Hank ends up working at Mega-Lo-Mart after Strickland Propane gets shut down due to the former beginning to sell propane. Luanne is in need of a job so she can pay her tuition to continue in the Beauty Academy.
Tropes in the Episode
- An Aesop: Big conglomerates destroy small business, and take people's jobs.
- Asshole Victim: Despite his death being revealed in the next episode and with his death being treated like something of a tear-jerking moment, this episode really showcases Buckley's Jerkass personality. Luanne needs $300 to continue her tuition and Buckley has $400 but he's saving it for a new trampoline (even though the one he has now is good). He also acts like a Bad Boss to Hank while he works under him and when Luanne breaks up with him, he just keeps making jokes at her expense.
- Assurance Backfire: Peggy tries to put a positive spin on Hank's Mega-Lo-Mart job by saying he can screw up as much as he wants due to his trainee tag, but it doesn't make him feel better; he just sarcastically says that the two of them should go dancing.
- Black Comedy: The deconstruction of Boomhauer being The Unintelligible at the end of the episode when he calls 911 over the Mega-Lo-Mart explosion and the operator telling him to slow down.
- Bolivian Army Cliffhanger: The propane tank that leaked caused by Buckley explodes, blowing up the Mega-Lo-Mart with Hank, Luanne and Buckley inside and the front collapsing on Chuck Mangione, leaving their fates undetermined.
- Comically Missing the Point:
- After the assurance backfire mentioned above, and Hank and Peggy storm off, a dejected Bobby says it means they're not going dancing.
- Bill does this when he sees the sign Hank and the others put up during the Chuck Mangione concert saying Mega-Lo-Mart destroys small businesses. He asks "Is that their new slogan?"
- Continuity Nod: Ray from "Jumpin' Crack Bass", who was fish bait shop owner who closed down due to Mega-Lo-Mart low prices and then arrested for Insurance Fraud by burning his store down, is now working for the place and aids Hank in his fight against Mega-Lo-Mart.
- Fallen-on-Hard-Times Job: Hank becomes a reluctant trainee, despite his years of experience. He becomes laid-off after Mega-Lo-Mart forces Strickland Propane to close their office closest to Mega-Lo-Mart due to not being able to compete with their prices. At the store, Hank runs into Ray Holiday, who also had to shut down his bait shop when Mega-Lo-Mart opened their own outdoor section, and Mark McJimsey, who closed his auto parts store when Mega-Lo-Mart set up an automotive department.
- Food Slap: Luanne studies how to become a propane salesman with Bobby in the kitchen while Hank makes a sandwich. Luanne struggles to answer whether or not propane is flammable, which irritates Hank into telling her it's flammable. After Luanne says she could have gotten it, Hank counters she wouldn't have. This angers her into shouting his name, to which he responds by throwing the sandwich at her head.
- Foreshadowing: Hank tells Buckley not to drag propane tanks by the valve because it could cause a leak, but Buckley yells at him saying he should respect him because while Hank is just a trainee, Buckley is the manger of the propane department. Later, right before the Chuck Mangione concert, propane leaks out from a tank Buckley was dragging, and right after Hank smells the propane and says "Oh, no!", the store goes up in flames.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: In the panning shot within the Mega-Lo-Mart from Luanne leaving Buckley to Hank preparing to use the air horn before smelling the propane leaking, notice how Buckley is close to the gas tanks in the Propane department which one of them is leaking. As part of the Fox promoting the episode on which character will die, this gives a clue to who was more likely to die in the episode as we find out next episode.
- Ignored Expert: When Buckley drags a propane tank by the valve, Hank, who has over a decade of experience with propane, tells him that it's not safe as it could cause a leak. Buckley responds by scolding him, saying he has no right to talk to his supervisor like that. Later, when Luanne tries to break up with him, Buckley is seen dragging a tank by the valve, which leaks and causes the catastrophic explosion.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Hank is incredibly snarky towards Luanne in this episode when she attempts to get the Mega-Lo-Mart propane job, but he has the right to when Luanne can't even answer whether or not propane is flammable. And when he gets the job instead of her and he states he was more qualified than her, you can't argue that.
