The gang waits to be rescued from the plane crash. After making it back home, Joe considers whether it is time for Sandpiper to close up shop.
Joe's future is up in the air when Sandpiper Air is grounded by his insurance company, but Brian's plan to save the airline doesn't fly right with Helen.
Sandpiper is finally back in business but Joe's nose is broken by a man who mistakes him for Brian. At the surgeon's office, the doctor's observation of a bump on Brian's nose has him obsessing about getting a nose job.
Roy is struck out at Fenway Park by his own rendition of the National Anthem, and Fay commits a costly personal foul at work.
Lowell convinces Helen to go on a date with him.
When a female helicopter pilot, Alex Lambert (Farrah Forke) moves to the island, Joe and Brian compete to impress her. Subplot: Lowell invites Antonio to join him and his friends for their Tuesday night rat shoot at the local dump, and is upset when Antonio shoots more rats than he does.
Brian sinks Lowell's houseboat, so he lets Lowell stay with him and Joe. When Lowell proves to be a surprisingly adept chef, Joe and Brian wonder whether they should hide Lowell's insurance check.
Shannon Moss (Teri Austin), a woman Brian is obsessed with comes back to the island, and Brian can't seem to say no to her, even though she stands him up several times.
After having a few drinks, Alex asks Joe to drive her home and when he arrives late the next day everyone assumes that they spent the night together.
In this Christmas episode, Joe has a meltdown when he's charged a 50-cent rewinding fee on a videotape he is sure he rewound.
Helen goes on a date with a friend of Joe's (Steven Eckholdt), who laughs like a hyena. Subplot: Roy helps Antonio with an irritating neighbor who uses a leaf blower.
Antonio performs his civic duty when he helps bring to court a suspected robber and then testifies against him. But then the suspect gets released on a technicality, and Antonio starts to fear for his life.
Lowell has been offered a job at Logan Airport in Boston, but he doesn't want to leave Nantucket.
When Alex tells Antonio and Helen that she posed nude for Playboy while in college, the secret is just too good to keep quiet.
Joe mortgages his house to buy Helen a new cello so she can audition for a string quartet. Subplot: Fay, Lowell, Roy and Antonio rehearse for a community theatre play titled "Phantom of the Oprah".
Helen gets the quartet role but hates it. However, she doesn't know how to quit without letting Joe and Brian down. Faye, Roy, Antonio and Lowell practice for their awful play.
Brian tries to impress Alex by telling her he knows Clint Black. Subplot: Antonio becomes a fan of I Love Lucy. Kirstie Alley makes a cameo as Rebecca Howe from Cheers.
After Helen agrees to a date with a sensitive guy she just met, Joe and Brian try to be more sensitive to get to Alex. Subplot: Lowell wants a nickname.
Helen throws a surprise birthday for Nantucket's most unpopular resident, 70-year-old Carlton Blanchard, who threatens to become a permanent household fixture after suffering a fall in her home.
Lowell has a hard time accepting that a long-time mechanic friend of his, Weeb Gilroy, has died. Subplot: Joe and Brian have to keep an already sleepless Helen awake for another 18 hours after she suffers a concussion.
The gang gets invited to attend the wedding of Walter, the airport's air traffic controller.
Brian tries to impress Alex with a spontaneous date to Maine, but the date is pre-planned.