Gene has a freak-out about growing up and desperately tries to relive his youth; Linda is tempted to try the fancy new hair salon that opened up next to the restaurant, but she's scared of her hairdresser Gretchen's wrath.
Seventwopes Again:
- Berserk Button: Gretchen goes nuts if she finds out that someone went to a hairdresser other than her. As in, nearly Ax-Crazy.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Gretchen hasn't been seen since "Every Which Way But Goose".
- Gene's Best Friend Alex Papasian has a speaking role for the first time since "The Gene Mile", although he had a minor cameo in "Fingers-Loose".
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: The fact that Gene's "chest hair" is gray quickly hints that it's from someone older. Louise confirms this suspicion by taking a hair from Bob; sure enough, it's a match.
- Growing Up Sucks: Gene's plotline revolves around his desperation to remain young.
- Kiddie Kid: Somewhat deconstructed for Gene in this episode. While initially he has fun pretending to be seven again and indulging in his more little-kiddie habits, after a few days he starts getting a little frustrated with his "peers'" relative immaturity and realizes that he can't quite relate to them as much as he thought. Childish as he often acts, he is still a preteen, with his priorities and interests having grown along with him, and he can't derive lasting satisfaction from the activities and social dynamics of younger kids.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Gretchen visits the restaurant during the episode because she hasn’t talked to Linda in a while and wanted to catch up with her. Gretchen’s last appearance was three seasons ago.
- Mistaken for Romance: Gene and Louise think Miss Erica is flirting with Bob after she compliments his haircut, and they simultaneously tell her that he's taken.
- Mundane Solution: Gene eventually gets tired of Kids Club, but Miss Erika won’t let him leave without getting signed out by an adult even though she knew the truth about his age the whole time and Gus (who Gene has been using as an adult to sign him out) isn’t at the community center that day. Gene calls Louise and asks her and Tina to dress up as Gus to get him signed out. Louise knows that won’t work, so instead she goes to Bob and explains the whole situation to him so he can get Gene signed out.
- Never My Fault: Linda recalls a time Gretchen accidentally cut her ear while doing her hair, but pretended she didn't and told Linda she had a "bleeding ear problem." Gretchen still holds to the lie when she discusses how she handles Linda's hair.
- Opening Shout-Out: Subverted; the Store Next Door is plot-relevant, but it's actually a completely different business from the opening (in the opening it's "It Had To Be Ewe"; in the episode proper it's "Frollicles").
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The episode title is a reference to Seventeen Again (2000).
- Shout-Out:
- The Store Next Door is "It Had To Be Ewe", a reference to "It Had To Be You", a song from the 1920's (or, alternatively,
two novels, four movies, two albums, or a TV show). - The Exterminator Van is "In-Gory-ous Bugsters".
- The first Burger of the Day is the "Son of a Peach-er Man Burger".
- The second Burger of the Day is the "Livin' On a Pear Burger".
- The third Burger of the Day is the "Full Nettle Jacket Burger".
- The fourth Burger of the Day is the "Baby Got Bok-Choy Burger".
- Gene quotes the Rod Stewart song "Forever Young".
- Miss Erica reads The Velveteen Rabbit during Kids' Club, which brings Gene and the other kids to tears.
- The Store Next Door is "It Had To Be Ewe", a reference to "It Had To Be You", a song from the 1920's (or, alternatively,
- Silver Fox: Gus isn't actually one, but Gene refers to Gus as his "silver fox father" so he can be signed out of Kids' Club.
- Totem Pole Trench: Gene asks Louise and Tina to bail him out of Kids' Club using one of these to pose as his father. Louise just gets Bob to sign Gene out, because doing what Gene requested is totally outlandish even for someone as resourceful as her.
- The Unreveal: Gretchen never actually finds out that Linda went to another hairdresser, so we don't see if Linda's fears were justified (while Gretchen did go apeshit towards another customer, it's possible that she would've been more lenient to Linda, given Linda's the closest she has to a best friend).
- You Keep Using That Word: As Bob lampshades, the kids keep incorrectly using the word "pube" to describe chest hair.
- Younger Than They Look: Miss Erica (the teacher in charge of Kids' Club) notes that Gene is quite big for a seven year-old (which, of course, Gene isn't, but he fools her into thinking he is—or so he thinks).
