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Recap / Corner Gas S 4 E 14 The Good Old Table Hockey Game

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A Plot: Davis buys an old table hockey game for the station, and he discovers that Karen is really good. Word quickly spreads around town about Karen's skill, with many wondering if she can beat Brent (considered the town's best player). A series of games is proposed between the two, with Davis and Wanda acting as instigators. Hank becomes enamored with Karen's training regimen, ditching Brent to make her his new role model. After setting up games at the police station and the Leroy house, Brent has to come from behind to emerge triumphant.

B Plot: Lacey is excited to join the Dog River Young-ish Women's Association, and is particularly interested in the Distinguished Woman Award. However, when Lacey is disappointed that she can't nominate herself for the award, she scrambles to find another Dog River woman who's worthy. She settles on Emma, but struggles to make a good argument. In the end, Lacey bribes Emma to come to the award show, but Emma is humiliated when Lacey wins.

Tropes Referenced:

  • Bait-and-Switch:
    • After the hockey series is over, Wanda claims it'll still be talked about thirty years from now. It cuts to Brent as an old man, with kids gathered around him asking him to tell the story of how he won the series... only for Brent to reveal that it has only been a few weeks and that he is just dressed as an old man for a costume party.
    • After Oscar returns from playing Karen at table hockey:
      Oscar: [triumphantly] Well, that was easier than I thought it would be!
      Brent: Oh, so you won the game?
      Oscar: No, I meant walking here from the cop shop, I thought it was further. Karen stomped me at table hockey.
  • Description Cut: The Failure Montage below begins with Lacey claiming the town has a lot of thoughtful, caring women.
  • Failure Montage: Lacey's consideration of who to nominate for the award leads to her think about the terrible things the other Dog River women have done. This includes Wanda at the gas station throwing something at some kids and telling them to stop pawing the candy, Karen giving an old lady with a walker a jaywalking ticket, and Emma slamming the door in the face of a man collecting for charity. Then it gets to Lacey herself:
    Lacey: [putting a band-aid on a little girl] There, all better.
    Little Girl: You can't nominate yourself. Remember?
    Lacey: [disappointed] Oh, right.
  • Fun with Acronyms: The Dog River Young-ish Women's Association, or the DRYWA.
  • Fun with Homophones: Talking about the DRYWA:
    Brent: They broke away from the Dog River Y.
    Lacey: Why? [Beat] I mean, why did they break away?
  • Hypocritical Humor:
    Lacey: [angrily] Even though it's the 21st century, I hate to tell you it's a man's world, and women have to stick together, and it's not a scam, and you have to stop thinking of women only in traditional roles!
    Brent: You're right. Hey, could you get me some more coffee?
    Lacey: [cheerfully] Sure!
  • Instantly Proven Wrong: At the award ceremony:
    Emma: I wish I'd known sooner. I would have bought a dress.
    Lacey: Oh, I know. It's such short notice for me, too.
    Emma: [grabbing a tag on Lacey's dress] Is that a price tag?
    [Lacey embarrassingly tucks the tag away.]
  • Malaproper: Hank gets the words "distinguished" and "extinguished" mixed up.
    Lacey: If I join, I can nominate someone as a distinguished woman.
    Brent: What's their definition of distinguished?
    Hank: A woman who was on fire and they put her out.
    Lacey: It's a woman who has distinguished herself.
    Hank: Oh, that's even harder.
  • Mixed Metaphor: When Wanda backs Brent and decides to challenge Karen (through Davis):
    Wanda: You better be prepared to put your money where your mouth is... where your Karen is... put Karen where your mouth is.
  • Mundane Object Amazement: The idea of being able to write on the DRYWA's calendar is alluring to Lacey.
  • Shout-Out:
    • The episode title is a reference to the chorus of “The Hockey Song” by Canadian folk singer Stompin' Tom Connors, which is also played during the episode.
    • As referenced below, the episode parodies the 1972 Summit Series, initially hinted at with the table hockey game Davis buys being a 1972. Also Karen trains seriously and Brent doesn’t.
  • Stealth Insult: When Oscar hears Karen is crushing people at table hockey and calling him out:
    Oscar: [angrily] I'll show that stuck-up cop who's a knob! [He storms out.]
    Brent: [to Lacey] I bet he will, too.
  • Whole-Plot Reference: The table hockey series is a blatant reference to the Canada/USSR hockey Summit Series of 1972, including the weirdness of an 8-game series, memorable interviews, references to Phil Esposito falling down, etc. It gets a heavy lampshade hang at the end of the episode.
    Davis: You may have lost, partner, but you played one hell of a series.
    Karen: Yeah. It reminds me of something, but I don't know what.

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