A.T. The Abusive Terrestrial

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“A.T. the Abusive Terrestrial”
American Dad! episode

Episode no.	Season 2 Episode 12
Guest stars	Peter Graves as Mr. Pibb
Written by	Dan Vebber
Directed by	Joe Daniello
Production no.	2AJN17
Original airdate	February 11, 2007
Newspaper Headline	HOMEMADE VALENTINE PROVES THOUGHT DOESN'T COUNT
Season 2 episodes
American Dad - Season 2 September 10, 2006 – May 20, 2007
Camp Refoogee The American Dad After School Special Failure is not a Factory-Installed Option Lincoln Lover Dungeons and Wagons Iced, Iced Babies Of Ice and Men Irregarding Steve The Best Christmas Story Never Bush Comes to Dinner American Dream Factory A.T. The Abusive Terrestrial Black Mystery Month An Apocalypse to Remember Four Little Words When a Stan Loves a Woman I Can't Stan You The Magnificent Steven Joint Custody

← Season 1	Season 3 →
List of American Dad! episodes

"A.T. the Abusive Terrestrial" is a second season episode of the animated series American Dad!. The title is a reference to the movie, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial

[edit] Plot

Roger tries to hang out with Steve, who is busy working on his science project. Eventually, he ruins Steve's project and the latter yells at him. After singing a song about how he used to be Steve's alien, Roger drunkenly wanders around town and eventually come to the home of a little boy named Henry. He states that Roger is "his alien" and they begin hanging out. However, the relationship eventually begins to turn abusive. Steve realizes what is happening, but Roger shows the typical signs of denial.

Meanwhile, Stan and Francine have an argument. Knowing her weakness, Stan takes them to their usual kiss-and-make-up spot: the Mr. Pibb factory. After having sex in the waiting room, they reminisce about all the times they've had while drinking Mr. Pibb and go on a tour of the factory with childlike wonder. The transsexual tour guide, Bob, reveals that Mr. Pibb is ceasing production. Stan and Francine take it upon themselves to save their favorite drink, stealing the "Pibb-mobile".

Steve tries to convince Roger never to see Henry again, but the alien is still being won over by him. Henry threatens to inform the government of Roger's existence if Steve tries to do anything. Eventually, Roger calls Steve for help when he is trapped in the bathroom with Henry trying to beat him. Roger calls back a few seconds later saying everything is fine now; Steve decides to come anyway. At Henry's house, Steve tells Roger that he has a plan to get him away from Henry.

Stan and Francine's grass-roots campaign to save Mr. Pibb is a resounding failure. They scare away signatories, without realizing it. The Pibb executives discover what "the couple that was always hanging around at the factory" is doing and they decide to put a stop to it. Cornering the Smiths at their home, the executives reveal the real Mr. Pibb (whom no one had come to visit at the retirement home in over a year and a half). Mr. Pibb convinces them that "it does not matter what soda you drink; it's having someone to drink it with". Realizing their error, Stan and Francine begin making out on the porch when the executive Gordon asks where the Pibb-mobile is.

Roger convinces Henry that he is dying and is having his people come to bring him home. In the woods, they see the Pibb-mobile (driven by Hayley) covered in Christmas tree lights, which convinces Henry that it is a real spaceship. However, Steve (who was using his project to provide smoke effects) emerges from the woods due to inhaling the smoke. Nevertheless, Henry is still convinced it is a ship; he thinks Roger was planning on taking Steve back to his planet. He tries to convince Roger to stay; however, Steve gets Roger to come with him because he is not his alien, but his best friend. Roger then kicks Henry in the crotch. Steve and Roger then enter the Pibb-mobile and drive off.

[edit] Cultural references

Henry's name might be a reference to Henry Thomas, the actor who played Elliot in E.T.
Roger sings a song about Steve growing up and no longer needed him that is similar to the Randy Newman song "When She Loved Me" sung by Jessie the Cowgirl (Singing voice provided by Sarah Mclachlan) from Toy Story 2.
Roger and Steve are seen eating a former Betty Crocker snack, Dunkaroos.
Kim Mitchell's "Go For a Soda" is played during the Mr. Pibb montage.
Roger's quote, "Check it out, I blinded us with science!" is a reference to the 1983 song "She Blinded Me with Science" by Thomas Dolby.
When Stan and Francine take a tour of the Mr. Pibb factory, a rubber glove covers a bottle of soda as the bottles travel by on the assembly line. This is a reference to the opening sequence of Laverne & Shirley.
The house that Roger drunkenly ends up in and is adopted into is a duplicate of the house in E.T.
When Stan plays his mixtape in the Mr. Pibb mobile, the song is, appropriately, "Cold Beverage" by G. Love and Special Sauce.

[edit] Notes

The flashback during Roger's song shows how Stan was able to get Roger to come live with them four years ago: by introducing him as a present at Steve's tenth birthday. Naturally, contrary to Steve's reaction, Hayley and Francine are horrified at the first sight of him.

Cable guide summaries of this episode credit comedian Patton Oswalt as the young boy who Roger finds but he is actually the voice of the Mr. Pibb factory tour guide.

The Girl that Steve wraps his arm around in Rogers song "When I was his Alien" is Kim from Season 1 episode Stan Knows Best

The Mr. Pibb factory tour guide, anticipating his sex-change operation, strokes a box of tampons, which implies that he doesn't know that these sorts of operations don't result in a complete sex-change. The same thing happened to Mr Garrison in an episode of South Park.