When Buddy humiliates Rob with a prank phone call, the mild-mannered writer vows revenge. Soon Buddy is jumping at every potential payback. Could his paranoia get him into real trouble?
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Batman Gambit: Part of what makes Buddy so mad about Phil's prank is how it was so obviously a scam and that he still fell for it. Phil says Buddy being so paranoid about Rob (repeatedly noted to be a pranking amateur) meant he could anticipate every needed reaction for his prank to work.
- Beware the Nice Ones: A downplayed, comedic example; when Rob begins contemplating revenge, Laura tells him that he's well-known as a good sport. Rob answers that sometimes a "good sport" is a normal person putting on an effective show of not wanting to get back at someone. He spends the rest of the episode tormenting Buddy.
- Cassandra Truth:
- Rob warns Buddy against sitting in his normal chair; however, Buddy does it anyway, assuming Rob's trying to prank him. Rob was actually telling him not to sit on Sally's breakfast.
- Rob had also relayed a message from Pickles about meeting up for lunch if possible and providing the given phone number. Buddy thinks this is the prank and is surprised when Pickles actually does pick up.
- Foreshadowing: When Buddy introduces Phil Franklin (who actually does the prank call), he mentions that he's his accountant. This allows Phil to mimic Buddy's tax return when he's pranking him with a fake IRS audit.
- George Jetson Job Security: Rob fires Buddy after the latter humiliates him with a prank call in front of most of their social circle. However, he doesn't actually carry it through.
- He Who Fights Monsters: A downplayed, comedic example; when Rob calls Buddy in the middle of the night to announce he's not going to do anything, Laura comments that the lengths he's going to are getting a bit monstrous. Rob cheerfully answers that no one's perfect.
- Hypocrite: Buddy loves playing pranks on other people, regardless of how much they hate it, but when Phil Franklin pranks him with a fake IRS audit, he's furious and vows revenge.
- I'll Kill You!: Rob quietly threatens to kill Buddy after being humiliated on the phone.
- Intimidating Revenue Service: A tax man shows up at the office, looking for Buddy. Suspecting that Rob must have hired someone to mess with him as revenge, Buddy tears the guy's papers up, only for Rob to tell him he didn't have anything to do with it. This was pointed out by Sally that the tax man was real as there was no way Rob would have been able to get ahold of Buddy's real tax report. Buddy acts noticeably subdued when they get the man to return.
- Ironic Echo: Buddy and the audience realize he's been had when the tax man mostly repeats Phil's earlier line: "...wave it over your head and scream like a chicken." Rob certainly enjoys the irony; Buddy not so much.
- Paranoia Gambit: After Buddy gets a friend to play a practical joke on Rob, Rob decides that the best revenge is to make Buddy increasingly paranoid about what Rob's revenge will be. The aforementioned friend takes advantage of this to pull another prank on Buddy in the end.
- Prank Call: Buddy has a friend call Rob, posing as a telephone repairman, and get him to do all manner of crazy things in order to fix the "problems" with the line, ending with making chicken sounds.
- Sarcastic Confession: Well-into his Paranoia Gambit, Rob keeps Buddy squirming by calling him in the middle of the night to assure him that he won't be doing anything to him. It is the absolute truth, but he knows by this point that saying so will make Buddy even more paranoid.
- Shout-Out: Rob asks Sally to convince "Mr. Fear" that the only thing to be afraid of is himself, referring to Franklin D. Roosevelt's famous line from his inauguration speech.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: Rob brings Buddy some jelly donuts, which Buddy refuses to touch, believing they're somehow related to the payback he expects. Rob and Sally have to bite into all three of them to prove nothing's wrong, which of course leaves them useless for Buddy anyway.
- This Is Gonna Suck: When told some of the things he'll need for the last "suggestion" to fix the phone, Rob's expression indicates he's realized the horrible truth.
