"That's really nice, you guys, throwin' me a going-away party. I feel a little overwhelmed, and touched, and... kind of awkward since I'm not goin' anywhere. Still, is there cake?"
A Plot: Brent's mysterious disappearances every Wednesday night have the whole town talking. When it is discovered he has been pursuing a lifelong dream that threatens to take him out of Dog River (stand-up comedy), everyone is forced to cope with the news.
Tropes referenced:
- Accidental Misnaming: When the other characters see Brent performing stand-up for the first time:Wanda: This is weird. Nobody's ignoring him. They're all listening to him or... something. Maybe I should have paid more attention to Brett.
Lacey: It's "Brent".
Wanda: You sure? - Book Ends: For the main series, the "surveillance bush" only appears in the very first episode and in this one.
- Continuity Nod: After Brent's real secret is discovered, Hank re-mentions Brent's supposed "girlfriend in the city", to which Lacey replies there is no girl. Misinterpreting this as Lacey pining after Brent, Hank remarks "you had your chance", referencing the events of "I Love Lacey" and "The Brent Effect".
- Damned by Faint Praise:Lacey: [toasting] To Brent: not doing anything, not going anywhere.
Brent: Not... taking offense to that. - Derailed Train of Thought: When Wanda remarks that every Wednesday Brent "peels off like Starsky & Hutch", she then goes off on a tangent about which one of the two actually drove.Wanda: Well, like Starsky. He was the one who drove. Hutch was more the thinker of the two. Although, they...
Lacey: Stay focused! - Drunk with Power: Just the idea of Brent letting her take over the gas station has Wanda go overboard, planning on renaming it "Wandaland" and hiring muscular guys as assistants.
- Hypocritical Humor: Oscar berates Emma for being unsupportive of Brent's comedy career. Turns out he's no better.Oscar: Unbelievable, Emma! The boy has a chance to do something with his life, and you wanna squash it. This is just like the time you burned his letter of acceptance from college.
Emma: You burned that!
Oscar: Well... someone had to take over the family business! - Immediate Self-Contradiction:Wanda: Do you guys know where Brent goes every Wednesday night?
Hank: Of course he told me. We're best friends. But he asked me not to tell anyone.
Wanda: I'll give you five bucks if you tell me.
Hank: Damn! Now I wish he had told me. - Insult Friendly Fire: After Lacey tells Emma she thinks Brent is seeing someone:Emma: Who?
Lacey: I don't know. Some woman in the city.
Emma: Well, that's understandable. I mean, there's really no decent single women left here in Dog River.
[Lacey looks incredibly hurt by this comment.] - Ironic Echo Cut:Lacey: [to Hank and Wanda] You guys! If Brent doesn't want us to know what he's doing, then there's probably a reasonable explanation for it. And frankly, it's none of our business.
[Cut to Brent and Lacey at the gas station]
Brent: None of your business.
Lacey: Oh come on! Give me a hint. I won't tell. - Metaphorgotten: Lacey tries to tease Brent with the classic childhood "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" rhyme, but fails miserably.Lacey: Brent has a girlfriend! You have a girlfriend! Kissing, kissing up a tree- Wait, how does that go? It's been a while.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: In a suprisingly well-said speech, Oscar rattles off a list of these that have happened in the show over the seasons as an illustration of why Brent shouldn't settle.
- Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: Emma is afraid that if Brent gets into show business, he'll turn into this trope.Emma: Brent's gonna be on drugs!
Oscar: Why? Because he tells jokes one night a week in the city?
Emma: That's all it takes!
Oscar: He's gone to the city thousands of times, and he's never come home zipped up on goofers.
Emma: It's not the city I'm worried about, it's show business! My cousin played accordion with an all-girls polka band, and now she lives for the bottle.
Oscar: She was a drunk before that. Sober people don't join polka bands! - "Shaggy Dog" Story: In the end, Brent turns down his chance to go on tour as a comedian, as stand-up comedy was just one of many things on a list of things he'd like to try, and he has no desire to turn it into a career.
- Shout-Out: In addition to the Starsky & Hutch reference above, Wanda mentions that Brent hasn't had a girlfriend because he's "saving himself for Catwoman".
- Stalker without a Crush: Wanda comes across as one when she reveals she drove by Brent's house several times in one night to see if he was home.
- Unscrewed Salt Shaker: Davis tries to set this up with Karen to prove that the cops are funny, but Karen forgets to actually unscrew it. Davis later gets a girl from the high school drama club to demonstrate the trick properly to Karen.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Done with all the main cast.
- Writing Indentation Clue: Karen and Davis utilize this on Brent's notepad to see if they can get any clue where he goes, but they just get random doodlings of aliens and hockey players.
