Meter Made

"Meter Made" is a third season episode of the animated series American Dad!.

Plot

As the Langley Falls "Parade of Homes" gets underway, Francine becomes depressed that the Smith home is not only not included but is rather designated "Dogs Poop Here." At the same time, Stan becomes depressed that even though he works for the CIA, he's still a nobody to the public. Things come to a head when Stan attacks a haughty meter maid who had just ticketed him. Forced to make amends by becoming a meter maid himself for two weeks, Stan realizes that he can use the threat of parking violations to extort favors from others. Stan tries this tactic on a famous Jamaican artist in an effort to get him to paint the Smith home so that it would be included in the Parade, but he fails because the artist is also a diplomat. However, Stan decides that he can afford to pay the artist nonetheless, and gain even more power, by embezzling the coins that he is supposed to collect from parking meters. Stan and Francine are showing off their redecorated home, now included in the Parade, to the neighbors just as Turlington from Parking Internal Affairs ominously arrives. In a panic, Stan and Francine try to throw away or destroy everything they bought with the ill-gotten money (to the horror of their guests) but it turns out that Turlington only wanted to give Stan his certificate of completion of his two week service obligation. The episode ends with a depressed Stan executing a regime change somewhere in Latin America and finding a parking ticket on his car as Marxist Revolutionaries wage a violent battle nearby.

In a subplot, Haley becomes a nude model for a local art class, proclaiming to be completely at ease with her body. However, she is mortified when she sees a disguised Roger at the back of the class. Roger has painted Haley's body nude, but has not painted her face. She attempts to get Roger to give her his painting, only to find out that Roger had loaned it to an unknowing Steve. In the meantime, Steve has masturbated to the painting. Roger plays Haley and Steve against each other at an auction for the painting, only to have both outbid by Francine, using the stolen parking meter money. Just as the truth of the painting is finally revealed to Steve (but not Francine), Francine rips it up as part of her evidence-destroying efforts. As payback, Haley punches Roger.

Trivia

• Members of Ladybugs can be seen in this episode.
• When Stan smashes the ticket book at the meter maid, you can see two humorous lines on it : "Check this box if the car is a piece of crap" on the middle of it, and "Vehicle smells funny" listed as one of the Offense cause.

Cultural references

• The story seems to be based on that of Goodfellas.
• The title is a play on meter maid.
• Turlington, voiced by Forest Whitaker, references Whitaker's performances as Jon Kavanaugh from The Shield.
• The Maître d' at the French restaurant is a parody of the Chez Quis Maître d' in Ferris Bueller's Day Off played by Jonathan Schmock.
• A Wilhelm scream is heard at the very end of the episode.