Hal begins treating Malcolm's college recruiters as suitors, while Dewey tells Francis that being unemployed is no kind of life for a man, and Reese studies for Raduca's green card test, and is oblivious to Raduca cheating on him with a man she claims is her brother.
Tropes associated with this episode:
- Blatant Lies: When Reese catches Raduca red-handed with her lover Bela, she tells him that's her brother. Unfortunately, he believes so.
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Broken Aesop: At first Lois sent Dewey with Francis, and their subplot was looking like both Dewey was going to see Francis' situation as a Future Loser, and Francis realizing that he has hit rock bottom after seeing the disappointment on Dewey's face, and should start looking for a job, which is what almost happens until a friend appears out of nowhere and offers him a job as a band manager. To Lois' surprise, Dewey ends up getting the lesson that he can get by in life no matter what. - Citizenship Marriage: This is all that Raduca really wants from Reese and their marriage: a way to obtain her green card.
- Crapsaccharine World: Reese and Raduca's marriage at first seems perfect. They seem to be very happy and live in a well-decorated house. Lois and Hal actually like when Raduca yells orders at Reese since she a) thinks Raduca is putting Reese in order and b) it's basically the way she educated Reese and all her other children. Then it all unravels when Lois and Reese discover Raduca and Bela having sex with one another.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The main plot of the episode has Hal taking advantage of the college recruiters' gifts so they can get Malcolm to sign up with them, despite Malcolm already aiming for Harvard. The whole situation with Hal receiving gifts from everyone, even getting into a fancy dinner with one, and Malcolm and the other recruiters finding out about this play out as a girl cheating on multiple sugar daddies.
- Emasculated Cuckold: Reese not only is totally submissive, but also completely oblivious to the fact that Bela is actually Raduca's lover, and that they've pretty much been having sex with one another right in front of him.
- Failed a Spot Check: When Raduca's true colors are shown, it makes sense why she chose to marry Reese instead of Malcolm: Reese is more desperate to have a wife, is easier to manipulate, and Malcolm would see through her in a few days. The only problem in her plan is that Reese is so dumb that he fails the exam for her green card.
- Henpecked Husband: Reese is totally submissive to Raduca and Bela. He's really their servant instead of her husband, and is responsible for sustaining the household, as well as doing all the errands and being the one to redecorate the "house" (the family garage), while they have sex all day or Bela plays basketball on the hoop in front of their house. Reese also has to study for Raduca's green card. Once, he actually makes and serves Bela a sandwich in the manner of a submissive help while the latter was playing basketball.
- Hunk: Bela is very handsome, muscular and athletic. He does pull-ups at the hoop, and plays basketball.
- The Immodest Orgasm/The Grunting Orgasm: When Reese goes to apologize Malcolm for the noise he had made last night, the latter thought the former was bragging about his sex life, having probably heard someone inside the garage (thinking it was Reese and Raduca) having sex. The former clarifies it was him cleaning outside, and that he never had sex with Raduca (only Bela did). So, either Raduca or Bela have a very loud orgasm, but we do not know which one (or even if it's both).
- Hearing about this and seeing Bela doing pull-ups is what makes Malcolm the first to suspect that Raduca's cheating on Reese.
- It's All About Me: Hal is the one who takes advantage of all the gifts that lesser colleges are sending to Malcolm, and gets angry at Malcolm for choosing a college that didn't even give him the best of the gifts. When Malcolm finally confronts Hal about this, Hal claims that he liked the attention he got from all those guys.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Raduca gets deported because Reese failed her green card exam (Reese even answers in one of the questions that Raduca had a tail), despite Raduca making him study every bit of her body. Reese just then finds out that Raduca has been cheating on him.
- Like Parent, Like Spouse: Raduca treats Reese the way Lois has educated him and her other children, and is proven to just as brazenly manipulative and liar as his grandmother Ida.
- Modesty Bedsheet: When Reese catches Raduca red-handed with her lover, she wears a pillow in front of her.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Raduca appeared to be nothing but an obedient girl who truly loved Reese in the previous episode. Here she took a lover, who she claims is her "brother" and lives with them, and made Reese completely submissive to their every wish.
- Pet the Dog: Raduca actually makes Reese very competent and determined as she gives him tasks to focus on. And, when Lois and Hal came by to visit their house, she told them it was all to his credit.
- Phony Degree: Every college recruiter that comes by the household is a diploma mill. Malcolm is not interested in going to any of them, as they offer really subpar education, and way below his level of intelect.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons:
- Reese has every right to be angry that Bela is staying at their house, but it's because she didn't tell him beforehand.
- When Lois and Reese catch Raduca and Bela having sex, Reese gets angry... because the latter doesn't have a "waiting period".
- Serial Numbers Filed Off: Every one of the diploma mills has names that make them sound like they're very prestigious universities. Every acronym is exactly equal to those of the latter.
- Sexless Marriage: Raduca and Reese's, since she made him believe there's a 6-month to 1-year "waiting period" before they were to have sex. Meanwhile she has all the sex she wants from Bela.
- There Is Only One Bed: Given that Reese's and Raduca's "house" is actually the family garage, there is only room for one bed. Given that Reese is that submissive, he gets to sleep on the floor while Raduca and Bela sleep together on the bed.
- Virginity Makes You Stupid: Reese thinks that "the waiting period" is a thing, not realizing that Raduca is just using him to get her green card while she has a lover on the side.
