Mama's in a hurry to get to the mall for a sale and tries to hurry Fran along to finish eating. But before that can happen Fran's boss at the newspaper calls. Telling her she has to come in and re-edit her latest story. Mama is obviously upset because she can't drive and has no way to get to the sale. Meanwhile Vinton, Mama's only son, drops by the house and announces that he and the kids have been evicted from their house. Now he's hoping that he, his daughter Sonja, and his son Buzz, can stay with Mama until he gets back on his feet. Against Fran's wishes Mama agrees. Vint gets the basement, Buzz gets the attic, and Sonja gets Fran's writing studio because she refuses to sleep on the couch. Fran is outraged by this, and her and Mama have a huge argument about it. Fran's mood turns even more sour when she finds out Sonja stumbled up on the book that she'd been working on recently and reads it. Fran says it's an invasion of her privacy and finally makes the decision that she'll move out. Because she can't take the stress anymore. Of course Mama had no idea that Fran was actually writing in her studio. But later as things settle down a bit, her and Mama have a heart to heart and she changes her mind and decides to stay after all.

After many years of not seeing each other, since high school, Vinton and Mama's next door neighbor Naomi Oates are reunited. They become quite close and Vint tells her that he had a big crush on her in high school. After coming home from the Bigger Jigger at 2 in the morning, Naomi and Vint go down to the basement to look at Vint's collection of TV Guides (25 years worth). Naomi remarks on how cute Mr. Ed is because that was her favorite show.

They end up sleeping together and the next morning, while Mama and Fran are in the kitchen having breakfast, Naomi attempts to sneak out and is caught. Mama throws a fit and is outraged at Vint. Naomi, who had just sold her house, asks Vint to come with her to Arizona to run a trailer park because the job wants a husband and wife. Vint agrees and lets everyone know that he and Naomi plan on getting married and moving to Arizona. Mama is so shocked that she tells them that they can have the wedding at her house.

Vint and Buzz go to a bachelor party in celebration of Vint's impending marriage to Naomi. Meanwhile back at the house, Fran, Ellen, and Mama are decorating the living room when Naomi arrives with a bottle of wine (which Ellen claims is cheap). They get drunk and learn that Ellen thinks her husband, Bruce, is cheating on her with his secretary Peggy.

Everyone pretends to be shocked at the news, but had thought that all along and try to convince Ellen that she is wrong. She phones his office and is surprised that Bruce answers and says that Peggy is a saint for letting him keep her there that late and that Ellen didn't to wait up for him. Ellen remarks that the only thing that could ruin this day is if Eunice showed up. The ladies start taking about how Eunice wants to sing at the wedding and all agree it would be a total disaster.

Eunice arrives through the back door and over hears the conversation and obviously becomes upset. Coming into the living room she looses her cool. Blabbing t

The day of the wedding is at hand, and Vint and Naomi are ready to tie the knot. While Eunice still wants to sing her solo, she first asks Vint who says she'll have to talk to Naomi about it. Mama then gives Vint his daddy's ring as a wedding present, problem is Eunice thinks it's her ring, because Carl always wanted her to have it. While Naomi is getting ready she shows Eunice the ring, saying it's something blue and she prepares to wear it around her neck.

Vint and Naomi say their vows and Eunice, who is already upset at Mama for giving her ring away and has had a few to many beers, prepares to sing her solo in front of the whole crowd. She starts yelling at Mama half way thru about the ring and Mama yells back and it turns into a free-for-all, with Eunice insulting everyone and eventually Ed has to carry out.

Later,Mama and Fran sit on the couch, and enjoy the peace and quiet that they now have. Vint (who decided to take the kids afterall), Naomi, and the kids have left for Arizona.

Vinton gets an idea of taking the family (eveyone except Sonja) on to the game show Family Feud, so that they can have a chance at winning $10,000. He's even selected each person for his team for different reasons: Buzz (the teenage heartthrob), Naomi (the beauty), Mama (the sweet old lady), and Ellen and Vint as the brains of the family and could prolly win the money on their own. Ellen disagrees and says that she is the only one that is smart enough to win the money (meaning that Vint is dumb).

