The Orchid Grief
After Lincoln accidentally kills a flower Harold gave Howard on their first date, he and Clyde venture into the swamps of Michigan to find a replacement.- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: While clinging onto the rope dangling from the orchid flower thief's boat, Lincoln and Clyde dodge a rock, sidestep an alligator, and plow through a tropical fruit bush. Clyde laments that they should have gotten the fruit bush first.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: As the misunderstanding with Harold is cleared up and everyone prepares to head home:Clyde: Well, we're gonna have to go home and face the music...
Harold: ...and the sobbing...
Clyde: ...and the snot.
Harold: Such a shocking amount of snot. - Crazy-Prepared: Harold had accidentally killed off the orchid so many times that he had bought several supplies (including a fanboat) in order to easily hunt through the swamps for replacements.
- Foreshadowing: The flower thief has the posture and weight of Harold... because it is Harold, who was trying to find a replacement orchid flower after learning it went missing, unaware of what happened.
- Milholland Relationship Moment: After the replacement orchid is destroyed, Lincoln, Clyde, and Harold decide to head home and confess everything to Howard. They’re fully expecting him to break down crying over it (to the point where Harold sets up an umbrella to protect himself and the boys from the onslaught of tears), but much to their shock, he’s actually happy about it. Howard confesses that he genuinely loved the orchid, but it was so high maintenance to take care of he had to schedule his entire day around it and even then he himself had accidentally killed it and had to hunt through the swamp to find a replacement several times. He only kept the orchid around because it was one of the first gifts Harold ever gave him. Furthermore, Howard admits he doesn’t need a symbol to remind himself that he’s loved, especially because of the fact that his husband, his son, and his son’s friend were willing to go through a lot of trouble to try to do something they thought would have made him happy.
- Misplaced Wildlife: Alligators are not native to Michigan or anywhere else in the northern United States. Then again, neither are giant mosquitos or man-eating plants.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: Mr. Bolhofner works as the senior citizens' Royal Woods swamp tour driver in this episode.
- Noodle Incident: Mr. Bolhofner somehow lost a sock along with one of his toes, something he offhandedly mentions.
- Pet the Dog: Mr. Bolhofner goes all out trying to catch up to the supposed orchid flower thief once he learns from Clyde that he and Lincoln are on a mission of love. When a low-hanging branch takes him out of commission, Scoots takes over and enables the boys to catch up to their target.
- Running Gag: "Dang it, Michigan!"
- Villainous Rescue: Lincoln and Clyde are saved from a giant mosquito by an alligator... only for said alligator and its buddies to try to eat them.
Forks and Knives Out
Lynn Sr. participates in Guy Grazer's Kitchen Combat show and prepares to annihilate the competition... only to find out he's up against Rosa Casagrande.- Big Ball of Violence: The Louds and Casagrandes get into one when fighting over the ingredients.
- Call-Back:
- Luan's brief stint at cooking in "Feast or Family" is brought up again, with Lynn Sr. inviting Luan to be his sous-chef.
- The first sabotage event, "Shell-Shocked", is a possible reference to "Shell Shock", Ronnie Anne's last appearance before the Casagrandes' introduction in "Relative Chaos".
- When both parties have reached the peak of sabotaging each other, Lynn Sr. declares that he isn't inviting the Casagrandes to Thanksgiving ("The Loudest Thanksgiving"), while Rosa declares she isn't inviting the Louds to Christmas ("A Very Casagrandes Christmas").
- Everyone Has Standards: What snaps Lincoln and Ronnie Anne out of the fight if the threat of both parties' friendships coming to an end.
- Fire-Breathing Diner: Ronnie Anne slips in super-spicy salsa in the Lynn-sagna marinara. When Lynn Sr. and Lincoln taste-test the marinara, they end up getting this trope.
- Friendly Enemy: The Louds and Casagrandes to each other, much to Guy's detriment. Once Guy introduces the opportunity of a new kitchen and a new froyo machine however, all bets are off until Lincoln and Ronnie Anne convince everyone to reconcile towards the end.
- Imagine Spot: Multiple, whenever Guy brings up a new reward for the competition.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Guy Grazer loses his contestants and his crew for tricking the Loud and Casagrande duos into fighting and sabotaging each other, and the episode ends with the Voice-activated, Thriller-Chiller 5000 Refrigerator preparing to beat him up after overhearing him insulting it.
- Rocky Roll Call: The Loud-Casagrande reunion:Lynn Sr.: "Rosa?!"
Lincoln: "Ronnie Anne?!"
Rosa: "Lynn?!"
Ronnie Anne: "Lincoln?!" - Shout-Out: The title of the episode is one to Knives Out.
