he exercises and the less he eats, the fatter and fatter he gets, and suspects that Francine and Hayley are tampering with his vegetables to make him fatter; which turns out to be true. He eventually is suspended from the CIA for his "weight problem" when he passes out during a physical after only taking four steps. What he does not realize about his "weight problem" is that he is actually become horrendously thin---his anorexia
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
has developed to the point he sees himself as getting fatter and fatter, though he has actually become a walking skeleton, as well as hallucinating Zack. (Francine and Hayley's tampering with his food was an unsuccessful attempt to help him gain weight and prevent his condition.)
The Smith family forces Stan into an anorexia support group
Support group
In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic...
(where he is mistaken for an anorexic teenage girl), and while he seems to be eating more, he has actually learned from Veronica, a girl in the group how to fake eating without actually doing it; and Steve, for his part in helping his father, dumps Debbie, feeling she is the source of Stan's problem. Stan then tries to set Steve up with the anorexic girl, Veronica, he has befriended; and, coincidentally, Roger tricks Debbie to meeting him at the same restaurant at the same time (luring her there by pretending to be part of an Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...
), but Debbie does not buy it. When Francine and Hayley bust into the restaurant to confront Stan, having found out that Stan is cheating on his diet, Steve becomes very upset, saying that he dumped Debbie, the "best thing that ever happened to [him]", for him. She hears this and they get back together, as Stan overcomes his anorexia, with Zack fading into oblivion as Stan takes a bite of food.
Cultural references
- Roger is hiding among the toy bears like ETE.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
. - The collar, which will detonate if Steve fails to ask the girl out within twenty four minutes, is a reference to Battle Royale where the children wore collars that would detonate if they failed to kill each other within a certain time frame.
- Roger was on a date with Debbie dressed as Lestat from Interview with a Vampire.
- Steve mentions, when he is breaking up with Debbie over the phone, that it is not because of Stan. Steve says the GhostbustersGhostbustersGhostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
box set is out and the new Doom game is coming out. - Francine's discovery of the pool full of food is played in a way that parallels the movie Poltergeist where the female protagonist finds herself in the hole dug for the pool filled with rain-water when bodies and coffins start popping out. Francine even repeats (more or less) one of phrases of that movie saying that Stan had been "just moving" the food. In Poltergeist, the father says the same to the architect of the house, blaming him for "just moving" the tombstones but not the bodies from the cemetery on which their house was constructed.
- Hayley mentions that "large" women support the economy by buying Garfield books and Häagen-Dazs.
- Stan hides food in his pants pockets and drops it in the yard like the prisoners in The Great Escape and The Shawshank Redemption drop dirt.
- Whilst on their picnic, Steve and Debbie sit next to a grave for Jin from the TV show Lost.
- Zach's disappearance parodies the "Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
" episode "Charlie X". Instead of him saying "stay" four times, he said "bro" four times.
Reception
"The American Dad After School Special" won a Prism Award in the "Mental Health" category. According to the DVD commentary on the episode A.T. The Abusive Terrestrial, the episode won the award for its portrayal of anorexia nervosaAnorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
.
This episode was nominated for the 2007 Annie Award for Best Writing in an Animated Television Production.