Everyone takes a while to convince Mama to go, but she finally gives in. The opposing family is the very snooty Van Courtland's, who win the first round. Vint ends up winning the second match-up and decides to play in order to take the lead. After a short break, the point values are doubled and the Van Courtland's win the face-off and almost win the game, but Mama gets one last chance to steal.

The survey question was ""What do you wind up?"" and the Harper's are telling Mama to answer with ""A m

Mama, Vint and Ed throw Eunice a suprise birthday party at the bigger jigger, problem is she's hoping for a trip to the Babalonian Roof Gardens. The birthday party soon turns ugly as Vint mentions Duke Reeves (he has a poster on the bar announcing his run for congress), who came to the house one day with flowers wanting to take Eunice out for a soda. But Mama turned him down and sent him away. Eunice starts making a huge scene about Duke being the only man she's ever loved.

Vint goes to pick up Naomi and Ed goes to read the bathroom walls, when the argument escalates into an all out fight, and Eunice ends up punching a cop out and Mama wacks one with her pocket book and Mama and Eunice end up in jail. Scarlet, a hooker, arrives soon after they do and their fighting soon gets on her nerves and she tries to mediate a truce.

She then tells them about her Mama and how she hated her every day, until she died and how she wished she was still living. Mama and Eunice make up just as Ed comes t

Mama is complaining about not having done nothing with her life, so Naomi suggests she get a job. So Mama heads down to the employment agency, and after freaking out taking the entry test, she has to go through an interview. The Clerk suggest she doesn't have much of a chance of getting a job, until she remembers Raytown Travel is looking for a new secretary. Mama takes the job and starts that Saturday.

Mr. Vogelman, Mama's new boss, gives her a quick tour of her duties and leaves as Mama sets up her desk for the day. First she has trouble with the phone, not being able to get anyone to answer when she picked up (she had to push the lighted button), once she got that down, a couple came in and wanted to book a trip to Tahiti. But then the family calls, having a crisis involving Buzz' missing shoes and Sonya locking herself in the bathroom, and soon enough Mama starts being rude to everyone, and Mr. Vogelman decides she's just not the right person for the job so he fire's her.

Buzz and Sonya are getting ready for the the high school's Homecoming dance, when Vint tells the kids they both have to be in by midnight. Both complain, but Sonya (who's older) doesn't understand why she has the same curfew as Buzz. Vint says it's because she's a girl. Later Vint tells Buzz to take an extra hour if he wants. Which really upsets Sonya when she finds out, she tells Vint that she might not be back on time and storms out with her date.

Vint, Mama and Fran are sitting up waiting to see if Sonya will be home on time. When Buzz comes home an hour before midnight, seems his date thought he was a jerk and dumped him for a football player. Just as Vint is getting worried, Sonya shows up still pissed and screams at Vint again. She storms off again into the kitchen and Mama follows where she finds out, Sonya had to come home, because her date had a curfew of midnight himself.

Mama is all dressed up as Fran gets back from the store and she wonders ""Who Died?"", Sonya soon asks the same question, before Mama reveals she has a date with an old beau she hasn't seen in some 40 years. Much to the family's objections Mama goes out with her old him.

After staying out most of the night on there first date and having such a great time, not to mention worrying poor old Fran half to death. Woody asked Thelma to go up to the lake with him like they did 40 years ago. She readily excepts to everyone's surprise. The family protests, most notably Vint, but Mama goes anyway.

When they reach the cabin Mama gets nervous and starts an argument much like she did 40 years ago. After discussing the situation over a beer they both decide they made the right decision so long ago and end up coming home earlier than either had planned.

Vint, who has a bowling tournament, wants Mama to wash and iron his shirt and have dinner ready early. Then Fran, who has an awards banquet that night, asks Mama to iron the dress she plans to wear. Ellen comes by to pick Mama up and has to remind her of the her appointment she has. So Mama's is in a rush to get to her hair appointment, and she burns a whole in Fran's dress.

Ellen and Mama then go to Neidermeyer's in hopes they can find the same dress. After finding it and having to pay $55 for it, Fran comes home early and try's it on. Vint then comes in and finds out Mama not only didn't fix dinner early, she didn't iron his lucky yellow shirt either.

