Carol is concerned that Liz and Ed still have feelings for each other when Liz returns to town with yet another business proposition for Ed; Mike's eager anticipation of the arrival of Gunter, the foreign exchange student that the Burtons have agreed to sponsor, turns to disappointment when Gunter seems more interested in hanging out with Nancy than playing sports with him; Eli's concern about the closing of the community center prompts him to challenge a radio talk show host, and he does so well that the radio station offers him a tryout when the host gets the flu; Molly urges Carol to talk to Liz after Liz gives Ed an inappropriately expensive watch; Eli continues to use his stint on the radio to advocate for the community center and enlists Ed's help in convincing the City Manager to keep it open; Mike discovers that he couldn't be more wrong about Gunter's interest in women after Gunter tries to kiss Nancy; Liz gives Ed the inside information he needs to help Eli expose the corrupt

As Carol and Ed are finally seeing Liz off, they get mugged, leading Ed to question whether he could have prevented it; Russ pays Mike and Nancy a visit after his wife kicks him out for cheating; Phil sets up a ridiculous and elaborate security system in the aftermath of the robbery; Kate offers Eli another gig at the radio station, but Jennifer isn't happy about Eli's spending time away from her; Liz's continued presence in Stuckeyville as a result of the mugging begins to wear mightily on Carol, so Ed asks Liz to leave; after Kate is fired for backing up his decision not to grant a listener's request, Eli devises a scheme to get her rehired, which dovetails nicely with Russ's plan to win back his wife's affections.