"A Piñata Named Desire" is the eleventh episode of the
seventh season of the
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
comedy series
Television comedy is a category of broadcasting that has been present since the early days of entertainment media. While there are several genres of comedy, some of the first ones aired were variety shows. One of the first Television in the United ...
''
American Dad!
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...
''. It first aired on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
in the United States on February 13, 2011. This episode mainly centers on
Roger
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
and
Stan, who begin to experience tensions growing against each other for the dominant figure in the house. Roger becomes tired of Stan's stance as the
authoritarian figure of the house, and he challenges Stan's leadership qualities. Stan insists that he is better than Roger at everything, and he tells him that he has a mission that involves
acting
Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode.
Acting involves a broad r ...
. Unknown to Stan, Roger spies on him, only to find out that Stan is a terrible actor. Roger later boasts to the house that he is a better actor than Stan, but he eventually teaches him to improve his acting skills. Meanwhile, Steve and his friends plan to throw their last
slumber party
A sleepover is a social occasion where a young person stays at the home of a friend. Multiple people and/or friends may sleepover at the friend's home, typically a younger person will partake in a sleepover, however an adult or older person may s ...
together.
This episode was written by Chris and Matt McKenna and directed by Bob Bowen, with Jacob Hair as the assistant director. It received highly positive reviews from television critics and fans alike upon its initial airing. The episode was viewed by over 3.94 million viewers upon its initial airing, and it garnered a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to the
Nielson ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rati ...
. It featured guest appearances from
Lucy Lawless
Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', as D'Anna Biers on the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' seri ...
and
Terry Crews
Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former American footballer. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/ CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jeffords in ...
, as well as several recurring voice actors and actresses for the show.
Plot
Roger
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
auditions for a new play entitled "Piñata Man" and begins boasting about his acting ability, infuriating
Stan. Stan insists that he's a better actor and is still the "top dog" in the house.
Francine
:''This is a disambiguation page for the common name Francine.''
Francine is a female given name. The name is of French origin. The name Francine was most popular in France itself during the 1940s (Besnard & Desplanques 2003), and was well used i ...
gets frustrated with their constant fighting while
Hayley
Hayley (pronounced ) is an English given name.
It is derived from the English surname Haley (surname), Haley, which in turn was based on an Old English toponym, a compound of ''heg'' "hay" and ''leah'' "clearing or meadow".Katie Martin-Doyle, '' ...
attributes it to
sexual tension
Sexual tension is a social phenomenon that occurs when two individuals interact and one or both feel sexual desire, but the consummation is postponed or never happens. A common scenario is where the two individuals function in proximity, such as c ...
and says they should just have sex already and get over it. Roger, disbelieving the story, follows Stan to work and sees that he is indeed acting as a waiter in a
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
sting. However, he finds that Stan is a terrible actor, unable to even offer water to the patrons convincingly and causing the sting to turn sour, resulting in the deaths of several agents. Back home, Roger taunts Stan over his failure and Stan finally admits that he can't act. Stan asks Roger for help, and Roger refers him to acting coach Irwin Beyer Jr. (who, as Stan correctly predicts, is another of Roger's
persona
A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally ref ...
s.) Stan shows progress by acting out a scene from ''
WarGames
''WarGames'' is a 1983 American science fiction techno-thriller film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film, which stars Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, and Ally Sheedy, follows Dav ...
'' by relating it to his acting inability, but refuses to perform the love scene with Roger as the "leading lady". At the casting call for "Piñata Man", the title role goes to Stan, who reveals that he took the acting lessons so he could steal the role right out from under Roger and reassert his dominance.
On Opening Night, Roger injures the
leading lady
A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...
and her
understudy
In theater, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to ap ...
so he can claim the role as an actress named Cleshawn Montague and show up Stan. The performance devolves into the pair desperately trying to outdo one another, including damaging the set and turning a scene into an impromptu
battle rap
Battle rap (also known as rap battling)Edwards, Paul, 2009, p. 25. is a type of rapping performed between two or more performers that incorporates boasts, insults and wordplay. Battle rap is often performed or freestyled spontaneously in live ...
