Terry tries hard to make sure that there won't be any physical or emotional relationship between her old friend Debbie and her brother Danny.

The girls conceive of and promote a special broadcast of the MTV show ""Loveline"" to be broadcast from the bar.

Gwen and Terry are trying to get insured, but the agent tells them they are not qualified. When he mentions that same-sex domestic partners are eligible for his company's insurance, Gwen says that's exactly what she and Terry are, and surprises Terry with a demonstation of her affection. The agent is not entirely convinced about this, so he plans to make a visit to them at home to check out their living arrangement, leaving the two women to try and set up a convincing domestic household in time. Also, Guy is challenged for the title of ""Mr. New York,"" the businessman who best knows where to go and how to get things done in the city.

Gwen's intimidating, emotionally distant mother Rita comes to the door, and she finds herself in a situation similar to Gwen's. The most recent of her old, rich husbands has died and left her practically nothing. Now she is more ill-prepared to face the world without money than Gwen was. Despite Terry's disdain for her mother, Gwen tries to show her what she's learned in the past several months about living practically, including an attempt to cook a chicken. But it looks like Rita may have found another suitably rich suitor. Also, Guy is feeling pressure from other area bars and he turns his place into a Western-themed saloon to try and compete, much to Danny's chagrin.

Gwen and Terry are hoping to land a big account, Roberta York Cosmetics. But when they meets with Roberta, there's a problem. It seems that at her previous job, Gwen blamed Terry for her being late for a meeting with Roberta. Gwen doesn't remember what she said, but whatever it was makes Roberta very reluctant to work with Terry in the present. Later at the loft, a perturbed Terry jogs Gwen's memory: she told Roberta that she had to bail her assistant out of jail after a smash-and-grab jewelry store robbery!

Terry and Gwen tell Roberta the truth about what happened. Roberta is willing to forgive a troubled youth's past action, but she won't forgive Gwen's lying about it. So the women reverse their stoiries once again. But Gwen also forgot that she also told Roberta that Terry was mentally ill and needed medication. Terry's actions now convince Roberta that she's off that medication. Fnally Gwen talks Roberta into letting them work for her by pointing out the whole cosmetics industry is

Gone from the unemployment bureau, Mrs. Francis hopes to make a deal with Guy to make appetizers for his bar. The food is wonderful, but a sticking point arises when she insists her eggrolls be billed only as ""Mrs. Francis' eggrolls."" Also, Danny learns some tough lessons about artistic compromise when his grim, hard-hitting play about drug addiction will only be considered for production by a children's theatre.

Gwen wants to give down-and-out Steve a break and let him have a job with their small business. Terry agrees because it will give her an opportunity to show Gwen what a good boss should be like. But Steve would try the patience of Job as he mangles up the most simple tasks assigned him and is costing them a lot of money. Meanwhile Danny is trying to write a profile of Guy, but he can't penetrate the wall of secrecy surrounding Guy's past, and the clues he does come up with suggest all sorts of exotic and unbelievable things.

In a cough-medicine-induced stupor, an ill Terry mistakenly sends off the rent check written on the business account. Gwen is terrified that Mr. Lux will terminate their lease for running a business out of the loft. That night, Terry dreams of a scheme straight out of ""Mission: Impossible"" to try and get the rent check back.

It loooks like Gwen's sacred ""no sex before the fifth date"" rule may cause some real trouble, because the spontaneous route may be the only way Mickey will be able to participate--before or after date no. 5. Guy decides to hold a literary competion to help nuture a Bohemian atmosphere at the bar, but the main result is a pair of competing, revealing memoirs written by Terry and Danny.