Peggy goes to a prison and sees a death-row inmate who claims he's a former student of hers and wants tutoring, but is really using her as a drug mule.
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: On Wesley's first meeting with Peggy, he claims that he didn't mean to kill anyone; he and a friend broke into a guy's house to return his gun and when the guy said "Don't shoot", Wesley panicked and blew off his head. But given who he is, he more than likely fabricated his intentions in the story.
- Apple for Teacher: Played with. While he's still trying to rope Peggy in, Wesley draws Peggy a picture of an apple, which flatters her. She even puts it over Bobby's "pollution is bad" essay on the fridge.
- Artistic License – Prison: Not once did the security guard think twice about Peggy bringing in packages of white powder, which she thought was timer sand. And what's bad is the guards are otherwise presented as extremely cautious; they wouldn't let her bring in a mascara applicator as someone could scoop out someone's eye with it.
- However, she didn't bring the white powder to the jail until a while later. After she already was giving them cookies and knew the guards pretty well. It's implied that they stop monitoring her closely as she was a regular.
- Blatant Lies: Everything Wesley tells Peggy from his backstory to reasons as to why he keeps losing the "timer sand" are these, but Peggy is too caught up in believing Wesley looks up to her to see through how flimsy these execuses are, even when pointed out to her. It takes Wesley flat out telling her he's been tricking her since day one, and it still takes a few insults for it to sink in.
- Broken Tears: Peggy after she sees Wesley for who he is and fears she's about to go to prison for drug smuggling. And later on, when Bobby tries to figure out what's going on, Hank takes the family to the fun center as a distraction. But the reality makes her and even Hank cry (and he's quite known to hide himself when he does, so that's incredibly telling about his feelings about Peggy).
- Comically Missing the Point: When Peggy puts Wesley's apple drawing over Bobby's essay, Bobby protests but gets ignored. But then Hank goes in sarcasm mode saying that to get her attention, they'll have to kill someone (like Wesley did). Bobby then says "okay", as if he's willing to go through with it.
- Con Man: What Wesley really is. Underneath the charming facade of an illiterate prisoner who wants to be tutored before execution is really an aggressive con man who was really using Peggy as a drug mule.
- Death Glare: Hank gives one to Bill after he speaks poetically about Peggy being a free spirit after she leaves for the prison after her and Hank argue.
- Didn't Think This Through: Hank's initial plan to save Peggy is to simply give Wesley the actual timer sand he's claimed the cocaine is, then letting Wesley's dealer take care of him. The only thing that stops them from going through with it- the realization he tastes every shipment. Peggy admitted she hadn't thought about that (nor him saying it was "very good") until that moment.
- Failed Attempt at Drama:
- Dale, lamenting how executing death row inmates is the big leagues for exterminators, lights his cigarette, but instead of inhaling, he sucks it into his mouth, burning him.
- Peggy after a heated argument with Hank over going to the prison. Hank tries to forbid her from going back, but she then proclaims "Nobody forbids Peggy Hill" as she rips the wax strip off her nose. She then looks at the strip and grimaces.
- Fatal Flaw: Wesley's addiction to cocaine ends up costing him in the end when he snorts it all before Peggy's hearing. Meaning he has no evidence to prove Peggy was smuggling drugs to him. As a result, he foils his own plans.
- Faux Affably Evil: When Wesley Martin Archer first meets Peggy, he charms her, puts up a front as a death row inmate who wants tutoring and even tries to pass off his murder of a man as a total accident. He even picks a fight with a prison guard who he claims was looking at Peggy in a sensual way, all to win her over and it works. But after a while, when they're alone with each other Wesley then quickly drops the act. He then admits he is using Peggy as a drug mule and even insults her, saying he wrote to every other teacher in Arlen and she was the only teacher "stupid enough" to fall for his ploy; he even admits he's almost 40 (making it extremely unlikely Peggy was his teacher). Wesley then blackmails Peggy into bringing in more cocaine, among other demands.
- Wesley even adopts the role of an unsuspecting dupe whom Peggy tries to make her scapegoat. But after Peggy exposes him for who he is, he then drops the charade for good and tries to rip her head off.
- Foreshadowing: There are some hints about Wesley not being who he says he is before The Reveal:
- Peggy brings in Boggle, and Wesley's not that interested. When Peggy asks about this, Wesley says he's not used to her style of teaching. And to get out of it, he notices a security guard and claims he wants to touch her. Wesley then tries to go after him, but since he's shackled, he's not able to and gets dragged away and put into the pit.
- When Peggy goes to get Wesley's Boggle set, it's in a sketchy neighborhood and the woman (possibly a drug dealer or his wife) says Wesley better get the whole set.
- Wesley's excitement when he grabs the timer, knowing full well what's actually inside.
