Virtual In-Stanity
Stan creates a teenage girl avatar to bond with his son.
In the animated comedy American Dad!, "Virtual In-Stanity" is the fifth episode of season seven. It first aired on Fox on November 20, 2011. The story follows Stan, who desperately tries to connect with his son Steve by using a teenage girl avatar. Written by Jordan Blum and Parker Deay and directed by Shawn Murray, the episode earned mostly positive reviews.
Quick Facts
- Series
- American Dad!
- Season
- 7
- Episode
- 5
- Air date
- 20 November 2011
- Production
- 6AJN16
- Writer
- Jordan Blum; Parker Deay
- Director
- Shawn Murray
- Guests
- Sarah Michelle Gellar as Phyllis
- Alyson Hannigan as Chelsea
- David Koechner as Dick
Facts from the source article.
Plot
During a poker game, Stan notices Dick using a virtual reality machine to control an android with an African-American appearance, which Dick calls "Black Dick," as a way to vent after losing. Stan gets a call from Francine reminding him that he is about to miss Steve's birthday again. He hurries home with a gift: a stuffed rabbit filled with cocaine taken from evidence. While watching home movies, Stan sees that he appears in none of them because he was always occupied elsewhere. When Steve turns down an invitation to a baseball game, Stan worries he is losing his chance to connect with his son. In a desperate move, Stan creates a virtual avatar named Phyllis, a busty blonde, and sends her to interact with Steve. Steve wants to take the relationship further physically, but Stan feels uneasy and avoids the situation. Frustrated, Steve decides to ask a girl named Chelsea to the school dance instead. Stan, through Phyllis, then offers to have sex with Steve if he agrees to go to the dance with her. Steve accepts and abandons Chelsea. On the night of the dance, Francine arrives at the CIA building and learns what Stan is doing. She tries to stop him but cannot enter the avatar chamber, so she takes a power lift mecha to the school and pins Phyllis down while Steve is in the bathroom getting ready. Francine convinces Stan to accept his real relationship with Steve as it is, and Stan has Phyllis break up with Steve. When Steve tries to reconnect with Chelsea, she is no longer interested, so he runs home where Stan comforts him. Francine points out that Stan caused his son's pain, but Stan focuses on the fact that he was finally there for Steve.
Production
The episode's name is a twist on the Jamiroquai track "Virtual Insanity," which itself is a backward nod to the concept of virtual reality. Jordan Blum and Parker Deay wrote the installment, with Shawn Murray directing. Seth MacFarlane, the creator and executive producer of American Dad! and its sister shows Family Guy and The Cleveland Show, executive produced alongside series regulars Mike Barker, Rick Wiener, Matt Weitzman, and Kenny Schwartz. Beyond the usual voice cast, Sarah Michelle Gellar made a guest appearance. Her former co-star Alyson Hannigan also appeared. David Koechner, known for roles on The Office and Saturday Night Live, returned to voice Dick Reynolds.
Reception
Critics praised the episode for its humor and cleverness, despite its dark subject matter. Rowan Kaiser of The A.V. Club awarded it an A-minus, noting that the show mostly avoided cheap gimmicks, except for a scene where Francine dons an exo-suit and yells a protective line. Kaiser felt this restraint allowed the episode to focus on what makes the series funny, calling it a strong outing for fans of Roger, Stan, Francine, and Steve—essentially all viewers. Dyanamaria Leifsson of TV Equals also gave a positive review, acknowledging that the plots were twisted: Stan attempts to seduce his son for bonding time, and Roger murders people for roughly four dollars each. Despite this, she found the premise clever and the episode full of laughs. In terms of viewership, 4.82 million people watched the episode, making it the third most-watched program on Animation Domination that night. It outperformed The Cleveland Show and Allen Gregory, but fell behind The Simpsons and Family Guy, which drew 6.02 million viewers.
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