Ray fears getting his adenoids removed, but Debra convinces him to go through with the surgery. At the hospital, while Marie is in the bathroom, the nurse says that Ray isn't waking up from the anesthesia and everyone fears he may die. Fortunately, thirty seconds later, the doctor comes out and says he's just fine. Everyone agrees not to tell Ray or Marie about it; however, Frank ends up telling Marie who rushes over to smother Ray with kisses. Ray finds out about it and begins acting weird as if he thinks he really is going to die. After a couple minutes, he gets out of it. The show closes with the entire family sitting around the table eating and arguing, just like the Barones always have in the past nine years.

Robert discovers Pat smoking and she pleads for him not to tell. Later, when Amy smells smoke on Robert, she thinks Robert smokes. Frank, Marie, Peter, Hank and Amy all think Robert smokes. Robert gets yelled at, and Pat doesn't tell the truth or back him up. The next day, Robert tells Raymond and Debra about Pat, and the family comes over. There is a bitter argument and then Ray and/or Debra yells out that Pat smokes. She confesses and tells the truth. There is another argument and Peter confesses something, then Hank, then Ray, then Debra. It ends with Frank and Marie telling them that they are weird and that they shouldn't do the stuff they are doing.

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

Ray tells Robert that Amy talks too much after she chats with Ray for over an hour while he tries to watch a basketball game on TV. Of course, Robert tells Amy, which leads to a heated confrontation between ""Lady Chatterly"" and her insensitive brother-in-law.

Marie is astounded when Franks puts salt on her homemade lasagna, leading her to believe that she's lost her touch in the kitchen. However, Ray and Robert discover that the problem is Frank, who has lost his sense of taste. They believe it's a side-effect from some potency medication Frank is taking, but Frank doesn't want to give it up, and he doesn't want anyone to know he's taking it, especially Marie.

Ray accidentally insults the twins' new friend and the faux pas quickly spirals out of contral when he repeats it to the boy's dad.

Debra complains to Raymond about leaving things around the house. Later on, when Raymond receives a personal letter from his idol, Muhammad Ali, he remembers what Debra told him, so he puts it away in a drawer. Unfortunately, when Debra later looks for a coupon in the same drawer, she's so put off by how much 'junk' is in there, she indiscriminately dumps most of its contents into the trash - and then dumps the trash into a garbage truck just as it arrives. When Debra realizes her mistake, she goes to Marie, desperate for help. Marie takes the blame, but Debra soon finds out that Marie, as always, has ulterior motives.

Amy's parents ask Ray to give their son, Peter, some tips on dating. Later, Debra throws a cocktail party and invites some single women to meet Peter, but Ray isn't thrilled with the guest list.