"Issues" is an episode in the fifth season of Reba.
As the result of frequent bickering between Reba and Van at the real estate office due to Reba's insistence about how things should be run and Van's resentment for the work-related arrangements, Reba and Van's boss make them see an occupational therapist to work out their problems. Meanwhile, Brock and Barbra Jean consult a sleep-specialist doctor to find out why Brock has been waking up exhausted and aching lately.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Funny Background Event: Late in the episode, while Reba is lecturing Van about how he's a rookie in the business of real estate and she's the experienced one just as the former interrupted the latter in selling a property to some interesting buyers, said buyers end up pilfering the whole living room. It's only more ironic since Reba boasts about how she's a professional and must stay focused.
- Hypno Fool: Parodied.
- Van resents Reba for giving her a bunch of tedious desktop work and insisting on checking it after he's already finished it:Van: I, want, equality.
Brock: You're not gonna burn your bra, are you, Van?
Van: *turning to Brock with forced laughter* Ha ha ha ha ha — one, two, three, and *snaps finger* sleep. - Reba notifies Van that there have been complaints towards them due to their bickering:Reba: Van, we have a problem. The boss asked me today if everything was all right between us. He said that some people were complaining about our bickering.
Van: We wouldn't be bickering if I felt like I was being respected.
Brock: That's exactly how I felt when I was with her.
Reba: *turning to Brock with forced laughter* Ha ha ha ha ha — one, two, three, and *snaps finger* leave.
- Van resents Reba for giving her a bunch of tedious desktop work and insisting on checking it after he's already finished it:
- Hypocritical Humor:
- Upon seeing Brock sleeping on the couch early in the episode, Jake suggests placing his hand in warm water before Cheyenne stops him. Van calls it childish... before taking out a pen to write on his forehead.
- Reba boasts about how she's a professional and must stay focused in her lectures to Van, all while she's just as oblivious to the buyers pilfering everything in the living room as Van is.
- Insistent Terminology: The occupational therapist Reba and Van sees insists that he be addressed as "David", not "Dave". Possibly an example of Berserk Button for him as well, as he gets testy at Van for calling him "Dave" one time too many.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Played for Laughs. After viewing the video footage of Brock and Barbra Jean sleeping, discovering Barbra Jean hitting Brock repeatedly during the sequence (which turns out to be the reason Brock is sleep-deprived at the start of the episode) and that the reason Barbra Jean hitting Brock amounts solely to her resentment regarding Brock's treatment towards a pet hamster Barbra Jean won in a county fair, the doctor they see suggests for them to see a marriage counselor instead. Barbra Jean's statement that the first thing she'd say to the marriage counselor is how her "big, strong man can take a punch" does nothing to ease Brock's mood, as indicated when Brock checks to see Barbra Jean going down the hall for the marriage counselor before hightailing out of the building.
- Silly Prayer: Brock and Barbra Jean videotape themselves in bed, per the suggestion of a doctor, to find out why Brock has been sleep-deprived lately. The footage starts with a long prayer session from Barbra Jean.note
- Wimp Fight: A one-sided example. Part of the footage Brock and Barbra Jean record of themselves in bed includes a segment in which Barbra Jean slaps him upside the arm in this fashion (while she was asleep, no less), much to the delight of the doctor and anyone else in the office who saw it.Doctor: The girls in the office really loved this part. [...] Do you know what would make this funnier? Cartoon music.