As for Fran's dress, turns out it's the wrong dress and it looks almost nothing like the other one. Fran throws a fit and her and Mama have a huge fight. In the end Fran decides to wear another dress.

Claude, having come up with another hair brained scheme, tells Vint that he has a good deal, and Vint could make $1600 (and Claude will make $400 for a finders fee). The plan is for Vint to marry a girl from Portugal who needs her green card to stay in the country. The Family finds out accidently, when Mr. Costa and Zenada drop by for an unannounced visit. It seems Zenada will have to stay with the family for a few days to make it look like a real marriage. Which Mama is of course flat out refusing to let her do.

Mama is out bringing in the laundry, when Naomi comes over to complain about the sap falling on her car from Mama's tree. When Mama tells her about the marriage, and she tells Mama how illegal it is and how she saw it on 60 minutes. Seems Vint could get a felony for false marriage if he goes threw with it.

Claude and the bride to be stop by to drop off her roll-a-way bed and a few of her things. When Mama starts screaming and manages to explain a few things. Vint begins to rea

Eunice is telling Mama how bad her life sucks, while at the same moment making everyone else's life a living hell too. That's when Buzz comes in and tells Mama about how he just made the debate team after listening to a positive thinking tape. Eunice and Mama both shrug it off as nothing, that is until Eunice gets home and Ed wants his supper, and she starts listening to the tape while she starts dinner and it begins to work.

The next day Eunice shows up at Mama's house with presents and a new sunny out look. She gives Vint the old movie reels of their childhood and Naomi gets the ear rings she's been admiring. Eunice then announces she got a role in a play at the Pepper Pot Playhouse. Problem is, her rehearsal schedule conflicts with a sale that she was gonna take Mama too. So she invites Mama to go with her and go to the sale afterwards.

Eunice plays ""Sadie"", a small but important part, according to Eunice. With Mama sitting by they make a run through of Eunice's lines and then the d

Mama's going on about Vint's friend Claude being a bum and everything, when Ellen finally brings Mama's silver back. Mama wants Vint to put it up right then, so no one will steal it. But he first gets a call from Claude, who needs a favor. Seems Claude got in a bar fight and he's locked up in jail and needs $250 for his bail. Vint catches Ellen before she leaves and asks her, but she refuses. So he pawns Mama's silver to get the money.

The next morning Mama goes to put some stuff away in the closet and discovers it's gone. She wakes Vint up and he admits he took it and pawned it. Blowing her top Mama tells Vint to get her silver back and he then tells her why he needed the money. That only serves to get her madder.

In the midst of the screaming match, Vint decides to leave, and Sonya says she can stay with Nancy. So Vint goes to the basement to pack his stuff, but Mama can't stand to see him go and calls him back upstairs and in their own way they make peace, at least for a few moments

Buzz and Sonya are the organizers of a dance to raise funds to build a new gym at the high school. They get an idea after finding some of Mama's old stuff from the attic and hearing her stories about the Gym, and the way it was used as the Raytown U.S.O during the War. They wanna use Mama's stuff and have a 40's theme for the dance. But the other member's of the committee decide they would rather have a Punk Rock theme instead and hire a hot new band called Medication.

Mama's disappointed and let's them take her stuff to be sold at the junk sale. Only after later talking to Fran does she realize how much the stuff really means to her. So her and Fran hurry to the gym to try and save her stuff from being sold. Only to find out the band got arrested (again) and won't be able to play after all. They need to save the dance, so she plays some of her records and everyone has a surprisingly good time.

Naomi's 2nd ex- husband, Leonard Oates, returns to Raytown after 3 years a wealthy man. Seems he's now the worm king of Tallahassee, Florida. Thanks to his mail order worm business. He's returned with the intention of winning his ex back and taking Naomi back to Tallahasse with him.

As Naomi battles with the decision of what to do she gives Mama a permanent. But leaves the solution on to long and Mama's hair comes out looking like a ""Huge Q-tip"". So after Leonard tells Naomi he'll meet her at the Bigger Jigger at noon for her decision. She has a sit down with Fran who tells her ""she has to live with herself.""

