Bob helps Gayle train her cat, Mr. Business, for a chance to make him the new face of Chef Cat cat food, so Gayle will be a little more financially independent (and stop borrowing money from the Belchers). Meanwhile, Tina and Gene discover a secret fondness for eating dry cat food.
There's No Tropes Like Mr. Tropes Tropes:
- All for Nothing: Mr. Business doesn't get the gig, and Gayle remains financially dependent on the Belchers. Bob is less than pleased, but he sees that Gayle isn't going to budge. Two silver linings to all this is that Ian, Fluffy and Jessica didn't get the role either, so it's unlikely their romantic relationship will last as Ian needed Fluffy and Jessica for it, and Gayle ends up paying for getting so invested in the Cat Chef scheme; Mr Business is now habitually knocking stuff off counters, causing Gayle no end of misery.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Ian introduces the next cat he plans on making the face of Chef Cat:Ian: This is Fluffy... and this is her cat Jessica.
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: The montage of Gayle asking for money to buy things goes "rug shampoo, control-top pantyhose, blender payments, Christmas gifts, lube".
- Comically Missing the Point: When Ian tells Gayle that Mr. Business will have to repeat what Gayle just saw, Gayle assumes it's what Ian's dog just did (turn off the TV and turn on the lights). Ian exasperatedly explains that he meant what Chef Cat did on the commercial.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Bob accuses Ian of casting aside cats as if they were his lovers. Considering how Ian's heavily implied to sleep with the actual cat owners, though, this analogy actually makes perfect sense.Bob: So you get people's hopes up, make them believe in something, and then toss them aside when you find a younger, hotter cat?
- Do Wrong, Right: Gayle is disgusted that the family is eating cat food out of the box. She tells them to heat it with some oatmeal like she does.
- Eating Pet Food: Tina finds a box of cat food in the kitchen, tastes it and is instantly hooked on it. Gene catches her eating it and has a taste and soon the two of them are scarfing it down. It then turns out that Linda was also eating cat food (the box Tina found was her secret stash), and has done so for long enough that Bob was already aware of her addiction. Eventually, Louise and even Bob try it as well, with Bob initially thinking it's disgusting but quickly starting to like it and Louise not saying anything in the matter but not giving any indication that she thinks it's gross. Turns out (unsurprisingly) Gayle eats cat food heated with oatmeal.
- Everyone Knew Already: Linda eating cat food is treated as a big reveal to Tina and Gene, but Bob's reaction indicates he's known about this for a while.
- Foreshadowing: When the Belchers find a box of cat food in their apartment, Linda is quick to shut down any questions as to why they would have it (since they don't have a cat). While her answer (Gayle must've left it behind) makes sense at the time, the hasty way she comes up with it hints that Linda herself knows why and wants to keep it hidden (namely, she uses it for her own personal consumption).
- Formally-Named Pet: Mr. Business.
- G-Rated Drug: Gene and Tina get hooked on eating cat food, and there are even comparisons to actual drug abuse.
- Hidden Depths: Despite having never had one, Bob has a surprising skill with pets, being able to train Mr. Business more than Gayle or Ian.
- Large Ham: John Oliver as Ian, especially when he's attacked by Mr. Business."OH, GOD! GET IT OFF ME! SHOOT IT! SOMEBODY SHOOT THIS CAT! SHOOT IT! YOU HAVE THE SHOT! TAKE THE SHOT!"
- Lamarck Was Right: Per Gene's words when Linda is caught eating cat food:Gene: Our addiction is genetic! I'm not to blame! I'm a cat food baby, I never had a chance.
- Legacy Character: The Chef Cat mascot is a series of cats that look identical to each other, with each cat in the line being replaced once they near the end of their lifespan. The cat currently in the role is on their last legs, leading to the audition that Gayle has signed Mr. Business up for.
- A Lesson Learned Too Well: After Bob successfully teaches Mr. Business to push over a box of cat food for the commercial, Mr. Business keeps pushing over things in Gayle's apartment, much to her frustration.
- Ian mentions earlier in the episode that pets who are trained for commercials are abandoned by their owners because the behavior drives them crazy. He mentions this in reference to a parrot he has that says "Polly wants a good deal on a quality mattress."
- Morality Pet: Ironically enough, it's the pet who has one. Bob is the only one Mr. Business doesn't attack on sight, though as hinted by the "on sight" this doesn't save him entirely.
- Sex for Services: Ian slept with a person named Karen, and initially assumes Bob is confronting him on this. He's later shown in a relationship with another cat owner named Fluffy.
- Take That!: When Ian mentions meeting Dean Cain, Bob immediately loses interest in the conversation.
