Recap / American Dad S 16 E 7 Shark

Release Date: May 27, 2019

Stan has Roger pretend to be a shark to help Steve overcome his fears. Hayley's friend Danuta becomes romantically interested in Klaus.

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Tropes

• An Arm and a Leg: Steve loses his arm from Roger when the latter dresses up as a shark.
• Apathetic Citizens: None of the carnival patrons show concern when the Gravitron spins out of control. Klaus lampshades this:
  Klaus: Wow! That was crazy! Why isn't anyone reacting to this?
  Carnival patron: Because it doesn't concern me. I'm not in the Gravitron. I'm eating caramel corn, having the time of my life. This is a carnival, after all. Try smiling, asshole!
• Bloody Hilarious: Blood spouts out of Steve's left arm after it gets ripped off by Roger.
  Steve: I think I'm out of blood... (faints)
• The Bus Came Back: Outside of the occasional background cameo, this episode marks Danuta's first appearance since "Faking Bad", which aired six years before "Shark?!" (and she has been subject to The Other Darrin as well). She's since become a recurring character.
• Determinator:
  • Klaus tries his best to win a stuffed Munion for Danuta at any cost. After a while, he simply buys one for $300. By that time, Danuta already left.
  • Steve attempts to kill a shark for real in order to face his fears.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Roger brutally bites Steve's arm off for talking smack about sharks.
• Gone Horribly Right: Stan wanted to make Steve become willing to take new risks by having him "clobber" a shark. After his experience, he decides to take any risks, such as jumping off a bridge and getting into brutal fist fights. Then when Stan reveals the truth, Steve tries to kill an actual shark to face his fears.
• Interspecies Romance: Between Klaus and Danuta. It doesn't work out, though.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Roger getting mauled by the sharks, considering he was the one who mutilated Steve in the first place.
• Too Dumb to Live:
  • Stan decides to eat sand, resulting him falling unconscious.
    Stan: (disoriented) This is what a free man looks like.
  • Steve, after his mutilation, puts himself in several life-threatening situations, such as playing on top of a tall bridge and getting into brutal fist fights with Barry. Even after he finds out the truth, he decides to face a real shark, putting himself at risk of getting mauled to death until Stan arrives.