Car enthusiast Rob is smitten with the new fancy Tarantula he bought, wanting to show it off to everyone, only for Laura to require the car to take Richie and his friends to school. While the car is in her care, somebody scratches it. Can Laura figure out how to handle the situation before she has a nervous breakdown?
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: Buddy and Sally call the car a "Bedbug" and a "Tarantella" by accident.
- Bird-Poop Gag: As part of Rob's fussing over the car, he tells Laura not to park it under a tree or under a bird to prevent sap or bird poop from getting on it. This just makes Laura more nervous.
- Brutal Honesty: Millie insists Laura should hide the evidence by claiming she needs the car again and judiciously parking it so that Rob won't see the scratch that night. When Laura expresses concern about the honesty of the plan, Millie says bluntly that of course, it's dishonest.
- Faint in Shock: While Rob has the car, he makes a number of mistakes that lead to increasing damage on the car and the surroundings. In one case, he backs through Mrs. Birmingham's rosebushes, making her faint.
- I Warned You: A third-person variation; while venting to Millie about her anxiety, Laura says that Rob warned her about potential damage to the car. Millie says that men always warn them; it does no good.
- Madness Mantra: When Rob remarks that he'd like to sue whoever scratched his new car, Sally insists he call his lawyer then rather than after getting home so he doesn't spend all afternoon saying "I'm gonna sue."
- Milholland Relationship Moment: After spending most of the episode stressing about the scratch on the car, Laura finally comes clean to Rob so he doesn't embarrass himself by trying to sue. Rob gently hugs her and tells her that she's a careful driver and these things just happen. Of course, the fact that he caused his own, much worse, damage to the car the last time he took it out might have a little to do with that...
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: Midway through the episode, Rob apologizes to Laura for getting so angry about her needing the car for a second day. He attributes it to his irritation about the knob that came off while he was driving and says she knows he can't stand any damage to a car when it's new. Laura, who knows the car got scratched while in her possession, just feels more guilty and nerve-wracked than ever.
- Please, Don't Leave Me: Laura insists she has to tell Rob the truth. Then she and Millie hear the car in the driveway, and Millie jumps up to go home. Laura begs her not to leave, saying Rob might not kill her for the scratch if someone else is there. Millie says he won't kill her regardless but advises her to reconsider lying.
- The Precious, Precious Car: Rob dotes on the new Tarantula, admiring it from every angle, driving it and smelling it every chance he gets, and wanting to show it off to everyone. He also gives Laura extensive instructions for keeping it new and nice as long as possible. This makes it worse for Laura when the car gets scratched.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: After all the fuss surrounding the car, Rob ends up taking it back at the end of the episode when he realizes that its gas gauge is super exact, rather than allowing the standard margin for error.
- Stiff Upper Lip: The reputation British people have for being unsmiling comes up when Laura sees the motorist's cap Rob bought in his fervor. She comments about people saying the British don't have a sense of humor.
- Tempting Fate: After talking Rob into letting her borrow the car, Laura asks what could happen. While she's in the store for less than five minutes, somebody scratches it from front to back.
- Women Drivers: Mentioned often from both sides.
- Sally brings up the stereotype that women are lousy drivers, but she blames it on men designers continually changing where vital things are to bewilder women.
- Millie insists that Laura shouldn't tell Rob about the scratch because if she does, he'll use it as evidence that women are lousy drivers and Laura will be responsible for shaming their whole sex.
- After reassuring Laura that the scratch incident could have happened to anyone, Rob mentions that all drivers have problems, even male ones. He then proceeds to reel off a series of incidents he caused that evening that are much worse than anything Laura did to the car during the episode.
