The Thorsons bring in dangerous psychopathic criminal Dana Weatherly, who they caught while wearing women's clothing during the attempted execution of a crime. Brandi makes a few snide remarks to him, which causes Dana to promise he will exact revenge against her. Later, the Thorsons' neighbors the Barretts, who hardly ever had a thing to say to the Thorsons in the past, now ask for Dottie and Brandi to help with their problems with their daughter Christy. She's an old friend of Brandi's from high school, but the two haven't had much to do with each other lately. Nowadays Christy has dropped all ties with her parents and has moved in with her suspicious character of a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Dana Weatherly has escaped from Ricky's custody.

CAPSULE: While Brandi takes anger management classes, Dottie goes after an elusive skip who abandons his 10-year-old daughter Melissa. Dottie takes the girl in temporarily, but then Melissa's long-lost mother shows up. Perhaps, though, this odd family unit is not what it seems.

Spoiler Alert! Key plot details revealed!

Dottie asks Ricky for a job that she can handle alone, since an incident with Brandi and a parking meter has landed the younger Thorson in anger management classes. Ricky sends Dottie after a burglary suspect, Marty Bates, who is a confirmed gambler with a known liking for redheads. Dottie traces him to a motel, where she confronts and handcuffs him, but just as she's about to take Bates away, his 10-year-old daughter Melissa appears. While going to the bathroom, Bates slips out the window, leaving Dottie with his daughter. She takes Melissa to social services, but not liking what she sees there, Dottie takes the girl home with her for temporary safekeeping.

At her clas