Mama has to follow her to the jigger to get her to finish her hair and the whole family tags along. Later at the Bigger Jigger, Leonard makes Naomi choose and in the end Naomi chooses Vint and her new life over Leonard, because Vint, as she puts it, trusted her.

Ellen Shows up and announces she's been given the ""Woman of the Year"" award at the Raytown Country Club that night.But what she doesn't know is Mayor Tutwiller has invited Mama and the family along as a surprise for Ellen.

In a side plot Vint thinks Mama's lost his bowling ball after she says she put it in a ""Safe Place"".As expected the family arrives at the country club and Ellen is mortified.They ofcourse embarass her with the way they act.

Finally after dinner,which Mama complains wasn't done.Mayor Tutwiller starts the ceremony by letting Mama say a few words.It turns out to be more than few as she basically brings the house down with comments.

Naomi's ailing and all the signs point to her the Stork being on the way for her and Vint. A fact that Mama is the first to discover, after administering ""Aunt Ida's Tater Masher Test"". Naomi is hesitant to tell Vint, because he wanted to wait to start their family until they get their own place. Mama accidently spills the beans to Buzz and Sonya, who think it's great. But Fran is worried how they can manage having another person in the house.

Vint's surprisingly favorable reaction to the news, prompts a discussion as to were it will be sleeping. A screaming match results as no one wants to give up their room.

Naomi,wanting to make sure she is pregnant, makes an appointment.The doctor runs some tests and tells her to wait. One by one the family arrives at the doctor's office, First Mama and then Vint, followed Buzz and Sonya, lastly Fran. All have ideas on what they should do for the baby. Mama settle it by saying the babies bunking with her. Unfortunately come to find out, it was a

The story starts in the hosptal, and Vint comes into the scene with Naomi, Ellen, and Eunice standing the the middle of the lobby, looking worried. As he asks what happened, Naomi is the first one to tell him the story of what happened in the kitchen that day.

Mama and the girls were in the kitchen making gooseberry jam, and she was being the perfect daughter-in-law, Ellen was helping a little bit, and Eunice comes into the door late, claiming that her car broke down, and that she was almost run over out on route 5. Ellen said that she was out on route 5 getting the berries, and she didn't see her at all. However, Eunice thinks different.They pick a fight, and then the gooseberries start to stick to the pot. When Mama says: ""Sweetie, Get that pot for me"", they both run to the pot and start to argue for it. They tell Naomi to butt out, and then they fight for the pan. As they are swinging it around, they smack Mama in the afce with it. She is out cold.

The next one to tell the story is

Mama finds Naomi at work being overly nice,and she explains to Mama she's trying to win the Food Circus Friendly Employee of the Month.Which she ends up doing in the end,and gets her picture posted on a poster in the front of the store.

Naomi soon arrive's home to celebrate and recieves a very disturbing phone call.An obscene phone call.He calls back several times,even asking for Naomi by name when Vint answers the phone.Mama and Fran soon come to the conclusion that it's all Naomi's fault,for the way she dresses and walks.Not to mention her efforts at work to be voted Friendly Employee of the Month.

This all changes when Naomi leaves for work and the guy calls back.Not getting Naomi he talks the same way to Mama,then Fran and even Vint.They realize he'll talk to anyone that way and it's not Naomi's fault at all.So they all head down to Food Circus to apologize.

Mama won't let anyone leave because Ellen (who recently divorced her husband Bruce) is on the way over for another one of her european slide shows. This being the 4th time in two weeks that she's been over, everyone is bored out of their minds, including Mama. But when Ellen shows up, she can't stay, seems she has a meeting with a new club she's joined called ""Quiters and Losers"". Meanwhile, Vint is involved in a key selling contest at work, where the winner gets a dinner for 4 at a very expensive restaurant.

Turns out Ellen is actually seeing a new boyfriend, who is a much younger man and he's invited her to the ShayRay for dinner. Only problem is, Vint won that contest at work and the prize is a dinner for 4 at ShayRay's. That's where they run into Ellen and the family finally meets her new boyfriend, Glen. After hearing one to many of Mama's rude comments Glen gets up to leave and wants Ellen to go with him, but Mama makes her stay.

