Laura, concerned about Richie coming home covered in bruises, learns the truth from him: he's getting beat-up by Priscilla, a girl in his class.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- Actor Allusion: When Rob asks Buddy and Sally how he can tell an Englishman that the man's daughter is beating up his son, Buddy responds with a British accent similar to Dick Van Dyke's infamous Cockney one from Mary Poppins.
- Cute Bruiser: Priscila Darwell, a little girl Richie's age who's been leaving the poor kid all bruised.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Played with. Richie is being beat up by a girl, and it causes laughs from the audience, as well as the fact that the girl's mother has a similar attitude towards her husband, but the Double Standard is a source of dilemma in-universe for his parents on how to help their son.
- Henpecked Husband: Priscilla's father, whose wife verbally abuses and even smacks him around when she doesn't get things her way.
- Late to the Punchline: Ogden Darwell doesn't get Rob's night school/knight school pun at first, but laughs about it a few minutes later.
- Loving Bully: Priscilla keeps beating up Richie because she has a crush on him and he refuses to kiss her. However, once he complies the kiss to get her to leave him alone, she doesn't like it much and just gives up on him.
- Newhart Phonecall: Rob's first attempt at calling the Darwells has him talking to a little boy who relays all of Rob's questions to his mother in the bathtub. All this is only told through what Rob is saying.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Priscilla can beat Richie up because he won't fight back. Rob and Laura give him permission to hit her back, which he at first seems a little too happy about, but ultimately he can't.
