Fed up with Bob's attempts at romance, Linda signs up for flying lessons. Bob and the kids try to get her back, but her flirtatious instructor Upskirt Kurt accidentally maroons them on an island.
Seatropes:
- Affably Evil: Only Mr. Fischoeder could invite the kids to work in a coal mine with the same demeanor of someone catching up with an old friend.
- Analogy Backfire: Linda tries to compare herself to Amelia Earhart, and quickly remembers that she died.
- Belly-Scraping Flight: After Bob frees the seaplane from the tow rope, Linda flies above the bridge they were about to crash into and they barely touched it.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Discussed; Louise remarks that while Bob normally wouldn't be a fighter, the current situation means he's almost certainly throwing a punch or two at Kurt. He follows through on that when he finally confronts the man face-to-face.
- Big Damn Heroes: Mr. Fischoeder saves the Belchers and is revealed to have found Shoshana.
- Brutal Honesty: "No, Gene. Kurt is seducing your mommy."
- Cassandra Truth: Bob is the only one who believes in Linda remaining faithful to him, as Mr. Fischoeder, Gus, Teddy, and even the kids think she's cheating with Kurt and believe that Bob is being too idealistic. In the end, Bob's trust proves to be well-placed.
- Chekhov's Classroom:
- During the seaplane lessons, Kurt explains that the plane flies starting at around 60 knots. This comes back at the end when Fischoeder, towing the plane, speeds up past 60 knots, causing the plane to go airborne.
- After this, Linda uses her lesson from Kurt to safely land the plane.
- The Chew Toy: Kurt gets pummeled by Linda, has his seaplane carried off an island due to high tide and is punched in the butt by Bob.
- Crash Course Landing: Kurt and Mr. Fischoeder tow the seaplane but drive too fast, causing it to go airborne. Linda has to use what little she learned to land it safely.
- Creature of Habit: Linda is bored with Bob always taking her to the same restaurant on a date night and wants something different. When Bob refuses and insists on sticking to going to the same restaurant again, Linda decides to take the seaplane lessons herself.
- Department of Redundancy Department: "It's a make-out island where people go to make out."
- The Determinator: Bob island-hops via ferry, a U.S. Mail boat and a rowboat to get to Linda.
- Dramatic Irony: Bob and the kids figure out very early on that Kurt plans to seduce Linda, but it's not until the episode's midway point that Linda herself figures it out.
- Dreams of Flying: Tina's Imagine Spot of her going to "Quickie Kiss-It Island" has her flying there and kissing a line of boys lying on the beach.
- Failed Attempt at Drama: Bob tries to confront Kurt for trying to seduce Linda but he's too tired from rowing to the island to make it serious. He's so tired that when he tries to punch Kurt he's only able to punch his butt since he can't raise his arms up.
- Faking Engine Trouble: Upskirt Kurt does this as part of his routine to seduce his students. He takes them for a ride in his seaplane and then pretends to have engine trouble so he can make an "emergency landing" at the local Make-Out Point island.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: As they head back to the main land with Fischoeder and Kurt in a boat while towing the seaplane with the Belchers inside, the direction the boat is heading towards has a bridge in the far distance. When the seaplane flies up from the speed of Fischoeder's boat, the bridge isn't noticed until Tina points out the plane will crash into it if the plane doesn't go down.
- Flight of Romance: Upskirt Kurt got his nickname by seducing women during his flight classes. It doesn't work on Linda.
- Glad-to-Be-Alive Sex: When Shoshanna has safely landed both Bob and Linda tell the kids to get lost as they plan on having a "Prosecco Picnic". Tina actually jumps out of the seaplane and starts swimming to shore before Bob and Linda hastily tell her to come back.
- Kurt tries to invoke it with Linda. Linda is not interested.
- Happily Married: Even after arguing with Bob, Linda doesn't even consider cheating on him with Kurt, and makes it very clear that she and Bob are ride-or-die for life. Bob for one doesn't ever seriously think Linda will willingly cheat on him, and any anger he has when the situation is resolved is solely towards Kurt. The tension in the episode comes not from whether Linda will cheat on Bob, but whether she can be found before Kurt starts getting more irrational.
- Heel Realization: Kurt seems to be having one as he realizes he's not the best guy and breaks down sobbing about how he'll die alone. It's a ploy to try and woo Linda, who proceeds to smack him hard in the throat.
- I Call It "Vera": Kurt's seaplane is named "Shoshana".
- If You Die, I Call Your Stuff: When Linda says "We need some adventure, or we'll die of boredom right in front of the kids", the kids start calling dibs on their parents' stuff. Louise calls their room, Gene calls their clothes and jewelry, and Tina hastily calls whatever's left.
- Island Help Message: Linda spells out "HELP" out of the wine bottles from Kurt's past flings.Linda: Sheesh, this island's seen a lot of emergency landings.
- Jerkass: Mr. Fischoeder seems to be particularly bad in this episode, having been hazy about getting hold of a boat driving past the Belchers in one of his own before calling out that he owns one before sailing away, as well as being very reluctant to tow Shoshana home (and nearly causing it to crash into a bridge with all the Belchers inside due to negligence.)
- Karmic Butt-Monkey: Kurt is such a sleazy dick that one really doesn't feel bad for him getting used as The Chew Toy all episode.
- Make-Out Point: Upskirt Kurt takes Linda to Quippiquisset Island, a spot frequently used for making out, earning it the nickname "Quickie Kiss-it Island".
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": The Belchers react this way when Fischoeder's boat made the seaplane fly up by going too fast as they head towards a bridge that the plane will crash into if they don't land or go above it.
- Noodle Incident: As the Belchers struggle to land the plane, Gus says "Looks like Kurt is trying to land with his penis again."
- Mr. Fischoeder apparently has a child-run coal mine.
- Oh, Crap!: Bob has one when he notices that Linda has been gone a bit too long.
- Linda has one when she realizes Kurt wants to have sex with her.
- Outside Ride: As the plane approaches the bridge, Bob has to climb on the pontoon and cut the tether so Linda can fly the plane higher.
- Overly Long Gag: Linda interrupts Kurt's monologue about saving them by puking three times.
- Plummet Perspective: As Bob climbs out of the plane in midair, the door comes loose and falls off. Bob watches as it falls in the ocean a hundred feet below.
- Security Cling: The kids before Linda attempts to clear the bridge with Kurt's plane.
- Shout-Out: The title of the episode makes it a clear nod to Airplane!.
- Skewed Priorities: Louise has to remind Bob and Linda to apologize to each other after they avoid crashing the plane on the bridge.
- Terms of Endangerment: Kurt calls Bob "friend" when the latter confronts him. Bob is obviously offended that someone would call him a friend after trying to sleep with his wife. Kurt genuinely doesn't seem to understand that anything he said was wrong.
- This Is My Side: When she and Kurt are stranded on Quippiquisset Island, Linda draws a line on the sand to mark her side of the island, then tells Kurt to switch sides because his side is better.
- Use Your Head: When Kurt gets fresh with Linda, she headbutts him; she wanted to punch him, but was holding a glass of wine.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: Both Linda and Bob throw up just out of frame while in Kurt's plane.
- You Didn't Ask: When Bob tries to get a boat to Quippiquisset Island, Mr. Fischoeder tells him a convoluted way to get a ride there while mocking the concept that everyone just has a boat. During the process, Bob spots Mr. Fischoeder... on a boat of his own.Bob: Why didn't you say you had a boat?!
Mr. Fischoeder: I have a boat! There, are you happy?!
Bob: No!
