Recap / Corner Gas S 3 E 12 Ruby Newsday

"And we're a rectangle: nature's most perfect shape."

A Plot: Lacey decides to start her own coffee-shop newsletter, though her trivia section isn't as popular as she hopes. Meanwhile, Brent's cartoon contributions are misinterpreted as attacks on Karen and Davis.

B Plot: Hank comes up with a dueling tip jar idea for Lacey, which proves very successful. However, after Wanda's tip jar ideas fall flat at Corner Gas, she steals Hank away from Lacey.

C Plot: After Hank loses his job as a newspaper delivery boy, Oscar agrees to take his place. His ineptitude and laziness at the task become an annoyance to the town, and Emma in particular.

Tropes Referenced:

• Analogy Backfire: Oscar is upset that Brent works for a "rival" newspaper:
  Oscar: You're takin' food outta my mouth. I need to feed my family.
  Wanda: He is your family.
  Oscar: You're takin' food outta your own mouth!
• Bait-and-Switch Comment:
  • Brent, seemingly about to offer Hank some money:
  Brent: I want you to know, if you're short on cash, Lacey's here for ya.
  • Then turned around by Lacey:
  Lacey: I'm glad to help, Hank. Coffee's on Brent.
• The Cameo: Then-premier of Saskatchewan Lorne Calvert makes a few appearances, taunting Sweden and almost getting hit with one of Oscar’s newspapers in his office.
• Crack is Cheaper: invokedIt turns out that the real reason Oscar wanted to be a paperboy as a kid is because he wanted to buy a specific red wagon. When he remembers this, he quits the job because he thinks he can easily afford the $12 wagon as an adult. Later, he finds out that the wagon is now a collector's item, valued at $6000, meaning he still can't afford it.
• Description Cut: Discussing the name of Lacey's newsletter:
  Brent: Trust me, Ruby Newsday is your winner.
  [Cut to Corner Gas]
  Wanda: Ruby Newsday? What kinda lame pun is that?
  Brent: Ah, well, you know Lacey.
• Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory: invokedEveryone interprets Brent's simple cartoons as making fun of Karen and Davis, and later Lacey. This leads to a bizarre Death of the Author situation where Brent is flat-out told that he is wrong when he says the cartoons have nothing to do with any of them.
  Brent: How is this cartoon making fun of you?! Two explorers lost at the South Pole: "Well which way did you think was North?"
  Karen: Shall I start?
  Davis: Be my guest.
  Karen: They're both wearing the same clothing, deducing that they're wearing uniforms, much like we wear every day!
  Brent: That's not deducing, that would be implying.
  Karen: So you admit it?!
  Brent: [sarcastically] And I suppose them looking at a map signifies that you both lack direction, and your careers are heading South?
  Davis: I hadn't looked at it that way...
  Karen: We thought you meant we were cold people, but that works too!
• Humble Pie:
  • The "Lacey's trivia" tip jar gets dominated by the "Brent's cartoon" tip jar.
  Hank: Hey, there's 50 cents in the trivia jar.
  Lacey: Yeah, I put that in there to get people started.
  • Then later, when Lacey proudly confronts Wanda about her "Is Lacey being Mean or Shameful?" tip jars:
  Lacey: [holding the two empty jars] See, the people of Dog River have spoken. I am neither mean nor shameful.
  [Wanda reaches down behind the counter and takes out a very full jar that says "Both". She slowly pours the contents out over the counter.]
  Lacey: [dejectedly] A lotta tips there.
• Imagine Spot: Brent envisions becoming a famous cartoonist:
  Vicki Gabereau: I'm here with world famous cartoonist, Brent Leroy. Tell me, Brent, is this the best your imagination can come up with, being on the Vicki Gabereau Show?
  Brent: What? I love your show.
  Vicki Gabereau: But this isn't even my set.
  Brent: Oh, well, this is just all in my head.
  Vicki Gabereau: Uh-huh. Well, your imagination sucks. I'm gettin' a coffee.
• It Makes Sense in Context:
  Brent: Hey, Dad, good news. I'm out of the newspaper business.
  Oscar: How does that get me a red wagon?
  Brent: One sentence into the conversation, ya lost me.
• Mondegreen Gag:
  Wanda: Just adding a little something to augment my tips.
  [Brent gives her a weird look]
  Wanda: I said tips!
  Brent: Oh. I mean, yeah I know.
• New Job as the Plot Demands: Oscar as a delivery boy, Brent as a cartoonist, Hank as a trivia jar consultant
• Principles Zealot: Lacey believes that Wanda shouldn't get tips, as she's not in the "service industry".
• Pun-Based Title: Brent points out that the newsletter Ruby Newsday is "like the song", obviously referencing The Rolling Stones song Ruby Tuesday. This extends to the title of the episode itself.
• Serial Numbers Filed Off: invokedAfter Wanda steals Hank away from Lacey to write tip jar questions at Corner Gas, Lacey starts shamelessly stealing the questions and only changing just enough to avoid total plagiarism. For example, she takes a question asking who is the better vampire slayer (TV Buffy or Movie Buffy) and instead asks who is better at fighting vampires before slaying them (Buffy or Blade).
  Lacey: She steals you, I steal questions.
• Shout-Out: When Wanda puts out tip jars for Free Will vs. Determinism, Davis thinks she means Free Willy.
  Davis: When the whale got away, I cried.
• Stepford Smiler: Wanda briefly becomes one in an attempt to get customers to give her tips.
• Title Drop
• Unpleasable Fanbase: invokedBrent's cartoons cause Davis and Karen — and later, Lacey — to interpret them as personal attacks and complain. When he draws a cartoon openly praising them, they complain that it's not funny because he isn't attacking anyone. Brent decides to just quit drawing cartoons altogether.