Later at home, Ellen angrily confronts Mama over h

Mama's cousin Gert (Imogene Coca) was once a sprited woman, but time in an old folks home has left her lifeless.

Mama, Fran and Naomi take Vint to the Bigger Jigger to try and cheer him up over not getting a promotion at Kwik Keys. Naomi then convinces Vint to do his Fred Astaire routine for the Jigger's talent show. She rushes home to get his costume and sheet music and arrives back to find him nervous and about to quit. But after some urging from Naomi he goes on and he's a smash hit and wins the contest, along with the $100 prize and is invited back for the Saturday night show

But Vint let's the little success go to his head. He first buys a new jump suit and changes his stage name to ""Vinnie Vegas"". Even going so far as to change his routine to something completely different. Mama and Fran (who he fired) refuse to go and after he tells Naomi to act like one of his groupies and not his wife, she stays home to. But Mama, Fran and Naomi soon realize how big a flop he's gonna be and they rush to the Bigger Jigger to stop him.

They arrive in time and Mama pulls him into the men's bathroom, which f

Mama and Fran are putting green stamps into her books,when Vint and Naomi come in from an evening with their friends.They're complaining about not being able to invite anyone over.So Fran mentions having a party for their friends at the house.Mama agrees to cook the dinner and take Buzz and Sonya,along with Fran to the movies for the night,to leave Vint and Naomi alone.

Fran and Mama battle over what movie to see,E.T. is Mama's choice and they get ready to leave,when Mama bends over and her back starts spasming.The family has to help her to the floor as she can't move now.She tells Fran and the kids to go on ahead and she'll meet them if her back gets better.Vint and Naomi's friends arrive a minute later and the party begins.

Mama is the center of attention as everyone first listens to her story during dinner (which are served on Naomi's new dinner trays,she got with the Green stamps of Mama's).Then they end up feeding her,and then Mama tells Mar'sue that Naomi said she was a snob and

Mama's wanting desperately to go to the mall and pick up this blue hat she wants. But no one will drive her, seems everyone has plans. Then Frannie suggests she learn how to drive and Mama refuses, saying she's to old to learn a new trick like that. After Mama leaves the family goes about planning who will teach her. It comes down to Vint, who decides to teach Mama about keys first since he's a lock smith. Next it's Buzz and Sonya's turn to help her learn the rules of the road. Which doesn't go any better than Vint's lesson.

Mama finally begs Fran into driving her to the mall, but Fran makes Mama drive instead, which again turns into a disaster as they get stuck in a traffic accident and Mama gets out and leaves. Ellen thinking she can teach her, takes Mama to the mall parking lot, (it's empty on sundays). But Mama ends up crashing Ellen's car into the planter in the center of the lot.

Thinking she'll never learn to drive Mama gives up, until she gets a call from the store about the Bl

Naomi gets home from her self defense class all fired up and Fran and Sonya decide to go next time.But Mama refuses saying it's a waste of time and there's no need for it.Although she's scared to go to her bingo games anymore.

So Naomi,Sonya and Fran head to there Karate class and Mama to her Bingo.But Mama never makes it to Bingo as she is mugged while waiting for the bus.She gets home still shaking and clutching her purse strap.And quickly decides she too will join the Karate class,where Naomi is the star pupil.And Sonya is falling in love with Chuck,the instructor.Mama finds it tough to fit in.

A while later Mama returns to the same bus stop where she meets an elderly lady and begins telling her about the classes and how she was mugged.When the same mugger attacks again,but he turns his back to take the other womens purse and Mama wacks him in the head with her purse which is loaded with a light weight Iron.

Mama finally decides to buy herself a car after her meals on wheels job falls through because she can't find a ride.So she takes the thousand dollars she has saved and goes shopping for a car. She sees an ad in the newpaper for ""Willie Potts Used Cars"", Vint says he knows him, because he used to live just around the block. Mama remembers that Willie used to love her Oatmeal cookies, so in hopes of getting a deal, she bakes him a bag full.

