Failure Is not a Factory-Installed Option

Infobox American Dad! episode
Title =Failure is not a Factory-Installed Option
Series =American Dad!


Caption =
Season =2
Episode =3
Airdate =September 24, 2006
Production =2AJN07
Writer =Etan Cohen
Director =Rodney Clouden
Guests =Patrick Stewart, Beau Bridges and Swoosie Kurtz
newspaper_headline = "Despondent Pluto drowns two of its moons"
Episode list =List of American Dad! episodes
Season list = Infobox_American_Dad!_Season_2
Prev =The American Dad After School Special
Next =Lincoln Lover

__NOTOC__"Failure is not a Factory-Installed Option" is the third episode of the second season of the animated series "American Dad!", with 8.39 million viewers tuning in. In aired in the U.L on September 29 , 2007 to a healthy 3.6 million viewers.

Plot

Stan was formerly the CIA's best interrogator, until he lost his confidence and his job when a car salesman gets the best of him in a negotiation. To get even, Stan comes up with an elaborate scam (with help from David Mamet) that temporarily costs his family their integrity. He pretends to go crazy, leading to Hayley having to sell herself for money, an event which traumatizes her. When Stan finally gets a better deal on the car, he reveals that he actually scammed the car salesman. After learning he pretended to go crazy just for a better car deal (and that Stan predicted the plan would take two years), the family is... shocked to say the least.

Meanwhile, Roger and Steve set up a makeshift drive-in to try to get to first base with popular schoolgirls. Just as Steve and his friends are about to score with the girls, all the cars are repossessed. Roger, who was praising the grandeur of cinema throughout the episode, goes back to watching TV, proclaiming "Movies are dead! Long live TV!"

This episode continues the saga of Roger's solid gold, jewel-laden turd, which began in the episode Homeland Insecurity. The scene begins with the screen turning to a 16:9 aspect ratio, and we see a drunk man who agonizes over the fact he killed his best friend just for a golden turd, then found out that his wife was cheating on him. He drives his car onto the railroad tracks and gets hit by a train.

A cop (voiced by Beau Bridges) and his partner come to investigate, and when one of them sees the golden turd, he hides it from his partner and takes it home to his wife (Swoosie Kurtz). They begin to speak of how it will pay for a great retirement and a house in Boca Raton, but the cop regrets his decision and wants to take it back and face the consequences. He's a week from retirement and afraid that he might get fired if found out. The wife apparently accepts his decision, but when she starts making tea, she adds rat poison to his cup, followed by a "To Be Continued" slate.

Cultural References

*When Francine and Hayley are cleaners, the lady acts in the same manner as Deborah from Spanglish, treating them as immigrants with no knowledge of English. She even goes as far as threatening them with the INS.
*After finding out that his afternoon is clear, Deputy Director Bullock sings "When I'm cleaning windows"( [http://www.georgeformby.co.uk/lyrics/v_w.htm Lyrics] ) by George Formby, Jr..
*Roger makes a reference to Flowers for Algernon, calling Steve Algernon after he yells an idea out loud.
*Steve claims Jenny has the body of Lara Croft, the pouty good looks of Resident Evil's Jill Valentine and the frank eroticism of Rosie O'Donnell
*They show the reading of the letter at the end of The Breakfast Club at the drive-in movie at the home scene.

Notes

*At the end of the episode, although Stan tosses Francine the keys to her new Femwagon, they are all seen driving home together in Stan's car.
*Hayley gets traumatized because she sold herself, but in Stan Knows Best she was a stripper and in Of Ice and Men she admitted to be a whore.
*In The American Dad After School Special Steve dated Debbie, and their relationship apparently went on, but in this episode Steve tries to have sex with another girl.