"Growing Pains" is the third episode of Reboot.
To Clay's dismay, Zack is delighted that Clay hooked up with Zack's mother Susan, but discourages him from breaking it off with her because Susan once got violent. Fearing aging, Bree is dismayed that her stylist has provided Spanx, and accepts Timberly's offer of a girl's night out. Hannah brings in three diverse writers (Benny, Janae, and Azmina), while Gordon brings in three old-school Jewish writers (Alan, Bob, and Selma). Tasked with finding a storyline that will bond Josie and Whitney, the two groups are unable to agree on humor.
Reed and Bree practice an intimate scene in bed that's interrupted when Reed gets a boner. Corporate HR has to step in with a letter and provides Reed with equipment to prevent further awkwardness. The second time they attempt the scene, Bree runs off in tears. Clay borrows this idea and has an actor friend pose as a representative from HR to shut down his flirtation with Susan, who sees through it and accepts the end of the fling.
The writers eventually bond after seeing Hannah trip over a trash can. Bree admits to Timberly that she was overwhelmed by the affection; Timberly encourages her to have rebound sex. Later that night, Reed checks in on Bree over the phone; it's revealed that Bree had sex with Timberly.
Tropes:
- Bedmate Reveal: The final scene in "Growing Pains" has a Split-Screen Phone Call between Reed and Bree, where the latter is naked in bed. Once the phone call ends, we see who's in the other half of her bed: Timberly!
- Cute Clumsy Girl: An attempted invocation of a gender inversion. Sitcom showrunner Gordon suggests a plot where the women crush on a hot delivery guy and watch him trip over a box.Gordon: Hot plus clumsy, always funny.
- Double-Meaning Title: The title of "Growing Pains" can refer to...
- ...the show's sitcom-based Idiosyncratic Episode Naming (after Growing Pains);
- ...all the embarrassment surrounding Reed's unfortunate erection;
- ...Bree adjusting back to life as a single woman;
- ...Clay trying to shake Zack's overinvested mother.
- Inhuman Resources: After an embarrassing moment with the leads in bed together where Reed gets an erection, it prompts a mandate from HR, including a clueless letter being read to the cast and preventative measures that Reed must now wear.
- Lives in a Van: Clay's unfortunate struggling actor friend Doogie apparently lives in his Ford Focus.
- Raging Stiffie: Reed gets an erection while filming a scene in bed with his ex-girlfriend and costar Bree. It turns into a whole (comedic) HR incident where the Walt Disney Company has to step in.
- Split-Screen Phone Call: The third episode ends with a phone call between Reed and Bree on opposite sides of a split-screen, before Bree hangs up and Reed's side of the screen disappears to reveal who she's in bed with.
