Ray resumes his interest in the piano to teach Ally a lesson about quitting when she refuses to continue with her lessons. But it's Marie who orchestrates an even more valuable lesson when she strikes a sentimental chord from Ray's past.

When Raymond takes over the family checkbook to prove to Debra how "easy it can be" to balance it, he discovers he is no accountant. After he quickly runs out of money and starts bouncing checks, he tries to hide the truth from Debra and winds up entangled in a mess of lies, two fake checkbooks and a large loan from his brother.

When six-foot-tall Raymond discovers that he's shrunk a quarter of an inch, the resultant midlife crisis grows until it stretches into "an end-of-life crisis." So, before he gets put six feet under, he decides to make a list of his dreams and goals in life. But when Debra finds him writing his "Things To Do Before I Die" list, she decides to show her husband the proper way to have his crisis. Meanwhile, Marie gets mad at Frank when she discovers that he sold half of their burial plot for a profit.

It has always been Raymond’s life long dream to get an article published in Sports Illustrated. So when his friend Andy, the “stat guy” and novice sportswriter, sells a piece to the magazine, Ray is devastated. Instead of being happy for Andy, he’s only unhappy for himself. But things get even worse when Debra points out that he’s being self-centered. Then his father agrees and adds that he’s always been an “attention pig,” leaving Ray to deal with his newly discovered self-image.

Raymond is in a bad mood. Forced to wait home all day for the delivery guy to bring Debra’s new curtains, he can’t go out and play golf and laments to his brother that marriage is like a prison. So, when Amy breaks up with Robert after he says he cannot commit right now, everyone blames Raymond for ruining his brother’s life.

When Debra and the kids go away for the weekend, Ray is forced to confront the real reason he doesn’t want to stay home alone. What should have been a couple of days of bachelor living and freedom from responsibility for Ray instead turns into a harrowing experience — that can be traced all the way back to his childhood. Rather than enjoying the rare peace and solitude at his own home, Ray actually chooses to head across the street and spend time with Marie.

Ray is bewildered, but not altogether displeased when Debra starts initiating sex on a more than regular basis. He can't believe his luck - and good fortune when as a result of Debra's new behavior it's as if he and she were newlyweds again. Ray is even willing to give up his golf game to satiate Debra's desires. But, never able to leave well enough alone, Ray looks for a reason behind her sudden burst of energy and gets a crushing blow to his ego.

While celebrating Thanksgiving, Debra discovers that her seemingly contented parents are really not very happy with each other. When Ray accidentally overhears his in-laws going at it with each other, he relays the news to Debra... who has always believed her parents' relationship to be a lot healthier than Frank and Marie's. But, when things come to a head at the Thanksgiving table, it's apparent that there really isn't that much of a difference between the two older couples – much to Debra's dismay.

When Debra stumbles across a cassette tape that contains a message from Ray's college girlfriend, she wants to know why he has saved it all of these years. So Ray retaliates by asking Debra to divulge any gifts that she's kept from her former boyfriends – but he's in for quite a shock when he sees the quantity of gifts still in her possession.

After deciding to lend Robert $1,000 when he complains he's struggling with finances, Ray and Debra are surprised when Robert uses the money for a vacation to Las Vegas.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Ray fears getting his adenoids removed, but Debra convinces him to go through with the surgery. At the hospital, while Marie is in the bathroom, the nurse says that Ray isn't waking up from the anesthesia and everyone fears he may die. Fortunately, thirty seconds later, the doctor comes out and says he's just fine. Everyone agrees not to tell Ray or Marie about it; however, Frank ends up telling Marie who rushes over to smother Ray with kisses. Ray finds out about it and begins acting weird as if he thinks he really is going to die. After a couple minutes, he gets out of it. The show closes with the entire family sitting around the table eating and arguing, just like the Barones always have in the past nine years.