List of Mama's Family episodes

Now he's hoping that he, his daughter Sonja, and his son Buzz, can stay with Mama until he gets back on his feet. Against Fran's wishes Mama agrees. Vint gets the basement, Buzz gets the attic, and Sonja gets Fran's writing studio because she refuses to sleep on the couch. Fran is outraged by this, and her and Mama have a huge argument about it. Fran's mood turns even more sour when she finds out Sonja stumbled up on the book that she'd been working on recently and reads it.

Fran says it's an invasion of her privacy and finally makes the decision that she'll move out because she can't take the stress anymore. Of course Mama had no idea that Fran was actually writing in her studio. But later as things settle down a bit, her and Mama have a heart to heart and she changes her mind and decides to stay after all.

They end up sleeping together and the next morning, while Mama and Fran are in the kitchen having breakfast, Naomi attempts to sneak out and is caught. Mama throws a fit and is outraged at Vint. Naomi, who had just sold her house, asks Vint to come with her to Arizona to run a trailer park because the job wants a husband and wife. Vint agrees and lets everyone know that he and Naomi plan on getting married and moving to Arizona. Mama is so shocked that she tells them that they can have the wedding at her house.

Everyone pretends to be shocked at the news, but had thought that all along and try to convince Ellen that she is wrong. She phones his office and is surprised that Bruce answers and says that Peggy is a saint for letting him keep her there that late and that Ellen didn't to wait up for him. Ellen remarks that the only thing that could ruin this day is if Eunice showed up. The ladies start taking about how Eunice wants to sing at the wedding and all agree it would be a total disaster.

Eunice arrives through the back door, overhears the conversation and obviously becomes upset. Coming into the living room she blows her cool. Blabbing the secret, she tells Ellen about Bruce's cheating and Ellen blames the ladies for lying to her about her husband. Vint arrives home drunk with Buzz just as the whole gang starts fighting. "Ooooh boy," observes Mama, "tomorrow's gonna be a long day!!"

Vint and Naomi say their vows and Eunice, upset at Mama for giving her ring away and has had a few too many beers, prepares to sing her solo in front of the whole crowd. She starts yelling at Mama half way through about the ring and other "promises" she thinks Mama made to her and broke, Mama yells back, Naomi gets insulted by a remark from Eunice and tries to defend herself, Vint's kids get told to "soak their heads in Clearasil" and before long, the wedding has degenerated into a demolition derby, with Eunice hostilly insulting everyone and eventually Ed has to carry her out.

Later, Mama and Fran sit on the couch, and enjoy the peace and quiet that they now have. Vint (who decided to take the kids after all), Naomi, and the kids have left for Arizona. But the peace doesn't last long as just then, they walk back into the house, saying that the whole thing was a scam, and they lost all their money. They'll have to move back in with Mama. Again.

Everyone takes a while to convince Mama to go, but she finally gives in. The opposing family is the very snooty Van Courtlands, who win the first round. Vint ends up winning the second match-up and decides to play in order to take the lead. After a short break, the point values are doubled and the Van Courtlands win the face-off and almost win the game, but Mama gets one last chance to steal.

The survey question was "What do you wind up?" and the Harper's are telling Mama to answer with "A mechanical tin man" but she says "A letter," and they lose their chance at $10,000. Back at home, everyone is ready to watch themselves on Family Feud and asks Mama to join them. She refuses saying that she doesn't want to watch making a fool of herself and makes a wish to Carl, her deceased husband, to make something happen in order to stop the showing at that instant. His answer is a sudden power failure and the whole block is left without power.

Vint goes to pick up Naomi and Ed goes to read the bathroom walls, when the argument escalates into an all out fight, and Eunice ends up punching a cop out and Mama whacks one with her pocket book and Mama and Eunice end up in jail. Scarlet, a hooker, arrives soon after they do and their fighting soon gets on her nerves and she tries to mediate a truce.

She then tells them about her Mama and how she hated her every day, until she died and how she wished she was still living. Mama and Eunice make up just as Ed comes to throw their bail. Not forgetting to say hi to his "old friend" Scarlet in the process.

Mr. Vogelman, Mama's new boss, gives her a quick tour of her duties and leaves as Mama sets up her desk for the day. First she has trouble with the phone, not being able to get anyone to answer when she picked up (she had to push the lighted button), once she got that down, a couple came in and wanted to book a trip to Tahiti. But then the family calls, having a crisis involving Buzz' missing shoes and Sonja locking herself in the bathroom, and soon enough Mama starts being rude to everyone, and Mr. Vogelman decides she's just not the right person for the job so he fires her.

