Amy’s parents ask Ray to give their son, Peter, some tips on dating. Later, Debra throws a cocktail party and invites some single women to meet Peter, but Ray isn’t thrilled with the guest list.

Ray becomes jealous when Marie starts treating Robert better than him. Ray finds out that Marie gave Robert a “”gift basket”” full of lotions, massage oil, candles, etc. Ray deduces Marie is just manipulating Robert by giving him all this, so it will put him and Amy ‘into the mood’. She does this with the intention of eventually having new grandchildren. Robert sees this as wrong, and actually puts him out of the mood with Amy, not able to get Marie out of his head.

Debra invites her divorced parents, Warren and Lois, to the family Thanksgiving. When Ray walks in on the two making love, he and Debra assume that they are getting back together. Later on, Warren and Lois inform Debra otherwise and an unprecedented turn of events shocks everyone.

The women pressure Ray and Frank to accompany Robert to one of his therapy sessions. Instead, they go out to the track, and then put on an act in front of the wives. However, even though they skip the therapy sessions, the three unwittingly get closer.

After Ally comes home with an “”F”” on her report card, Debra feels she is not paying enough attention. Ray, however, feels it might be the teacher. After a small meeting, Ray goes on how Debra didn’t do anything to stick up for Ally and how you should always stick up for your kids. Frank and Marie could relate to Ray’s disobediance when he was in high school. But Debra finds out that Ally has a crush on Tommy Sanders, a boy in her class. When Debra confronts the teacher with this, it turns out that the teacher is a mean old bat that doesn’t understand the trials kids go through.

Ray is elected to tell Debra that members of the P.T.A. have problems with the way she dresses.

When Debra and Marie have a big fight, Ray is struck with worry when he thinks Debra’s anger will cause her to forget about their sex that night. But, it is the opposite when that anger causes a more intense night with sex. Ray really begins to enjoy it and realizes that the angrier Debra gets at Marie, the better sex they have. When Marie comes over to apologize, Ray makes up a chain of lies to both Marie and Debra so it doesn’t ruin his plans.

When Ray and Debra visit Fank and Marie’s condo, they learn that the owners are going to kick them out. Marie and Frank move out. Robert and Amy are upset, but they let Frank and Marie live with them.

Frank and Marie return from a trip down to a retirement home in New Jersey when they tell the family that they plan on moving there. Everyone, besides Frank and Marie, is overjoyed fro hearing the news. Marie and Frank sell their own house to Robert and Amy for $26,000. On they day of their moving, however, Debra reveals some mixed feelings about their moving and doesn’t feel right about it.

Robert and Ray end up with the mother of all guilt trips when they decide not to help Marie with a home project so they can land a prime spot on the golf course. Their overnight wait in the car for a tee time becomes a brawl over their respective roles in their parents’ future.

A young man, Sam Gilula, arrives at Frank and Marie’s and everyone is surprised when he and Frank fondly embrace. Sam explains Frank had been quite an inspiration to him as a lad, a mentor in fact, much to Ray and Robert’s disbelief. Later, Ray and Robert make fun of Frank, wondering how he could have inspired anyone.

After the agent tells Robert he has a unique look, he convinces him to pose for head shots with their “”in-house”” photographer. But when Robert and Ray return for the pictures, they are surprised to find the modeling agency has mysteriously disappeared.

When Robert informs Ray that Amy filled him in on some juicy gossip about him, Ray decides to get even with Debra by sharing some nasty secrets of his own.

When the MacDougals are invited to spend Easter with the Barones, the families attempt to bond over a 500-piece puzzle. While members of the Barone and MacDougal families get frustrated with the complicated puzzle, Ray and Pat continue working on it until the wee hours of the night while sharing private stories about themselves and their families. But when Debra, Marie, Robert and Peter find out about Ray and Pat’s newfound friendship, jealousy ensues.

Amy’s parents put Robert on the defensive when they point out his strange habit of touching food to his chin before he eats it. When Amy confides in Debra, who tells her that Robert’s strange behavior could be psychological, she devises a plan to break him of his chin habit for good.

Debra is hurt when Ray receives an honorary doctorate and thanks everyone except her in his acceptance speech. He claims it was accidental, but Debra is quick to remind him of past snubs that were all too deliberate.

After Robert takes a second job selling home security systems, he reveals he’s been asked to join the security firm full-time and is mulling over retiring from the police force early. While Marie is overjoyed, Amy questions if this is really what Robert wants or if he’s only retiring early to make his mother happy. The disagreement about his future leads to a tense birthday party for Robert.

Ray and Debra disagree over whether they should purchase an expensive dress for Ally to wear to a friend’s formal 13th birthday party. Debra thinks they should, but Ray can’t see spending $250 for a dress that will be worn only once. The price tag has Ray seething, especially since the mom he loves to hate, Peggy, is hosting the soiree. Naturally, Marie takes her son’s side.

Fed up with his wife’s constant lateness, Ray leaves Debra at home rather than take her to the ESPY Awards. While Debra seethes over Ray’s actions, Marie and Amy get into a heated debate with Frank and Robert when they air their own grievances about their wives’ blatant disregard for the time.

After realizing that Debra places bets with the kids on his questionable behavior traits, Ray is disgusted that his own children now think he’s a “”doof.”” When reflecting upon his own childhood, Ray remembers that Marie used to complain about Frank in front of him all the time – making him think his dad was a loser. Concerned that his own kids will think of him the same way as Frank, Ray contemplates how to get the kids back on his side.

After inadvertently leaving the twins home alone, Ray and Debra are impressed with Ally when she steps up and takes care of the twins until they return. Ally asks if she can baby-sit more often, and, in yet another attempt to rid her house of Marie, Debra consents. However, Marie believes Debra is turning her daughter into a slave when she gives Ally additional responsibilities, including cooking and laundry chores.

