Roger's Sacrifice

American Dad, S08E12

Roger was determined to be free to walk around without an outfit when Jeff was home, so he pretended to be Jeff's imaginary friend.  Klaus later revealed to Jeff that Roger was real, and Stan refused to let both Jeff and Roger live if Jeff wouldn't be able to keep Roger a secret.  Steve also struggled to avoid ridicule about his flat ass at school.

Roger was being a straight dumbass  thinking that being naked whenever he felt like it was worth risking his life.  That's what it boiled down to when he tried to find a way to be outfit-less around Jeff.  He really makes dangerous decisions based on silly or small benefits.  He could have either worn less heavy clothing (tweed--really?) or stayed up in the attic when he wanted to be nude.  It wasn't that hard.  But it is Roger and he likes to have his cake and eat it too.

I was almost lured into the false impression that Roger would sacrifice the freedom he enjoys on Earth so that neither he nor Jeff would have to die.  After all, he was disappointed when he found at that the gun pointed at him in the garage didn't have bullets after all.  He doesn't give a damn if Jeff lives or die or about Hayley's feelings.  So to see him pack up and see that montage of him to the tune of M.A.S.H.'s theme song, I was just waiting for Roger to pull the rug from underneath everyone.  He did have me going for a while--it was nearly the end before he betrayed Jeff and shoved him into the beam of that spaceship.  Nicely played, Roger.  It was funny that Stan was impressed by Roger's move and not upset at all that Jeff was gone.  I just wonder if Jeff will stay gone (probably not, though).

My favorite part of this story was the very beginning when Stan was reading a newspaper.  He was caught off-guard by a bra ad on the second page and kept searching for a real article:

Finally, here's an article.  "A woman choked on her own bra."  What newspaper is this?

I'm curious to know what kind of specialty newspaper he was reading too.  It's rare that I'm laughing that early on in an episode.

I also liked what Roger said when Stan had tackled him later for being naked in front of Jeff:

This is the talkiest rape ever.

I don't know why he is so calm about being raped.  I guess because he's no stranger to committing that crime himself.

Steve's story was a nice twist on puberty.  Instead of making fun of someone for their boobs or something not growing in, it was asses.  That school Steve goes to keeps getting weirder and weirder.  I felt bad for Steve, though, because all of his friends had enough behind to dance appropriately to the "Wally World" song.  Plus, Barry showed what a ham-crazy bastard he is by exposing the hams Steve had used to stuff his pants.  That idiot isn't much of a friend to him.  I think he probably would have still eaten Steve's hams even if Steve had explained to his friends what he was trying to do.

My favorite part of the story was when Steve went to "Ba-Donkin Donuts."  That name for that place was great, but it was even greater that the fire started there was because a fat guy in courdoroy pants had his thighs rubbing together too fast.  That had me cracking up.  I couldn't even feel sorry for all the people who got trapped in there knowing that fat thighs were the cause of the fire.  That was hilarious.

It was nice that Steve realized that his mom was right about his flat ass having a purpose since he was able to escape from the restaurant, but it was strange to me that all those people couldn't escape.  There were two windows in the front--couldn't someone have thrown a chair or something at it to make a hole? That was crazy.  As crazy as Steve calling 9-11 to  report to the dispatcher that he had overcome his hatred of his own ass.  Steve essentially killed all those people in there.  That was a pretty unexpected ending.

This was a pretty good episode.  I thought I would be over stories about Roger being exposed as an alien, but this one went down a different path.  I never thought they would have Roger leave Earth because they need his wacky ass on this show, but I didn't really imagine that he would send Jeff away either.  You never know what Roger will do.  The same sort of applies for Steve.  I wouldn't have figured that his ass would have saved him from a burning restaurant, nor would I have thought that he wouldn't help the people stuck in there.  In a way, Steve's as crazy of a bastard as Roger is sometimes.

Chatswin's Valentine's Day

Suburgatory, S02E13

Tessa and Ryan went to see an art house movie that she wanted to see, and she was surprised that while she found it to be boring, Ryan identified with it and found it provoking.  George planned an expensive dinner for him and Dallas, but her botched beauty procedure made her hide her face at home.  Shelia's mother came into town and her mother's closeness with Fred made her realize the mistake she had made dealing with Malik as Lisa's boyfriend.

In this week's chapter of the Tessa and Ryan romance, the two argued over different opinions on a movie.  Considering it was a movie that Tessa had to cutely bribe Ryan into seeing with caramel corn and gummy bears, it was a real shock that Ryan was moved by the movie and it went over Tessa's head.  There are so many layers to Ryan that are revealed now that he's with Tessa.  I really loved that even though they were in a fight again, we got to see Ryan thinking deeply on a level that Tessa wasn't.  It was nice to see her on his lap, asking him to explain parts of the movie.  I want to see more of him in a position where he can teach Tessa, a change from her always being more informed than he is.

Also, I liked the beginning of their story where Ryan gave her that Valentine and he got so excited when she replied "Y" to it.  He's like a little kid, and I love it.  You would think his childish ways would get annoying after a while, but it just makes me like him all the more.

 I applaud George for not getting too upset about Dallas crushing his plans for dinner when he spent $600 on it.  I mean, he did try to get his money's worth by eating an 18-course dinner for two by himself, but he could have taken a much more negative route.  I guess it shows how much he cares for Dallas when he can be less concerned about the cost and more about Dallas herself.