- Kazoos Mean Silliness: Hank and several coworkers plan to disrupt the Chuck Mangione concert by blowing on kazoos, because as Hank explains: "they're portable, they're annoying, and Mega Lo Mart sells them for three bucks a case."
- New Job Episode: After being laid off by Strickland and job hunting without any success, Hank has no other choice than to work for the Mega-Lo-Mart; the same place that put Hank in this mess to begin with.
- No Sympathy: Luanne goes to Hank and Peggy while they were in the bedroom and talks to them about how she needs money to pay her tuition to continue her schooling. While Peggy does try to be there for her, Hank doesn't care and quickly shoos her away.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Hank after learning Mega-Lo-Mart has started selling propane and propane accessories.
- Dale after Hank finds out that his propane tank is full despite being scheduled for a refill because he lied about buying it from Strickland Propane when he bought it from Mega-Lo-Mart and even covered up the Mega-Lo-Mart label to hide his disloyalty.
- Bill after he makes a crack about Hank having a good man (referring to Peggy) when Hank talks about his lack of success in getting a job and Peggy doing extra work. Right after he said that, he immediately regrets it as Hank is ready to kick his ass.
- Luanne after she realizes she's flushed down Peggy's car keys instead of Hank's.
- Hank before the leaking propane tank blows up the Mega-Lo-Mart.
- Pointy-Haired Boss: When Hank goes to Mega-Lo-Mart, Buckley tells him that he has been promoted to head the propane department because the store's management didn't want him making keys anymore. The store's other departments that employ experienced former small business owners are all run by teenagers who have no idea what the merchandise they're in charge of selling does or who uses it; all they know is that they get to boss around middle aged men who need the job.
- Say My Name: Peggy screams Hank's name when the Mega-Lo-Mart explodes due to the propane tank blowing up. Then Bill screams "Chuck!" Finally, a teenage employee yells, "Buckley and Luanne are still in there!"
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- Dale does this after Hank discovered he already got a full propane tank from Mega-Lo-Mart instead of Strickland Propane and immediately climbs over the fence to avoid his wrath for the disloyalty.
- Bill attempts this after his snark to Hank mentioned above. He tries to climb over the fence to his house like Dale does, but he's so out-of-shape, he falls on his back.
- Soul-Sucking Retail Job: Left with no other choice after an unsuccessful job search, Hank applies for and gets the propane job at Mega-Lo-Mart. And he, along with Mark McJimsey of Just Brake Drums store and Ray Holliday of of Layaway Ray's Fish Bait store (both also driven out-of-business by Mega-Lo-Mart), feel the daily grind of working retail. Eventually they've had enough and stage a protest during the Chuck Mangione concert.
- Too Dumb to Live: Buckley drags a propane tank by the valve, to which a horrified Hank lectures him on how to do it properly. Buckley dismisses him and keeps on doing it his own way. And when it explodes, guess who's the one who gets killed.
- The Unintelligible: Played to Deconstruction at the end when Boomhauer calls 911 after the Mega-Lo-Mart explosion but the responder tells him he has to slow down as she doesn't hear what he's saying. He has to speak slowly for her to understand.
- Vandalism Backfire: Luanne attempts to get back at Hank for taking the Mega-Lo-Mart job by flushing Hank's car keys down the toilet. Unfortunately for her, after he drives off, Luanne realizes it was actually her Aunt Peggy's keys she flushed.
- Wham Episode: The Mega Lo Mart explodes with Hank, Buckley, Luanne, and Chuck Mangione either very close to or in the store. The season ends without a resolution on this.
- You Monster!: Hank has this reaction when he sees a Mega-Lo-Mart commercial advertising them selling propane. And rightfully so, since their low prices pushes Strickland out of business.
