Peter must repeat the third grade in order to net a promotion at work. Meanwhile, Brian and Stewie help Frank Sinatra, Jr. make his nightclub more modern.
Tropes:
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Peter built a robot to work at the company, saying it has no emotions and is programmed to not hurt people. The robot immediately strangles him, while shouting, "Angry! Angry!"
- Anti-Role Model: A couple of kids react positively to the way that Peter bullies Omar.
- Back to School: The main plot is about Peter having to repeat third grade to get a promotion.
- Bowdlerization: The following changes were made between the TV version and the DVD version:
- The scene of Stewie watching a movie called The Detarded (like The Departed, but with Leonardo DiCaprio's and Matt Damon's characters as mentally retarded) was cut on TV, but not DVD.
- The cutaway of John Madden outlining the people a bride had sex with before she got married: On the TV version, Madden points out "...and even this guy!" On DVD, Madden says, "[The bride] did some handwork on this guy."
- The cutaway of John Wilkes Booth forced to sit behind Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater: On TV, Booth grumbles, "God, could he be any more annoying?" On the DVD, the line is, "Christ, can he be any more annoying?"
- Tom Tucker's sentence when Peter has trouble spelling "lesbians" during a spelling bee: On the TV version, Tom Tucker's sentence is, "The lesbians are going shopping for double-sided marital aids." On the DVD version, the sentence is, "The lesbians are going shopping for double-headed marital aids."note
- Karma Houdini: Played with. While it was acknowledged that Peter blew up a children's hospital and he's found guilty, he's only sentenced to seven days in prison (with him being released just in time for the next episode).
- Misfortune Cookie: Peter regrets opening his fortune cookie after it said that a grand piano would fall on him and it came true.Peter: Next time you get a fortune cookie, don't open it!
- Running Gag: The Cleveland Bathtub Gag appears for a third time. Only this time, Cleveland doesn't say "What the hell?!"Cleveland: I can't feel my legs!Joe: (offscreen) Welcome to the party, pal!Cleveland: Oh, wait. There they are.Joe: (offscreen) Oh...
- Self-Deprecation: The nightclub goes under because Andy Dick (voicing himself) showed up to party, thus causing everyone to run away in a panic.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: After finally completing third grade, Peter learns that he's going to jail for blowing up a children's hospital early in the episode.
- Shout-Out: The episode's title is a reference to Judy Blume's Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, whose protagonist is likewise named Peter.
- Skewed Priorities: Peter's reason for getting a promotion at work is so he can use the executive bathroom. Not for the extra money, or for the health benefits, but for the bathroom.
