It's Good to Be Queen

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“It's Good to Be Queen”
American Dad! episode
Stan with his Homecoming Queen
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 19
Written by	Alison McDonald
Directed by	Rodney Clouden
Production no.	1AJN19
Original airdate	February 26, 2006
Newspaper Headline	"Michelle Kwan Finally Dishonors Family"
Season 1 episodes
American Dad - Season 1 May 1, 2005 – May 14, 2006
Pilot Threat Levels Stan Knows Best Francine's Flashback Roger Codger Homeland Insecurity Deacon Stan, Jesus Man Bullocks to Stan A Smith in the Hand All About Steve Con Heir Stan of Arabia: Part 1 Stan of Arabia: Part 2 Stannie Get Your Gun Star Trek Not Particularly Desperate Housewife Rough Trade Finances with Wolves It's Good to Be Queen Roger 'n' Me Helping Handis With Friends Like Steve's Tears of a Clooney

	Season 2 →
List of American Dad! episodes

"It's Good to be Queen" is an episode of the animated series American Dad!.

[edit] Plot

The episode begins with a flashback to Stan's high school years, when he was tricked by three mean guys who assure him that the Homecoming Queen, wants to dance with him. However, they pull a prank on him with pigs dropping on him (despite the fact that one of the boys hadn't finished the memo to use pig's blood but it was still very funny to them). Humiliated, Stan swears one day he will get back at them.

In the present, Stan, closed eye, starts shooting, not knowing that he shot Jackson's CIA double. He soon comes close to realizing his dream, as Francine was voted Homecoming Queen of her school, winning by one vote. Stan proudly attends Francine's reunion, where various items from their high-school years are brought out of storage. Among them is the Homecoming ballot box, which contains two previously uncounted votes for Francine's opponent, Betty Sue. It turns out that Francine had lost the Homecoming vote by one vote! Francine graciously concedes victory and gives her crown to the new queen, but Stan is furious to have his dream of going to a high-school reunion with the Homecoming Queen taken away from him.

Francine is annoyed at Stan's reaction, and sarcastically suggests that he should take the real Homecoming Queen to the reunion instead of her. Unfortunately for her, Stan takes her seriously. Francine is angry at him, so to save his marriage, Stan sends his CIA double Bill to take her out to dinner while he goes to the dance with the Queen. The plan backfires when Francine decides to go to the reunion with the double. When she finds the two of them and learns of the plan, she becomes furious and steals Stan's gun. However, she is unable to tell the two Stans apart when they dropped their flowers. One of them tries to calm her by apologizing and telling her he loves her, so Francine assumes the other Stan is the real one and shoots him. But it turns out that the apologizing Stan was the real Stan, and Francine is so touched by the unexpected display of emotion that she forgives him. As his double is being taken into a medical copter with zero chance of saving his leg, Stan tells Francine that he tipped the pilots to shine their light on them while dancing.

In the meantime, Steve and Roger begin their attempts at water balloon pranks with Stan's mortar. They then encounter a charismatic philosopher pizza man named Mitch, who is implied to be Jesus Christ, who shows great deals of wisdom. When Roger accidentally destroys his car, they allow him to use Francine's car without Hayley's knowledge (because she, her boyfriend Jeff and Klaus get high on marijuana brownies). Steve soon learns from one of the deliveries to a bully's house that his father abuses him. However, when Steve sees Roger receiving wisdom, he feels betrayed. In anger, he throws all the pizzas into the river. Upon arriving home, he learns that Mitch has lost his job. After sharing some more wisdom, Steve gets the real picture; that Mitch didn't fail him, he did. With the lesson learned, Mitch walks down the street and disappears. Yet Steve believes he will be back in three days (to move his car for street sweeping.)

[edit] Cultural references

The title is a reference to Mel Brooks's catchphrase "It's good to be king", from the movie History of the World, Part I.
The prank the jocks pull on Stan was inspired by the Stephen King novel Carrie. Unfortunately, the one who created the trap stopped reading after the word "pig", and they cover Stan with live pigs instead of pig's blood.
The names Mary Kate Olsen, Markie Post, Hugh Hefner, Frank Langella, Andy Rooney, Danny Bonaduce, Charlton Heston, Tara Reid, and Stockard Channing can be seen on the CIA Death Pool.
Stan attended the John De Lorean high school. The doors of the high school opened upwards, like the doors of the De Lorean DMC-12.
In the restaurant scene, Stan's double requests that the waiter hire a violin player who can play Francine's favorite song, "Little Red Corvette" by Prince.
The maitre d' of the restaurant is modeled after the maitre d' in the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Stan, or rather Stan's double, attempts to impress Francine by holding Peter Gabriel, voiced by Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd (badly singing "In your eyes" along to a boombox) above his head, alluding to the movie Say Anything. However, the character is in fact Gabriel Byrne. When Byrne finally tells "Stan" (or Stan's double) that he took the wrong Gabriel, "Stan" throws him aside.
The music played as Stan and Francine dance in the last part is "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS.
Francine shooting Stan's double, because she thought he was Stan, is a scene used before in several films and movies with evil twin plot-lines.
Klaus describes a band filled with Star Wars characters, but he forgets to include Yoda.
Francine's high school friend "Quackie" may be a reference to the character of a similar name in the 1986 film Pretty in Pink, in the 1986 film Duckie is infamous for acting effeminate, and in this episode he reveals to Francine that he is gay. Both are played by actor Jon Cryer.