"Go on, do it!"
Gene: I acted like Banjo and took "Choo-Choo" down! Everyone laughed!
Louise: Well, one kid laughed. Peter Pescadero — he has a learning disability.
Bob and Gene start bonding over their shared interest in a classic Spaghetti Western movie franchise called Banjo, but Louise starts to feel left out when they start spending more time with each other. Meanwhile, the family gets called to cater to Tina's conflict resolution dinner, where Linda intends to one up the last year's dinner.
Spaghetti Western & Tropes:
- Anti-Hero: Banjo is this in the titular movies and Gene attempts to become one.
- Battle Strip: Both Choo-Choo and his father take off their shirts before they fight. Bob just wishes they would put their shirts back on.
- Berserk Button: When Tina sees Jocelyn gossiping about her to Jimmy Jr.:Tina: I WARNED YOU, SKANK!
- Big Damn Heroes: As the conflict resolution dinner goes to hell, Bob, Louise, and Gene show up with the spaghetti and meatballs, taking everyone's minds off of fighting.
- Companion Cube: Louise talks to a piece of lasagna after Gene shuts down Choo Choo.
- Crazy-Prepared: Gene asks for a larger plunger not because he's clogged the toilet, but because he's planning ahead for the inevitable.
- Cutaway Gag: When Bob asks Tina if there were customers in the restaurant when she closed it, the scene cuts to two customers trying to leave the restaurant but being locked inside.
- Daddy's Girl: This episode all but states that Louise is one, which becomes a core part of her character in future episodes. It's this episode that reveals Louise and Bob have grown a bond over watching TV together, to the point that they have a specially designated time for it, implying they've been doing this for months if not years. Additionally, Louise openly mentions preferring Bob's company to Linda's, and the A-plot of the episode revolves around Louise feeling neglected when Bob starts bonding with Gene instead of her.
- A Day in the Limelight: The first episode to place considerable focus on Louise beyond her typical Enfant Terrible tendencies. In particular, her status as a Daddy's Girl and One of the Boys (both revealed here) have since become a core part of her character.
- Death Glare: Gene attempts to make one, but according to Louise he only achieves looking like a stroke victim.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Peter Pescadero debuts here, but looks completely different to how he looks in future episodes.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The Belchers' car looks completely different from later episodes.
- Edible Theme Naming: The Big Bad of Banjo is named Ceviche, which is also the name of a Peruvian seafood dish.
- Female Misogynist: Louise, who can't take interacting with girls and admits that she prefers the company of Bob and Gene to Linda and Tina.
- Funny Background Event: As Linda is talking to Mr. Frond on the phone, Louise attempts to trick her into pouring her coffee, only for Bob (who is also waiting for the coffee pot) to slap her hand away.
- Fun with Acronyms: Frond's ABS system of conflict resolution: "Access your feelings", "Be apologetic" and "Slap it".
- Hidden Depths: As mentioned above, this episode reveals that Louise of all characters is a Daddy's Girl to the point of crying when Bob spends less time hanging out with her.
- Hypocrite: Mr. Frond will force his ABS system onto students, but he won't use it himself and will instead immediately escalate to physical violence (as shown when Bob calls it dumb).
- Instrument of Murder: The protagonist of the Banjo movies is armed with a banjo that shoots bullets.
- It's All About Me: Louise and Linda both demonstrate this, but Linda is arguably worse.
- Louise becomes jealous when Bob and Gene start hanging out more and begin unintentionally spurning her.
- Linda, however, ropes Bob into making a spaghetti dinner for the school for free without his consent so she can one-up Colleen Caviello, then tries to pass it off as it being for Tina. Later on, she's only pissed off at Bob, Gene, and Louise because their antics got the spaghetti dinner cancelled and when Tina suggests they use Frond's ABS system Linda screams "NOT NOW WITH THAT CRAP, TINA!" Linda proceeds to act incredibly bitter towards Bob before the spaghetti dinner gets uncancelled.
- Jerkass: Colleen, who deliberately annoys Linda.
- Jerkass Has a Point: While her actions throughout the episode are poor, Bob realizes that Louise actually has a point about feeling neglected, and apologizes to her.
- MST: In-universe; Bob and Louise regularly play a game called "Burn Unit" where the two watch TV and riff on whatever they change the channel to, especially during the wee hours of the morning.
- My Beloved Smother: Linda is a bit too excited for mother-daughter bonding time, and it's clear as to why Louise favors hanging out with Bob.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Bob, who is fed up with Louise stirring the pot for three consecutive days, immediately becomes apologetic when he sees Louise on the verge of tears because he's stopped hanging out with her.
- Noodle Incident: "We agreed no more school events for you, Teddy."
- One of the Boys: Louise is revealed to be this, as she can't stand Linda, Tina or the girls in her school.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Linda, who spends the entire episode on edge due to the chance of one-upping Colleen Caviello's ziti.
- Overly Long Gag: If Jocelyn ever gossips to Jimmy Jr. about Tina, Tina will punch Jocelyn "again, and again, and again, and again..."
- Shout-Out: One of the movies Louise wants to turn into a target for Burn Unit is Beetlejuice in Spanish, calling "Beetlejuice" three times.
- Sitcom Arch-Nemesis:
- Colleen Caviello is this to Linda.
- Gene butts heads with Choo-Choo, a kid at school who always interrupts Gene's attempts to tell a joke by blurting out the punchline.
