Bob and Linda accept a Valentine's Day dinner invitation from the chef of a fancy restaurant on Kingshead Island. Meanwhile, the kids have a scheme to get cheap Valentine's Day candy, but first they'll have to make it past an unusually strict Jen the babysitter.
Ferry On My Wayward Tropes:
- Ambiguously Related: Discussed; Christopher sees the Belcher kids and admits he's not sure whether they're Jen's kids, although he's pretty sure they're not.
- Birds of a Feather: Christopher is just as soft-spoken and awkward as Jen.
- Brick Joke: At the beginning of the episode, Gene remarks that "Power Couple" is the nickname he uses for Bob's boobs, prompting an annoyed reaction. At the end, Linda remarks that Bob doesn't have boobs, to which he remarks that he sort of has them.
- Captain Obvious: Jen remarks that fire isn't good for rooms.
- Cosmetic Catastrophe: Jen has no idea how to put on lipstick. She smears it haphazardly around her mouth and even considers putting some on her eyelids.
- Impractically Fancy Outfit: Bob and Linda put on their finest clothes to go to the restaurant, but since they boarded the ferry to the wrong side of King's Island, they find that their outfits aren't the best clothes for the two mile walk. By the time they arrive, they're covered in filth from helping wrangle two sheep and Bob's feet are bloody from walking in dress shoes.
- Just in Time: Invoked by Linda when the ferry is about to leave and she wants her and Bob to hop on the ferry as it leaves like in the movies, even though it hasn't pulled out from the dock yet.
- Malaproper: Gene believes the Heimlich Maneuver is the Hymen Maneuver, and refuses to be corrected.
- Noodle Incident:
- Louise sarcastically asks if there are greeting cards that are both a valentine and a condolence card, in regards to Bob and Linda's sad romantic plans. Teddy claims he got one once.
- Phil the cab driver doesn't drive at night because he has night blindness. And the one time he tried...Let's just say nobody died, but one person did.
- Oddly Specific Greeting Card: The kids make fun of Bob and Linda's lackluster plans for Valentines Day.Louise: Jeez, guys. Do they make a valentine card that's also a condolence card?
Teddy: They do. I've got that one. - O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Jen, normally the epitome of Extreme Doormat, is unusually strict. It later turns out she wants the apartment largely quiet so she can have a notary she has a crush on over.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The episode title is a reference to the Kansas song "Carry On, Wayward Son".
- Red Herring: It initially seems like Jen is going to have a boyfriend over, down to her trying to get on makeup. Cue the reveal that she's actually got a notary over, and that there's no romantic link between them... until the end of the episode where they do hook up after all, with a little help from the Belcher kids.
- Shout-Out:
- The Store Next Door is "Where Do Broken Harps Go?".
- The Exterminator Van is "Beetle Royale".
- The Burger of the Day is the "Don't Dream It's Okra Burger".
- Tina compares Jimmy Jr. returning her lost shoe to Cinderella. True to form, it was nowhere near as romantic as she thinks.
- During the credits, Bob holds Linda over the railing of the ship, and she spreads her arms apart like Jack and Rose in Titanic (1997).
- Special Guest: Joe Pera voices Christopher, a notarization worker that's hardly any different in either appearance or characterization from the titular protagonist of his series Joe Pera Talks With You.
- Supreme Chef: Rachel thinks Bob is one, and spends so much time savoring his burger that the Belchers think she's choking.
- The Unreveal: The episode ends with Linda talking Bob into entering the Tomato House, despite their filthy clothes. We aren't shown what happens next.
- Valentine's Day Episode: Bob and Linda try to go to a Valentine's Day dinner on King's Head Island, but they board the wrong ferry and end up on the opposite side of the island. Meanwhile, babysitter Jen is having a date over, who turns out to be her notary.
- Won't Take "Yes" for an Answer: Inverted. Louise asks Jen to take them to the candy store, but Jen uncharacteristically says no. Louise still assumes she'll take them before she realizes what she just said.
- Wrong Turn at Albuquerque: Bob and Linda end up going to the wrong harbor on King's Head Island after taking the wrong ferry, and spend the rest of the episode making the long trek to the other side of the island.
