Maude

After a wild cocktail party, lasting most of the night, Walter faces a bad hangover and Maude's wrath -- but refuses to face the fact that he has a drinking problem. Arthur, who had almost as good a time as Walter (and feels almost as bad the next morning), makes a pact with Maude that they will all go on the wagon for a month, and Walter reluctantly agrees to join them.

After slugging Maude when he was loaded the night before, Walter comes downstairs the next morning full of guilt and remorse and wallowing in self-pity. Although Walter has promised to stop drinking, a phone call from his office sets him off again, and Arthur convinces Maude that Walter should seek professional help with his problem.

Walter declares his own "I Love You Day" holiday, but his plans to spend a romantic day with Maude are thwarted by Vivian, Maude's best friend, who insists on unloading her divorce-proceedings problems. Comedian Johnny Brown guest stars as a door-to-door salesman who is no match for Florida Evans' sales resistance.

When Vivian returns from a five-week vacation looking ten years younger, everyone -- with one exception, tells her how great she looks. Vivian accuses Maude of being jealous of her new, youthful look, but Maude angrily insists she has no hang-ups about her own age and appearance.

Since Vivian returned from a trip with a face lift, now Maude wants one. She goes to Boston to have it done.

Is it fair for a woman to admit being attracted to a man other than her husband? Maude and Carol say yes but Florida isn't sure, and that's where the trouble starts. The man repairing the Findlay's furnace is more interested in lighting Florida's fire than in heating the house and refuses to take no for an answer.

When Maude takes a part-time job selling real estate she discovers she may have to choose between her newly acquired real estate license and her marriage license. Even though Maude feels happily fulfilled, Walter is just not ready to settle for a part-time wife and he issues an ultimatum.

When Carol's boyfriend accepts an invitation to stay overnight, Maude finds herself in a tug-of-war with her own double standards. The generation gap widens considerably when Maude assumes Carol's boyfriend will sleep in the guestroom.

Maude is having the time of her life fixing up blind dates for Vivian with every available loser in town. When Vivian returns, torn, disheveled, and unfed from her latest dinner date, she tells Maude to stay out of her life once and for all. Determined to help Vivian out of her depression, Maude asks Arthur to invite Vivian to his house for a chat to calm her down.

Maude stages a charity musical in the high school auditorium and everyone gets into the act. On the day before opening night, Arthur, as a member of the school board, threatens to close down the entire show, which he terms as "hard-core pornography. "

Maude and Walter get into an argument over writing their wills and the items each list.

Maude is happy and excited and can't wait to spring her big surprise wedding gift on Carol and Chris, Carol's intended. When she does, however, Walter leaves the house and Carol and Chris end up in a riotous argument. Carol resents Maude's intrusion into her marriage plans and Maude resents Carol's attitude.

Walter's anniversary gift to Maude is an electric organ on which he promises to serenade her -- just as soon as he completes the mail-order instruction course. A few days of Walter's practicing drives the household up the wall. Maude drives Walter out of the house and Walter drives his car into a tree.

Walter turns from a benevolent host into Scrooge when he and Maude host a Christmas Eve party for his employees. Sure that he has a perfect team relationship with his employees at the appliance store, Walter is shocked when they announce some changes they have in mind for the future. Walter orders them out of his house.

Maude & Walter invite Vivian and Arthur over for dinner, but Maude is not looking forward to the lovebirds cooing over each other. They arrive, but arguing. Arthur constantly talks about his dead wife.

Maude's flawed liberalism bubbles to the surface once more as she decides it would be a lovely gesture to invite a black child from the ghetto to live with them for two weeks. Francie Potter, a saucy teenager from the ghetto, arrives at the Findlay house in a resentful, uncooperative mood and in a very short time Maude realizes she's finally met her match.

Should the contents of a man's wallet be "off-limits" to his wife? Walter definitely thinks so, but Maude believes that husbands and wives should have nothing to hide from each other. Walter's adamant attitude makes Maude suspicious, and when his wallet accidentally falls out of a drawer, she can't resist the temptation to peek at its contents.

Maude is depressed on her birthday, and is surprised by the party Walter throws for her. All Maude wants is for Walter to stay with her instead of going to talk with the men. Walter forgets his promise and Maude leaves her own party.

In a frantic effort to get Arthur and Vivian married, Maude plans a weekend wedding in wintry New England but the wedding party becomes snowbound in a Vermont train station. Arthur's heart may belong to Vivian but his stomach is in limbo and he gets nauseous each time they get close to saying their vows.

Florida's husband, Henry, gets a promotion which means Florida can quit her job as a housekeeper for the Findlays and be a full-time wife for her own family, but she doesn't know how to break the news to Maude. Florida has hesitated for a week in giving her notice but Henry lays it on the line: If Florida doesn't tell Maude, he will.

Walter's tax return is being audited and he's worried. Maude is unable to pinpoint the time and place of her past association with the tax man -- until she sees the tattoo on his arm and remembers him as the sailor who had tried to attack her 31 years ago.

Arthur and his new bride, Vivian, return from their honeymoon to a hostile Maude and Walter. Walter has just lost a bundle on a bad investment tip given him by Arthur. At first, Maude accuses Walter of acting silly and childish about dropping a few dollars in the stock market -- but she's speechless when she learns how much he actually lost and where he got the money to invest.

Carol is having discipline problems with her son and hesitates to take a short vacation, but Maude assures Carol that all Phillip needs is a little grandmotherly love and affection. After Carol leaves, Maude settles down to giving Phillip her tender loving care. She soon learns, however, that even Maude Findlay is not always capable of bridging the generation gap.

Francie's boyfriend talks her into visiting Maude and asking for a lot of money. She puts on a good act about being tired, upset, and having problems. Francie and Hinkley plan to run away.