"Linda, I have to sue some place called... "Sa-katch-a-jam". It's in Canada or Minnesota or something. Look it up and get them on the phone."
A Plot: A complaint has been made that Dog River doesn't have enough local cable programming, so the cable company sends a representative to garner ideas for a show. He assigns Brent as the person to choose what one (and only) show will be aired, causing the town's competitive streak to rear its ugly head. Wanda, Emma and Lacey initially agree to do a show together, but creative differences cause them to angrily split up and each try to go it alone. Davis and Karen devise a crime stoppers show and recruit Hank as their crime re-enactor (for a crime he actually committed). Oscar has some ideas that range from interesting to just plain strange.
Tropes Referenced:
- Actor Allusion: In the opening scene, while the characters are discussing old Canadian TV shows, Oscar blurts out “Street Legal sucked!” His actor, Eric Peterson, played one of the main characters on Street Legal.
- Ask a Stupid Question...:Davis: [standing right next to a van covered with egg mess] Is this the van that was egged?
Brent: If I had to guess... - Bait-and-Switch: Brent has a serious conversation with Wanda, Emma and Lacey, asking them to resolve their differences over the cable show. After he leaves, the ladies all look contrite and admit they're embarrassed... except they're embarrassed for Brent not knowing how to handle talent. They immediately argue again.
- Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: Oscar suggests that the ladies' show just have an ostrich hanging around for no reason and with no explanation. Lacey later reveals that he suggested for them to wear roller skates as well.
- Call-Back:
- Hank sure likes to pelt things (or people) with food. This time it's a cable van.
- Davis is once again obsessed with being on camera and jealous when it is focused on someone else.
- Description Cut:
- The cable guy tells Brent he doesn't think people actually dislike the cable company. Immediately afterward, his van gets egged.
- The three ladies are at a table in the bar, discussing how much they'll enjoy working together on their show. Cut to six minutes later, where they're all at each other's throats and decide to work alone.
- Fictional Counterpart: The cable company in this episode, CableSask, is likely a stand-in for Access Communications, formerly Cable Regina, the main cable provider in Saskatchewan which also produces a lot of low-budget public access programming.
- Follow the Leader: Wanda, Emma, and Lacey decide to do a show that will be almost exactly like The View, but stop just short of actually naming it the same, fearing retribution from the show's creators. After they split up, they all three try it on their own, anyway, coming up with "A View from Dog River", "The View: Dog River Style", and "A Dog River Point of View".
- Hypocritical Humor: Immediately prior to the I Was Never Here moment below, Hank is lecturing Brent about needing to face his problems head on.
- I Have This Friend: Hank feels guilty after he eggs the cable van, so he calls a local cable show called Peggy's Pets:Hank: I got this friend who egged a cable van...
Peggy: We only take questions about pets.
Hank: I have this pet, who egged a cable van... - I Was Never Here: Hank is trying to avoid the cops in case they find out that he egged the cable van:Hank: (to Brent) You never saw me.
[Hank runs away as Karen and Davis approach]
Karen: Hey, Brent, have you seen Hank?
Brent: I was told I haven't. - Innocent Innuendo:Lacey: Hey Oscar. Listen, I have an idea. Why don't you and I team up together and do a show. It could be fun.
Oscar: No.
Lacey: Oh, come on! Will you at least think about it? I can make it worth your while.
Oscar: Lacey! Chemistry or no chemistry, I'm happily married.
Lacey: [visibly disgusted] No! No, Oscar, that is NOT what I meant. You know, and just for the record, that's NEVER going to be what I meant. EVER. Just to be clear, never ever.
Brent: What's going on?
Oscar: I don't know. Getting mixed signals.- Earlier, a similar scene happens between Oscar and Wanda.
- Like Father, Like Son: Oscar and Brent have similar reactions to people sucking up to them.
- Never Heard That One Before: The guy from the cable company can't ask for service at any business without getting a snarky "How about next Tuesday, sometime between eight and four?" as a reply. He first hears it from Brent when he pulls up to the pumps for gas, then from Karen when he reports his cable van was egged, then from Lacey when he orders some food at the Ruby. Judging from his reaction to Brent's use of the joke, it had already reached this status long before he came to Dog River. The worst part? He's not even a repairman, which ruins the entire point of the joke.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: The actor that plays the lawyer representing The View makes no effort to sound like a New Yorker or any other kind of American; he sounds like a Canadian who’s somehow never heard of Saskatchewan.
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot:Wanda: What about a talk show? The three of us.
Lacey: Okay, now that is a great idea. Three generations of Dog River women.
Wanda: [offended] What do you mean, "three generations"?
Lacey: [stammering] I ju-, well I just meant that—
Emma: What she meant was that we've all lived here for different amounts of time. Right?
Lacey: You read my mind. - Pun-Based Title: Referencing cable "access" television.
- "Shaggy Dog" Story: After all the infighting, arguing, and pettiness, Brent doesn't end up picking anyone's actual show. Instead, he chooses a video of a field and sky that was accidentally filmed when Davis and Karen left their camera on the ground. Reactions are mixed.
- Shout-Out:
- As mentioned above, The View is referenced.
- In The Teaser, Hank tries to compare the town to Beachcombers.
- Then when Brent suggests Beachcombers was the greatest Canadian TV show of all time, Wanda counters with Street Legal, leading to a hilarious Actor Allusion:Oscar: Street Legal sucked!
- When Hank sees a cable van and says "darn it", Lacey jokingly asks him if he's one of The Brady Bunch.
- Hank references Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart by name when feeling guilty about egging the van, but can't remember its title.
- The same joke is used when Hank can't remember the name of the Kevin Costner movie No Way Out (1987). Hank is convinced he's thinking of Dances with Wolves... then he describes The Bodyguard.
- And a third time when Brent says All's Well That Ends Well and Hank says it reminds him of a Shakespeare play. Brent jokingly suggests he means Meatballs.
