Fed up with Francine's adoptive Chinese parents, Stan sets out to find her biological parents. Meanwhile, Steve attempts to use firecrackers to impress a girl.
Tropes:
- All Germans Are Nazis: Klaus comments that compared to the German war atrocities, even he finds the Dawsons reprehensible.
- Asian and Nerdy: Subverted. According to Bah Bah, his biological daughter Gwen failed math in school.Bah Bah: Imagine Chinese girl can't do math.Stan: It's embarrassing when children don't adhere to stereotypes.
- Because You Can Cope: Francine's parents reveal that they would leave everything to Gwen in their will because "she needs all the help she can get", while Francine doesn't need the money because she married a good man.
- Big Damn Heroes: Stan is abandoned by Francine's biological parents when the house catches on fire, but he's saved by Bah Bah when he came back for their trunk.
- Chekhov's Gun: After Francine's parents arrive, Steve lights a firecracker that Bah Bah describes as taking too long to burn for very little payoff. At the end of the episode, it finally detonates, having apparently been burning for days, and sets the house on fire.Klaus: Uh, Stan, the English Patient is getting close to detonating.
- Comically Missing the Point: After Steve blows his thumb off, Roger thinks it's the perfect time for him to say "Charlie, they took my thumb!" from The Pope of Greenwich Village, oblivious to Steve writhing in pain on the ground.
- Disinherited Child: Stan turns Francine against her parents by revealing that they plan to leave all their money to their biological daughter Gwen. However, after saving Stan, Bah Bah tells him that Gwen is an idiot who will need lots of help once they're gone, while Francine is smart and won't need to worry about money.
- Everyone Has Standards: Stan might be a right-wing xenophobe and Klaus might have Nazi sympathies, but they're both shocked and appalled that Nicolas and Cassandra handed Francine off to a gate agent because they couldn't bring a child into first class.
- Happily Adopted: This episode reveals that Francine was adopted by a Chinese couple, and she deeply loves Mah Mah and Bah Bah.
- Hate Sink: Nicolas and Cassandra Dawson seem like a perfectly friendly rich couple at first. But then they reveal that they gave away Francine because a flight wouldn't let children into first class and never looked back, even causally saying that they invested the money saved from not having to raise a kid and got rich from it. Then they don't even lift a finger to save Stan when he's trapped by burning debris.
- I Have This Friend: While meeting the Dawsons, they broach the subject of meeting their daughter. Stan calls Francine and asks how she would hypothetically feel if he were to bring home a friendly, rich couple and then reveal they were her birth parents. She replies that she would feel incredibly angry, hurt, and betrayed, and in addition to never wanting to meet them, she would never want to see Stan again either.
- I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Bah Bah tells Stan that, in spite of all the grief he gives him and Mah Mah, he still makes Francine happy and that's all that matters to them.
- Interracial Adoption Struggles: Francine loves her adoptive parents and is happy with her life. However, the cultural differences drive Stan crazy.
- My Friends... and Zoidberg: When Francine comes home to find the house on fire, she asks Stan if the family is okay, forgetting Klaus until she sees he's right next to them.
- Overly Long Gag: Stan lights Roger on fire to distract everyone at the adoption office while he searches for Francine's biological parents. Roger goes through multiple attempts to be put out, while Stan has to call tech support because the computer won't print the information.
- Pun-Based Title: To Big Trouble in Little China.
- Shout-Out: Stan's song has the same melody as "Dance, Ten; Looks, Three" from A Chorus Line.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: Roger asks Stan how he knew he was fireproof when even he didn't know, but when Stan completely ignores him, Roger decides to just assume he did and preserve their friendship.
- The Thing That Would Not Leave: The Lings show up unannounced and proceed to take over the Smith house, having them conform to Chinese customs and using Stan's things without permission.