. When they come to the love scene, Roger is confident that Stan won't be able to
kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
him, but Stan gets over his disgust and does so; this leads to another battle of
one-upmanship
One-upmanship, also called "one-upsmanship", is the art or practice of successively outdoing a competitor. The term was first used in the title of a book by Stephen Potter, published in 1952 as a follow-up to ''The Theory and Practice of Gamesmans ...
as they perform increasingly raunchy
sexual acts
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice or human sexual behaviour is the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) t ...
until finally they're both arrested for
public indecency
Indecent exposure is the deliberate public exposure by a person of a portion of their body in a manner contrary to local standards of appropriate behavior. Laws and social attitudes regarding indecent exposure vary significantly in different ...
for simulating
sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse (or coitus or copulation) is a sexual activity typically involving the insertion and thrusting of the penis into the vagina for sexual pleasure or reproduction.Sexual intercourse most commonly means penile–vaginal penetrat ...
on stage. In the police car, Stan and Roger have become friends again, complimenting each other's acting talent, much to the confusion of Francine and with Hayley reaffirming what she said at the start of the episode.
Meanwhile,
Steve and his friends plan to have a slumber party together. Vince Chung and the rest of the school students overhear and make fun of them, and Steve's friends think that they are too old to have a slumber party. Steve later suggests that this be the last sleepover that he and his friends will ever have. At a local
pizzeria
A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. As well as pizza, dishes at pizzerias can include kebab, salads and pasta.
Many pizzerias offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then take ...
, Steve and his friends get into an argument over details, including a moment where Toshi tells Snot to "eat his bowls" after he screams at him to learn English. In the end, they hold a sleepover at Steve's treehouse, being reunited with the alleged fifth member of the group who had moved away years ago. Steve suspects he is a stranger who overheard them in the pizzeria, but they let him participate anyway.
Production
![Lucy Lawless by Gage Skidmore](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Lucy_Lawless_by_Gage_Skidmore.jpg)
"A Piñata Named Desire" was written by series regulars Chris and Matt McKenna, in their second episode of the season. This would be the first episode that both writers would write since the
season six episode "
Fart-break Hotel".
This episode was directed by series regular Bob Bowen, with Jacob Hair as the assistant director. This would be the third time Bowen has directed an episode for the season, having also directed season six episode "
For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls
"For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of '' American Dad!''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 12, 2010. The episode follows the events caused by Stan Smith, as he gives his son Ste ...
" and "
White Rice
White rice is milled rice that has had its husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture and appearance of the rice and helps prevent spoilage, extend its storage life, and makes it easier to digest. After milling (hulling), the ...
".
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creator ...
, the creator and executive producer of ''American Dad!'', as well as its sister shows ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' and ''
The Cleveland Show
''The Cleveland Show'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A spin-off of ''Family Guy'', the series centers on Cleveland Brown, his new wife Donna Tubbs, a ...
'', served as the
executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...
for the episode, along with series veterans
Mike Barker,
Rick Wiener
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker (producer), Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS (American TV channel) ...
,
Matt Weitzman
Matt Weitzman (born November 13, 1967)
is an American producer and writer. He was one of the creators of '' American Dad!'' along with Seth MacFarlane and Mike Barker. Barker and Weitzman were originally writers for '' Family Guy''.
Weitzman ...
, and Kenny Schwartz.
Diana Retchey was the animation producer for the episode, in her seventh episode of the season. She has also been the animation producers for many
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
shows, such as ''
Johnny Bravo
''Johnny Bravo'' is an American animated comedy television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. It is the second of the network's Cartoon Cartoons, which aired from ...
'' and ''
Samurai Jack
''Samurai Jack'' is an American animated action-adventure television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. Tartakovsky conceived ''Samurai Jack'' after finishing his work ...
''.
Amanda Bell served as the production manager, while Michael Wittenberg would serve as the post-production supervisor for the episode. This would be Bell's eighth episode of the season where she served as the production manager, while this would be Wittenberg's ninth episode of the season as the post-production supervisor.
This episode featured a guest appearance from
Lucy Lawless
Lucille Frances Lawless (; born 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', as D'Anna Biers on the re-imagined '' Battlestar Galactica'' seri ...
, who provided the voice for Stacy. Recurring voice actors
Curtis Armstrong
Curtis Armstrong (born November 27, 1953) is an American actor and singer best known for playing the role of Booger in the ''Revenge of the Nerds'' movies, Herbert Viola on the TV series ''Moonlighting'', Miles Dalby in the film '' Risky Busines ...
