Brian joins the school football team, but quits because the other kids are picking on him. He decides to do cheer-leading instead, but Bill is unsure about Brian's decision. Judy tells Bill that they need to try to support him, whatever he does.

Judy takes Bill's advice to feign a shared interest with her boss to get a promotion. What she receives, though, are opera tickets for the same night as a big hockey game. Linda, meanwhile, happily volunteers to chaperone Lauren's sleepover party.

Bill loans a co-worker $300 to buy a big-screen TV without realizing the guy has a reputation for not repaying debts, which is worrisome considering Judy needs money to replace a broken hot-water heater.

Bill feels inadequate in the company of Linda's physically fit boyfriend, so he attempts to prove his own athleticism by joining a beginner hockey league, but overexerts himself just trying to keep up with the other players. Meanwhile, Judy is pressured into joining a health club and taking spinning classes.

The humorous Valentine's Day card that Judy receives from Bill leaves her feeling as if the romance in their marriage is dead. To reignite the old spark, Judy shows up at Bill's job wearing nothing but a trench coat and high heels, but her surprising visit doesn't go exactly as planned. Elsewhere, Brian seeks his parents' advice when trying to impress a girl at school.

Bill has to crawl back into Judy's favor by apologizing to her hairdresser for calling him a rip-off artist.

Bill and Linda meet some Bill's old high school buddies, who since then has turned his life around. Bill says his wife changed him, which leads into an argument between him and Linda about how they changed each other. Bill decides to grow back his old mustache and smoke cigars, while Linda goes back to hanging out with her drunk friend from high school. After realizing that maybe changing does come for the better, they both go back to their usual selves.

Bill proves himself too eager to please when his master-of-the-guilt-trip mother pays a surprise visit. That is, until Judy suggests he stop placating the woman and start ignoring her, a strategy that ends up backfiring on Bill when he hurts his mom's feelings and she runs away.