Jerry starts insulting The Alan Brady Show at every opportunity, driving Rob to the breaking point due to wounded pride and concern about his career. Then Jerry comes home with a bandaged nose, claiming Rob hit him. Little by little, Rob accidentally hitting Jerry spirals into worse consequences.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- An Aesop: Some jokes are not funny and claiming that you're just kidding doesn't make it better.
- Abuse Mistake: Rob accidentally clips Laura in the nose while demonstrating how he accidentally hit Jerry. Right at this point, Millie comes in, sees Laura clutching her nose, Ritchie wearing a bandage, and the whole family looking wound up, and jumps to conclusions. She sends Jerry over to protect Laura, escalating the situation.
- Armor-Piercing Question: After Rob yells out the door that Jerry is a rotten dentist, Jerry slams the door shut and tells him to quit it. Rob asks him if that was funny. Jerry finally gets the point.
- Cassandra Truth: Played With; Jerry can't resist tricking Rob into checking his shoelaces as he goes to get the dessert. When he comes back, Jerry warns him about a toy truck in his path, which Rob passes off as another joke. He slips on the truck and flings the pie into Jerry's face. Suspecting that it was revenge, Jerry asks him if he really didn't see the truck. Rob answers that Jerry will never know.
- Complaining About Shows You Don't Watch: In-Universe, a number of people criticize the show even though they haven't seen it, simply because Rob's next-door neighbor said it was rotten.
- Distinction Without a Difference: When Laura asks him what happened, Rob says that he didn't punch Jerry in the nose; he hit him. Laura asks what the difference is. However, it turns out that Rob hit Jerry by accident while gesturing for the check; "punch" does imply the hitter intended it.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Rob, Laura, and Millie don't find it amusing when Jerry starts mocking The Alan Brady Show to anyone who will listen. Rob and Laura point out that the show is Rob's job and that kind of joke could actually threaten his livelihood. His refusal to listen spirals into more trouble. Afterwards, Jerry takes the point.
- Food Slap: Millie says that if she were Rob, she'd pour hot coffee on Jerry. Rob does end up pouring hot coffee on Jerry's lap, but only because he moves his cup at the last second. When Jerry takes the opportunity to slip in another zinger, Millie offers him sugar and then sprinkles it on his legs.
- Innocently Insensitive: Jerry claims that his teasing is just harmless fun, because everybody knows he's a joker. The Petries point out that The Alan Brady Show is Rob's livelihood and Rob yells out the door that Jerry is a terrible dentist just to make the point that jokes like that aren't a laughing matter. He adds that he doesn't think he and Jerry can be friends if he continues acting like this. Afterwards, Jerry becomes very somber, repeating that he doesn't know what to say. He begins by admitting the show was great and insisting Rob take revenge.
- Inspirational Insult: Jerry doesn't think he and Rob can properly move past the incident unless Rob exacts some form of revenge, so he asks Rob to punch him in the arm. Rob keeps refusing and claiming he doesn't feel the need, so Jerry insults the show one more time to draw a knee-jerk reaction.
- "Just Joking" Justification: Jerry keeps saying that his insults don't matter because it's all in fun, despite the effect the negative word-of-mouth could have on Rob's livelihood. Rob justly points out that nobody can tell when Jerry is joking and one of these days, he'll meet someone who doesn't care.
- My Fist Forgives You: Invoked; Jerry asks Rob to punch him in the arm as catharsis for both of them. Rob insists that he can't and doesn't want to, until Jerry slips in another zinger. Afterwards, they grin and shake hands.
- Not Listening to Me, Are You?: Ritchie tells his mother about his day while she's reading a book. She keeps saying "That's nice" even when he says that Jerry came home with a bandaged nose, until he demonstrates, which finally gets a reaction. Then he says that Rob punched Jerry, which completely grabs her attention.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Jerry becomes rather subdued when everyone points out that everything that's gone wrong is his fault and Rob says he doesn't think they can be friends anymore unless he stops the kidding.
- Pie in the Face: Laura asks Rob to bring a pie in from the kitchen. While he's doing so, Jerry tries to warn him about a toy truck in the way, but, given that Jerry just pulled the "untied shoelaces" gag, Rob just tells him not to joke. He slips on the truck and pies Jerry in the face. Millie and Laura find it hilarious. Jerry suspects that Rob did it on purpose; Rob just answers that he won't know for sure one way or the other.
- Singing Telegram: Jerry (alias the Phantom Neighbor) sends Rob a musical telegram insulting the show to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" with a postscript saying he's only kidding.
