Doctor Wanda's triage
A Plot: Wanda receives her PhD in philosophy from an online university called EMU. When word gets out, everyone in town assumes she's a medical doctor and come to her for advice. She is reluctant until she is persuaded with pastries, so she sets up an impromptu clinic at the gas station with Hank acting as her nurse.
B Plot: Lacey is ecstatic that all the local teenagers think of her as the "cool" adult, but she gets frustrated when they invade the Ruby and start destroying everything. Brent embraces his role as an old curmudgeon and teases Lacey's inability to stand up to the young punks.
C Plot: Davis and Karen reveal that they are left-handed, causing Oscar to fly off the handle and bring a mob revolt against the police force, as he believes southpaws are evil. He forces the cops into training to make them right-handed.
Tropes Referenced:
- A Sinister Clue: This is definitely how Oscar perceives left-handed people, leading to his plot with Davis and Karen. Oscar reveals later that he was born left-handed and his parents forced him through the same conversion he imposes on the cops.Oscar: That means 100% of the Dog River Police Force is left-handed! Sinister! Sinistra! That's "left" in Latino.
- Actually a Good Idea: Wanda points out to the East Montgomery University representative how absurd it is that their mascot is the "Fighting Ostriches" when their initials are literally EMU. The rep admits she'll have to bring that up at the next meeting, and sure enough by the end of the episode they are now the "Fighting Emus".
- Affectionate Nickname: The young folks start calling Lacey "The Lace" and "Lacers". Lacey is a big fan.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: In The Tag, Wanda's doctorate is revoked because she impersonated a medical professional, ran an illegal clinic out of Corner Gas, and...accepted carbohydrates as payment.
- Bait-and-Switch Comparison: A quick-witted example from Wanda:Wanda: [looking at a bump on Mavis's hand] I know what that is. It's called a ganglion.
Mavis: I want you to treat it, not name it!
Wanda: It's a benign irritant, with a cyst on her wrist. - The Chain of Harm: Oscar punishing and trying to publicly shame Davis and Karen for being left-handed turns out to stem from Oscar's parents doing the exact same thing to him as a child.
- Comically Missing the Point:Karen: Good morning.
Oscar: It most certainly is not! Your partner is from H-E-double-hockey-sticks!
Karen: I don't really follow sports. - Didn't Think This Through: The EMU representative acknowledges that at their next meeting, in addition to reconsidering having an ostrich mascot instead of an emu, that they should disable in-person deliveries of online certifications as the default option.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Wanda on the phone with someone from "StarMyDoc.com":Wanda: You can't boot me off the site. I'm technically a doctor, and didn't you see my reviews? I did not write those... I dictated them while my nurse typed.
- Heh Heh, You Said "X":Mavis: [to Wanda] I brought you this cake as a thank you for banging my ganglion.
Hank: [intrigued] Whoa! When did that happen? - I Always Wanted to Say That: Wanda's doctorate from EMU is not hand-delivered by a psychology instructor, but by someone that specialized in mathematical probability. When Wanda asks why, the representative says she "drew the short straw", and then adds how she's been waiting twenty years to make that joke.
- In Vino Veritas: Emma knew all along that Oscar was born left-handed and was forcibly reeducated, as he's talked about it more than once while drunk at the bar, but didn't speak up until the end of the C Plot because Oscar's last tirade was about how she's never supported any of his past inanity.
- I Resemble That Remark!:Lacey: There's this whole back-and-forth teasing thing with Brent that I really need to win.
Davis: Have you considered that we might have more important things to do than deal with your guys's weird flirty stuff?
Lacey: Flirting? Grow up. This isn't high school. It's about me looking cool in front of teenagers. - Literal Metaphor:Lacey: Hey, Brent. You seem chipper today.
Brent: I should be chipper. It's my day off. Plus I just had some chips. - Malaproper: At the end of the C Plot, Oscar's mad at Emma for knowing all along that he was forcibly converted from left-handedness, and should've stopped him from being a hypocrite. Emma retorts that he had been angry at her for never supporting him, and now was angry for supporting him, and he can't have it both ways. Oscar states that he can, because he's "bi", but Emma corrects that he should mean "ambidextrous".
- Not That Kind of Doctor: Wanda's entire plot.
- Rage Breaking Point: Downplayed due to Davis' restrained nature, but after a day of him and Karen dealing with Oscar slapping them for using their left hands, he finally draws the line when Oscar attempts to follow him into the men's restroom.
- Status Quo Is God: Wanda's doctorate in psychology is revoked at the end of the episode because she used it to impersonate a medical professional.
- Totally Radical: Brent utilizes this intentionally, mostly to tease Lacey for trying to fit in with the young people.Brent: Yeah, you're cool, right, "Lacers"? Cool, groovy, 23 skidoo? I can't keep up with you youngsters and your funky slang and your gender-fluid apps.
