"Get those vials back to Reggie."
"Deluxe Distributor Package!? No!!"
—Tina
When Linda gets involved with essential oil sales, Gayle fears she's being scammed. Elsewhere, Bob and Teddy help a nice old man move a bed.
Tropes:
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Subverted by Angie. Turns out she genuinely doesn't realize that everyone else has trouble selling on the oil packages she sells to them for $600, she's just used to not having any difficulty doing so herself because of her likeable nature.
- Brutal Honesty: After a whole evening of having to lift and manoeuvre a giant and heavy bed a long distance for a good-natured but oblivious-to-their-discomfort Mr. Huggins, Bob outright says he likes him a little less than he did before. To his credit, Mr. Huggins accepts that's fair.
- Call-Back: Gayle mentions that Linda's easily swayed by pretty people, like Monica back in high school.
- Central Theme: A genuinely oblivious and well-meaning person asking too much of someone without realizing it.
- Angie obliviously asks Linda and several people to buy expensive essential oil deluxe packages they can't sell since she assumed it'd be as easy for them as it is for her (since she's so pretty and charismatic).
- Mr. Huggins asks Bob and Teddy to help him move an incredibly heavy adjustable full size bed frame and mattress from a large house with lots of stairs to an upstairs apartment, and then has them stay for hours afterwards to give him love advice for a date that night. Bob in particular finds the whole experience incredibly tedious and painful, but is too polite to decline or leave.
- Cuteness Proximity: Louise once again completely melts in the presence of a puppy, and even attempts to steal it before Linda catches her.
- Favors for the Sexy: People are very willing to buy from Angie and invest in her product, essentially just because she's friendly, young, and attractive (even people who aren't literally attracted to her, as they want to be like her). Linda is mentioned to have a a beautiful "friend" in high school who exploited her much more maliciously, constantly pressuring her into Taking the Heat for breaking the school rules.
- Foreshadowing:
- When Teddy takes a look at Angie's oils, he immediately buys the first one she shows, which was meant to improve ovulation. Angie tries to point out that wouldn't help him, but Teddy says not to talk a customer out of a sale. While it initially seems like Teddy's just being Teddy, it's also a big hint that Angie takes advantage of people even if she doesn't mean to.
- When Linda first arrives at the essential oil party, Angie introduces her to several other essential oil sellers, who all give muted greetings. It's a small hint that they aren't quite as enthusiastic about the business as she is since they have a harder time selling than she does.
- Incredibly Lame Fun: Tina bonds with Ronnie at Angie's party over a love of jigsaw puzzles, which Louise and Gene find boring.
- Literal Metaphor: When Linda tells Angie she's such a persuasive saleswoman that she could "sell ice to people in Iceland", Angie responds that she actually did live in Iceland after college and sold ice to people.
- The Load: Gayle and the kids crash Angie's essential oil party to warn Linda that it's a Ponzi Scheme. Angie quickly shuffles the kids into the kiddie room, leaving it up to Gayle to warn her. However, Gayle quickly becomes side-tracked swooning over peppermint oil, or blabbers incoherently, leaving it up to the kids to try to warn Linda and/or snap Gayle out of it. Louise lampshades this several times.
- Noodle Incident: We don't see what Mr. Huggins' back tattoo is. According to him, it's supposed to be a Yin-Yang symbol but Bob and Teddy say it looks nothing like it and suggest he cover it, "possibly with underwear that goes really high".
- Obliviously Evil: Angie gets dozens of people over their head trying to sell essential oils, but not because she's willing to damage them financially for her own profit. She assumes it's a genuinely great product that anyone can sell as easily as she can, and none of her sellers have the heart to admit they can't.
- Only Sane by Comparison: Gayle picks up the Smart Ball this episode, but she's still Gayle.
- Overly Long Scream: Gayle when the kids tell her Linda is at an oil party. A quick montage shows her screaming all the way to picking up the kids, including after they've already gotten in the car.
- Playing Sick: Louise tires to fake an allergic reaction to the oils by drawing dots on her arms with a red marker. Linda catches on immediately.
- Ponzi Scheme: Subverted. Angie selling people oils for others to sell seems like a way for her to profit at the others' expense, especially to Gayle. Turns out there is no scam; Angie is just oblivious to how her natural charisma makes her an excellent seller, and is genuinely surprised that others are having trouble selling oils. Granted, Angie is probably working for a multi-level marketing company, which are increasingly regarded as Ponzi/pyramid schemes, but she is an unaware part of that scheme.
- Pulling the Thread: Despite standing up for Angie when the kids try to warn her how hard it is to sell essential oils, Linda does ask if it's really as easy to sell for everyone else as it is for Angie, and carefully notes their weak protests.
- Precious Puppy: Angie's puppy Ringo, who distracts Louise from getting to Linda. She proceeds to try and steal him at the end of the episode.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Teddy breaks the bed because he forgot to put in screws on one side, he asks Bob for help fixing it. Bob, now at his breaking point, immediately leaves.
- Shout-Out:
- The title is a reference to Lorenzo's Oil.
- Louise describes Angie's house by saying "Smells like someone ate, prayed and loved a little too much in here."
- Burger of the Day: the Brussel and Flow Burger (served with Brussel sprouts).
- Gene mentions that Angie has more oils than a Beverly Hillbilly.
- Angie named her puppy Ringo because he has ringworms, and because he flails his front paws when picked up like he's playing the drums.Linda: He plays the drums! Just like Ringo MacCartney!
- Teddy says his favorite movie is The Dark Crystal.
- Smart Ball: A minor example: in contrast to her usual behaviour, Gayle ends up being the one to save Linda from wasting her money on something stupid, but only because she knows from experience that what Linda's doing is a bad idea, she still acts like her normal clueless and weird self for the rest of the episode and the only reason she hears about what Linda's doing is because she called her to borrow money after she lost hers in the lottery again.
- Snake Oil Salesman: Angie sells essential oils that supposedly treat a wide variety of things, from constipation to ovulation. Angie sincerely thought they work, either because of the Placebo Effect or her buyers being unwilling to tell her otherwise.
