Against Rob's advice about "butting in", Laura tries to set up her lab technician cousin Thomas on a date with Sally. When the day of the party arrives, the zingers fly...but the results may not be what Rob fears.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Brick Joke: Buddy puts on a mask to try to scare Rob while he's typing and gets a very casual reaction. At the end of the episode, Rob borrows it to use on Laura and gets a similar reaction.
- Everyone Laughs Ending: The episode (before the stinger) ends with Rob, Laura, and Thomas all roaring over a zinger Sally tossed in when Thomas asked her on a date to the movies.
- I Warned You: When the attempt to matchmake Sally and Thomas apparently goes poorly, Laura tells Rob not to say anything about it. He protests, saying that she's right 95% of the time, so he should get to say "I told you so" the rest of the time. He regrets it when it turns out that Thomas found Sally hilarious.
- The Matchmaker: Laura apparently has attempted to set enough people up on dates that Rob can tell when she has a "matchmaker" look in her eyes. He insists she shouldn't meddle in other people's affairs.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The day after the party, Sally comes in late to work (something Buddy notes is weird) and when she arrives, she behaves unusually subdued. It demonstrates how upset she is over apparently failing yet again to win a guy over even before she bursts into tears.
- Opposites Attract: Rob is concerned that Sally and Thomas won't fit together; he's a shy lab technician who barely talks and she's a brash comedienne who can't keep her mouth shut. Laura answers that sometimes opposites attract. Despite initial appearances, Thomas finds Sally appealing enough at least to ask her on a second date.
- Shrinking Violet: Laura's cousin Thomas is nervous in social situations and barely says a word through dinner.
- Stealing the Credit: When Thomas comes over and says he's upset about last evening, Laura tells him it was her idea, and Rob tries to defend his wife by claiming that he just as responsible. Thomas reprimands both of them for trying to steal the credit from each other; he was upset that he hadn't thanked them.
- Worse with Context: While discussing how Sally spent the entire evening launching zingers at her prospective boyfriend, Rob tells Buddy that near the end of dinner, she told him he was witty and should do a lecture tour. Buddy can't see what the problem with that is, until Rob reveals that Thomas stayed quiet the whole evening.