Arriving at the lot, Willie acts as though he doesn't remember them at all, but offers to paint any car on the lot blue for Mama, when she says she wants a blue car, but she refuses saying it had to be born blue. She finally finds one to her liking, talks Willie down from the initial price of $1500 dollars to her maximum price of $1000. Unfortuantely the car turns out to be a real ""Lemon"" and Willie refuses to give her money back.

So Mama walks in on an important meeting with Willie and the head of Ray Corp, Oscar Babcock, whose planning to buy a whol

After shopping at Food Circus for over 40 years, Thelma knows more about the store than it's manager. After hearing some of her ""Old Fashion horse sense,"" Mr. Palmer (the Manager) hires her for the store, as a customer consultant. Being her job to give people advice on what to buy. Her new post in the store is right next to the express lane, Naomi's counter.

It doesn't take long before Naomi starts to complain about having her 'mother-in-law' so close, saying it's distracting her from her work. So, Mr. Palmer comes upon the idea that Mama should know everything about the running of the store, starting with Naomi teaching her how to be a checker.

Mama's first test turns into a fiasco, when she can't get the hang of ringing things up. After that, she gets her first customers (with Naomi as her bagger). It goes smoothly ar first, but things soon turn sour when Mama has to look up the price for a special and it takes her forever. After a continuing stream of more problems and the register

It's Vint and Naomi's first wedding anniversary and Vint prepares by reserving two days and one night at a kinky hotel out of town. Meanwhile, Buzz and Sonya want to have a slumber party for girls and boys, but Mama refuses saying it'll be girls only. Shortly before Vint and Naomi leave for their honeymoon, Aunt Effie calls to say she's fallen and can't get up, and asks Thelma to come out and help. Mama hitches a ride with the honeymooner's and puts Fran in charge of the slumber party.

Later as they are finally alone at the motel, Naomi is dressed as a Matadorette and Vint is dressed as a bull. Suddenly there's a knock at the door and it's Mama saying Effie wasn't hurt and all she wanted was someone to do her bidding, so she left and hitched a ride with a trucker to the hotel. Since she has no way home and there's no available rooms at the motel she has to stay with them.

Not being able to sleep Mama on either the role away bed or the water bed. Mama decides to watch TV for a while, sh

Ellen talks Mama into having Mayor Tutwiller's Re-Election press conference at the house.As the Mayor starts his speech starts going on about how the senior citizens are being treated in Raytown.The Mayor hears enough and he gets into a shouting match with Mama,and then challenges her to run herself.

Mama's story makes the local tv news,as they appear the next morning outside her house.She has a few unkind things to say about the mayor,before Ellen arrives and says she's not running. But eventually Mama decides to run against Mayor Tutwiller.

Mayor challenges Mama to a face-to-face debate on KRAY TV.Hoping to squash her chances of winning,by making her look unprepared.But she shows the Mama up forcing him to use fake an important phone call and leave suddenly.

On Election night,Mama and the whole family gather round the tv,to see the results.She trails early on, as the night wears and on one by one they all fall asleep.In the end Mama ends up falling alseep as they announce she won.

Mama and the whole family attend the Inauguration ceremony as the Mayor prepares to swear Mama in as the New Mayor of Raytown.Vint interupts things by trying in vain to take a picture several times.Thus upsetting the Mayor and he leaves.

Mama takes over as Mayor and it soon becomes clear she is unprepared for the job.Her first council meeting turns into a free for all,with Mama unable to make a decision or knowing exactly what's she supposed to do.

Soon enough the whole town is in an uproar.There's a garbage strike and a transit walkout after Thelma suggest they drop all senior citizens off at there doors.Plus the boyscouts are mad at her too and others are calling for her resignation.

Ellen hears about the mess on the radio and her and Mayor Tutwiller come to the rescue.He sends a pound of chocalate to the Boy Scouts and settles the garbage and Transit strikes.Mama realizes she doesn't have what it takes to be Mayor so she soon resigns her post.Telling the council she pressing family

Naomi trys to fix breakfast for her family but Mama dumps it out, with Naomi complaining about never being able to do anything for her husband and step-kids, saying Mama is always cleaning and cooking and won't let her do anything.

