B Plot: Having discovered conspiracy theories, Hank becomes suspicious of how Oscar is acting overly nice to Emma.
C Plot: Wanda is jealous when Davis wins an advance copy of the last book in the Max Braylorn Spy Trilogy and sets out to “borrow” the book before Davis can take his time with it.
Tropes referenced:
- Added Alliterative Appeal: Wanda is impressed by the Sadie Spy kit.Wanda: Geez, this Sadie Spy is no slouch.
- Bait-and-Switch:
- While breaking into Davis' locker at the precinct, Wanda takes a moment to note the model of padlock used before pulling out shears from her Sadie Spy kit. Then, rather than cut the padlock, she cuts directly through the locker door to get to the book.
- Brent and Lacey reconcile after overreacting to the awkwardness of the moon viewing but maintain that it wasn't a date. As they stare at the photo Brent took, the narrator from the romantic broadcast returns to talk about how sometimes the moon's best efforts to get two lovers together will fail. It then turns out that the narration is playing on the radio, which Wanda turned on to ignore Brent and Lacey's sentimental moment.
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Davis got the new Max Braylorn book early by purchasing ten tins of chewing tobacco. When Wanda sneaks into the police station to steal the book, she finds Davis' locker by spotting a sticker for "Librarian's Choice Chewing Tobacco" stuck on the door.
- Karen says that she prefers listening to to audio books over reading because she can better immerse herself in the story. Karen later outwits both Davis and Wanda to get the Max Braylorn book for herself because she wants Wanda to read it aloud to her so she doesn't have to wait for the release of the audio book.
- Comically Missing the Point: Won mentions how some people think that the moon landing was faked in a movie studio. Hank thinks that's ridiculous, because why would there be a movie studio on the moon?
- Conspiracy Theorist: After looking into claims that the moon landing was faked, Hank becomes obsessed with conspiracy theories, saying that he's "down a rabbit patch and through a looking hole and all kinds of secret dirt." He starts to think that Oscar being uncharacteristically nice is a sign of some kind of mind control or other villainous influence. Brent is eventually able to turn it back on Hank, convincing Hank that conspiracy theories are all just part of a larger scheme by The Illuminati to confuse people and get them to undermine traditional government.
- Continuity Nod:
- Wanda uses her telescope from "Telescope Trouble" to spy on Davis in The Ruby, then Brent borrows it to look at the moon.
- Just like in "Flush Photography", Wanda makes a joke while alone and wishes that someone was around to hear it.
- Department of Redundancy Department: A radio broadcast about the moon describes it thusly:Long regarded as a symbol of romantic love, the moon's amorous allure draws lovers to love lovingly.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Brent says that he and Lacey aren't having a picnic, they're just eating food outside on a blanket.
- Gotta Have It, Gonna Steal It: Wanda can't wait for the official release of the new Max Braylorn book, nor can she wait for Davis to finish with his advanced copy because he's too slow a reader, so she breaks into the police station in order to get Davis' copy.
- Hypocritical Humour: Wanda shames Karen for spying on her while she was spying on Davis.
- Literal-Minded: Lacey goes to Brent to ask about the special moon that's happening that night.Lacey: Hey, Brent. What's the deal with the moon?
Brent: It's a big chunk of rock. Orbits the Earth. That's literally all I have on that. - Lunacy:
- While wondering what would happen to werewolves if there was a combination blue moon and blood moon, Brent imagines a Blue Blood moon that turns a man into a werewolf wearing a crown and speaking like a Quintessential British Gentleman.
- Karen and Davis believe that the blue moon is the source of Oscar's strange behaviour. They're kind of right; rather than acting nice because the blue moon makes people act strange, Oscar is nice during a blue moon because Emma's father died during one.
- Mad Lib Thriller Title: The new Max Braylorn book is called The Braylorn Redundancy.
- Mocking Music: Lacey wants to listen to a radio broadcast about the moon to take away from the awkwardness of her and Brent's non-date, but as she searches through stations, she hears a love song, then a song about sex, and then an advertisement for half-priced lube jobs.
- Not a Date: Lacey and Brent both swear over and over that their moon viewing together is not a date. They don't seem to convince anyone, least of all each other.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Emma's father didn't like Oscar, but he did give Oscar his blessing to marry her, hence why Oscar is nice to Emma during a blue moon in memory of her father. Oscar refuses to do the same for the anniversary of Emma's mother's death, though, calling her a "battleaxe," a label Emma can't argue with.
- Out-Gambitted: Wanda manages to steal the Max Braylorn book from Davis' locker, but when she sits down to read it at home, Davis pops up outside her window and reveals that he swapped the dust jacket on the Max Braylorn book with a book about building birdhouses, leaving Wanda with the wrong book. Karen then pops up behind Davis and reveals that she too swapped dust jackets, leaving Davis with her hip-hop meditation book while she has the real Max Braylorn book. Karen stole the book because she wanted Wanda to read it to her and Davis so she doesn't have to wait for the audio book to come out, only for her to fall asleep while Wanda's reading. Davis says "You gotta be kidding me!" and Wanda notes that she's only reading it once.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Hank is convinced that something has to be seriously wrong with Oscar because he's suddenly being nice to Emma. Davis also agrees that niceness doesn't fit Oscar's profile, although he doesn't agree with Hank's assertion that it might be Slender Man's doing.
- Romantic Candlelit Dinner: Lacey gets this vibe from the candles and food Brent brought on their moon viewing, though Brent insists he only brought candles because his flashlight needs new batteries. He also wasn't planning on sharing any of the food, because "if professional television comedy has taught us anything, it's that fat guys like to eat."
- Shout-Out: Karen calls Wanda "Dora" for using binoculars from a children's spy kit to spy on Davis.
- Stating the Simple Solution: Karen points out that Davis didn't have to actually chew the ten tins of chewing tobacco to get the Max Braylorn book, he just needed to provide proof of purchase. Davis, who doesn't normally chew tobacco, says that the vomiting made him feel like he earned it.
- Twitchy Eye: Davis is so slow at reading just the back cover of the Max Braylorn book that it makes Wanda's eye twitch in rage.
- Unusual Euphemism: Both Lacey and Wanda use "Whozits" as a euphemism for vagina in separate scenes. Oscar later threatens to kick Hank in the "Whozits", but Karen corrects that Hank has a "Whatzit".
- Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Once Emma becomes aware that Oscar is nice to her on blue moons because her father died during one, she tries taking advantage by making up stories about having a dog that died on Valentine's Day and losing a favourite doll on Thanksgiving. Oscar sees through her and storms off, offended that she would try to trick her own husband into being nice to her.
