"It's one minor coincidence. Doesn't go any further than that."
— Dennis
Mac and Dennis go to Guigino's Italian restaurant for their monthly dinner, only to discover that Frank and Charlie are also there to celebrate their anniversary of moving in together. Both parties become offended when the other fails to acknowledge them, all the while unaware that Dee is also at the restaurant.
This episode provides examples of the following tropes:
- Ambiguously Gay:
- Mac attempts to grope the male waiter while putting a tip in his pocket after Frank and Dennis both do the same to the female hostess.
- It is again implied, by his apparently having been present for the Chrissy Orlando incident, that Mac watches Dennis have sex.
- Bottle Episode: The entire episode takes place inside Guigino's Italian restaurant.
- Butt-Monkey: The unnamed waiter, who is constantly harassed and verbally abused by the gang throughout the episode and eventually trips and falls into a plate of spaghetti after Dee ties his shoelaces together.
- Comically Missing the Point: Mac totally misses the fact that Dennis's heartfelt speech (ostensibly about a military veteran in attendance at the restaurant) was about him despite some very specific references to their shared history until Dennis explicitly spells it out for him.Dennis: I was talking about you!
Mac: That was about me?
Dennis: Yes! He wasn't there when I went down on Chrissy Orlando!
Mac: I did not get that at all! - Comically Small Bribe: Dennis hands a hostess five dollars to try to get her to get him a new chair after she declines to. Mac throws in a whole dollar to make it "come here faster."
- Continuity Nod:
- Dee says that she used to date a troop who was crazy for jean shorts.
- Dennis mentions Frank and Charlie running around naked in the sewers looking for rings and coins in his speech.
- Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: Frank plans to get revenge on Mac and Dennis by "pinching their dicks with a lobster".
- Damned by Faint Praise: When Mac demands that Dennis say something nice to him for once, the best Dennis is initially able to come up with is "your hair looks small". He does manage to redeem himself somewhat later on, however.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Mac and Dennis both treat their monthly dinner like a date, getting dressed up for the occasion and commenting on how long they've been looking forward to it. The same applies to Frank and Charlie, who even explain to the somewhat bemused hostess that they're celebrating their "anniversary".
- Eating Lunch Alone: Dee goes to the restaurant alone because she has a Groupon that's about to expire, and becomes embarrassed about it once she realizes the rest of the gang are there.
- Escalating War: The episode is primarily about the passive-aggressive stances done between the group to not acknowledge the other exists until the other does. Charlie and Mac don't want to get swept up into it but Frank dislikes how the others treat Charlie while Dennis' ego refuses to be the first to commit. Dee just wants to enjoy a nice meal but too self-conscious about being there alone.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Dee tied up the waiters shoes to make him trip into a tray of food. While the waiter was hurt and the entire restaurant annoyed at their behavior, the gang just starts laughing with each other over their antics.
- Friendship Moment: The gang bond over laughing at the waiter when he trips and ends up covered in spaghetti at the end of the episode.
- Grew a Spine: Mac actually stands up to Dennis for once, accusing the latter of always putting him down and demanding that he say something nice.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Dee is desperate to have someone sit with her and eventually ends up trying to join the soldier's party despite not knowing anybody at his table.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Frank is trying to turn Charlie against Mac and Dennis for selfish reasons, but he does have a point when he reminds Charlie that he was originally an equal partner in the bar until they made him a janitor.
- Kick the Dog: Dennis says Mac should not sing karaoke because he cannot sing in general. Since the two of them sing A Cappella together in multiple episodes, this is especially mean-spirited.
- Metaphorgotten: Charlie and Dennis both fall into this during their respective toasts; they're ostensibly talking about the troop, but they keep slipping in very specific digs at each other.Dennis: We do have an American hero in the house tonight. A strong man. A brave man. He's the kind of man who knows exactly who he is. He doesn't hide under a toupee. He faces his challenges instead of just retreating to the sewers, nude, to forage for rings and coins. Or to the toilets, or to a life filled with rats.
- Moment Killer: The waiter interrupts Frank when he's giving a speech to Charlie about the anniversary of their moving in together. Later, Charlie interrupts Dennis by announcing a toast just as he's about to say something nice to Mac.
- Passive-Aggressive Kombat:
- Dennis and Frank engage in this, antagonizing each other through petty gestures such as sending bottles of wine to each other's tables.
- When the waiter arrives to take the extra chair at Dee’s table, after protesting, Dee relents but tells him not to make a scene. The waiter, exasperated from having to deal with her all evening, drags the chair off as noisily as possible.
- Pet the Dog:
- When pushed, Dennis gives a genuinely heartfelt speech about how his friendship with Mac helped him build his confidence when they were younger. He then proceeds to sing "The Wind Beneath My Wings" to Mac in the middle of the crowded restaurant.
- At the end of the episode, after the waiter trips due Dee's sabotage, Dennis legitimately laughs at her joke and invites her to come dine with him. It's a rare moment of kinship between Dennis and Dee.
- Rage Breaking Point: Dennis is incensed by the fact that he's sat right next to the kitchens on a rickety chair, and even more so by Frank and Charlie neglecting to "pay tribute" to him.
- Serenade Your Lover: Dennis does a (maybe) platonic version to Mac.
- Thanks for the Mammary: Both Frank and Dennis try giving the hostess a tip by tucking it into the neckline of her shirt and she has to pull away. Frank admits he was trying to feel her up.
- Tied-Together-Shoelace Trip: Dee suggests that the waiter get revenge on Dennis by tying his shoelaces together. She later ends up doing that very same thing to the waiter himself.
- Too Much Information: Dennis goes into extremely vulgar detail about one of his sexual conquests while he's giving a speech to the entire restaurant.Dennis: ...And to go down on Chrissy Orlando on the trampoline, later on the very same night, which I also did. And I licked her asshole a little bit. It was pretty good, it was alright. It wasn't great. But it was fine.