- Wesley's dealer giving Peggy a bigger "timer", to which Peggy says that it would not be admissible for tournament play. She just shrugs before going back in.
- Wesley's sand constantly getting "ruined" during his interaction with the prisoners.
- When Peggy suggests to Wesley that he just use a watch instead of a timer, he replies "that's not real Boggle".
- Wesley's overall lack of interest in playing Boggle, with him looking restless, right before he finally makes his confession.
- Heroic BSoD: Peggy after Wesley reveals his true intentions, which causes Peggy to even forget to add meat to the sloppy joes. She sends Bobby and Luanne away before she cries and tells Hank what happened, terrified that she's liable to go to prison.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Wesley's plan to get Peggy in trouble with the warden might have worked if he still had some cocaine in his hourglass, but it was totally emptied and cleaned; he used up the last of it before the questioning.
- Idiot Ball: One of the first episodes where we see Peggy's naivety at work, with her bringing in a Boggle set and a timer full of cocaine, and being used by a prisoner to go to a dealer and pick-up drugs every day for him, in a clearly sketchy neighborhood. And how he makes up stories about how he keeps "losing his timer sand". It isn't until Wesley flat out states he was using her that she realizes what she was really doing. And she even mentions later after everything that he tasted the powder, to make sure it was pure; she didn't think of that at the time. He even points out that no one else was as stupid as she was when sending out the letters just to rub it right in her face.
- Jerkass: Wesley after he drops the facade. He openly insults Peggy for being stupid enough to fall for his plans while making demands to keep on bringing him coke. And later on, when Hank tries to intimidate him to get him to back off, he says to tell Peggy to get him his drugs or he'll turn her in for fun.
- Miles Gloriosus: Serving as pest exterminator for the prison, Dale puts his name on the list of execution volunteers (and unknown to him his name is erased from the list) and marvels in the idea of executing a prisoner. Then while in his execution outfit, he taunts all the inmates about how he's going to execute one soon. But then the officer releases the prisoners for lunch and when they all step of of their cells, Dale quickly runs away in fear.
- Never My Fault: Zig-zagged. After Peggy finds out she was really being used as a drug mule for Wesley, she takes it to heart and feels incredibly stupid for being used like that, especially since she aced a test after watching a movie about the dangers of being a mule for prisoners. She rightfully blames herself for the whole mess. Then at the end after Wesley has been thwarted, through nothing but a mistake on his part, and her and Hank drive home, she makes him apologize for saying she's unable to take care of herself.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Wesley makes the claim he's illiterate and needs tutoring. But more than likely it's a lie after he reveals his true colors.
- Private Tutor: Peggy becomes one for Wesley, but ends up just delivering drugs to him.
- Properly Paranoid: Throughout the episode Hank expresses concern over Peggy tutoring an inmate on death row, although she brushes off all of his complaints. However Hank is eventually proven right when Wesley’s true colors are revealed.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Wesley reveals that he was really using Peggy as a drug mule, he taunts her for being absolutely stupid:Wesley: I have something to tell you. Can you hear me?
Peggy: I can hear you.
Wesley: Good. Peggy, all this timer sand you've been bringing me...
Peggy:: Oh, don't mention that-
Wesley: This is coke, Peggy. You've been smuggling me cocaine. That's a federal offense. And you know what? You're gonna bring me more of it.
Peggy: Is this some kind of-
Wesley: How stupid can you be? I never had you as a teacher. I grew up in Arkansas. I'm almost 40, for cripe's sakes! I wrote every teacher in the Arlen yearbook and you were the only sap dumb enough to answer.
Peggy: So all that about being the only positive influence in your-
Wesley: Here's what you're gonna do. You're going to bring me a brick of cocaine every week. And that's not all. You know what else I want Peggy Hill? Two times a month... (fade to commercial) - Self-Disposing Villain: Had Wesley saved some of the coke, he might have had some ground to turn Peggy in.
- Tuckerization: Wesley Martin Archer is named after KOTH supervising director Wesley Archer.
- Villain Has a Point: Wesley calls Peggy out on her naivety over falling for Wesley's ploy and actually seems angry about it. And yet, he is indeed spot on; you would at least think she suspects something when she started bringing him white powder she thought was timer sand. There's also the fact that Wesley is around the same age as Peggy and couldn't have possibly have been a middle school student while Peggy was teaching, he points this out to her as well.
- Villainous Breakdown: Wesley after Peggy ruins his plans to get her in trouble for smuggling drugs and both her and Hank taunting him for being a killer. Fortunately, his arms and legs are cuffed and have guards nearby him, so he can't do any damage.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Wesley attempts one to get back at Peggy by going to the warden and complaining how she smuggled drugs in prison and get him hooked. It might have worked had he not snorted the rest of the coke before the meeting, leaving him with nothing but an empty timer, which is insufficient evidence. And as a result Peggy goes free.