Vint, Mama and Fran are sitting up waiting to see if Sonja will be home on time. When Buzz comes home an hour before midnight, seems his date thought he was a jerk and dumped him for a football player. Just as Vint is getting worried, Sonja shows up still pissed and screams at Vint again. She storms off again into the kitchen and Mama follows where she finds out, Sonya had to come home, because her date had a curfew of midnight himself.

After staying out most of the night on there first date and having such a great time, not to mention worrying poor old Fran half to death. Woody asked Thelma to go up to the lake with him like they did 40 years ago. She readily accepts to everyone's surprise. The family protests, most notably Vint, but Mama goes anyway.

When they reach the cabin Mama gets nervous and starts an argument much like she did 40 years ago. After discussing the situation over a beer they both decide they made the right decision so long ago and end up coming home earlier than either had planned.

Ellen and Mama then go to Neidermeyer's in hopes they can find the same dress. After finding it and having to pay $55 for it, Fran comes home early and tries it on. Vint then comes in and finds out Mama not only didn't fix dinner early, she didn't iron his lucky yellow shirt either.

As for Fran's dress, turns out it's the wrong dress and it looks almost nothing like the other one. Fran throws a fit and her and Mama have a huge fight. In the end Fran decides to wear another dress.

Mama is out bringing in the laundry, when Naomi comes over to complain about the sap falling on her car from Mama's tree. When Mama tells her about the marriage, and Naomi tells her how illegal it is. It seems Vint could get a felony for a false marriage if he goes through with it.

Claude and the bride-to-be stop by to drop off her roll-a-way bed and a few of her things, when Mama starts screaming and manages to explain a few things. Vint begins to realize that it's not as good a deal as it seemed and decides not to go along with it, telling Claude and Mr. Costa that they should find someone else for the job.

The next day Eunice shows up at Mama's house with presents and a new sunny out look. She gives Vint the old movie reels of their childhood and Naomi gets the ear rings she's been admiring. Eunice then announces she got a role in a play at the Pepper Pot Playhouse. Problem is, her rehearsal schedule conflicts with a sale that she was gonna take Mama too. So she invites Mama to go with her and go to the sale afterwards.

Eunice plays "Sadie", a small but important part, according to Eunice. With Mama sitting by they make a run through of Eunice's lines and then the director and the play's star, Sally, have a conversation and decide to give most of Eunice's lines to Sally. Mama tells Eunice she's getting pushed around and how she wouldn't take it, so Eunice makes a huge scene and quits the play.

The next morning Mama goes to put some stuff away in the closet and discovers it's gone. She wakes Vint up and he admits he took it and pawned it. Blowing her top Mama tells Vint to get her silver back and he then tells her why he needed the money. That only serves to get her madder.

In the midst of the screaming match, Vint decides to leave, and Sonja says she can stay with Nancy. So Vint goes to the basement to pack his stuff, but Mama can't stand to see him go and calls him back upstairs and in their own way they make peace, at least for a few moments.

Mama's disappointed and let's them take her stuff to be sold at the junk sale. Only after later talking to Fran does she realize how much the stuff really means to her. So her and Fran hurry to the gym to try and save her stuff from being sold. Only to find out the band got arrested (again) and won't be able to play after all. They need to save the dance, so she plays some of her records and everyone has a surprisingly good time.

After Leonard shows up at the Harpers' house bearing gifts, Vint doesn't see anything suspicious about his actions; he simply thinks that Leonard is trying to make up for the way he used to be. Naomi then realizes that Vint would never run off and leave her the way Leonard did, so she makes up her mind to stay with Vint.

In a side plot Vint thinks Mama's lost his bowling ball after she says she put it in a "safe place". As expected the family arrives at the country club and Ellen is mortified. They of course embarrass her with the way they act.

Finally after dinner, which Mama complains wasn't done. Mayor Tutwiller starts the ceremony by letting Mama say a few words. It turns out to be more than few as she basically brings the house down with comments.

person in the house.

Vint's surprisingly favorable reaction to the news, prompts a discussion as to were it will be sleeping. A screaming match results as no one wants to give up their room.

Naomi, wanting to make sure she is pregnant, makes an appointment. The doctor runs some tests and tells her to wait. One by one the family arrives at the doctor's office, First Mama and then Vint, followed by Buzz and Sonja, and lastly Fran. All have ideas on what they should do for the baby. Mama settles it by saying the baby's bunking with her. Unfortunately come to find out, it was a false alarm and Naomi isn't pregnant after all.

