When Cate and C.J. discover that Kerry has been e-mailing Bruno, they secretly try to snoop in her computer to find out what the two have been up to. Unbeknownst to them, Bruno is hiding in the attic, while Bridget tries her best to talk Kerry out of doing something she may regret. Meanwhile, Jim discovers Rory's clandestine poker game and decides to deal himself in to teach Rory and his friends a lesson.

After sending an email to former college flame Matt to see how he's been doing over the years, Cate becomes fed up with the unreasonable demands of her family and locks herself in her room for some alone time. But she's shocked when Matt shows up at her window and whisks her off to re-live some adventurous, old times.

While Cate finds herself becoming jealous of Principal Ed Gibb's new girlfriend, C.J. is asked by Ed to help tutor Cheryl for her GEDs -- and finds himself unwittingly being hit on by her. Meanwhile, Rory feels awkward after Cate accidentally interrupts him during a private moment.

Cate is shocked to discover that Principal Gibb has hired C.J. as a substitute teacher. When C.J. catches Rory cheating on a test, he is torn about reporting it as Cate tries to persuade him to look the other way. Meanwhile, when Bridget breaks her leg because of Kerry's blunder, she makes her little sister's life a living nightmare.

To keep C.J. from spending Christmas alone in Las Vegas, the Hennessy household bends over backwards to recreate one of Cate's first holiday memories to entice him to stay. Meanwhile, Rory decides to break up with his wealthy girlfriend when he fears that he won't be able to buy her a Christmas gift worthy of her upper class status.

Bridget is ecstatic when she learns that tennis scouts from Princeton are coming to her school to watch her play for a possible scholarship. But when Bridget's school forbids her to play because of a poor grade, Cate has to decide whether to use her clout as school nurse to help her daughter out. Meanwhile, Jim promises a nervous C.J. that he'll give up his room if he can spend one night alone in the attic.

After Bridget is turned down for a role in a sports car commercial, Jim discovers that the head of the modeling agency who rejected her is an old flame. When he tries to persuade her to reconsider his granddaughter, Jim soon finds himself reminiscing over old times. Kerry and Rory discover a secret about C.J.'s past modeling experiences.

While the family prepares Thanksgiving dinner for Cate to give her some much needed time off, she's left with nothing to do until she brings home an unexpected guest while on an errand. While C.J. deep-fries the turkey, Bridget and Kerry spar over pie recipes. Jim disassembles the TV in an attempt to repair it.

Everyone fears the ringing of the phone when they all keep secrets from each other. Rory refuses to divulge the identity of the student responsible for beating him up at school. Bridget and Kerry use fake IDs to get into a club, where Bridget gives her phone number to guy, unaware that he's a police officer. Cate doesn't want the family to know that Coach Scott tries to get her to go out with him. C.J. is distracted and forgets to pick up Rory's pain medication.

Bridget is psyched to join the high school tennis team when she develops a crush on Coach Scott. But her infatuation soon turns to disgust when she learns that Scott has a crush on Cate. Meanwhile, Kerry and Rory begin to question the authenticity of Jim's war stories while rummaging through his war chest.

Kerry doubts Bridget's ability to put together the school's Halloween party as part of her Student Body President duties. C.J. is hired as the party's security guard and sets his sights on catching Rory pulling off a prank. Jim finds himself under attack by the neighborhood kids when he refuses to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters.

Kate gives Bridget and Kerry the keys to the minivan, provided they drive Rory wherever he needs to go. But when the girls repeatedly fail to drive him, he attempts to drive himself, wrecking the car in the process.

Kerry is livid when Bridget unintentionally makes a mockery out of her art project at the mall. But she forgets about Bridget when a fellow artist asks her out on a date. While C.J. finds himself striking out at speed dating, Jim discovers that he's a hit with the ladies.

After Cate accepts the position of school nurse, Bridget and Kerry are convinced that she only took the job to spy on them. Rory is ecstatic that his mom might be able to protect him from a school bully.

The kids question Cate's motives when they return from their summer getaways and discover that she has bought a new bed and changed her hairstyle. Meanwhile, after traveling through Europe over the summer, Kerry met and had a fling with a boy - which leaves Bridget jealous and Kerry wondering what to do about boyfriend Kyle; new high school Student Body President Bridget is convinced even further that life is a popularity contest after taking a trip to Washington, DC over the summer; and after a depressed Jim fails to win back the affections of his wife in Florida, Rory attempts to help him quit smoking -- which is complicated by Jim's discovery that C.J. was responsible for their irreconciliation.

Knowing that Kerry is dragging her feet over breaking up with Kyle, Bridget takes it upon herself to do it for her sister. Meanwhile, Cate is offered the position of school nurse and Rory's first day of high school proves embarrassing when he has to hit the showers after gym class.