When Debra accepts a position at Frank’s lodge to help plan a member recruitment party, Ray begins to resent how much time she is spending away from home.

When the kids ruin Ray’s dictionary, Frank shares how Ray ruined his prized jazz collection. After trying to make amends for his childhood mistake, Ray discovers that he may not have been the culprit.

Robert and Amy convince their families to spend Thanksgiving together. When the Barones arrive at the Pennsylvania home of Amy’s parents, they find that their differing family traditions encourage lots of lively conversation. If only the MacDougals owned a television set! Things start to come together when the families separate into Pilgrims and Indians for the annual MacDougal Thanksgiving Family Pageant. All is well until a bird flies into the house and Pat McDougal decides to “”put it out of it’s misery.””

After Debra’s mother suggests throwing Debra an “”old-fashioned English Tea Party,”” Ray reluctantly agrees after she promises to do all the work. When Debra realizes Ray is planning something for her birthday, she suggests he change the theme to a Chinese banquet. Unfortunately, Lois has already started planning the tea party and now Ray must find a way to convince her to change her plans.

Ray and Debra get caught up in telling lies in order to cover up previous falsehoods after Ray fibs to Marie about why he missed a scheduled time with her. When the lies snowball into an out of control degree, Marie picks up the scent and traces everything back to the initial fib. Marie seems to have won – until Frank reveals a damaging lie of her own.

After Amy invites her brother Peter to stay for dinner, he makes himself at home on the couch and never leaves. Meanwhile, Robert overhears a conversation that hits close to home when the Barones and Amy talk about the difficulties of having a 40-year-old man living under the same roof with his mother and father.

Debra persuades Ray to hire Gianni to do some remodeling in their kitchen, but they both soon regret it due to their friend’s laziness. His hiring also upsets Frank, who believes he should be allowed to do any handiwork needed around Ray’s house.

Debra and Ray are annoyed at the over-the-top affection Robert and Amy are expressing towards each other. In fact, Robert feels compelled to give Ray marriage advice (as does Amy to Debra at the newlywed couple’s three-month anniversary dinner… a book called, “”Marriage is an Amusement Park””), much to his annoyance.

When Michael stays home from school for two days in a row, Ray suspects he simply has homework he hasn’t finished. While everyone in the family has an explanation for Michael’s sudden aversion to school, Ray decides the tough love approach is the way to go – making Michael spend the day without television, games or comics. When Michael is forced to watch Ray work in his downstairs office, the sheer boredom leads him to finally confide why he doesn’t want to return to class.

Marie instantly tries to get the upper hand in her relationship with her new daughter-in-law when Amy and Robert return from their honeymoon, but Debra steps in, determined to stop Marie’s meddling once and for all, which horrifies the guys.

Debra convinces Ray to let her join him on the golf course after she (once again) realizes that they don’t have fun together anymore. Let’s just say, it wasn’t all fun.

Robert and Amy exchange vows in a classic Barone family wedding ceremony.

Ray hosts a lame bachelor party for Robert and is shamed by Debra, Marie and Amy into throwing him another one at the lodge, which is attended by Amy’s father and brother.

Ray and Debra wind up in a two-week standoff over a suitcase. When Robert asks Ray if he can borrow a suitcase sitting on the stairway landing for his honeymoon, Ray explains he and Debra have been locked in an “”unspoken”” battle of wills since a weekend trip over who is responsible for putting the suitcase away. Although Robert thinks Ray and Debra are insane, Frank and Marie can easily relate and offer their own words of wisdom – with Frank counseling Ray and Marie advising Debra on how to resolve their marital differences.

Debra gives a bridal shower for Amy, but her good intentions get sidetracked by Marie’s overzealous participation. When Marie attempts to “”take over”” Amy’s wedding shower, Debra gets upset and yells at her, prompting Marie to leave in a huff. Returning to the party festivities, Debra starts drinking a little too much champagne and winds up being too tipsy to drive. When she can’t reach Ray on the phone, Debra decides to take a nap in her car with the keys in the ignition and is awakened by a police officer, who arrests her for drunk driving. When her license is suspended, Debra finds herself in a precarious situation when she’s forced to rely on Marie for help.

Debra and Ray pick out replacement spouses for each other and jealousy starts. Marie announces that Rose, the elderly lady next door, has passed away. Marie is upset because Rose is the woman she’d chosen for Frank if she hadn’t died. Debra thinks it would be fun to fantasize about who should take her place and tells Ray she’s selected her friend Linda. But then Ray picks Linda’s husband Bernie for Debra.

Ray takes Ally over to her friend’s house for a sleepover and is mortified when the girl’s mother pats his behind after he helps set up a tent for her. Ray finds out that the mother is the same one Ray had a nasty run-in with over some Frontier Girl cookies a year before.

Yet another bump appears on the rocky road to Robert and Amy’s wedding, which was nearly blocked by her disapproving parents. When the bride-to-be (Monica Horan) puts her betrothed (Brad Garrett) in charge of writing the wedding invitation, he seeks input from Ray and Frank. While they can’t believe Robert let himself get roped into such a chore, they nevertheless come up with a plan: If Robert makes a mess of the job, it will convince Amy that she should take care of all the wedding plans herself. So the groom drafts an appalling mock invite—complete with the wrong date and names—and waits for Amy’s reply…which is worse than he ever expected.

Amy’s mom and dad finally meet the Barone Family. Amy’s folks show up unexpectedly at their daughter’s house on a Sunday morning. They want to talk Amy out of marrying Robert and take her home to Pennsylvania with them. First, they are stunned to see Robert there. Then Frank and Marie arrive. It doesn’t take long for the two sets of parents to disliking each other.