Jeff and the Dank Ass Weed Factory is the 261st episode of American Dad and is a cannabis themed parody of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was first aired on May 13th, 2019 and was the 5th episode of season 14. Yes that means it was originally on television pretty close to two years ago but that’s okay. When this episode first came out it flew pretty under the radar and has gone on to become very popular during the pandemic. American Dad is available on Hulu and people have been consuming record amounts of cannabis and binge streaming in record numbers. Seth MacFarlane’s cannabis content has tended to be kind of all-over the place. Family Guy seemed to have a somewhat inconsistent point of view. In the 2009 episode “420”, Brian launches a campaign to legalize marijuana after his arrest for drug possession. Brian and Stewie sing ‘A Bag of Weed’, set to the tune of “Me Ol’ Bam-boo” from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was a nice moment from almost twelve years ago and in 2018 it even made it into “Television’s Top 7 Most Infused Moments” in this very magazine.
Jeff and the Dank Ass Weed Factory is probably one of the best representations of cannabis we’ve seen, second only to the Tegridy Farms storyline on South Park. The plot goes like this: After being encouraged one morning by Klaus the talking German goldfish, Stan Smith vehemently and relentlessly rants against potheads, particularly Jeff. Later that day at the local cannabis dispensary, the stoners learn of a contest sponsored by the legendary and mysterious Tommie Tokes, played by Snoop Dogg, with five potential winners receiving the grand prize of touring his weed factory. However, the director of the CIA, Avery Bullock, uses the contest for a massive drug bust so he can acquire the “Everlasting Edible,” a cannabis edible powerful enough to provide an everlasting high. As the five golden tickets hidden in packs of Tommie Tokes brand blunt wraps are slowly discovered, Jeff worries about ever finding a winner but he finds the very last one and almost smokes it, over and over again. Hayley thinks the tour sounds like too much work so Jeff asks Stan to accompany him on the tour.
As Tommie’s tour progresses, the participants all meet their fates and their exits are narrated with sinister raps performed by Tommie Tokes’ small purple workers, the “Snoopa Loompas”. Tommie suspects that Stan is a narc because earlier he refused to participate in his everything-is-edible room, so he engineers him a special pre-roll specifically designed for his body and mind. Once they’ve gotten high together, Jeff and Stan ditch the tour and find a room where they discover the Everlasting Edible, but claiming he now has a new appreciation for cannabis, Stan refuses to steal it. Stan is later discovered with the edible, having faked being high thanks to the CIA technician’s techniques. At that point they are the only ones still left at the end of the tour and Jeff is forced to kill all of the Snoopa Loompas in order to save Stan. He convinces Tommie to allow them to leave through a glass elevator and as they fly away into the sky, Stan admits he doesn’t think of Jeff as the worthless loser that he did earlier in the episode.
Killing the Snoopa Loompas seemed out of character for Jeff and unnecessary for the episode. A little too dark and violent for the tone they’d set but everything else was surprisingly spot on. The dispensary, the blunt wraps, the rolling, the edibles, the factory and the general way the characters acted “stoned”. It’s also a great parody of Willy Wonka and is hilarious on that level as well. Having Snoop Dogg play Tommie Tokes was inspired casting and knowing that Patrick Stewart, who portrays Avery Bullock, medicates using edibles every day makes his desire for The Everlasting Edible seem that much funnier. We “highly” recommend watching this.
Patrick Ian Moore
