Don't Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth

"Don't Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth"
American Dad! episode
Stan's Horse
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 10
Directed by	Rodney Clouden
Written by	Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson
Production code	5AJN01
Original air date	January 3, 2010
Roger's disguise	Evel Knievel
Guest stars
Michael McShane as the horse whisperer
Episode chronology
← Previous "Rapture's Delight" Next → "A Jones for a Smith"
American Dad! (season 5) List of American Dad! episodes

"Don't Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of American Dad!. It aired on January 3, 2010 on Fox and was the first American Dad episode to air in 720p high-definition.

Plot

Because of the economic recession, the Smiths are forced to make cutbacks. But when Roger tells Francine that Stan regularly spends $400 on gas for his SUV, she threatens to replace his vehicle with a Hybrid. In an attempt to save his SUV, Stan makes a bet on a local horse at a track stadium, only to find out that the horse finishes the race last. Outraged, Stan confronts the jockey, discovering that the jockey is Roger. Roger explains that he has been giving the horse tranquilizers to hold it back and reduce its odds. But when the horse owner plans to kill the horse in order to prevent further monetary loss, Roger offers to buy it from him. Stan is reluctant at first, but following Roger's promise that the horse is a guaranteed winner, he decides to buy it using his family's second mortgage.

Tired of hearing Roger reveal his actions to Francine, Stan thumps Roger's arm. In retaliation, Roger tricks Stan into masturbating the horse in order to boost its confidence. The horse afterwards engages in erratic behavior. The two consult the horse whisperer, who tells them that due to being molested by Stan, the horse is in a state of shock despite its body's peak physical condition. Using the CIA technology once used on Klaus in "Finances with Wolves," Stan switches his own mind with the horse's, reasoning that with its body's peak condition he can potentially win the race. Before Stan and Roger head off to the stadium, Francine approaches the horse waiting in the back of the car, unaware that the horse is Stan. Saddened, she questions why her husband prioritizes his SUV over his family, leaving Stan feeling remorsful. At the venue, Stan is unable to endure the grief of disappointing Francine. So instead of heading off to the start of the race, he rushes to Francine at the spectator seats, revealing himself to her as a horse. Stan expresses his sorrow to her in regards to his selfish actions. Francine then tells him to win, giving him confidence and an encouraging attitude, and allowing him and Roger to take first place.

Meanwhile, Steve and his friends get employed by an old friend, Mr. Tuttle, who has over time become an obese recluse. In order to receive their paycheck, Snot volunteers to retrieve Mr. Tuttle's wallet from his back pocket, but becomes trapped underneath him. Upon running to his dad for help, Steve learns from Klaus that Stan had switched his brain with the horse's. Steve uses the horse, in Stan's body, to help lift Mr. Tuttle and free Snot. Mr. Tuttle then reveals he had the money in his neck fat instead of his back pocket and that he tricked them into staying with them due to his loneliness. Steve then decided to reintroduce him to the neighborhood, with the horse in Stan's body pulling him as Stan in the horse's body is in Hollywood by the end of the episode.

Reception

The episode had 5.91 million people watching it and got a rating of 2.8/6, becoming the least viewed episode on Fox's Animation Domination and third in its timeslot.^[1]

The Parents Television Council, a pro-censorship group and a frequent critic of Seth MacFarlane-produced programs (Family Guy being the most frequent target) urged viewers to file indecency complaints with the Federal Communications Commission regarding the scene where Stan masturbated a horse, and Stan getting sprayed in his face with a garden hose. The implication, the PTC said, was that "the horse has ejaculated on Stan." The PTC also noted the episode included a woman's arm being ripped from its socket and bleeped uses of the word "fuck." ^[2] The PTC cited these scenes in declaring the episode "Worst TV Show of the Week" for the week of January 8, 2010.^[3] On June 3, 2010, in a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture, the FCC sought to fine Fox $25,000. The fine was for failing to respond to a Letter of Inquiry arising from the 100,000 complaints filed regarding this episode.^[4] The FCC has yet to make any ruling about the indecency complaints themselves.

References

1. ^ Bill Gorman. "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football Finishes On Top; Simpsons, Housewives Return Up". TV by the numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/01/04/tv-ratings-sunday-night-football-finishes-on-top-as-simpsons-housewives-return-up/37466. 
2. ^ "Fox’s 'American Dad' Features Man Masturbating a Horse," Parents Television Council, January 6, 2010. Accessed 01-07-2010. [1]
3. ^ "American Dad on Fox". Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. January 8, 2010. http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/2010/0108worst.asp. Retrieved January 9, 2010. 
4. ^ Johnson, Ted (June 4, 2010). "FCC fines Fox over 'American Dad' episode". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118020180.html?categoryId=14&cs=1. Retrieved June 4, 2010.