A Plot: Erica graduates from college, but both Geoff and Beverly care more about her ongoing pregnancy than her accomplishment.
B Plot: Adam's fired from his job when the movie's production moves back to Los Angeles. Barry decides to step up as "Man of the House" now that Murray's passed away and offers to help.
- Beat Them at Their Own Game: Adam's plan for getting Barry to stop being "Man of the House" and provide Unwanted Assistance is by proving himself to be more reliable and deserving of the title than Barry is, which unfortunately ends with Barry feeling useless.
- Brick Joke: Linda Schwartz admitting to Erica that she's a councilwoman comes back in The Tag when Linda's on television officiating a new speedbump, flabbergasting Lou Schwartz, who thought she was still at home.
- Chekhov's Gun: Right after being fired from the set, Adam helps a distracted David Hasselhoff avoid the traffic cone and sidewalk hole he was hired to guard, prompting Hasselhoff to reply "I owe you one". Adam takes that literally and convinces Hasselhoff to pay him back by giving Barry a pep talk about how nobody can replace Murray or Barry himself, as well as giving Erica a commencement speech at a graduation ceremony Geoff and Beverly set up as an apology.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Due to Erica having made a stink about it earlier in the year, "Dean Dean" is actually "Probst Dean". When Erica asks what a Probst is, Dean says it's basically the same as a Dean.
- Hidden Depths: When Erica goes to Linda Schwartz for advice about her accomplishments being ignored now that she's a mother, Linda reveals it's her birthday in addition to being a Jenkintown councilwoman.
- Hint Dropping: With Linda Schwartz's advice, Erica tries to do this more often, saying things like she's "graduated" to a new stage of her life. Both Beverly and Geoff miss the hints completely.
- Innocently Insensitive: The line that's crossed for Erica to go from just Hint Dropping her family into recognizing that she's earned her college diploma into outright insulting them for forgetting is when Beverly and Geoff drag her to a class for baby care and Geoff states she was so disinterested that she doesn't deserve the diploma she received from it.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: When Barry first starts acting like the "Man of the House", Adam goes to Mr. Glascott to complain, with Mr. Glascott saying that perhaps the buffoonish Barry trying to be more responsible is something they should actually encourage. Cue Barry arriving to give Adam a book on puberty while telling him to clean his bedroom and be back home before the streetlights come on.
- Mythology Gag: Erica's college diploma has a typo that states her name as "Eric", referencing the fact that her real-life counterpart was a man.
- Repetitive Name: The Probst/Dean of Erica's college is named Dean, making him "Dean Dean".
- Unwanted Assistance: Barry becoming "Man of the House" has him act like a parent to Adam, including giving him a book about puberty, with Adam hating the resulting embarrassment more than Barry's former bullying.
