As Debra's birthday approaches, she bemoans the fact that Raymond's parents and brother seem to drop by the house a little too often. Ray and Debra then try and get the three of them to steer clear of the house on her big day.
Debra realizes Ray has too much trouble saying "I love you" after the two of them go out to dinner with a very amorous couple.
Ray is selected to give the eulogy at his Uncle Gus' funeral, which he hopes will help mend a longstanding rift between his mother and her sister.
Robert gives Ray and debra IQ tests as part of his criminal psychology course, and Ray is stunned when he learns that Debra's IQ is higher. After the couple finds itself testing one another in a battle of wits, Robert reveals that he was just kidding about each one having higher scores than the other.
Nemo's niece Angelina catches Ray's eye when she starts working at Nemo's restaurant. When she calls an embarrassed Ray at home to give back the wallet he left behind, Debra begins to wonder what the big deal about her is and goes to the restaurant to see for herself.
Frank asks Ray to send in some writing samples to his editor for a possible column after some of his writing bits are published in "Reader's Digest," but Ray is crushed when he has to tell Frank that his editor hates the material.
Marie moves in with Ray and Debra when she finally has enough of Frank. It works out for everyone when Marie starts pampering Ray and Robert, while Marie and Frank spend time together.
When Ray's highbrow in-laws come for a visit, he realizes that the Barones and Debra's parents are worlds apart from each other in lifestyle and tries to get them all to fake it for a dinner out.
After tiring of Frank's meddling advice at their poker game, Ray ignores him and ends up losing all his money to Frank. Ray is then coaxed by Debra into sucking up his pride and asking for it back.
Debra decides she wants to cook the Thanksgiving dinner as opposed to Marie, who usually does it, but decides to make fish instead of turkey. When the family is fine with fish, a stung Marie decides to bring her own turkey to prove her relevance to everyone. Meanwhile, Ray can't even get anyone to watch football with him.
Ray coaches the Pizza League basketball team, but Debra thinks he's missing out on time with the kids. When Robert loses his title as coach for Nemo's team, Ray takes over and plans to go to the championship, but he begins to feel remorse for Robert after being guilted by Marie and Frank.
Ray finds out the autographed Mickey Mantle ball Frank got for him as a kid has a forged signature from Frank's own hand. Feeling cheated, he decides to be honest with Ally about Santa Claus, except Ally only gets befuddled when Frank and Robert show up as Santa at the same time.
When Debra and Ally get a case of the flu, leaving Debra stuck in bed, Ray tries to schedule a meeting with former football player Terry Bradshaw at his pediatrician's office.
Debra compliments Robert on his handsome looks when his own insecurities keep him from going out on dates, but when Ray becomes jealous of people giving Robert the comments he never receives about his own looks, he decides to go out and make himself over completely.
Debra finds out that the old car she's been using is the "make-out mobile" he used to cruise around in during high school, which he bought from his parents. She soon is turned off to the idea of driving the car when she begins thinking about what type of "making out" was done inside.
Ray tries to have Debra's fake diamond wedding ring changed to a real diamond, only to discover that she already had her grandmother's antique diamond put in.
When the cable goes out at the Barone house, the family decides to play a game of "Scruples," and it becomes truth time. When Ray decides to gripe about the outtage to the cable company, however, he learns that Frank had it illegally installed.
Ray tries to become more optimistic when Debra tells him he's too much of a pessimist, only he gets a little too hopeful about the future after receiving the Sports Writer of the Year distinction.
When Ray brings home a stray dog that resembles the one he couldn't keep as a kid, Robert ends up bonding with the dog and the two brothers soon try and decide which one of them is going to be able to keep it.
Fed up with Frank and Marie's noisy and intrusive mannerisms, the local neighbors meet up with Ray at his house to discuss the matter, only Ray's loyalties are tested when Frank and Marie accidentally show up during the meeting and see what's going on.
When a radio psychologist interviews Debra at home for a book about American families, the doctor soon finds the other Barones more interesting and focuses on them, leaving Debra to feel like she's boring.
Ray and Debra flash back to the days when they lived together in an apartment and just learned they were going to have twins. During that time, they decided to get a house near their parents, while Robert found out his wife wanted to get a divorce.