Recap / Corner Gas S 1 E 06 Worlds Biggest Thing

"Geez. This makes our hoe look tiny."

A Plot: Hank has an idea to generate revenue for the town: build the World's Biggest something as a tourist magnet. However, when the town likes Fitzy's grandma's idea of the World's Biggest Hoe, Brent tries to get everyone to change their mind. Meanwhile, Lacey gets a kick out of the idea.

B Plot: After Lacey tries to make Oscar feel better about his age, he misinterprets it as a come-on. He tries various ways to hint that he's a happily married man, but Lacey seems oblivious until Wanda spells it out for her.

C Plot: Davis is feeling depressed about getting older, and Karen's comments only make things worse.

Tropes Referenced:

• Accidental Innuendo: invokedThe World's Biggest Hoe, at least to Fitzy's grandma and some of the town. To everyone else, it's an amusing Double Entendre.
• Black Comedy: Oscar's speech to Davis.
  Oscar: This is the way it goes, Davis. One day, it dawns on you that you're startin' to get old. Then it dawns on you that you are old. Then it dawns on you that every second that ticks by is just another inch that you've dragged your tired carcass towards your own cold grave. Then one day, stuff stops dawnin' on you... 'cause you died.
  Davis: You ever done any motivational speaking? You should look into it.
• Brick Joke:
  • Near the beginning of the episode, when Wes suggests making the World's Second-Biggest Gopher:
    Brent: It can't be the World's Second-Biggest Something. It's like the Greatest Show on Earth. Nobody's heard of the Second-Greatest Show on Earth!
    Wes: Quincy.
  • Then, near the end, during a town meeting with very few people attending:
    Lacey: I thought there'd be more people here.
    Hank: Quincy's on.
• Facial Horror: When Brent asks Fitzy if he's really okay with making the World's Biggest Hoe, Fitzy snaps at him that there was no way he was going to tell his own grandma what "hoe" means to everybody else. He then scrunches up his face and it quickly turns very red, which Brent finds unsettling.
  Brent: I've never seen a human face do that before. Looked like a balloon full of jam.
• Feeling Their Age: Davis' storyline
• Gag Echo: Both Brent and Wanda use the joke "Hey everyone, Hank has a good idea. Someone circle the calendar."
• Hurricane of Euphemisms: Brent attempts this to try and stop people from using the word "hoe". His suggestions include "soil turner", "earth spoon", "dirt stick", and "gardening implement".
• Instant Turn-Off: Lacey fakes this (with prodding from Wanda) about Oscar's love of head cheese so Oscar can finally be convinced she's not attracted to him.
• Insult Backfire: Fitzy's Grandma slaps Davis, saying "Why do you youngsters always have to have such filthy mouths?!". Since Davis has been feeling bad about getting old, he's delighted to be referred to as a youngster.
  Karen: Everything's relative, I guess.
• No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: invokedHank's opinion of the World's Biggest Hoe, him being one of the few people who aren't oblivious to the Accidental Innuendo.
• Pick a Card:
  Brent: (to Lacey) Is this your card?
  Lacey: No.
  Brent: (to Wanda) Is it your card?
  Wanda: Nope.
  Brent: I suck at this.
• Pop-Cultural Osmosis Failure: The Cold Open has Brent messing with Oscar by putting the names "Peter Parker", "Jean-Luc Picard", and "Marge Simpson" on the chalkboard publicly shaming people who have bounced cheques at the gas station.
  Oscar: Marge Simpson? That sounds familiar... She's bounced cheques here before, I think, that's it. Don't take cheques from Marge Simpson or that... French guy! [storms out]
  Lacey: This is fun for you?
  Brent: He's still trying to track down Arthur Fonzarelli.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: The last scene of the episode has Brent, Hank, and Lacey staring up at the World's Biggest Hoe... and remarking that it's much bigger than the one they made in Dog River.
  Hank: I guess we shoulda checked first to see if anybody else already had the World's Biggest Hoe.
  Brent: That woulda been the smart thing to do.
• Shout-Out:
  • Several from the "bounced cheques" board in the Cold Open, mentioned above.
  • Quincy, M.E. is mentioned twice.
• Stout Strength: In a Cutaway Gag, Emma demonstrates this by hurling a cinder block across the yard to nail a skunk. With one hand.
• Sustained Misunderstanding: Oscar thinking Lacey has a crush on him.