As Paulie's birthday approaches, he discovers that Jimmy is gay; Lydia finds a new apartment right above the Cucina, and reunites with Mack; Frank and Dolly get an unpleasant surprise when they enter Lydia's new place without knocking; Lydia discovers that Jackie and Mack had a brief affair fourteen years ago.

Plum discovers that Gavin is the new teaching assistant assigned to her class; Valerie comes to the rescue when an attractive divorced friend tries to seduce Frank; Plum convinces Paulie to sit for the sergeant's exam, despite his lack of confidence; Lydia meets Gavin in the library and, unaware that he's Plum's ex-boyfriend, invites him to be her ""non-date"" for Plum's birthday party.

Lydia discovers that Eric's wife is having an affair; fed up with municipal bureaucracy, Dolly takes matters into her own hands.

Days before their official church wedding, Plum and Paulie reconsider the wisdom of being married; Lydia asks a hockey player to be her date for the wedding.

Lydia reconsiders a romance with Eric, who begins to rethink his relationship with Samantha; Dolly tends to the needs of a lonely voter.

Jackie's conflict over leaving for Mexico with Ray or staying in New Jersey with a visiting Abigail puts a strain on her friendship with Lydia; Frank has difficulty in accepting a generous gift from Plum; Lydia is charmed into getting Mack's irresponsible brother a job at the sports clinic.