Siringo and Ed have called Bob to Ed's office. They both want to plead their case to Bob; Ed agrees to let Siringo go first. Siringo blurts, "Ed's trying to lose this case for you." Ed's head snaps as he barks, "He's lying!" Siringo tells Bob that Ed wants to keep losing this case all the way to the Supreme Court. Ed asks Bob how long they've known each other; Bob says since high school, but that they didn't keep in touch. Siringo says that he's been to the Supreme Court twice and does not want to go back anytime soon, but that Ed obviously does. Ed tells Bob that Jo Ann cannot possibly win this case; Siringo tells Bob that he needs to make a decision as to who will represent him. Bob thinks about it for a second and tells Ed that they should listen to Siringo because he's been on the TV. Siringo grins and tells Ed not to worry; Ed will get to the Supreme Court someday. Bob and Siringo leave the office. Phil looks at Ed and says, "I can tell that you're...upset," thereby offering his first correct body-language reading of the show. Ed feels small. In a small town. A guy in a small town. Just a small-town guy. Hence the title of this episode.

Late that night, Ed's bowling alone in the alley when Carol walks in. Carol says, "It's a little late to be bowling, Earl Anthony." Ed's impressed that Carol actually knows a pro bowler by name, and says he'll buy her dinner if she can name two more. She hesitates and says, "Dick Webber." He says, "One more," and she offers up Earl Anthony again. They chuckle, and she says she was just driving by and wanted to know how he was doing. Once again, Ed tells a friend that he's feeling small. Carol decides to use her amazing tools of deduction and guesses that it's Gary Siringo making him feel that way. Ed starts babbling like a little kid confessing in an outpouring of emotions that he stole cookies out of the cookie jar -- how Gary is losing on purpose and refuses to make the admission that Jo Ann humiliated Bob first, etc. He's upset that Bob likes Gary better because Gary's been on TV and wears fancy suits while Ed wears a bowling shirt. Carol says she thinks he looks good in his bowling shirt, and then squeals, "Verne Stanley!" Ed says he never heard of Verne Stanley. Carol picks up a ball and fixes on the lane before sighing a heavy sigh. "He was my second-grade violin teacher," she says, as Ed smacks her on the ass. I wanna move to Stuckeyville, so I can smack my female friends on the ass and they just laugh it off. Starting with Nancy.