Because of Carey losing too much money, the boys decide to make a plan on taking a picture of a wedding kiss (costing $20,000) taking place while the twins are"grounded".
Tropes:
- An Aesop: It's not the kids' job to worry about the parent's troubles. It falls on the parents to carry this weight on their shoulders so their children don't have to.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Zack hears someone say "Hey, that scum has a camera", he thinks they're talking about him. Thankfully for him, they're talking about a paparazzi behind him.
- Bookends: The episode begins with the twins being grounded for a week for rollerblading in the lobby and almost knocking over the vase. It ends with the twins being grounded for another week after trying to pay off the debt they accrued for Carey by crashing the wedding.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The paparazzi who stuck into the wedding disguised as a waiter. He unintentionally plays a role in making Zack and Cody realize violating the couple's privacy is wrong no matter what the reasons are.
- Child Hater: Mr. Moseby in general, but this episode's quote is a prime example for his attitude:Mr. Moseby : [to Carey]: You know I understand, children sometimes can be a burden.Carey : You have kids?Mr. Moseby : No, and after seeing yours, not gonna happen.
- Dirty Kid: Zack, at least from Carey's point of view.Zack : (about Maddie) Baby's got it going on! (makes the shape of an hourglass "body" with his hands)Carey : She's got what going where?Zack : I don't know what I am saying.
- Dropped After the Pilot: The episode features a character called Tuck who looked as if he would have been a love interest for Maddie, but does not appear afterwards.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: It was the first episode shot. As such it has several differences from the main series. Maddie has brown hair and a completely different uniform, London is far meaner and smarter than she would be in the main series, and the furniture in the Martins' suite is different.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: When Carey wonders why anyone would become a paparazzi, the boys offer it could be for selfish reasons (money) or unselfish reasons ("because he loves his mommy"). Either way, Carey makes it a point that neither is a good excuse to violate other people's privacy.
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: After overhearing how a paparazzi crashed the wedding, Carey wonders what drives them to barge in on people's privacy. The twins nervously offer their own motivation for it, Zack's being "because he needed the money" and Cody's "because he loves his mommy". Carey cuts in with a fuming "I don't care! Those people are low-life, greedy scum!" This prompts her guilt-ridden boys to come clean about what they really did tonight.
- Pet the Dog: While Mr. Moseby is understandably upset that the twins stuck into the wedding through the air vent to take the valuable photo, and Maddie, who was in charge of watching them, he does not hold anything against Maddie for failing to stop them.
- You Are Grounded!: The premise of the episode.