Mama and the girls were in the kitchen making gooseberry jam, and she was being the perfect daughter-in-law, Ellen was helping a little bit, and Eunice comes into the door late, claiming that her car broke down, and that she was almost run over out on route 5. Ellen said that she was out on route 5 getting the berries, and she didn't see her at all. However, Eunice thinks different. They pick a fight, and then the gooseberries start to stick to the pot. When Mama says: "Baby, Get that pot for me", they both run to the pot and start to argue for it. They tell Naomi to butt out, and then they fight for the pan. As they are swinging it around, they smack Mama in the face with it. She is out cold.

The next one to tell the story is Ellen. She says that Naomi gave Mama the sugar from dirty hotels, and that they were sugar packets. Eunice still gets almost run over, and she lets everyone know about it. Afterwards, when Mama says to get the pot, Ellen and Eunice fight about it, but then Naomi comes over, thinking it is a game, and then Ellen butts out. Eunice and Naomi smack Mama in the face this time.

The last one to tell this story is Eunice. She walks into the kitchen in a great mood, even though she was almost killed by a lady in a black Cadillac. It turned out to be Ellen, and she was telling her not to be so lucky the next time. Also, she was wearing a tiara, telling everyone that she is a queen. Naomi is a ditz in this one, and then her and Ellen smack Mama with the pot.

After they get back to the house, they are all eating the jam in the kitchen, and Mama asks for Vint to give her the pot. He tells her to catch it, and it ends up hitting her in the face again.

Naomi soon arrive's home to celebrate and receives a very disturbing phone call. An obscene phone call. He calls back several times, even asking for Naomi by name when Vint answers the phone. Mama and Fran soon come to the conclusion that it's all Naomi's fault, for the way she dresses and walks. Not to mention her efforts at work to be voted Friendly Employee of the Month.

This all changes when Naomi leaves for work and the guy calls back. Not getting Naomi he talks the same way to Mama, then Fran and even Vint. They realize he'll talk to anyone that way and it's not Naomi's fault at all. So they all head down to Food Circus to apologize.

Turns out Ellen is actually seeing a new boyfriend, who is a much younger man and he's invited her to the ShayRay for dinner. Only problem is, Vint won that contest at work and the prize is a dinner for 4 at ShayRay's. That's where they run into Ellen and the family finally meets her new boyfriend, Glen. After hearing one to many of Mama's rude comments Glen gets up to leave and wants Ellen to go with him, but Mama makes her stay.

Later at home, Ellen angrily confronts Mama over her childish actions at dinner. Mama though soon admits she was wrong and reveals that she was jealous of Ellen because she was moving on with her life by dating someone new, and Mama hasn't after the death of her husband. Ellen forgives her and leaves to find Glen.

But Vint let's the little success go to his head. He first buys a new jump suit and changes his stage name to "Vinnie Vegas". Even going so far as to change his routine to something completely different. Mama and Fran (who he fired) refuse to go and after he tells Naomi to act like one of his groupies and not his wife, she stays home to. But Mama, Fran and Naomi soon realize how big a flop he's gonna be and they rush to the Bigger Jigger to stop him.

They arrive in time and Mama pulls him into the men's bathroom, which fills up quickly with people and Mama has everyone introduce themselves. Then has one of them watch the door while she talks to Vint. She tells him a sob story and convinces him if he goes on, he'll make an idiot out of himself. He agrees and decides not to go on, not that he could, because now there locked in the bathroom.

Fran and Mama battle over what movie to see, E.T. is Mama's choice and they get ready to leave, when Mama bends over and her back starts spasming. The family has to help her to the floor as she can't move now. She tells Fran and the kids to go on ahead and she'll meet them if her back gets better. Vint and Naomi's friends arrive a minute later and the party begins.

Mama is the center of attention as everyone first listens to her story during dinner (which are served on Naomi's new dinner trays, she got with the Green stamps of Mama's). Then they end up feeding her and then Mama tells Mar'sue that Naomi said she was a snob and her husband was sponging off her family's wealth. After that little tidbit, the party wraps up after only an hour and 15 minutes.

Mama finally begs Fran into driving her to the mall, but Fran makes Mama drive instead, which again turns into a disaster as they get stuck in a traffic accident and Mama gets out and leaves. Ellen thinking she can teach her, takes Mama to the mall parking lot, (it's empty on Sundays). But Mama ends up crashing Ellen's car into the planter in the center of the lot.

