1600 Candles
Encyclopedia
"1600 Candles" is the fourth season episode premiere of the animated series American Dad!
. It premiered on September 28, 2008, and is the first episode to feature the new opening sequence. This episode is rated TV-14.
filled with water to enable him to move around the house, Roger is excited to see that the family is setting up for his 1,600th birthday party, a milestone
for his people. But Steve runs down stairs and reveals he is going through puberty by dropping his pants to flaunt his single pubic hair. Stan and Francine are shocked because Hayley's puberty
did not go well for them, as she had wild mood swings for every single development. Steve begins to show off his puberty to his friends and across the school. Steve later asks Lisa Silver out to meet her at Macy's
. Francine, not wishing to go through the same trauma again, then goes to the CIA, bribes the lab scientists with brownies and injects Steve with a needle to stop him from aging further for at least a few more years. However, the serum makes him a toddler (Five as Stan says) all over again.
This angers Steve and he asks who did it to him. Francine confesses she injected him with it, but Stan distracts Steve with cartoons. Steve goes to mall with Francine where he was supposed to meet Lisa to buy her a prom dress. Lisa is thinking that Steve's appearance is a joke and that he is Steve's nephew. That night, Stan injects him with a needle, also from the CIA, in order to settle Francine's mistake and to make Steve an adult, to skip Steve's puberty instead of holding it off. However, much like the first attempt, the new serum turns Steve into an old man. Steve is just as furious as before, saying he has pubic hair, but it is white. Stan says he will head back to lab and get an antidote, distracting Steve yet again with the television, this time with The Weather Channel
.
Lisa's friend Libby tells Steve that Lisa called to meet him again. Steve comes up with a story that he travels back in time from 80 years into the future. He manages to meet with Lisa and tell her the story, but all it does is confuse her and cause her to leave the date as he falls asleep before Francine finds him. Stan comes home with the antidote to turn Steve back into a fourteen year old. They start talking about the bad side of puberty, and Steve, scared, runs aways. Roger drops Steve off at a bus stop and Steve leaves on a bus with an old woman and reveals he does not want to be put in another situation where it involves his age.
Francine is looking for Steve until she and Stan find out Roger dropped off Steve so he can celebrate his birthday party. Steve, who is now in a retirement home, gets a call from Stan to come back to the house. But Steve wants to stay because he enjoys his new life and threatens to kill himself, making Francine and Stan feel guilty for changing the most important years of his life. Francine and Stan find Steve and they give him the shot just in time for the dance. He finally dances with Lisa, but a drunk enraged Roger pulls down his pants to show he only has one pubic hair, ruining his moment. He tries to pull up his pants, but trips. The bullies then give him a swirlie and Stan and Francine do nothing to stop them and reveal that puberty is not perfect for anyone. The pubic hair from Steve floats across town until Roger comes home from the dance. Roger is upset that Steve stole his thunder and nobody remembered his birthday. However, in a parody of the ending scene of Sixteen Candles
, Klaus is shown with a birthday cake reading, "1600" and a single candle. Roger says that his wish came true, but the pubic hair lands in the cake and Roger ends the episode by saying, "I hate Steve so much".
gave the episode a mixed review, writing that it was "satisfying to see Steve own his newfound puberty [...] but everything else about the episode felt flat, even for American Dad standards". He graded "1600 Candles" C+.
The episode was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
in 2009.
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
. It premiered on September 28, 2008, and is the first episode to feature the new opening sequence. This episode is rated TV-14.
Plot
As Klaus shows off his new hamster ballHamster ball
Hamster balls are hollow spheres made of clear plastic into which hamsters, gerbils, degus and other small rodent pets are placed, allowing them to run around outside their cages without the risk of running away, getting lost under furniture or in walls...
filled with water to enable him to move around the house, Roger is excited to see that the family is setting up for his 1,600th birthday party, a milestone
Milestone
A milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at intervals of one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. They are typically located at the side of the road or in a median. They are alternatively known as mile markers, mileposts or mile posts...
for his people. But Steve runs down stairs and reveals he is going through puberty by dropping his pants to flaunt his single pubic hair. Stan and Francine are shocked because Hayley's puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
did not go well for them, as she had wild mood swings for every single development. Steve begins to show off his puberty to his friends and across the school. Steve later asks Lisa Silver out to meet her at Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
. Francine, not wishing to go through the same trauma again, then goes to the CIA, bribes the lab scientists with brownies and injects Steve with a needle to stop him from aging further for at least a few more years. However, the serum makes him a toddler (Five as Stan says) all over again.
This angers Steve and he asks who did it to him. Francine confesses she injected him with it, but Stan distracts Steve with cartoons. Steve goes to mall with Francine where he was supposed to meet Lisa to buy her a prom dress. Lisa is thinking that Steve's appearance is a joke and that he is Steve's nephew. That night, Stan injects him with a needle, also from the CIA, in order to settle Francine's mistake and to make Steve an adult, to skip Steve's puberty instead of holding it off. However, much like the first attempt, the new serum turns Steve into an old man. Steve is just as furious as before, saying he has pubic hair, but it is white. Stan says he will head back to lab and get an antidote, distracting Steve yet again with the television, this time with The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel
The Weather Channel is a US cable and satellite television network since May 2, 1982, that broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news, along with entertainment programming related to weather 24 hours a day...
.
Lisa's friend Libby tells Steve that Lisa called to meet him again. Steve comes up with a story that he travels back in time from 80 years into the future. He manages to meet with Lisa and tell her the story, but all it does is confuse her and cause her to leave the date as he falls asleep before Francine finds him. Stan comes home with the antidote to turn Steve back into a fourteen year old. They start talking about the bad side of puberty, and Steve, scared, runs aways. Roger drops Steve off at a bus stop and Steve leaves on a bus with an old woman and reveals he does not want to be put in another situation where it involves his age.
Francine is looking for Steve until she and Stan find out Roger dropped off Steve so he can celebrate his birthday party. Steve, who is now in a retirement home, gets a call from Stan to come back to the house. But Steve wants to stay because he enjoys his new life and threatens to kill himself, making Francine and Stan feel guilty for changing the most important years of his life. Francine and Stan find Steve and they give him the shot just in time for the dance. He finally dances with Lisa, but a drunk enraged Roger pulls down his pants to show he only has one pubic hair, ruining his moment. He tries to pull up his pants, but trips. The bullies then give him a swirlie and Stan and Francine do nothing to stop them and reveal that puberty is not perfect for anyone. The pubic hair from Steve floats across town until Roger comes home from the dance. Roger is upset that Steve stole his thunder and nobody remembered his birthday. However, in a parody of the ending scene of Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
, Klaus is shown with a birthday cake reading, "1600" and a single candle. Roger says that his wish came true, but the pubic hair lands in the cake and Roger ends the episode by saying, "I hate Steve so much".
Reception
Steve Heisler of The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a mixed review, writing that it was "satisfying to see Steve own his newfound puberty [...] but everything else about the episode felt flat, even for American Dad standards". He graded "1600 Candles" C+.
The episode was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
in 2009.