Mama's vacuum cleaner then breaks and Vint says she can borrow Naomi's brand new one. The one Vint bought her for a wedding present. Naomi comes in while Mama's using it. She starts complaining about nothing being hers. Just then the vacuum starts smoking and burns a whole in the carpet. As it turns out Mama ran over one of Naomi's key chains. They start fighting and agree to go to court over it.

Small claims court Judge W.E. Packard oversees the case. Which ends up in a free-for-all as Mama and Naomi both call witnesses including Vint being called twice (once by each). In the end, the Judge finds Mama and Naomi in contempt of court and fine's them $100 each and also orders them to pay their own damages.

It's Mama's birthday and she doesn't want no fuss. No cake, no party, and no presents. She only wants one thing, everyone to help clean out the attic. She thinks they could get it done in a couple of hours if everyone pitched in. But Vint, Sonya, Ellen, and Naomi all come up with some silly excuses to get out of it. Buzz is the only one who can't think of one so he agrees.

While there cleaning Buzz asks Mama to tell him about her 30th birthday party. In a flashback, we see Mama and the kids as she's getting ready for her party and thinking Carl is going to get a big promotion at work she orders a 19 cubic foot deep freeze. Then Grandma Crowley calls to say she can't make Thelma's Birthday cake.

Carl comes in and announces he didn't get the promotion, right as they deliver the deep freeze. Thelma has to use a fruitcake as her cake,topped by Vint's present of a paper heart.

Thelma soon finds out that Carl didn't the promotion as Burt Wembley Stops by to thank Carl for turning it down. He

Carl's long lost brother, Roy Harper, shows up out of nowhere on Carl's birthday. Not knowing that his brother has been dead for 11 long years. Vint, against Mama's wishes, asks Uncle Roy to stay with them for a while.

Meanwhile Sonya has entered a beauty pageant and Noami, Ellen and Mama help her get ready. That's where Uncle Roy tells her the story of when he saw Princess Grace at the White house and how beautiful she was and how she has the same smile. He also encourages Vint to chase his dream of being a firemen, even going so far as to get him an application for the Ray Town Fire Department.

Lastly, Roy is telling Thelma how her elbows remind him of Dorothy Lamure's and that that's what first attracted Carl to him and how he wishes he had seen her first. They hug but he leaves before anything really happens. Leaving his cooler, which means he'll be back, Thelma hopes.

Fran gets a fill-in job as a an advice columnist, when she asks Mama for an answer to a question and Mama does what she does best, tells people what to do and Fran uses it. Soon Fran's editor takes notice of her popularity and Buzz advice's Mama that she should be getting some of the money Fran is now earning. But Fran refuses saying she plans to slowly stop using Mama's ""Home-Spun"" advice as she adds some pyschological insights in her latest article.

Fran's got a date that night with her editor, Dwight Nettles, who loves the advice Fran's been giving but can't understand why Fran included all the psychological babble (which he edited out)in her latest article. He also has a problem he needs some advice on and that's why he wanted to see her tonight. Seems ""his friend"" has just hired a new woman at work and has the hots for her, even though he's married, he wants to know what to do.

Fran sneaks away from the table and calls Mama from the pay phone to beg her advice. Mama recognizes ri

Mama can't get anyone to go with her to Carl's grave, so she goes by herself. After arriving and having a long talk with Carl, Mama notices that the grave next to Carl's, that was supposed to be reserved for her, has another women's name on it instead. She panics and rushes home.

Ellen arrives an hour late (as usual) to take Mama to the cemetary, just as Mama comes in and tells everyone what she's just discovered. Fran and Mama soon head back to the cemetary to get the problem cleared up. It turns out Carl's head stone was accidently placed two plots down. So Mama feels like she's been cheating on Carl and says Carl has to send her a gift to let her know, it's ok.

Meanwhile, Sonya goes out with a loser named Michael and he ends up flirting with a sophomore cheerleader who likes him and Sonya dumps him. He then shows up with flowers and after Sonya refuses to talk to him, he gives the flowers to Mama. Who takes it as Carl's sign that everything's ok.