The competition for attention between Ray and Robert reaches an all-time high with the brothers ending up in a fight. Ray's dreams of authoring a sports book get squashed when the publishing company takes a pass on it, just as Robert receives the good news that he is being promoted to lieutenant. The Barone family doesn't quite know how to react to this most bizarre of situations in which Ray has failed at something while Robert has succeeded. But worst of all, Ray doesn't know how (or if) he's ever going to get past this.

Ray's latest manipulative plan involves constantly turning down Debra in the bedroom.