When the coolest teens she's ever seen start coming into the restaurant, Tina decides she needs to be just like them. Meanwhile, Gene and Louise get into a battle of wills over stinky socks.
These Boots Are Made for Troping:
- Animation Bump: The kids dancing in the credits is more fluid than the rest of the episode.
- Be Yourself: After Tina's attempts to emulate the cool teens ends in failure, Linda tells her that what makes people cool is being confident in themselves, and that if she just acts like her genuine self she'll make a better impression. Sure enough, one of the cool teens comes to the restaurant and has a brief encounter with Tina, telling her that she's sort of cool.
- Call-Back: The final question Tina asks in her journal is reminiscent of similar questions she wrote down in "The Belchies".
- Costume-Test Montage: Tina tries on a few outfits she hopes will impress the other teens at the thrift shop while Linda watches and disapproves or approves of her looks.
- Cringe Comedy: Tina's behavior around the other teens she wants to impress is painful to watch.
- Fashion Hurts: In trying to look like the cool teens, Tina buys a pair of combat boots, which she has trouble walking in. (It's implied that Linda didn't buy her the right size boots.) When she tries to run away from the teens at the Greek diner, she trips and falls on her face.
- Gagging on Your Words: Tina is so nervous to talk to the teens that she starts choking when she tries to get words out.
- Game of Chicken: As punishment for leaving his dirty socks in her room, Louise makes Gene wear one on his collar like a tie so he can experience how gross they are. Not only does Gene like wearing a sock around his neck, he tells Louise that she's not strong enough to do the same. Louise takes that bet and starts wearing a dirty sock as well; they then escalate to two socks, until they end up wearing socks all around their necks, neither one admitting defeat. They eventually stop when they realize that the socks have given both of them rashes, and rationalize doing it together as both of them winning.
- Good Parents: Bob and Linda spend the whole episode legitimately worried about Tina's happiness. They do what they can to try and help her impress the teens, and try to talk her out of her funk after she totally humiliates herself. Linda especially tries to comfort Tina and assure her that she's cool.
- How We Got Here: The episode opens with the Belchers parked outside another diner, watching Tina attempt to talk to the teens before bailing. The episode then cuts to a week ago to show the series of events that led up to it.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Louise and Gene decide to call off their bet when they realize constantly wearing the sweaty socks are giving them rashes (not to mention the smell is bothering everyone).
- Noodle Incident: When mentioning bets Gene and Louise have done, Bob references a time they tried to hold in their pee, which did not end well.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The episode title is a reference to "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", a song by Nancy Sinatra.
- Shout-Out:
- The Store Next Door is "Lord of the Zings".
- The Exterminator Van is "Mr. Fleabody and Vermin".
- The first Burger of the Day is the "It's My Parsley and I'll Chive If I Want To Burger."
- The second Burger of the Day is the "Smells Like Poutine Spirit Burger".
- The third Burger of the Day is the "Romancing the Prune Burger".
- When Tina comes up with a plan to catch the teens' attention by singing a song by a rock band they like while walking to the bathroom, Gene tells her, "Tell them you gotta nine-inch nail."
- When Tina acts like a waitress at the Greek diner, Louise notes that "her training is kicking in. She's like the worst Jason Bourne."
- Smelly Feet Gag: Gene and Louise's bet over who can stand wearing stinky socks on their collars
- Stalker without a Crush: As the episode title implies, Tina eventually becomes so obsessed with the teens that she starts following them to places she knows they'll be just to see them.
- True Art Is Angsty: In-Universe, Tina hears the teens talking about a band named The Mudstains, and decides to listen to them. The music is harsh and loud, and the lyrics are about being angry and rude, and Tina is clearly uncomfortable listening to it, but she powers through, hoping it will be her in with the cool teens. When she gives up trying to be cool, she switches back to boy band Boyz4Now.