As for Dallas' face, she looked like a freaking alien who had a face lift.  I don't think it was nearly as bad as Dalia had described it, but it was enough to make me cry out when I finally saw it.  I was just glad that George wasn't too horrified when he saw her.  It might have been due to the fact that he had a lot to drink before, but even so, she was a sight to see under any circumstances.   I wouldn't have blamed him if he ran out the door.

In Shelia's story, it was a little weird how much her mother liked Fred.  It's not that I couldn't see anyone infatuated with him, it's just that it's odd to see Shelia being pushed to the side.  She's usually so overbearing that few can ignore her.  But it was interesting that her mother troubles made her realize what she had been doing wrong with Lisa's former relationship with Malik.  I never saw it as Shelia butting into their business, but I guess it was that way.  Malik seemed to have been an ally to Lisa's mother instead of on Lisa's side, which explains better why she didn't think she could be with him anymore.  If Lisa ever needed to complain about her mother, Malik would have only defended Shelia.  Thankfully, Shelia butted in one last time to make things right and pretended to get upset when Malik stood up for Lisa.  Shelia might be smothering, but she does have Lisa's best interests at heart.  This was one of the few stories that I actually liked her because she seemed more vulnerable and helpful without being pushy.

This was a good Valentine's Day story.  It was too mushy or trying to be overly romantic.  I got to see some interesting development in Tessa and Ryan's relationship.  Tessa might be the smart one, but it doesn't mean that she understands everything.  I like seeing that Ryan has more to his mind than making out and football.  George's date with Dallas was a flop, but no more so than Dallas' procedure.  I really hope I don't have to see her face looking so horrific any time soon.  Shelia may not be my favorite character, but she helped Malik and Lisa get back together, which scores her a lot of points in my favor.  It's been way too long that they been broken up, so I'm eager to see them lovey-dovey again (well, as long as they're not too nasty together like last time).

It Has To Mean Something

Suburgatory, S02E09

George was forced to hide and help Fred when he was trying to keep secrets about the nature of his job hidden from Shelia.  Tessa, left alone on pain medication, freaked out about aliens stealing teeth after she had gotten her wisdom teeth pulled.  Dallas thought George was only humoring her when he agreed they were ready for "joint decor."  Ryan tried to figure out where he stood with Tessa when came to deliver her homework.

Sadly for George he had a front seat to another chapter of Shay Family Crazy Time.  It was fine for him to give Fred shelter while he worked out his problems, but when Shelia got involved, it was a lot more trouble than it was worth.  I was nearly thinking it was a waste of his time to hide Fred until Fred asked George to go to his house to steal a gift basket that would reveal his real job.  I liked when he tried to walk into the house and ran into Ryan.  They were both trying their best not to seem suspicious to the other.  If George wasn't after that basket, he might have considered what Ryan was sort of suggesting about his intentions with his daughter.  It got even better when Lisa caught him about to walk out of the door.  The two of them had my favorite lines from the story:

[George] I'm not stealing.

[Lisa] I don't care.

It cracks me up that Lisa can look at her neighbor creeping around in her house and not give a damn about what he might be trying to do.  You would think she would be the slightest bit curious, but no.  Lisa always keeps me on my toes because I never know how she's going to react to things.

I have no idea how the hell Fred got from the basement to an ariport shuttle outside when it looked like Shelia was about to gas the basement.  I suppose that's one of those mysteries like when George got the cardboard in the previous episode.  I don't care if Shelia did know his secret after all (not a surprise).  I was just glad Fred was gone from their house.

Tessa was amazing this week because we got to see a side of her we usually don't.  She tends to be pretty cool and collected, but under medication she was so paranoid and wide-eyed.  I loved it.  She was really cute when she was throwing juice at Fred and scared that George and Dallas' souls had been captured in crystal.  I really like seeing characters act outside of their norm for a while.  It's funny to see a different side of them, especially when that side is high and insane.

My favorite part of the episode, though was when Tessa had gotten her mind back and Ryan had visited her.  That whole scene between them was just so great from start to finish.  I loved Ryan putting the sock around her head and telling her she looked like a bunny, him saying that their kiss and his attraction to her has to mean something, and him arguing that they could work because opposites attract.  It just makes me smile when I think about their conversation, even if they haven't quite decided if they're going to give their relationship another shot.  But I'm really hoping that Tessa takes a chance on Ryan again.  He was just so sweet with her that I'm dying to see more scenes like this.  They just have to get together again!

Dallas and George moved into the "joint decor" phase of their relationship, which I wasn't sure that he was really feeling.  But thanks to Tessa (who was also to blame a little bit for the problem in the first place), Dallas learned that George really liked that crystal picture of them sitting on the couch.  Personally, I would think that a picture would have been better, but I guess nothing says Dallas like something etched in crystal, so it might be the best way for George to be reminded of her every time he looks at it (you know, besides her face staring back at him). They're moving along pretty well recently, which is good, but I feel like they might have some kind of bump soon (just because nothing goes this well in TV or life, I guess).

I have to say I just loved this episode because of Tessa and Ryan.  Tessa was so funny when she was shouting about signs of sixes and aliens.  We'll probably never get to see her so unraveled again.  Of course, that was nothing compared to her scene with Ryan.  That has to be one of my favorite moments in this show yet.  If they don't get together again, I'm going to flip out.  They may not be perfect together, but you can't help but wish for them to give it a try anyway.  Like Dallas suggested: if George and her can make it work, then opposites like Tessa and Ryan have a chance at happiness as well.