Thinking she'll never learn to drive Mama gives up, until she gets a call from the store about the blue hat she wanted, they tell her if she doesn't want it they're gonna sell it, in 45 minutes no less. So Mama borrows Fran's car and drives to the mall, where she gets her hat. Making that trip she then heads on over to the DMV, to get her temporary drivers permit.

So Naomi, Sonja and Fran head to there karate class and Mama to her Bingo. But Mama never makes it to Bingo as she is mugged while waiting for the bus. She gets home still shaking and clutching her purse strap. And quickly decides she too will join the Karate class, where Naomi is the star pupil. And Sonja is falling in love with Chuck, the instructor. Mama finds it tough to fit in.

Days later, Mama returns to the same bus stop where she meets an elderly lady and begins telling her about the classes and how she was mugged. When the same mugger attacks again, but he turns his back to take the other woman's purse and Mama wacks him in the head with her purse which is loaded with a light weight Iron.

Arriving at the lot, Willie acts as though he doesn't remember them at all, but offers to paint any car on the lot blue for Mama, when she says she wants a blue car, but she refuses saying it had to be "born blue". She finally finds one to her liking and, with the help of her oatmeal raisin cookies, talks Willie down from the initial price of $1500 dollars to her maximum price of $1000. Unfortunately the car turns out to be a real "Lemon" and blows up, so she and Vint return to Willie Potts Used Cars to get her money back. Trouble is, Willie refuses to give her money back and curtly dismisses them. Then, outside, Vint suddenly remembers Willie Potts as "Willie the Weasel", so-called because he was the biggest two-faced liar in the neighborhood; probably even the whole world.

So Mama walks in on an important meeting with Willie and the head of Ray Corp, Oscar Babcock, who's planning to buy a whole fleet of cars from Willie, and tells Oscar about Willie "The Weasel" Potts, the crooked, swindling used car salesman and about the lemon she'd just foolishly bought from him not too long ago, that's now "smoldering its way to lemon heaven". Hearing all this Oscar makes Willie give Mama a full refund before he'll sign the contract, which she specifies must be in cash. Willie grants Mama the full refund (and then some) but Oscar Babcock has changed his mind about buying the cars and walks out with her. And Mama, having gotten her money back and learned her lesson, vows next time to buy her car from a total stranger.

It doesn't take long before Naomi starts to complain about having her mother-in-law so close, saying it's distracting her from her work. So, Mr. Palmer comes upon the idea that Mama should know everything about the running of the store, starting with Naomi teaching her how to be a checker.

Mama's first test turns into a fiasco, when she can't get the hang of ringing things up. After that, she gets her first customers (with Naomi as her bagger). It goes smoothly ar first, but things soon turn sour when Mama has to look up the price for a special and it takes her forever. After a continuing stream of more problems and the register going crazy, Mama decides to quit, mid-customer.

Later as they are finally alone at the motel, Naomi is dressed as a Matadorette and Vint is dressed as a bull. Suddenly there's a knock at the door and it's Mama saying Effie wasn't hurt and all she wanted was someone to do her bidding, so she left and hitched a ride with a trucker to the hotel. Since she has no way home and there's no available rooms at the motel she has to stay with them.

Not being able to sleep Mama on either the role away bed or the water bed. Mama decides to watch TV for a while, she soon discovers it's a porno and forces them to bring her home, where they find a house completely full of teenage girls. Sonja informs that she invited a friend who in turn invited the pep squad.

Mama's story makes the local TV news, as they appear the next morning outside her house. She has a few unkind things to say about the mayor, before Ellen arrives and says she's not running. But eventually Mama decides to run against Mayor Tutwiller.

Mayor challenges Mama to a face-to-face debate on KRAY-TV. Hoping to squash her chances of winning by making her look unprepared, Ellen shows Mama up by forcing him to fake an important phone call and leave suddenly.

On Election night, Mama and the whole family gather round the TV to see the results. She trails early on, as the night wears on and one by one they all fall asleep. In the end Mama ends up falling asleep as they announce she won.

Mama takes over as Mayor and it soon becomes clear she is unprepared for the job. Her first council meeting turns into a free for all, with Mama unable to make a decision or knowing exactly what's she's supposed to do. Soon enough the whole town is in an uproar. There's a garbage strike and a transit walkout after Thelma suggested they drop all senior citizens off at there doors. Plus the Boy Scouts are mad at her too and others are calling for her resignation.

