"Someone got hit with a truck full of swag."
A Plot: Walking by Old Man Hafford's place, Brent and Hank reminisce about how they used to sneak into his yard as kids and steal crab apples from his tree. They try again as adults, but Hank gets caught by the grumpy old man and is forced to eat all the crab apples. This causes Hank to get angry at Brent, who had bailed on him.
B Plot: The gang sets up for charades at the Leroy house and no one seems to want to team up with Oscar. However, Oscar proves to be the best player with Lacey and later Karen, while Emma just gets increasingly angrier with her partners.
C Plot: Wanda writes a complaint letter to the Crispy Spuds company after getting a bag of stale, soggy chips. When Davis gets frustrated by a faulty pull tab on a can of Zoinks Cola, Wanda offers to write a letter for him too. Wanda is incensed when Zoinks hooks Davis up with free stuff, whereas she has to hide the fact that Crispy Spuds gave her nothing.
Tropes referenced:
- Amusing Injuries: When Brent and Hank initially pass by Old Man Hafford's yard, they decide to climb over the fence and steal the crab apples off his tree for nostalgia's sake. They fail miserably, with Hank banging his knee on the fence and Brent pulling his groin.Hank: Maybe we're gettin' a little old for jumpin' fences. I mean, you did pull your groin.
Brent: That's got nothin' to do with gettin' old! I pulled my groin when I was 9. When I was 1, I threw my back out reaching for a rattle! - Bait-and-Switch: Brent and Hank stretch out (with Hank reminding Brent to stretch his groin), implying they are about to try jumping the fence again. Then they walk up to the fence... and simply open the gate to get in.
- Brand X: Crispy Spuds, Zoinks Cola and Uncle Ricky's Popcorn were all made up for the show.
- Comically Missing the Point: While the other three charades players are arguing to avoid having Oscar as their partner, Oscar seems completely oblivious that they don't want to play with him.
- Depending on the Writer: In this episode, Davis is shown to be a regular drinker of Zoinks Cola, contradicting "Jail House" in which he was very much against drinking pop and would endlessly lecture Karen on its unhealthiness.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Oscar wonders what's wrong with being "stuck" with him as a charades partner:Lacey: Oh, we don't mean "stuck". We mean "end up with".
- Drawing Straws: The charades players draw breadsticks to determine who starts with Oscar.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: The charades games start off with nobody wanting to play with Oscar. Subverted when he shows he's the best player of them all (until Emma accidentally gets him hopped up on beer and painkillers).
- Fun-Hating Confiscating Adult: Old Man Hafford was (and still is) one of these, having kept any toy that has flown over his fence and punished anyone who entered his yard.
- Hidden Depths: Oscar is actually an exceptional charades guesser, even when paired with a terrible pantomimer like Karen, who always does the exact same motion no matter what she's supposed to be miming.
- Hypocritical Humor: Wanda is ranting about how the chip company is ignoring the needs of their customers, while herself ignoring Davis who wants to pay for his items at the gas station.Davis: Where do I write to complain about the service here?
- Intoxication Ensues: After Oscar wrenches his shoulder sleeping on it wrong, Emma has him drink a few beers so he'll feel better when they play charades. Unbeknownst to her, he had already taken painkillers. This combination causes him to act very strange and ruin the game for him and Emma.
- Location Theme Naming: Keeping with the tradition of naming most of the show’s characters after towns in Saskatchewan, Old Man Hafford is named after Hafford, Saskatchewan, population 414.
- MegaCorp: Wanda claims that only three corporations control every product in the world: Chrysler, Fox TV, and Campbell's Soup.
- Police Are Useless: Old Man Hafford wants Karen to do something about Hank stealing his crab apples, but she refuses, as it would be too much paperwork for such a petty crime.Karen: They are just crab apples. They grow back.
Hafford: That's the problem with you cops. You're all soft. - Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Brent bolts as soon as he spots Old Man Hafford the first time, leaving Hank to take the punishment. Hank does the same thing to Brent later as payback.
- Shout-Out: Hank has a parody Flashback Cut where he imagines Brent learning to fly as a kid. Brent snaps him out of it and says he was probably thinking about Superboy.
- Snowball Lie: Wanda claims she got a jacket from Crispy Spuds, which is really just an old jacket that she put a patch on. Then when Davis pushes her, she claims they gave her a cruise too. Turns out Davis never believed her for a second.
- Sophisticated as Hell: Wanda falls into this a couple times while writing angry letters to the various companies:
- Davis: I just don't want to come off too strong. Maybe sign it "Respectfully yours, Davis Quinton."
Wanda: (saying out loud as she writes) "And may you all roast in hell. Respectfully yours, Davis Quinton." - Wanda: Hey Emma, help me out here. Which do you like better? "Soul-less, sociopathic, corporate automatons" or "gutless sacks of crap"?
- Sore Loser: Emma is one at charades, complaining about all her partners.
- Unishment: At the end of the episode, Old Man Hafford punishes Brent by making him eat four buckets of crab apples, which was an effective punishment when he did it to Hank earlier in the episode, but doesn't faze a Big Eater like Brent in the slightest.Hafford: Well... that wasn't as satisfying as I'd hoped.
Brent: [checking the tree branches] You got any more? - Unusual Euphemism: After Hank suggests they steal Old Man Hafford's apples:Brent: Now when you say "grab his apples"...
Hank: Come on, Brent!
Brent: I just want to be clear! - What's a Henway?:Lacey: We could play euchre.
Oscar: Euchre? I hardly know 'er!
Lacey: Or Twister.
Oscar: Twister? I just met 'er!
Lacey: Or maybe we could just play charades.
Oscar: Charades? Ha ha... I hate charades!
Emma: Charades it is.
Lacey: Good thing I didn't say "poker."
