In order to get Helen to break her vow that she does not date pilots, Brian hires an actor (Craig Bierko) to play the role of a charming pilot who asks Helen out.
A magazine writer is on the island to do a cover story on Joe, but after he meets Brian he finds Brian's life more interesting. Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) and Norm Peterson (George Wendt) visit the island.
Brian schemes to get Helen an audition for a very famous conductor (David Ogden Stiers), who tells her she's terrible. Helen decides to give up the cello gaining a new level of peace, until she is thrown for a loop when the conductor concludes that with considerable effort she could show promise.
Fay keeps inviting Roy to group events despite how much the group dislikes him. Roy asks for help from Joe on how to be a nice guy and tries to make friends with the gang by joining them in a friendly game of Trivial Pursuit. Unfortunately, Lowell is his partner.
Joe holds a bachelor party for Jerry Stark, a guy he can't remember going to high school with despite Jerry claiming Joe is his oldest and best friend. No one else on the island seems to know Jerry until the party's exotic dancer turns out to be his long lost love, suddenly putting the whole wedding in disarray. When Joe admits to the man that he cannot remember him, he thinks Joe is a great practical joker.
Helen has received a birthday package from her parents which includes some old home movies. Joe and Brian compete to see who gets Helen a more expensive birthday gift. Brian gives Helen a CD player and makes Joe jealous. After arguing about the gift, Joe gives Helen his mother’s cameo pin. Helen realizes the significance while watching her home movies after he leaves. Subplot: Fay helps Lowell with his budget.
Brian is roped into dating a policewoman to get her to drop charges on his unpaid parking tickets. Unfortunately she's not his type and is very vindictive. Subplot: Lowell tries to capture something funny on his video camera for "America's Wackiest Videos."
Joe is grounded due to hypertension with the unreliable Brian his only option for keeping the airline running. When Brian quits and Joe can't afford a new pilot Sandpiper's future seems in doubt. Guest star: Robert Colbert.
Brian hires high school student Kenny McElvey (Michael Manasseri) as a backup pilot for the still-grounded Joe. Joe and Helen decide to go on their first date and try to keep it from Brian. Joe and Helen decide they may be better as friends.
Roy's son R.J. (Abraham Benrubi) takes cello lessons from Helen. Roy agrees to pay for the lessons after he thinks R.J. is "hot for teacher," but the truth is R.J. is gay. An enraged Roy then challenges R.J. to a one-on-one basketball match in which R.J. is not allowed to be gay if he loses.
After everybody's holiday plans fall through, they decide to surprise Faye at her Christmas party. When they arrive, they discover she'd lied about her plans and find her all alone.
After Helen asks to learn how to fly, Joe starts a flight school. Helen, annoyed with Joe's classroom ways, takes Brian up on his offer to let her fly the Sandpiper plane, despite her being unlicensed. When turbulence knocks Brian out Joe has to talk Helen through the landing. After the landing Joe and Helen realize life is too short and decide to start dating.
Joe has to take care of Helen when she gets her wisdom teeth pulled out. Unfortunately for Joe, her appointment falls on the same day as a gathering based around a much anticipated college basketball game and Helen's TV is in the shop.
Brian's upset because Fay beat him at tennis. Meanwhile, Roy tries to mess with Helen's mind by claiming that one of his male pilots is actually female, and Joe accidentally destroys Lowell's beloved Graf Zeppelin model.
Joe is hospitalized for back trouble and leaves his normally overly detailed schedule for Brian to manage Sandpiper. Brian disregards Joe's schedule and runs the airline his own way. All his schemes suddenly go off the rails when the plane goes missing.
Joe and Brian think they spotted a UFO but Joe is reluctant to report it to the FAA for fear of Sandpiper becoming a joke. Meanwhile, Helen and Fay squabble over a lunch bill.
After a disastrous start to Valentine's Day, Joe and Helen agree to meet at their special place. Unfortunately, they each have a different idea as to where that is. First appearance of Tony Shalhoub as Antonio Scarpacci, portraying a waiter.
Joe and Helen want to spend time alone together, but Brian keeps interrupting them. After they kick him out of the house, Brian meets Gwen, a very spontaneous woman who convinces Brian to marry her... while jumping out of an airplane. Joe and Helen try to talk them out of it only to find they're no match for Gwen.
Brian dates young pilot Kenny's mother. Knowing Brian's ways with women, Kenny isn't thrilled. Subplot: Joe is paranoid that Helen is keeping a secret from him after she finds the name of an ex in his little black book.
Joe and Brian’s estranged mother returns to reconnect with her sons. Brian is thrilled but Joe feigns apathy to hide his anger for having to be the responsible one of the Hackett household.
While the house is being fumigated, Brian is forced to stay with Fay. The experience turns out to be surprisingly pleasant—that is, until he becomes convinced he's seen her featured on the "Most Wanted" show he is watching about a serial killer.
Much to Joe's surprise, Helen wins a job with the Maine State Symphony. But when Helen comes to Joe and tells him she would stay if he only asked, the discussion turns into a huge fight involving a fire extinguisher and a grease gun. Meanwhile, a confused looking woman who doesn't speak english and has been hanging around the airport gains Fay's sympathy and Roy's hostility.