Valerie discovers a mysterious love letter in David's pants pocket and questions him about it. She quickly learns that David is dating an ""older woman,"" a woman Valerie forbids David to see. Meanwhile, a broken refrigerator causes a repairman to invade the Hogan kitchen.

David's latest girl friend, Hilary makes quite an impression on both David and Valerie and David has been seeing her every night at his house for the past two weeks. However, when Valerie invites her to go out with the family to see a comic-juggling act, David adamantly objects.

When Michael's military buddy, Skip Franklin comes to Chicago for a visit, he stops by and brings along with him a swaggering demeanor and a foul mouth, both, which influence David and Willie. Subsequently, David begins to treat his girlfriend like dirt and Willie begins swearing up a storm.

Valerie gets a call from school and learns Willie is failing science. She quickly discovers another problem, both Mark and Willie are taking the same class and brainiac Mark is constantly making him look bad.

The family dog, 17-year-old Murray is ailing and the family engages in a dogfight over whether or not to put the dog to sleep, something Willie is dead set against. Meanwhile, a fallen tree has caused damage to the house, damage that Valerie and Michael can't afford to pay for at the moment.

Valerie is determined not to miss her ""happy anniversary"" phone call from Michael, however when Willie falls off the garage roof after trying to lower the basketball hoop; Valerie takes him to the hospital, which makes her miss her phone call.

David in need of money to buy a compact disc player and decides to get a part-time job. However, the job he chooses panics Valerie, as he gets a job at the auction house where she works. After David oversteps his bounds, she must make a hard decision, whether or not to fire him.

Mark is just getting over the flu and David is paranoid that he will end up with it. His worries continue when Willie succumbs. However, through it all, Valerie plays nursemaid, but when she gets it and is laid low, her unselfish attention is not reciprocated.

Despite promising her family that nothing will change after her promotion, Valerie finds that her new position leaves her very little time to be a wife and mother. Meanwhile, Willie gets the role as Romeo in the school play.