Ellen hears about the mess on the radio and her and Mayor Tutwiller come to the rescue. He sends a pound of chocolate to the Boy Scouts and settles the garbage and transit strikes. Mama realizes she doesn't have what it takes to be Mayor so she soon resigns her post, telling the council she has pressing family matters and is turning her job back over to Mayor Tutwiller.

Mama's vacuum cleaner then breaks and Vint says she can borrow Naomi's brand new one. The one Vint bought her for a wedding present. Naomi comes in while Mama's using it. She starts complaining about nothing being hers. Just then the vacuum starts smoking and burns a hole in the carpet. As it turns out Mama ran over one of Naomi's key chains. They start fighting and agree to go to court over it.

Small claims court Judge W.E. Packard oversees the case, which ends up in a free-for-all as Mama and Naomi both call witnesses including Vint being called twice (once by each). In the end, the Judge finds Mama and Naomi in contempt of court and fines them $100 each and also orders them to pay their own damages.

While they're cleaning, Buzz asks Mama to tell him about her 30th birthday party. In a flashback, we see Mama and the kids as she's getting ready for her party and thinking Carl is going to get a big promotion at work she orders a 19 cubic foot deep freeze. Then Grandma Crowley calls to say she can't make Thelma's birthday cake.

Carl comes in and announces he didn't get the promotion, right as they deliver the deep freeze. Thelma has to use a fruitcake as her cake, topped by Vint's present of a paper heart.

Thelma soon finds out that Carl didn't the promotion as Burt Wembley stops by to thank Carl for turning it down. He brings him a box of cigars to thank him. After that, Thelma goes into the bathroom and throws the cigars one by one at Carl.

Buzz and Mama finish in the attic, just in time to walk into her surprise birthday party. She finally got that deep freeze she wanted, only 30 years later.

Later that night, Thelma walks back downstairs, and knows that she really got the freezer, and that it wasn't just a dream. So, she pulls up the piano bench to the bathroom door and has a heart to heart with Carl. After that, at the end of the show, the toilet flushes suddenly, and we know that Carl has wished her a happy birthday.

Meanwhile Sonja has entered a beauty pageant and Noami, Ellen and Mama help her get ready. That's where Uncle Roy tells her the story of when he saw Princess Grace at the White House and how beautiful she was and how she has the same smile. He also encourages Vint to chase his dream of being a firemen, even going so far as to get him an application for the Raytown Fire Department.

Lastly, Roy is telling Thelma how her elbows remind him of Dorothy Lamure's and that that's what first attracted Carl to him and how he wishes he had seen her first. They hug but he leaves before anything really happens. Leaving his cooler, which means he'll be back, Thelma hopes.

Fran's got a date that night with her editor, Dwight Nettles, who loves the advice Fran's been giving but can't understand why Fran included all the psychological babble (which he edited out) in her latest article. He also has a problem he needs some advice on and that's why he wanted to see her tonight. Seems "his friend" has just hired a new woman at work and has the hots for her, even though he's married, he wants to know what to do.

Fran sneaks away from the table and calls Mama from the pay phone to beg her advice. Mama recognizes right away Mr. Nettles is referring to himself and Fran. She then makes Fran agree to give her 50% of the money she's earning before giving her any advice. Mama's advice to Fran is to tell him to take a few more meals at home and he wouldn't need to eat out. Fran does and quits her job on top of that.

Ellen arrives an hour late (as usual) to take Mama to the cemetery, just as Mama comes in and tells everyone what she's just discovered. Ellen and Mama soon head back to the cemetery to get the problem cleared up. It turns out Carl's head stone was accidentally placed two plots down. So Mama feels like she's been cheating on Carl and says Carl has to send her a gift to let her know it's OK.

Meanwhile, Sonja goes out with a loser named Michael and he ends up flirting with a sophomore cheerleader who likes him and Sonya dumps him. He then shows up with flowers and after Sonja refuses to talk to him, he gives the flowers to Mama, who takes it as Carl's sign that everything's OK.

All three have identical supplies, with Mama and Iola also have identical ingredients. While Naomi's chili is far different from the other two as it includes two giant cans of store bought chili, plus beer, cheetos and several other items not usually associated with chili. Each bringing back a certain memory from one of her ex-husbands or boyfriends.

