Rob convinces his old mentor, Happy Spangler, to join the writing staff of The Alan Brady Show; but Happy seems more interested in telling about his life than in doing any work.

Rob faces a dilemma when a rambunctious old army pal must be told he cannot attend a special dinner party that the Petries are throwing to make an impression with an Alan Brady Show sponsor.

Buddy's lamentation over the decline in the preeminence of the American male leads Rob to daydream about the past.

Rob's brother auditions for the show while awake.

Rob's bashful brother arrives in town and proves to be confident and outgoing only when he is sleepwalking.

Romance enters Sally's life in the form of an insurance salesman named Leo Fassbinder.

Rob embarrasses himself at jury duty when he finds himself attracted to the defendant, a former exotic dancer accused of diamond smuggling.

Sally drags the entire gang to a bowling alley when she discovers a new dance sensation that's sure to sweep the nation.

Rob is invited to talk to Richie's class about what he does for a living. However, Richie hates the idea, thinking the other kids will be bored listening to his dad talk about comedy writing.

While his wife is away, Buddy stays with the Petries and quickly wears out his welcome.

Ritchie's expanding vocabulary starts to branch out in unexpected directions.

When his show announces a talent contest, Rob finds himself besieged by the parents of neighborhood prodigies.

Laura chides Rob for not collecting money owed to him by Buddy. Confusion ensues after Rob's tentative attempts to remind Buddy of the debt.

Jerry teases Rob about the quality of The Alan Brady Show. Amused at Rob's annoyance, Jerry devises increasingly elaborate ways of expressing his derision.

After bickering with Laura over her habit of preemptively opening his mail, Rob decides to write a comedy sketch based on this. A success upon broadcast, friends and acquaintances recognize Laura as the inspiration for the sketch, causing her embarrassment.

Rob recalls the hilarious events leading up to Ritchie's birth when Ritchie asks the inevitable question.

Buddy has a chance for a head writer job. Rob and Sally help Buddy get released from his contract to "The Alan Brady Show". The plan backfires, so Rob and Sally have to find an ingenious way to get Buddy re-hired.

Rob is accused of being a Don Juan when he takes his wife's advice and stops treating Sally as one of the boys.

Rob buys Laura a hideous necklace but Laura can't bring herself to tell Rob how she really feels about it. When Rob invites his parents to see the necklace, his mother has a surprising reaction.

After scolding Richie for being forgetful, Rob belatedly realizes that he forgot to reserve tickets to The Alan Brady Show, which he had promised to the local PTA.

Rob feigns bemusement at Buddy's new "Meershatz pipe", but is secretly envious that it was a gift from their boss, Alan Brady.

Without checking with Laura, Rob agrees to look after Buddy's dog over the upcoming long weekend. Not only do Laura and Richie have other plans, Richie is terrified the large dog will eat him.

Rob and Richie find themselves more than a little lost when Laura briefly resumes her dancing career.

Laura begins to worry when Rob has to work nights with a beautiful TV star.

When an old Army buddy comes for a visit, Rob can't remember who he is.

While rummaging through Rob's old army equipment, Rob and Laura recall that he broke her foot the night they met.

Rob suffers with guilt when he has to go on a business trip the night of his son's play

Much to Rob's horror, Laura tries her hand at matchmaking when she invites her quiet introverted cousin Thomas over for a meal with exactly the opposite Sally.

Laura thinks she is losing her sex appeal so she decides to dye her hair blond, then changes her mind when Rob says he loves her with brown hair on the phone.

Head comedy writer Rob Petrie talks his wife Laura into leaving their slightly sick son Ritchie at home with a babysitter while they attend a party at the home of his boss.