Recap / Corner Gas S 4 E 09 Outside Joke

"People just think of it as garbage, but really it's like a wet, sticky bag of half-rotten clues."

A Plot: The DRPD's new GPS unit shows that Corner Gas is outside the town line, and isn't actually a part of Dog River. The townspeople turn against Brent as an "outsider", while the usual outsider Lacey is giddy about being considered an insider in comparison. Meanwhile, Wanda claims that because she technically has to leave town to come to work, Brent is legally required to pay her more money.

B Plot: The town garbage truck breaks and Fitzy has no budget money to get it fixed, so trash goes uncollected until Hank offers to pick it up with his truck. Hank starts delving into everyone's refuse to find out secrets, including the revelation that Oscar and Emma have come into some unexpected funds.

C Plot: Davis has no clue how to pull a practical joke, so Karen tries to teach him. She becomes angry when people keep giving Davis all the credit for her practical jokes, and even worse, people somehow find Davis's lame attempts at practical jokes funny.

Tropes Referenced:

• Accidental Misnaming: Oscar and Emma's bank statements are addressed to "Omar" and "Elna".
• Batman Gambit: Part of Wanda's manipulation of Brent involves pretending to misremember exactly how much her made-up Labour Code rules say she's supposed to be paid, and then making like she's going to go look it up. Brent, predictably afraid that he might have to pay her even more money, stops her from doing so and instantly agrees to the original amount she asked for.
• Department of Redundancy Department: Brent about his new washer fluid:
  Brent: Well, it's red. The old stuff was blue. We used to sell blue, now we're selling red.
• Doorstopper: The reason Wanda is able to trick Brent in to thinking she has to be paid more money due to not being from Corner Gas's region. The Labour Code is a huge book that the extremely lazy Brent doesn't want to bother reading, so he just accepts all of Wanda's fake rules at face value to avoid the hassle of looking them up himself.
• Eyepiece Prank: Subverted. Karen and Davis ask Lacey to look into binoculars, but she refuses, assuming it's this prank. It's actually a diversion and Davis calls the Ruby, getting Lacey to pick up the phone where the actual ink is.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Brent gets revenge on Wanda for making up fake rules of the Labour Code to get more money out of him by making up a fake rule of his own that says he has to fire her for not being from Corner Gas's region.
  Wanda: Y'know... travel allowance... speakers... they're more of a guide. I do believe "per diem" is actually Latin for "suggestion". They're, uh... they're not written in stone.
  Brent: [pulls out Labour Code] They're not written in here, either.
  Wanda: Oh. So you can read. Right. Well, I've got some speakers to return.
• Insistent Terminology: Parodied when Hank insists he's not a "garbage man".
  Hank: We prefer the term janitorial... I mean custodial worker; civic custodial worker... engineer technician.
  Lacey: That does have a nice ring to it.
• Literal Metaphor:
  Fitzy: The garbage truck's broken. Until it gets fixed, everyone's gonna have to live with some garbage.
  Lacey: Oh, this stinks, Fitzy. This literally stinks.
• Obfuscating Stupidity: It turns out Davis' misunderstanding of practical jokes, including his "tire slashing" and Phil's "allergic reaction", were all an elaborate practical joke on Karen by Davis and the town.
• Open Mouth, Insert Foot:
  • When Hank first offers to haul the town's trash:
    Hank: I'll take your garbage.
    Lacey: Hank, you don't have to do that. Come on in. I'll give you some food.
    Fitzy: I think he means he'll take the job.
    Lacey: Oh.
  • What finally prompts Brent to read the Labour Code and realize Wanda has been bilking money from him.
    Brent: When you work outside of your region, how much per diem do you get paid?
    Customer: Per diem? Who am I, Van Halen?
    Brent: I don't know all the rules! The gal who works for me just kinda tells me how much I have to pay her as we go along.
    Customer: [beat] When you said that just now... did it sound stupid to you?
    Brent: [beat] Kind of. You've been very helpful.
• Pun-Based Title: Corner Gas is supposedly "outside" the town limits, and a bunch of people play an inside joke on Karen.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons: Hank figures out Oscar and Emma are "rich" based on their garbage. The audience might assume he found the bank statement that made an error in their favor, but it turns out he found a nice hat and figures only someone with "serious coin" would throw it away.
• Serious Business: Except for Brent, the residents of Dog River like their windshield wash blue, dammit! The residents of Pit Creek seemingly aren't much better. They don't particularly like the red stuff either, but are willing to put up with it because it's cheaper. Meanwhile, the cheaper price is just another reason people in Dog River don't like it.
  Oscar: Why is it so cheap? Does it work? I can't believe you'd sell something that doesn't even work!
  Brent: Of course it works! I'm not going to sell something that doesn't work!
  Oscar: You sold me that stupid fishing reel that didn't work.
  Brent: And I gave you your money back, didn't I?
  Oscar: [beat] No!
  Brent: [beat] Stay on topic, this is about the washer fluid!
• Shout-Out:
  • When discussing the police cruiser's new onboard computer, Brent and the cops have a discussion about Knight Rider.
  • When Oscar and Emma come into some extra money, they reference a couple of Monopoly Community Chest cards. Oscar seemingly does so without realizing it.
    Emma: We get a credit of over 300 bucks.
    Oscar: You mean like a bank error in our favour?
    Emma: Yeah, maybe next month you'll win a beauty contest and collect $50.
    Oscar: [excited] Who knows?
• Stealth Insult: When Hank gets fired from his garbage job:
  Hank: What? You can't do this! This is who I am! When people think of trash, they think of me.
  Lacey: And I don't think that's gonna change.
  Hank: That's nice of you to say, but...
• Sustained Misunderstanding: Corner Gas was never outside the town limits. The "town line" on the GPS was actually just a crack in the screen.
• Swapped Roles: Lacey is thrilled that, for once, Brent is the weird outsider nobody likes while she's the trusted local resident.
• Sweet Tooth: After Wanda tricks Brent into paying for her lunch at the Ruby, Brent protests that he shouldn't have to pay for two desserts. Wanda replies, "I shouldn't have to choose between two desserts."
• Take a Third Option: Discussed.
  Lacey: In business there are only two choices: lower your expenses or increase your revenue.
  Brent: You're completely overlooking bankruptcy and insurance fraud.