Each bowl is lettered as the contest begins and Vint decides the 'B' bowl is the best, which belongs to Iola, and she runs home to show her father and dare her mother to throw it out again. As soon as she is gone though, Mama and Naomi force Vint to make his real decision, but instead, he dumps both bowls together, saying it's got to be the best chili ever, but after just one bite he starts gagging. Prompting Mama to say "Vint that better be Naomi's half your gaggin on."

First Mama finds out Don and Loraine won't be there and of course Buzz and Sonja won't either (for unexplained reasons) and Ed and Eunice have moved to Florida (a blessing). Then Ellen calls and says she's got something more pressing business and can't make it either. Later, as the family gets home from the funeral, we find out Vint forgot to shut the hearse door, resulting in the coffin flying out of the hearse and down the on-ramp to the freeway.

The house is a mess and they believe they've been robbed, but it is soon revealed that Eunice and Ed's son Bubba (just out of reform school) has arrived after finding his old home locked up. Mama has to tell him that Ed and Eunice moved to Florida and he has to stay with her because he's on probation and can't leave the state. Also much to the aggravation of Vint and Naomi, Mama gives Bubba Fran's old room.

So for the next two weeks Vint and Naomi wait on her hand and foot, trying to keep her from getting upset. Including paying Bubba $10 to do his homework and doing the dishes and most of the other housework. While they begin to bicker among themselves, Mama relaxes and takes it easy.

On the last day, Mr. Finstadler arrives, and Mama comes back from the Beauty Spot in a terrible mood. Her car was smashed up and the guy left a note just to fool the witnesses into thinking he was leaving his name and address. Then she sat in paint waiting for the bus, destroying her new dress. Mr. Finstadler says the dress doesn't suit her anyway and she tells him off and throws him out. So the entire estate goes to the "Ray of Hope Home for Wayward Girls"

That night, Thelma cannot go to sleep because she keeps thinking about the race. Vint and Naomi do everything they can, including heating up warm milk (with skin in it), and watching a late night opera on TV, which ends up energizing Thelma while boring Vint and Naomi to sleep. However, when Bubba comes home that night, Thelma asks him to share some of his plans for the future with her, and she dozes right to sleep in the kitchen.

The next morning, Vint and Naomi wake up Thelma, who just had the worst nightmare she ever dreamt. She was in her kitchen, when the floor cracked open, and she fell down to some place with a very nice floor pattern. She commented on how it had these alternating black and white squares, however Vint and Naomi rush her past those details. She then talks about an enormous waffle iron that started walking up to her with its red light blinking, and then as it heated up, a whole bunch of steam came out of its sides. This prompts Vint and Naomi to find the horses Red Light and Steam Heat in that day's race.

The family all listens to the race on the radio, and as the announcer reads off the horses, one of the names is Checkerboard, which Thelma remembers was the name of that floor pattern that she admired. As Vint and Naomi realizes what that means, the race ends with Checkerboard winning, followed by Red Light and Steam Heat. Vint, Naomi, and Thelma start blaming each other, while Bubba is glad that he didn't bet this time. The episode ends with Thelma grounding Bubba because he's going to have to learn to be a loser like the rest of them.

The visit soon turns very uncomfortable for Ellen as Mama begins yelling at the family for one and then another. Not able to stand it any longer, Ellen calls for the nurse and orders her to throw the family out and post an armed guard at the door. Mama finally sends everyone home, but sneaks back in herself and stays with Ellen through the night.

Mama and Ellen soon forgive one another for all the years of fighting and Ellen finally reveals to Mama why she is the hospital in the first place, she's having a fanny tuck. Mama then makes some revelations of her own, when she says out of all her kids, she always loved Ellen best.

Naomi aces her first exam, which only serves to make Vint more upset. With a growing rift between Vint and Naomi, Iola tries to make her move and asks Vint to have ice cream with her one night. What Vint views as innocent, Mama see clearly as Iola trying to get her claws into Vint and tells him so in no uncertain terms.

Naomi tries to get everyone in the family to help her train for that night's big test, but the only one who will is Mama. Who quickly proceeds to drive her nuts. Later, Bubba announces he's been kicked off the debate team for not knowing the Electoral College had nothing to do with electricity. Just as the family gets excited about all the free flights they'll get as the family of a flight attendant, Naomi dashes their hopes by failing her simulated test.

That's where Vint falls on it as he, Naomi and Bubba are bringing in a trunk they just bought from the police surplus. Thinking they killed the cat, they bury it, and go into to open the trunk. Which has a hole on the side of it and is the home of a Mama cat and her kittens. One of which looks just like Iola's former pet, who adopts it immediately.

