Fran takes Maggie to a hair salon, the Chatterbox, whose employees and their quirks are covered in suspiciously thorough detail.
- Afraid of Blood: Mary Ruth faints while trying to clean up a cut on Mimo's head.
- All the Good Men Are Gay:Mary Ruth: Well, you know what they say: All the good ones are either married or seeing someone or...
[Claude looks pointedly at her]
Mary Ruth: I think it's just those two things they say. - As Long as It Sounds Foreign: Kim is apparently Chinese, like actress Lauren Tom in Real Life, despite "Kim" being a Korean name. Of course, it's a Korean surname, so maybe it's just a nickname for Kimberly in this case.
- Camp Gay: Can't have a hair salon without out, right? Here, it's Claude.
- Expy: From the looks of it, The Chatterbox would have pretty much been The Nanny IN A HAIR SALON! with Mary Ruth as Fran, Mr. Anthony as Maxwell, Mimo as the Sheffield children, Claude as Niles, and Kim as a combination of C.C. and Val.
- Imagine the Audience Naked:Mary Ruth: My acting teacher always says when you get really nervous, just imagine all the people you're auditioning for naked.
Fran: Well, picture her [C.C.] because I've seen him [Maxwell] and trust me, that's not gonna calm you down.- Later:
Fran: When I introduce you to Mr. Anthony, picture him naked.
Mary Ruth: But I'm not nervous.
Fran: So what? - Missing Mom: Like the Sheffield children, Mimo has one.
- Mr. Fanservice: Mr. Anthony
- The Pollyanna: Mary Ruth's defining trait.Mary Ruth: So now I have no place to live, no job, nowhere to go, and no means of support. But I can't complain.
Fran: You're not Jewish, are you? - Poorly Disguised Pilot: Obviously, this was a failed backdoor pilot for a series about the Chatterbox. The regular Nanny characters actually disappear entirely for much of the episode, for more than five straight minutes at the longest stretch. This is out of a twenty-three minute show.
- Waiting for a Break: After failing to get a part in Maxwell's latest play, Mary Ruth takes a job at the Chatterbox for the time being.Mary Ruth: Before we start, I think it's only fair to warn you that I am, first and foremost, an actress. And at any moment, I may get a lead on Broadway, or Merv Griffin could call and want a game show hostess, and it could all happen so quickly. In show business, they needed you yesterday!
Mr. Anthony: Do you sweep?
Mary Ruth: Yes.
Mr. Anthony: You're hired.
Mary Ruth: Bless you, Mr. Anthony! - Welcome Episode: Had the Spin-Off happened, this episode would be one with Mary Ruth as the newcomer.
- You No Take Candle: Kim talks this way
