Dope & Faith

Infobox American Dad! episode
Title =Dope & Faith
Series =American Dad!


Caption =
Season =3
Episode =3
Airdate =October 14, 2007
Production =3AJN02
Writer =Michael Shipley
Director =Caleb Meurer
Guests =
newspaper_headline = UNCLE INSISTS: "CREEPY IS THE NEW QUIRKY"
Episode list =List of American Dad! episodes
Season list = Infobox_American_Dad!_Season_3
Prev =TBA
Next =TBA__NOTOC__"Dope & Faith" is a season three episode of the animated series "American Dad!".

Plot summary

After a church sermon, Stan realizes that he has no one to hang out with. After praying for a friend, he meets Brett, another ultra-conservative who is virtually identical to Stan. They do everything together, from destroying children's toy sailboats with Stan's paddleboat to cutting their palms, shaking hands, and getting HIV tested. However, their perfect friendship hits a snag when Stan discovers that Brett does not believe in God. Any attempts to convince Brett about God's existence only sour the relationship. Not wanting Brett's soul to burn in Hell due to his system of beliefs, Stan decides to make his life miserable, since people tend to look to God for guidance, during a crisis. He blows up his house, spreads the bird flu at his restaurant and brainwashes his wife to think she's a lesbian and take the kids away. However, instead of Brett praying for help, he attempts to commit suicide by jumping off a building. He just barely makes it out alive and, while he is in a coma at the hospital, Stan prays to God that if He brings him back, he will accept Brett's views the way they are. When Brett does recover, Brett claims he had a near-death experience and met God, declaring he is now a believer; however, he then says he was sent to Hell for attempting suicide, and that Satan promised to revive him if he helped spread the word of the Devil. Brett tells he accepted the offer. Brett rocks his new guitar and drinks the other patient's blood then asks Stan if he wants to watch Ravens' game. Stan changes it to golf and Brett refuses it, telling he isn't gentle anymore.

Meanwhile, for petty revenge after Steve starts gloating of how special he is, Roger convinces Steve that he has been accepted to an American branch of Hogwarts, the fictional school of witchcraft in "Harry Potter". Roger directs him to an old shack to embarrass him, only to discover it actually a crack lab. Steve is still convinced it is Hogwarts (with the Drug dealers as his magical professors), and Roger decides to use Steve in a scam to make money off the drug dealers (Steve thinks he is making potions). However, when Steve accidentally brings home some "homework", the drug dealers angrily arrive and attack Roger. Roger, who gets a faceful of a cocaine powder, goes berserk and kills them all after a drawn-out gun battle, though Steve, convinced by Roger that his "professors" were in fact Death Eaters in disguise, thinks he defeated them magically since his glasses were broken during the scuffle.

Cultural references

*The episode's title is a parody on the TV show Hope & Faith starring Kelly Ripa.
*Roger says that he and Steve are going to the carnival so he can make out with the deaf girl who runs the Tilt-A-Whirl.
*When Roger says that when aforementioned girl rejects him, carnivals will always have an air of "sad magic"; he then predicts that that would be the title of Doug Henning's biography.
*Throughout the episode, Steve is shown to be an avid fan of "Harry Potter"; numerous characters and elements of the series are mentioned, including Hogwarts, Ron Weasley, Potions class, wands, Professor Snape, He Who Must Not Be Named, owls, Dementors, various spells, Muggles and of course, Death Eaters.
*Stan infects Brett's restaurant food with bird flu, an epidemic which has spread in recent years.
*Stan attempts to "convert" Brett to a believer using the conviction of "atheists in foxholes", a belief that all atheists believe in God deep down, and that this belief will surface during times of crisis.
*Roger is dressed like Tony Montana from the movie Scarface.
*When Stan is describing his vision of heaven to Brett, "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger is heard playing in the background.

Notes

*Steve thinks that the phrase "Lávate las manos" is a spell, but it actually means "wash your hands" in Spanish
*In Joint Custody, one of the signs of being under the influence of illegal substances is genuinely enjoying Night Ranger; their song Sister Christian is heard in this episode, and is also the song which prompts Stan to pull out the illegal substances list in aforementioned episode.