The first one is from a woman, with a husband named Clint (who works at Kwik Keys), she says her husband's having trouble performing lately. Mama figures out rather quickly that it's Naomi talking about Vint's and her problems. Dr. Brothers says their problem might have to do with stress at work, or it could be stress from living with an inlaw. Later, after taking phone calls all day from people about the show, Mama questions Naomi about it, and Vint arrives home soon afterwards and is in a foul mood.

To solve the situation Mama rushes to the airport with Vint and Naomi to catch Dr. Brothers before she leaves for Tulsa. Joyce suggests Vint and Naomi take a trip to get away from everything in an attempt to liven up the marriage. They then rush off to make the reservations for a weekend in Hinkley.

Iola is quick to accuse Bubba, who comes in with a brand new drum set, claiming he borrowed them from a friend of a friend whose name he forgets. Pretending to defend Bubba, Mama throws Iola out. Now convinced, she too accuses Bubba. Feeling betrayed by his own family Bubba attempts to run away from home.

She finds him at the "Rayhound" station and tells him the story of what happened when Eunice tried to run away (she only made it across the river to Bump). Saying she believes him now, Bubba decides to come home. In the end they find the pearls, where they had been all along, stuck to the back of a pillow on the couch.

Vint puts it in her make up case, but Bubba moves it to her purse while Naomi watches. Thinking Bubba wrote it to her she begins to worry. Slipping it into the Lady's Circle, which is where Iola finds it, thinking Vint wrote it her. She then leaves it accidentally on George's clipboard while he working on Mama's refrigerator.

Iola shows up minutes later ready to claim Vint as her own, while Naomi tries to explain to Bubba, and Mama is freaked out thinking George is after her. Soon enough it is revealed though that the where the letter came from.

A fact this is only discovered after they are greeted by the host, Raytown personality Eddie Edwards, and he thinks Noami is entering. After considering his options, Edwards agrees to let Mama compete instead, thinking it might be a novelty to have someone in the pageant who really looks like a Grandma. Which, as it turns out, none of the other's certainly don't.

For the talent competition, Mama sings a song her daddy taught her when she was young, so she could sing to his buddies at the Jigger (now the Bigger Jigger). Mama makes the final three, but ends up finishing second in the final vote. A result she doesn't take well, as she takes over the show and demands a recount.

When Mama comes to check and see if he is ready for the dinner, Bonita hides in the closet until she leaves. The Reverend and Alberta arrive early, and they soon set down to dinner. As they are saying grace, Mama sees Bonita outside the kitchen window and panics. The doorbell rings and it's Bonita who walks right in, sits down and starts eating.

Mama tries to pass her off as her Swedish exchange student, but the ruse comes undone as Vint exposes her, and Alberta throws a fit. Prompting Mama to tell her off. Vint and Bubba talk Bonita into going back to Juvey to finish her sentence and Reverend Meechum says he has decided to name Mama the President of the Church Ladies League after what he saw tonight.

Iola arrives looking like Scarlet O'Hara dipped in pink paint. Everyone plans to go bowling so Iola can have dinner with her mystery date alone, but a nervous Iola convinces Mama to stay and chaperone the dinner. An older man arrives, closer to Mama's age than Iola's. Iola is shy and hardly says a word, while Mama keeps the man entertained. Mama leaves them alone to do the dishes and Iola becomes even more tongue-tied and nervous. He tries to dance with her and she runs off into the bathroom. Mr Mystery Date then goes into the kitchen to visit Mama and before long the two of them are dancing. Iola walks in as he is trying to get a kiss from Mama, who chases him off with a frying pan.

Iola accuses Mama of stealing her man, until they decide only creeps put personal ads in the papers. They decide the best place to meet a man is in a bowling alley, so off they go.

However, when Vint's rehearses his ho-ho-hos, he gets laryngitis. So at the mall, who steps in to don a Santa suit, Mama! After working with all those bratty kids, she does fulfill one child's wish that her dad gets some new tools for getting a construction job.

Mama and Bubba report for work and start training together. Bubba is fast and efficient while Mama takes her time, being nice and folksy with the customers. When the manager tells her to speed things up, she suddenly becomes rude and sharp with the customers, which the manager doesn't like either. Iola, Vint and Naomi arrive for breakfast. Iola wants lunch, Vint wants things that aren't on the menu, and Naomi orders from Bubba, which sets Mama off. The manager dashes her hopes for the Hawaiian trip when he fires her.

