Gene starts a band with his siblings and classmates, but soon finds Daryl taking over and kicking Gene out for not taking music seriously enough. Meanwhile, Linda deals with the mother of all rashes.
Itty Bitty Tropey Committee:
- 10-Minute Retirement: Gene is ready to give up on music after struggling to practice, but gets over it with a little encouragement from his sisters.
- Achievements in Ignorance: Assuming Gene never knew anything about music keys (instead of it being Negative Continuity as acknowledged below), this means he managed to create two show-stopping musicals without any knowledge of what he was doing.
- Art Evolution: As of this episode, several main characters gain design changes that stick for the rest of the series. Some of them are minor (such as Louise's neck being slightly shorter), while others are much more noticeable (such as Linda's shirt becoming a V-neck).
- Band Episode: Gene starts a band, and is ironically kicked out of it for not being talented enough.
- Brain Bleach: Discussed; when he tells Linda that they'll look for armpit rash remedies together, Bob acknowledges their online search will likely turn up some unsightly results.
- Call-Back:
- Louise mentions that she prefers chanting to singing, referencing "Mother Daughter Laser Razor", where she expressed her dislike of singing.
- Rudy's instrument of choice is a drumset, complete with his trademark cymbals. As usual, he carries the cymbals in his backpack at all times.
- In contrast to his usual nitpicky self, Hugo acts as a Reasonable Authority Figure in this episode, possibly referencing his last appearance in "Speakeasy Rider", where he was told to stop harassing the Belchers or else he'll be fired.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Bob trying to get Linda not to shave her armpits plays out as if he's trying to talk Linda out of self-harm, complete with Bob gently urging Linda to hand him the razor and telling her that they'll look for help together.
- Failed Attempt at Drama: After learning that Darryl, Rudy, and Peter are kicking him and his sisters out of his own band, Gene tries to angrily slam the door to the music room. Unfortunately for him, the door closer prevents that.Gene: Stupid safety... door-closing... thing!
- Heroic BSoD: Tina and Louise aren't too upset at being kicked out of the IBDC, but Gene has his entire worldview shattered and wonders if he should quit music period.
- Improv Comedy Is Inane: Jocelyn is hesitant to join the titular band because she mistakes it for an improv group, and an improv group kidnapped her cousin.
- Instant Expert: Gene wants to be this in regards to music. Ms. Merkin bluntly tells him that this is an unrealistic and impossible goal.
- Mundane Utility: The Belcher kids exploit Gene's love of music to advertise Bob's Burgers. That said, their success is... mixed.
- Negative Continuity: A major plot-point is that Gene is musically inept, not even knowing basic things like scales or being able to play more than three songs. Previous episodes have shown Gene to have some musical knowledge and talent or at least enough to write two musicals acknowledged in-universe as decent at worst in previous episodes.
- Person as Verb: After Linda learns Gene was kicked out of his own band, she says he was "David Lee Roth-ed".
- Pet the Dog: Trev gives Gene an amp and microphone to use for his performance in front of Bob's Burgers.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Of all characters, Hugo acts like one, offering a straightforward if unusual solution to Linda's situation and not prying any further. Possibly justified in the fact that he's still in love with Linda, so he's less inclined to be outwardly hostile to her.
- Running Gag: Linda keeps getting teased about her hairy armpits.
- Scare Chord: One plays when Linda reveals her hairy armpits.
- Shout-Out:
- The exterminator van reads "Do the Rat Thing."
- Linda compares her rash to Jeff Goldblum in The Fly (1986).
- Louise names Linda's armpits Laverne and Curly. Bob then comments that he already beat her to the punch by naming them Hairy and Sally.
- During his "I Don't Need Music" number, Gene dances on a giant keyboard.
- The song also mentions Welcome Back, Kotter and Top Gun.
- Gene's band is named Itty Bitty Ditty Committee, a play on Itty Bitty Titty Committee.
- Time-Compression Montage: Subverted and Played for Laughs. The camera cuts to the outside of the school during Gene and Ms. Merkin's piano lesson. When it comes back inside, Gene complains that he's been practicing scales for hours. Then Ms. Merkin says it's only been forty-five seconds.
- Title Drop: "Itty Bitty Ditty Committee" is the name Gene picks for his band.
- Too Much Information: Linda isn't shy about talking about her armpit rash. Bob and Teddy are both disgusted, and it starts driving away customers.
