"I'm not beloved," CIA Agent Stan Smith is shocked to discover after eavesdropping on his mocking neighbors in the episode, "I Can't Stan You." With all the resolve this "pig-headed" Red State poster boy and George "The D... more »ub" Bush devotee can muster, he vows, "I will make these people like me." For those still on the fence about American Dad, this collection of 18 episodes spanning seasons two and three ought to do the trick. These characters may not be as indelible as the Family Guy clan, but these episodes rarely flag. If the outrageous storylines don't grab you, the rapid-fire random gags will. Like King of the Hill's Hank Hill , Stan (voiced by series co-creator Seth McFarlane) is oft confounded by a world seemingly gone mad. Unlike Hank, he is the voice of un-reason. In "Surro-Gate," Stan's dizzy wife, Francine (Wendy Schaal) agrees to be the surrogate for the Smith's gay neighbors, prompting the disapproving Stan to kidnap the infant, as well as the brood of a lesbian couple. In "Black Mystery Month," Stan reveals a Da Vinci Code-like conspiracy involving George Washington Carver that's plain nuts. In another episode, "Bush Comes to Dinner" for a night of drunken debauchery; some easy-target Bush-bashing redeemed when the President makes peace between Stan and his "lost cause" liberal daughter, Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane). Some of the best episodes focus more on the Smith family than politics. In "The Vacation Goo," Francine demands a real family getaway after discovering that all previous vacations were artificially created memories. In "Haylias," it is revealed that the unwitting Hayley is a brainwashed sleeper agent, who is activated by Stan to stop her from moving to France. "The 42-Year-Old Virgin" reveals another shocker: Trigger-happy Stan has never actually killed anyone! American Dad revels in guy humor. As Stan tells an unamused Hayley at one point, "You don't get a willy, you don't get the silly." American Dad brings the silly, but while the series is not above (or beneath) moth fart jokes, it is also smart enough to reference, say, Equus or the touching "When Somebody Loved Me" number from Toy Story 2. Stan's geeky son, Steve (Scott Grimes), bitchy alien Roger (MacFarlane), and talking fish Klaus (Dee Bradley Baker) are no Chris, Brian, or Stewie, but this set contains some of their more memorable outings. In "Frannie 911," it turns out that it actually would kill Roger to be nice. In "Surro-Gate," Klaus vows revenge on Roger and Stan following a waterslide prank. American Dad fans will salute this three-disc set's generous features, including a riotous Comic-Con cast table read of the episode, "The 42 Year-Old Virgin," nearly a half hour of deleted scenes (deleted jokes would be more accurate), unrated versions (with unbleeped profanities) of certain episodes, and freewheeling audio commentaries ("Hey, aren't we supposed to talk about the episode?" one participant tries to steer one digressive conversation). --Donald Liebenson« less
K. K. (GAMER) 