Thelma's on Jeopardy! playing against a snooty lady & a not too loose gentleman ("That is correct Alex!") who's the returning champion. Alex gets twitchy the way Thelma keeps disrupting the flow of the game. Into Double Jeopardy!, Thelma's in the deficit. When she answers correctly about James Watt (What's...what?), she got control & picked Comedy Teams for $1,000. After the two players missed the answer (The Stooge with the curly hair), Thelma rings in & answers the question correctly (Who is Larry?) & gets out of a deficit to have $100 going into Final Jeopardy!

When the Final Jeopardy! category's Shakespeare, she praised the lord! But when it came to the answer, she was stumped. She bet $99, leaving with only $1. The champion won again! But Alex informs Thelma that she won second prize. She was surprised when Johnny Gilbert told her she won a trip for 4 to Hawaii! Alex asked who she'll take & since she couldn't take her favorite stars, she'll take her worthless family!

Meanwhile, the CLL (the "Church Ladies League") is voting on "Church Lady of the Year", which Mama intends to win. The only person to win is the woman that gives the most to the church, so Mama decides to sell the concoction to the Church Ladies and give the profits to the church. She then takes on the role of the "snake oil salesman", complete with accomplice in the audience (Iola).

Bubba's swim-meet turns out terrible; the folks they sold the concoction to begin complaining; and the reason is Mama's secret ingredient: A massive amount of vanilla which is "35% alcohol". When Bubba, Vint, and Naomi try to warn Mama, the Church Ladies were doing the conga and Mama was getting along with the CLL president. They inform her of the "secret ingredient", and they all go home to nurse their respective hangovers.

Vint, Naomi and Bubba convince her to sue and they call Sam Small, a sleazy lawyer they've seen on TV. He tells Mama to sue for 3.2 million, after determining she's more hurt than she realizes. Mama ends up in a neckbrace and arm sling.

The bank sends an investigator to confirm Mama's injuries are real. Vint buys Mama a walker and Iola comes over to visit. Vint, Naomi and Bubba get Mama to walk a few steps for the investigator, when Iola walks in. She calls Thelma "Mother" as she tries to get her to sit down, which upsets Mama. Wanting everyone to know she's not really hurt, she starts dancing and blows the whole scam. The bank offers her $5,000 anyway, which the lawyer takes for his trouble.

Meanwhile, Bubba is taking pictures for his creative photography class, and Mama suggests he set up a shoot to take pictures of all of them. Iola explains why she is camera shy, (seems her father fell over Ray Falls trying to get Mother Boylen in a single picture and after her Mother saved him, she ended up winning the wet t-shirt contest at the lodge). Bubba gets everyone's pictures taken, including Melanie in a skimpy bathing suit.

Mama finally strikes upon the idea of putting her picture on the singles flyer. While Bubba has Mama's head super-imposed on Melanie's body and wants to have it blown up into a poster as a joke. They both send Vint to RayRrint to get them done and he gets them mixed up.

Mama and Iola discover Vint's screw-up after they arrive at the mixer and the women are upset about it. But the guys all wanna dance with Thelma, that is until she takes her coat off and reveals the picture isn't really her.

As the week progresses, Thelma and Iola are finalizing plans for their lunch, Vint and Naomi are cleaning up and moving into their new motorhome, and Bubba has Thelma iron a dress for him and is comparing necklaces.

On the day of the lunch, Vint and Naomi are behind on their departure because the motorhome isn't turning on. Suddenly, the Dames arrive and while they admire Thelma's flowers, Thelma has to order Vint and Naomi to stay inside the trailer. The three Dames introduce themselves, and Thelma casts Iola in the role of the waitress. Meanwhile, she tries to pass off the trailer as something that is being fixed for some poor neighbor, but this excuse is thwarted when Vint asks if he and Naomi can come out, and then play loud music, and then bounce the trailer up and down. Meanwhile, Thelma learns that the Dames have been fed Merv Griffin's chicken wings so much that they're about to take flight. This forces Thelma to redirect Iola back into the kitchen in order to hastily put frozen hamburger patties on the grill. But at that point, Bubba pulls into the driveway on his motorcycle wearing his dress, a necklace, and a pair of high heels, telling Thelma that he got all dressed up but he forgot his purse. This sends the Dames into an accusatory fancy, and Thelma yells them off. She then apologizes to Iola, and tells her to take the rest of the day off while she barbecues the chicken wings for the two of them. Vint and Naomi then report that the motor on their trailer won't start, but now that they've had a taste of freedom, they are going to live in the driveway.