Bob's divorced neighbor, Howard Borden, is convinced that his son, Howie, doesn't really like him. Later, Howard's ex-wife convinces him that Howie thinks he is the greatest guy in the world.

Bob and Emily travel to a ski lodge that's nearly deserted except for the annoying couple with whom they share a bathroom. After sitting through a disastrous dinner, the Hartleys decide to leave only to find themselves caught in the spotlight of the abominable floor show they're trying to escape.

A trip to Peoria turns into one long embarrassment for Bob when Jerry introduces him to a pretty girl named Janine. Janine doesn't seem to care that Bob is a married man.

Bob decides to meet the rising cost of living by raising his rates. But the members of his therapy group revolt when he picks the most inappropriate moment to tell them.

Christmas Eve is almost spoiled when Bob is trapped in the office because of a power failure.

Depressed after losing his job with the airline, Howard accepts Bob's offer to join his ""out of workshop,"" a special therapy group for the unemployed. (Bob extends the invitation at Emily's insistence when Howard's attempts to help her around the apartment begin driving her up the wall.)

At Jerry's urging, Bob hires a business manager to handle his money. He ends up living on a meager allowance that affords him only such luxuries as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch.

While filling in for a fellow psychologist, Bob is surprised to find that his first patient is Jerry Robinson, who is reluctant to reveal his problem. A little prodding produces the startling admission that Jerry is in love with Emily.

Bob takes two of his therapy groups to a rustic retreat for a marathon session that never progresses further than everyone's complaints about the primitive conditions of their accommodations.

For the sake of their marriage—as well as Emily's Master's Degree and Bob's heavy work schedule—the Hartleys decide that it would be best if they took up separate residences.

Bob's office routine becomes a wreck when Jerry hires a temporary receptionist. She's a very nice but very vague woman who can't even get Bob's name straight.

Facing the depressing prospect of returning home to Iowa to spend the holidays with her domineering parents, Carol brings her troubles to Bob's apartment. There she spends Christmas Eve pouring out the disasters of her childhood.

Bob becomes the ""oldest permanent psychologist in Chicago"" when the ceiling in his office collapses and he has to set up shop wherever he can find the space.

Bob's old school friend Murdock is in town for a day to sell a complex giveaway item to a Chicago cereal company. Bob invites him to stay overnight at his home. The brief encounter stretches out to a week when Murdock can't make his business connections. He gradually takes over Bob's car, clothing, and most of his home life.

Bob's patients observe tradition by planning a surprise party to honor the fourth year of the group's therapy sessions. When an unseen member, a Mr. Gianelli, threatens to turn the party into a disaster, Bob kicks him out of the group. His decision meets with instant group approval until Mr. Gianelli dies under a ton of zucchini.

Bob and Emily invite Carol to share her ""heavy"" experiences with the ""overweight workshop.""

Bob moves up in the world from the seventh to the tenth floor when he joins the firm of a swinging psychiatrist.

Christmas Eve finds Bob in the hospital with tonsillitis and an impending operation. Meanwhile, his friends are all suffering from an attack of Christmas-itis.

Cliff Murdock, Bob's old laugh-a-minute college buddy, affectionately known as The Peeper, pays a return visit.