"Gimme those beans, you son of a bitch!"
'I'm sure [Gene] is [a great entertainer]. He's just a bit much."
— Donovan
Linda convinces Gene to try out for a minor role with a local theater group. But when Linda resorts to bribing the director with the prospect of a packed house to get Gene the part, their mother/son bond is tested when Gene finds out the truth. Meanwhile, after Linda foists ticket-selling duties onto Bob, he pulls Tina and Louise into the scheme.
Tropes:
- Ambiguously Bi: While the two male actors are indicated by Ambrose to be as involved with each other as they are with the female actors, and Ambrose states his belief that they're all into him, it's never made clear which members of the cast Ambrose slept with that got him sick on opening night.
- Bob admits that he admires the Rock's body.
- Ask a Stupid Question...: Gene is surprised to see his school's librarian at the dress rehearsal.Gene: Mr. Ambrose, you're in this play?
Ambrose: No, I was looking for the school library when I got lost and wandered into this building, where am I? Yes, I'm in this play!
Gene: I think I followed that. - Bad "Bad Acting": Gene seems literally incapable of simply saying "Gosh mister, those beans smell delicious" without embellishing or doing improv, no matter how many times the director asks him to stop.
- Brutal Honesty: Bob states that Linda did indeed mess up with Gene. However, he quickly follows up by stating these things happen and as long as they're doing the best they can as parents that's the important thing.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Gene is outraged when he finds out Linda had to bribe Donovan so Gene could play Quiet Eli and asks if she ever genuinely thought he was a good performer or if she's been lying to him all these years.
- Chewing the Scenery: As Donovan lampshades, Gene is doing this both figuratively and literally.
- Comically Missing the Point: Gene tries to be his usual Large Ham self when trying out for the role of Quiet Eli.
- Comically Small Bribe: Bob doesn't need money to convince Louise to help sell tickets... he just needs to let her and Tina poke him in the love handles for a month.
- Continuity Nod:
- Teddy is still trying to get with Kathleen from "The Helen Hunt".
- Teddy also introduces Gene and Linda as "Linda and Gene Burger", implying he still thinks the family is named 'Burger'.
- Cringe Comedy: Donovan's not just dying during his one-man show, he's already cremated and had his ashes scattered.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The reason the show becomes one-man is because the other actors came down with the flu. They spread it between each other by sleeping around, creating a rather blatant parallel to STD's. Linda off-handedly asking if they have the "horny flu" doesn't help.
- Drama Queen: Mr. Ambrose tells Gene that Linda bribed Donovan solely for this reason.
- Epic Fail: All Gene had to do to get the part of Quiet Eli was say "Gosh, mister, those beans smell delicious." He couldn't even do that without embellishing or improvising.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Louise says they need to sell the tickets to people with disposable income, a lot of free time, and not much to live for. When Tina answers "Like Grandma and Grandpa", this gives Louise the idea to sell tickets at the old-folks home.
- Everybody Has Lots of Sex: Mr. Ambrose notes to Linda that everyone in the cast is sleeping with each other. This results in the entire cast contracting the flu at once, leaving Donovan and Gene alone to do the whole play.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: Shortly before the play begins, Teddy warns Donovan not to lean on the prop furniture because it hasn't been secured. When Gene takes the stage, he stands on the table and the episode ends on a freeze frame of the table giving way.
- Food as Bribe: Linda offers to make some French toast for Gene as a token of apology. Gene is still mad, but also tempted.
- Gone Horribly Right: Tina and Louise manage to sell all the tickets to the show... when all the actors except Gene have come down with the flu.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: Teddy refuses fries because he claims he's trying to slim up... as he takes a bite of a burger.
- Large Ham: Gene, which Bob and especially Donovan have trouble keeping up with.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Linda feels horrible after Gene learns the truth about how he got the Quiet Eli role, and fears she's a genuinely bad mother for potentially ruining Gene's belief in himself. Bob assures her she's not a bad mom and that even good parents can screw up from time to time. All she can do is learn from what happened and be able to do differently for Gene and herself in the future.
- Non-Indicative Name: Thanks to Gene's hammy performance, "Quiet" Eli becomes anything but.
- Nutritional Nightmare: The French toast Linda prepares for Gene is covered with way too much powdered sugar and drowning in syrup.
- Only One Finds It Fun: Linda's the one person who truly enjoys Gene's performing when he does his usual over-the-top acting. After he finds out how he got the part of Quiet Eli, Gene thinks Linda only supported him out of obligation as his mom, but she convinces him she genuinely loves his brand of entertainment. Later on, the senior citizens attending the play all love Gene's performance (if only because until he appeared it was Donovan poorly trying to play all the parts at once and bombing).
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After the ordeal of being rejected, Gene decides to stop being his exuberant self and states he's going to play the role straight, in a low-key voice. Even Donovan is creeped out by him.
- Parents as People: Discussed; Bob points out that he and Linda do as good a job as they can, but aren't perfect.Bob: I just think, as long as we're trying our best, that's as good as we can do.
- Refuge in Audacity: How does Louise follow up her absolute roast of Bob? By hi-fiving him with complete sincerity.
- Running Gag:
- Gene keeps using the line "Does this answer your question?"
- Tina and Louise poking Bob in the love handles.
- Shout-Out:
- The episode title is a nod to All That Jazz.
- The Store Next Door is Stop in the Name of Gloves.
- The play is titled Potluck in the Grass, referencing Splendor in the Grass; the name of its author, Alabama O'Callahan, is inspired by Tennessee Williams.
- Linda compares Gene to Lin-Manuel Miranda, except she thinks his name is Lin-Manuel Hamiltons.
- The Show Must Go On: Despite having only one actor after everyone else comes down with the flu, Donovan tries to keep the production of Potluck in the Grass going by turning it into a one man show. When that doesn't work, he's forced to allow Gene to improvise, which at least leaves the audience entertained.
- Tempting Fate: After learning that the cast has fallen ill, Linda expresses relief that she failed in her task to get a packed theater. Cue Tina and Louise announcing that they sold all the tickets at the old folks' home.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: On rehearsals, Gene performs with no shirt on, claiming that's how he interpreted his character. When it comes to the actual performance, he also acts without a shirt.
