A Plot: Tired of hearing Hank's inane ramblings, Brent and the rest of town talk him into starting a blog. However, when Hank discovers that no one actually reads it, Brent starts handing out cheat sheets to everyone in order to convince Hank otherwise.
B Plot: Lacey hears that a friend from Toronto has gotten her own cooking show, and becomes depressed because she isn't as successful. She reacts by trying to bring new exotic foods to the Ruby, but nobody's interested. Getting beat by Oscar at horseshoes throws Lacey further into despair, and the quality of food at the diner suffers. Wanda hatches a plan to have Oscar take a dive in another game so Lacey can get her confidence back.
C Plot: Davis is dreading having to do his taxes, so Wanda offers her services, thinking she can help him save money. Wanda gets to work, while Davis is mostly occupied about the idea of having his own fake company. When Wanda's effort turns out to lose Davis money, she brings him in on the above-mentioned rigged horseshoe game to try and recoup his losses.
Tropes Referenced:
- Ask a Stupid Question...: Hank, usually the recipient of sarcasm, delivers a pretty harsh jab for once.Hank: It's just a friendly game. It's not like you're playin' Oscar. He's the Horseshoe King.
Lacey: Oh yeah? And why's that?
Hank: Because he's really good at backgammon. Man, no wonder you don't have a cooking show. - By "No", I Mean "Yes":Hank: Aw, you guys are just trying to get me to shut up.
Wanda: Shut up. I mean, not true. - The Cameo: By Ivan Fecan, the (then) president of the CTV network, dutifully assuring kids that Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy are real.
- Comedic Sociopathy: Most of Lacey's plot can fall under this trope, but of particular note is Oscar's treatment of her after he beats her in their first horseshoes game.Lacey: I thought I was pretty good at horseshoes.
Oscar: Well, just remember, you're not.
Lacey: Well I guess the important thing is we had fun.
Oscar: Mommy and Daddy mighta told you that, but it ain't true. - Comically Missing the Point:Wanda: Why waste this on us, when you can put it on the Internet and have the whole world ignore it?
Hank: [intrigued] Whole world, huh? - Despair Speech:Wanda: [looking at her fries] These are still frozen.
Lacey: Yeah, I thought they might be. And then I thought about the infinite blackness of space. No matter what you do, it'll always be cold. - Double Meaning: After Oscar is told to throw the game of horseshoes with Lacey.Oscar: You don't throw horseshoes! Well, yes, you throw them, that's the nature of the game. But you don't throw the actual game!
- Driven by Envy: Lacey tries to improve the food choices at the diner because she's jealous of a friend who just got her own chef TV show.
- Food as Bribe: The only reason Oscar is willing to take a dive against Lacey is to get the quality of the food at the Ruby back to normal.
- Hypothetical Fight Debate: Hank, Brent and Wanda have an argument in the Cold Open about who would win if robots fought werewolves.Brent: I think we can agree that when robots fight werewolves, we all win.
- Not So Above It All: Both Brent and Wanda are shown to be annoyed by Hank talking about robots fighting werewolves, and are desperate to shoo him out as soon as possible, but after he leaves...Wanda: [chuckling] Werewolves vs. robots. That's a whole new level of stupid.
Brent: I know... Werewolves would trash robots.
Wanda: Are you crazy?! Robots have lasers and rocket boots. - Pun-Based Title: Dog River + blog = Blog River!
- Rule of Cool: The logo Davis designs for his fake company, International Protection League, features a bear carrying a snake in its mouth while fighting a dragon.Karen: How is that international?
Davis: [annoyed] Dragons are from China. - Running Gag: People mispronouncing the word "blog".
- Shout-Out: Wanda manages an exact quote from The Maltese Falcon while trying to get Oscar to lose.Wanda: You're takin' the fall for Thursby!
Emma: Who's Thursby?
Wanda: I'm just getting a little worked up.- Karen calls Davis "Boss Hogg" when he tries to claim that he can just make up the laws about his illegal bet.
- Speaking Like Totally Teen: Hank notes that he specifically named his blog Hank Talkin', with no G, to show he has attitude.
- Spoof Aesop:Brent: Look, I hurt a friend once with a careless lie. I learned a valuable lesson about lying more convincingly.
- Stopped Caring: Lacey is driven so far into depression that she gives up trying to make the food at the Ruby even remotely appetizing, feeling that she can't do anything right so there's no point in trying.
- Throwing the Fight: Wanda's plan to break Lacey out of her depression while simultaneously making Davis some money is to have Oscar, the "Horseshoe King", purposely lose a game to Lacey while Wanda bets against him on Davis' behalf.
- Two Words: I Can't Count:Hank: [narrating while typing a blog post] Does it feel good to be a hit? In a word: It sure does.
- Unsportsmanlike Gloating: When Lacey does get a win, she can't resist her usual sore winner tendencies.
