Recap / Corner Gas S 5 E 05 Wash Me

A Plot: Wanda is attracted to the man that delivers milk to Corner Gas, but continuously fails at flirting with him. In an attempt to show him her sense of humor, she writes "Wash Me" on the side of Hank's dirty truck. Hank takes umbrage at this, as he uses his truck as an improvised notepad. When Wanda does get the delivery man's phone number, she writes it on Hank's truck due to her pen not working, only for the truck to get washed soon after.

B Plot: Oscar's deodorant runs out, so he uses Emma's. When Emma finds out, she starts using Oscar's hygiene products in revenge. This switch of scents leads to Brent thinking his sense of smell is broken.

C Plot: Davis makes fun of Karen's art class drawings, so she turns it on him by sketching him asleep on the job. This causes Davis to go into a tizzy, insisting he's not as lazy a cop as she portrays him. Meanwhile, Lacey enjoys the Sleeping Davis sketches enough to hang them up in the diner.

Tropes referenced:

• Brick Joke: A few scenes after the Punch a Wall moment below, Lacey compliments Karen on her Sleeping Davis drawing, claiming she has the perfect spot to hang it. Cue a Description Cut back to the wall scene:
  Wanda: Sorry about that.
  Lacey: (flippantly) It's all right. I'll just cover it up with a crappy picture or something.
• Call-Back: Karen having once been a Terrible Artist was previously established.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Wanda talks this way to the milk guy, often leading to embarrassing fits of Digging Yourself Deeper.
• Catch-22 Dilemma: Alluded to. After Hank's truck gets washed, he reveals he backed up all the information written on his truck on a (real) notepad and locked it in his truck lock box, but he can't get to it because the lock combination was also on the truck. He laughs it off, but Wanda's reaction shows she's not as amused, seeing as she now has no way to get to Joe's phone number.
• Confusing Multiple Negatives: Hank tries to avoid boy scouts that want to wash his car by writing "Dont'" [sic] before the Wash Me, but Brent adds another "Don't" in front of it for a laugh, which then leads to Hank adding a third negative.
• Flash Forward: The episode ends with a two-year jump, where Wanda has finally figured out what Joe's number was and successfully contacts him. However, he immediately reveals he's now married with a couple kids.
• Funny Background Event: Various shots of Hank's truck include other reminders he has seemingly written in the dirt for himself but are unmentioned, such as "BUY PLANTS" and the subsequent "WATER PLANTS".
• How Did That Get in There?: After Karen sells a drawing to Oscar, pulling it off the wall to reveal a hole, Lacey acts like she didn't know the hole was there, despite deliberately hanging the picture to cover it.
• Humble Pie: During an art show for Karen at the Ruby, Lacey has to sheepishly admit that she has no license to serve the liquor everyone is drinking, causing the cops to immediately shut the show down while Lacey sips her wine in shame.
• Hurricane of Puns: Brent teases Wanda in the Cold Open for being a "fraidy-cat" and not asking out the milk guy:
  Wanda: I'm not a fraidy-cat! I'm just a-
  Brent: Scaredy-cat? Chicken cat? Chicken cacciatore? Cat Stevens?
  Wanda: I'll do it when I'm ready.
  Brent: Well, time's tickin'. Cat's in the cradle. Geez, I got a real theme going here.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  (Davis is annoyed with Karen for drawing him while he slept)
  Karen: I have a hard time drawing things that move. Besides, it's your fault. You spent an hour on duty sleeping in the car. Shameful.
  Brent: Didn't you spend an hour on duty sketching him?
• Imagine Spot: Wanda pictures herself romantically enjoying milk with the milk delivery guy.
• No Accounting for Taste: Brent is trying to figure out why he smells Emma while Oscar is around:
  Brent: Did you hug Mom before you came in here?
  Oscar: Why the hell would I do that?
• One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Wanda starts talking to Joe the delivery guy, and at first he seems to be responding to her. As his responses get weirder, Wanda gets confused. Then Joe turns his head and reveals he is talking on the phone to his mother via a Bluetooth headset.
• Punch a Wall: Wanda does so when she misses her chance to make a move at the Ruby.
• Shipper on Deck: Lacey actively encourages Wanda to ask out the milk guy.
• Terrible Artist: A Flashback Cut shows Karen trying to do a police sketch that is just a bunch of circles. This is what prompts her to take an art class, leading to improvement and her Sleeping Davis sketches.
• That Came Out Wrong: Wanda's awkward attempts to flirt with Joe the milk delivery guy include trying to have a conversation about milk with him. When she mentions "homo" (homogenized) milk, she asks him "You a homo man, Joe?" He is suitably confused.
  Brent: I think you had him at "homo".
• Title Drop: Both verbally and visually.
• "Wash Me" Graffiti: What kicks off the whole plot.