,
Daisuke Suzuki and
Eddie Kaye Thomas
Eddie Kaye Thomas (born October 31, 1980) is an American actor who rose to prominence as Paul Finch in the ''American Pie'' film series. His other notable appearances include Andy Rosenberg in the ''Harold & Kumar'' series, Jeff Woodcock in ...
guest starred as Steve's friends in the episode. Armstrong previously reprised his role in "
Stan's Food Restaurant
"Stan's Food Restaurant" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of '' American Dad!''. It aired on Fox on November 14, 2010. This episode — which focused on Stan's dream of opening his own restaurant — is the 100th broadcast episode of A ...
", while Suzuki and Thomas reprised their roles in "
Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls
"Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls" is the third episode of the seventh season of the animated comedy series '' American Dad!'' It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 7, 2010. The episode follows Stan as his title of h ...
".
Reception
"A Piñata Named Desire" was broadcast on February 13, 2011 as part of the animation television night on Fox. The show started off the line up, the third consecutive week that ''American Dad'' started off Fox's "Animation Domination" block. It was followed by ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', ''
Bob's Burgers
''Bob's Burgers'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard that premiered on Fox on January 9, 2011. The show centers on the Belcher family—parents Bob and Linda and their three children, Tina, Gene, and Louise—who r ...
'', and its sister shows ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' and ''
The Cleveland Show
''The Cleveland Show'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A spin-off of ''Family Guy'', the series centers on Cleveland Brown, his new wife Donna Tubbs, a ...
''. It was viewed by 3.94 million viewers upon its original airing, despite airing simultaneously with
''Dateline'' ''NBC'', ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'' on
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, and ''
America's Funniest Home Videos
''America's Funniest Home Videos'', also called ''America's Funniest Videos'' (abbreviated as ''AFV''), is an American video clip television series on American Broadcasting Company, ABC, based on the Japanese variety show ''Kato-chan Ken-chan Gok ...
'' on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
. It achieved a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic, the lowest rating of the line up. The episode's total viewership and ratings were significantly down from the previous episode, "
Stanny Boy and Frantastic
"Stanny Boy and Frantastic" is the tenth episode of the seventh season of ''American Dad!''. It aired on Fox in the United States on January 23, 2011. This episode centers around the couple of Stan and Francine, who are bored with their lives. ...
", which was viewed by 4.80 million viewers upon its initial airing, and garnered a 2.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
"A Piñata Named Desire" was met with highly positive reception by television critics and fans alike upon its initial release. Rowan Kaiser of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the episode a very positive review, saying the show "is back in fine form tonight, something notable from the start when they bypass a full credit sequence in favor of a simple title card."
Kaiser highly praised the main plot, calling the interaction between Stan and Roger "fantastic throughout."
However, he wrote a mixed review about the secondary plot of the episode, suggesting that Steve's idea to plan a "sleepover to end all sleepovers" with his friends is "a pretty typical sitcom plot for
adolescents
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
".
Furthermore, "''American Dad'' adds nothing new except more self-blowjob-attempt jokes. It's not terrible, and if nothing else, it highlights just how good the Roger/Stan
..storyline is.
Despite his criticisms, he rated the episode an A−, the highest grade of the night, scoring higher than ''The Simpsons'' episode "
The Blue and the Gray", the ''Bob's Burgers'' episode "Sexy Dance Fighting", the ''Family Guy'' episode "
Friends of Peter G.
"Friends of Peter G." is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series ''Family Guy''. It aired on Fox in the United States on February 13, 2011. The episode follows Peter and Brian as they are forced to join Alcoholics Anony ...
, and ''The Cleveland Show'' episode "
A Short Story and a Tall Tale". Jason Hughes of ''
TV Squad
Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be ...
'' also gave the episode a positive review, calling it "funny".
He praised the main plot, find it hilarious when "seeing Stan completely screw up a mission because he's not as good at acting as Roger is."
As for Roger's acting in the episode, he says "it should have been obvious that he's a natural," especially when "he even has boobs when he plays women."
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinata Named Desire, A
2011 American television episodes
American Dad! (season 7) episodes