Roger Codger

"Roger Codger"

"Roger Codger" is the fifth episode of the first season and the fifth overall episode of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on June 5, 2005, and is written by Dan Vebber and directed by Albert Calleros.

In the episode, Roger's the object of a CIA alienhunt after Stan leaves him for dead in a garbage bin.

Plot

Stan is humiliated at work when a new agent, Duper, bests him in an operation simulation and takes over his more prestigious assignments. To regain Deputy Director Bullock, his boss's, favor, Stan invites him over for dinner (and some bootlicking). During the meal, however, Roger sneaks downstairs to get some wine, where Stan catches him and tries to hide him in the bathroom. Unfortunately, Roger's xenoplasm splashes all over the bathroom, causing Bullock to slip and fall in it, negating all of Stan's bootlicking efforts.

This is the last straw for Stan, who says that the family would be all better off if Roger was dead. In response, Roger convulses, then stiffens, appearing to have died. The next day, Stan unceremoniously tosses Roger's body in the dumpster of a fast food restaurant, asking Steve to help destroy evidence of his existence. Shocked, Steve calls his dad a monster, disowns him, and looks for another father figure, finally settling on Klaus. Upset by his son's words, Stan sees the CIA psychiatrist, asking if he really is a monster. He remembers how he first met Roger: the alien saved his life in Area 51 four years ago, so in gratitude, he brought him home to live with the family. However, when he says his "dog"'s passing makes him feel sad, the psychiatrist and Stan's co-workers both mock him, calling him a "lady."

Meanwhile, Roger wakes up in a landfill, finds an old lady's coat, and disguises himself as a senior citizen. He then meets Gertie, an old lady who sympathizes with him. They visit the White House together, where Roger gets "hammered" in the Oval Office, loses part of his disguise and is caught on tape. This causes problems for Stan, who learns of the footage, while Bullock promises severe punishment—including "butt stuff" -- for whoever had been harboring the alien for the four years he had been missing. When Roger calls Stan from a pay phone, calls hims a carpetbagger and threatens to expose the family, Stan decides he has no choice but to kill Roger.

Roger becomes upset upon learning that Gertie is a bigot who hates Abraham Lincoln for having freed the slaves. He calls the Smiths for help, but when they locate him, Stan tries to kill him but starts to cry. Stan denies having feelings for Roger, but Francine says that having feelings only makes him human. Stan then gets the idea to strip Gertie and pass her off to the CIA as the alien. The ruse works: Gertie is hauled off and Stan regains Bullock's favor; Bullock says he will remove the words "tool" and "incompetent" from Stan's record, and (at Stan's request) add the words "lady" and "not a."

Reception

The episode was watched by a total of 6.09 million people, this made it the second most watched show on Animation Domination that night, beating King of the Hill and The Simpsons but losing to Family Guy with 7.23 million.