"I've seen you not working before, but this is a whole new level of not working."
A Plot: Emma needs space to use her sewing machine, so she picks Brent's old room. The only problem is all of Brent's old toys are in the way. Hank offers to take them off her hands, which causes Brent to suddenly become nostalgic for them.
B Plot: When Brent opens Oscar's eyes to the fact that Emma has him on an allowance, he gets the bright idea to sell cookies door-to-door to make his own money. Unsurprisingly, his sales tactics are not very successful, until Karen gets in on the action.
C Plot: Wanda is told that her Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness can be a bit off-putting, so she starts deliberately using more folksy language. She gets a positive reaction at first, but then panics when she thinks she's sent a family to their doom out in the woods.
D Plot: Davis notices "macaroodles" on the Ruby's kids menu and is desperate to try some, though Lacey blocks him at every turn. When she finally acquiesces, Davis finds he misunderstood the dish.
Tropes Referenced:
- Analogy Backfire: When Wanda is worried about a family lost in the woods:Lacey: Okay, listen. Don't worry about it. This is like those kids from The Blair Witch Project. At first you think they're in trouble and then in the end they're okay.
Davis: They die in that.
Lacey: Oh yeah? - Blackmail: When Karen asks for a larger cut of the cookie-selling profits, Oscar asks why she needs the money, and she admits her purse was stolen...so Oscar threatens to spread the news if she doesn't acquiesce. This falls apart when the purse is found.
- Call-Back: Karen thinks her purse has been stolen, but it turns out she just lost it. In Lost And Found, she jumped to the same conclusion when she couldn't find her footbag.
- Epic Fail / Lethal Chef:Oscar: I'm gonna make my own money.
Emma: "Make money". You can't even make a sandwich.
Oscar: Oh, so I put a loaf of bread in the dishwasher one time! - Exact Words: Emma patches Brent's jeans with actual patches. Embarrassing ones.Brent: I guess I kinda just meant "stitch the two sides of the rip together", but—
Emma: [offended] Don't you like them?
Brent: [hastily] No, no! They're good! I'm just surprised, is all. But, giant psychedelic flowers are... y'know... groovy. - Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!:Brent: Mom has you on a budget? That's adorable.
Oscar: It's not adorable, and it's not a budget. She just gives me so much money every week and that's it.
Hank: So, uh, more like an allowance.
[Brent and Hank both chuckle]
Oscar: Oh, very funny, smart guy. It's not an allowance. It's a set amount of money, that Emma doles out at a set time, every week!
[Brent and Hank just stare at him]
Oscar: Holy Hell! I'm on an allowance! - Girl Scouts Are Evil: The "supplier" for Oscar's cookie venture is apparently very serious about getting her money.
- Here We Go Again!: The conclusion to Davis's tireless quest to order off the kids menu and ultimately being disappointed with the result.Davis: Can I order something else? [looks at menu] Hmmm... cottage cheese and peaches, that sounds good!
Oscar: That's for seniors, jackass!
[Davis looks back at Lacey with a pleading expression, freeze frame, roll credits] - Hypocritical Humor:Karen: Hey, we might not like all the laws, but we still have to enforce them. Rules are rules.
Lacey: What can I get for you?
Karen: Just some tap water. Brought my lunch from home.
Lacey: You can't eat that in here.
Karen: Jeesh! What's with all the rules? - Imagine Spot: Brent attempts to explain the hole in his jeans by recalling a fictitious sword fight he had with "quite the scoundrel".
- Left the Background Music On: Twice a "cha-ching" sound is used to indicate the possibility of making big money, and both times it is revealed to be an actual cash register making the noise.Hank: The heck was that?
Brent: Oh, the cash register's busted. Keeps poppin' open like that. [closes register] - Manchild: As might be expected in an episode called "Kid Stuff", there are several examples:
- There's Hank, who is excited to take all of Brent's old toys.
- There's Brent, who is immediately disappointed to find out his toys have been given away. Emma then justifies it by saying he hasn't played with them in months (implying it's been less than a year since he's played with them).
- Separately there's Davis, who is insistent upon ordering off of the kids menu.Davis: Why can't a grown man have a plate of macaroodles if he wants?
Lacey: That question just answered itself. Besides, they don't come on a plate. They come in a bowl. [Beat] Well, a boat, actually.
Davis: Well, now I want 'em even more!
- Sarcasm-Blind: After Brent has ripped his favorite jeans:Brent: Hey, could you maybe patch the hole in the knee for me?
Emma: I suppose I could, seeing as you're an adult pushing 40 and you have no significant person in your life who might be able to help you with things like this.
Brent: Great, thanks! - Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: As noted above, Wanda's propensity for this leads to her plot line.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: When Lacey finally relents and gives Davis macaroodles, he's disappointed. Why? Because "macaroodles" is short for "macaroni noodles", whereas Davis thought they were "oodles" of macaroons.
- Shoddy Knockoff Product: Brent points out that he didn't own a lightsaber, but a light sword instead.Brent: I couldn't afford the officially licensed "saber" version.
- Shout-Out: Brent's reference of a "bionic super agent" and the sound effect that plays a few times as he moves pay homage to The Six Million Dollar Man. There's also Lacey's Analogy Backfire to The Blair Witch Project above.
- The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: Karen's money troubles in this episode are due to having her purse stolen, which as a cop she is extremely embarrassed about because it calls her ability into question. Though it turns out it wasn't stolen after all and she just lost it.
- Verbal Backspace:Emma: Did you find a buyer for your junk?
Brent: The guy wasn't interested.
Emma: That's going to be my sewing room, and that's it!
Brent: He'll give you 800 bucks for your machine.
Emma: I'm done with sewing.
