Recap / Corner Gas S 4 E 06 Jail House

"The only hardship that I'm facing in here is that you're here."

A Plot: In order to raise money for the Telemiracle fundraiser, Davis agrees to stay in a jail cell and not come out until Karen has raised $1000. His imprisonment isn't too rough, until Hank decides to keep him company. Meanwhile, Karen realizes she enjoys time without Davis around, so she puts less than a full effort into collecting.

B Plot: Thanks to Hank, Lacey becomes convinced that being attached to a dirty gas station is hurting the Ruby's image, so she does everything in her power to redecorate Corner Gas and make it look (and smell) more pleasant. A very annoyed Brent resists her efforts every step of the way, and eventually gets her to stop by having Davis convince her that the worse Corner Gas looks, the better the Ruby looks in comparison.

C Plot: Emma nags Oscar to buy a new toilet, but he decides it can just be fixed in the cheapest way possible, hiring Wanda to do it. Despite her hubris, Wanda proves incredibly inept at the task, and eventually calls her ex-boyfriend (guest star Mike Holmes) to finish the job.

Tropes Referenced:

• Captain Oblivious: Brent is so into his comic book that he doesn't realize Lacey is asking him if she can light incense.
  Brent: What's that funk? Is something burning?
  Lacey: The incense. I just asked you if I could light incense, eleven seconds ago.
• Cardboard Prison: The latch on the jail cell Davis is staying in doesn't even lock, meaning he can walk out whenever he wants.
• Crazy-Prepared: Brent is able to hand out very specific tools while standing still at the gas station counter, without even taking attention away from his comic book. He even deduces that Lacey wants to paint and shuts her down.
  Lacey: Wow, you're good. You didn't even look up.
  Brent: I'm on a roll.
• Cutting Corners: Oscar refuses to buy a new toilet and instead hires Wanda to fix his current one. She is grossly under-qualified but is willing to work for cheap. Oscar also doesn't want to buy a flat screen TV and tries to convince Emma they could just hang their bulky CRT TV on the wall.
• Description Cut:
  Karen: Davis is doing hard time. It's no walk in the park.
  [Cut to Karen preparing Davis's jail cell]
  Karen: Okay, goose down comforter, hypoallergenic pillow, Earl Grey tea.
  Davis: No chamomile?
  Karen: They were all out.
  Davis: This is gonna be hell.
• Fake Charity: In contrast to the real Telemiracle fund raiser, Wanda makes up the Foundation for Eradicating Severe Moleculitis in Kids. This is really just an excuse to raise money to get her car fixed.
• Hurricane of Euphemisms: Wanda uses several names for jail, such as hoosegow, coop, can, clink, big house, and jug.
• If I Had a Nickel...:
  Karen: You were right, Oscar.
  Oscar: If I had a nickel for every time I heard that.
  Karen: You'd have what, five cents?
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: After Brent makes an elaborate joke about Wanda being late to work:
  Wanda: How long have you been thinkin' that one up?
  Brent: Off the top of my head.
  [Wanda stares at him.]
  Brent: Okay, I thought of it last Thursday.
• Jail Bake: Discussed. When Hank brings Davis a nail file, he comments that he knows it's supposed to come in a big cake, but he doesn't know how to bake.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Once Davis decides to take a break from Hank's company, and everyone finds out about Karen's scheme to delay his freedom, he sets up a new fundraiser that keeps both her and Hank in a cell with a working lock.
• Luxury Prison Suite: Davis is put in one. Of course, it turns out that no amount of luxury can make up for the torture that is Hank.
• Malaproper:
  • Hank refers to Davis as being in "solitaire" confinement.
  • Oscar derides Karen for coming up with the idea of turning Davis into "jailbait".
  Karen: I don't think that's the phrase you're looking for.
• Rhetorical Question Blunder:
  Oscar: You sure you know what you're doing?
  Wanda: Don't I look like I know what I'm doing?
  Oscar: No! That's why I'm asking.
• Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: After Brent gives Lacey back her scented incense:
  Lacey: Now what is wrong with a little citrus brambleberry eucalyptus potpourri?
  Brent: I don't know what those words mean. [beat] Except citrus. [beat] That means "oranges".
• Shout-Out: Hank mentions how the guy in Cool Hand Luke ate 50 hard boiled eggs and wonders how many he could eat at once.
• Stealth Insult:
  Lacey: Do you think Corner Gas looks junky?
  Karen: I hadn't really thought about it.
  Lacey: Well it looks junky to me.
  Karen: Okay.
  Lacey: I mean that's probably why you weren't very enthusiastic about my curtains. It's probably because this place is connected to the gas station and the gas station's kinda junky, so who cares about my curtains?
  Karen: Exactly. Who cares? That's what I think.
• The Cameo: As mentioned in the C Plot above.
• Unwanted Assistance: Hank sticks around with Davis to keep him company and help him through the "hardship" of prison, but the only hardship for Davis is Hank being there. Even after Davis spells it out for him, Hank dismisses it as Davis going crazy from being locked up and saying things he doesn't mean. Hank of course takes this as proof that Davis needs him to stay more than ever.
• Verbal Backspace:
  Lacey: Brent, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but your gas station looks kind of junky and bad. Everybody's saying so. [Beat] Well, Hank said so.
  Brent: Well, if Hank said so...