A Plot: When Murray gets mad at Erica for not filling up the gas tank, she and Barry get revenge by purchasing a used van.
B Plot: Adam is disappointed when he sees an early draft of the yearbook and learns he has been voted "nicest guy", so he tries to get voted Class Clown instead.
- Always Someone Better: Adam genuinely thinks of himself as quite funny, but compared to the actual Class Clown nominee, he fails to earn as many laughs.
- Big Damn Heroes: Barry attempts to be this when Erica tries to run away, letting the family use the van he bought to catch up to her after the family car is blocked by a bus in the school parking lot, but it fails when the van runs out of gas because the tank wasn't filled. It quickly turns into a moot point regardless when it turns out Erica changed her mind and is just stewing on the back porch of their house.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Adam's parents are called in after his mean prank, with Principal Ball thinking Adam's behavior is due to family issues, having heard rumors that Erica and Barry are now "Van People". Beverly insists that they've been perfect, loving parents, cueing Barry to charge into the principal's office to announce that Erica's attempting to run away from home.
- Like Father, Like Son: Erica and Murray's stubbornness rivals each other throughout the episode, trying to "win" without regard of the other person's emotions or how much pain they're putting themself through and trying & failing to get support from Barry & Bev respectively, with Beverly pointing out how similar they are. At the end of their plot, Murray admits to Erica that he's always been stubborn, turning a teacher's dismissal that he'll never amount to anything into becoming a spiteful Determinator that went to higher education, where he first met Beverly.
- Lives in a Van: Erica and Barry briefly do so as part of their revenge against Murray.
- Nice Guys Finish Last: Part of the reason Adam is disappointed at being the "nicest guy" is this. However, he changes his mind when Dana states that she believes otherwise, and that while niceness isn't the most popular quality, it's the one that will matter the most when everyone grows up.
- Prank Gone Too Far: In an attempt to be known as funny instead of just nice, Adam makes a fake cake for his teacher Mr. Woodward. However, Mr. Woodward's overwhelming thankfulness at the gift and immediate disappointment in finding out it's a prank not only makes it unfunny, but nearly costs Adam "nicest guy" too until he apologizes with a genuine cake.
- The Runaway: Erica considers becoming one, but ends up realizing how much her argument with Murray escalated from just not filling up the gas tank and changes her mind.
- Silly Walk: The episode ends with the student voted Class Clown doing one of these; it then cuts to a tape made by the real-life Adam Goldberg to show it's based on an actual walk done by the class clown from his childhood, David Sirota.
