Midge lands in hot water after a corporate gig goes south.
Tropes
- Actually Pretty Funny: Although annoyed about the boat party going ahead after he vetoed it, Gordon Ford finds the fact that it ended with Midge being arrested by the US Coast Guard for piracy hilarious. While instructing the NBC legal team to get the charges dropped as quickly as possible, he seems OK with any publicity that may ensue, probably due to the obvious notoriety value of having an actual pirate on his writing team.
- Added Alliterative Appeal: Diddy Doo Diaper Cream.
- Age-Gap Romance: Implied by Midge's jokes to the Diddy Doo corporate guys — especially the one about them having a vested interest in selling quality diaper cream because their future third wives are currently in diapers.
- Artistic Licence – Law: Quite how New York Harbor could be classified as international waters is anyone's guess.
- Closet Gay: David Weston, if his choice of bathhouse is anything to go by.
- Flash Forward: The episode begins in 1987 with Midge visiting Joel, who's in prison. It's not stated what he did, although the implication is that it had something to do with protecting her. By this point in their lives, they have a granddaughter called Rose (named after Midge's mother, who is stated to have died) although whether she is Esther's or Ethan's child is not stated note .
- Funny Background Event: When Midge and Joel talk after Zelda's wedding, the bride is shown to be instructing Rose and Abe on how to use a vacuum cleaner. While still in her wedding dress.
- Gossipy Hens: Gender-flipped; after Susie finally gets David Weston to call her, we see a number of men on the phone spreading increasingly absurd rumours about the lengths Susie went to to track the guy down and get him to agree to cast her client (James, the black comedian) in a war film.
- Nice to the Waiter: Midge learns the first name of one of the waitresses on the boat trip and is genuinely nice to her, partly to ensure that said waitress keeps bringing her drinks. Later, she acts to defend the waitress from the unwanted advances of one of the corporate guys, leading to a whole new level of trouble as she ends up being arrested for assault and (given that the boat was in international waters at the time) piracy.
- Nun Too Holy: A downplayed example; while visiting the convent school, Joel flirts with a young nun, who seems to reciprocate.Archie: [whispering] Are you flirting with a nun?Joel: [smiling widely and talking out the side of his mouth] She's flirting with me.Archie: [whispering] Nuns don't flirt.Sister Clementine: [flirtatiously] Do you like honey in your tea?Archie: [stunned] Holy shit, she is!
- Oh, Crap!: Rose and Abe have this when they realise that Zelda will no longer be working for them after her wedding (which is taking place when they realise this). Midge and Joel get this seconds later when they realise that this has implications for their childcare arrangements (which basically centre on Zelda).
- Pirate Girl: Yes, Midge gets arrested for piracy! It's actually a somewhat minor incident that gets ludicrously blown out of all proportion. Midge had stopped one of the executives from coming onto a waitress and accidentally threw his jacket overboard. He claimed it was assault, but the rub is that his wallet was in his jacket, meaning that Midge had effectively relieved him of his valuables. As this occurred while the boat was in international waters, that was technically an act of piracy.
- Playing Hard to Get: When David Weston finally calls Suzie, she has her secretary tell him she'll call back later.
- Poor Man's Porn: In the 1987 scene, Joel makes it obvious that he wants old photos of Midge to sell to his fellow-inmates for this purpose. Midge is happy to go along with it, her only query being why head-shots alone would not be sufficient.
- Raised Catholic: Archie still bears the emotional scars of having been educated at a convent school (the building of which is the potential new club site), to the point of visibly flinching when the Mother Superior interacts with him.
- Smash Cut: Midge accidentally throws one of the executives' jackets off the boat. Cut to her being taken away on a US Coast Guard vessel.
- Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: Downplayed, and Played for Laughs; Zelda's wedding does get interrupted, but that happens after this point, and the interruption is not an objection to the wedding but a request for clarification of a line in the self-written vows which implies that Zelda intends to stop working for Rose and Abe once she's married. Of particular concern is a cocktail party that Rose has planned for the following month.
- Wedding Episode: Downplayed; Zelda and Janusz get married, although it's not the main plot point of the episode.
