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Private Notes
In the premiere episode, ""Pilot,"" Rodney tells his wife, Trina, that he wants to put aside his horrible job at a fiberglass plant in order to pursue his dream of making standup comedy his career. But Trina doesn't know how supportive she can be of his decision; she's concerned about how they're going to support themselves on just her salary. Trina's father, Carl is no fan of Rodney's, so he's not surprised by the recent turn of events.
While Rodney and Trina try to work through the situation, Rodney won't let life get dull. He's not afraid to honor his bet from Barry and walk into a department store naked. Not afraid to take credit for the birthday flowers someone else sent his wife. Not afraid to get between his fighting boys. And he's not afraid to face down an unhappy patron at the local bar where he does his comedy act who wants her money back, claiming Rodney didn't make her laugh.
Trina breathes a sigh of relief when Rodney tells her that his new standup gig at a comedy club will be enough to finally pay off their bills. Later on he finds out that the job pays much less than he'd thought, and his hesitation to tell Trina the truth gets him into hot water. Meanwhile, Rodney tries to convince his sons, Bo and Jack, that he's a superhero.
When 10-year-old Jack starts mimicking his father's practical jokes and playing them on his teacher, he lands in detention for his behavior. Rodney and Trina wonder why they're more upset about it than their son seems to be, until they meet his young, attractive teacher. Meanwhile Barry, who is terrified of speaking in front of an audience, asks Rodney for help with a speech he has to give.
When the plumbing and the water heater go bust at the Hamilton household, Rodney refuses to take financial help from his father-in-law, Carl. Unbeknownst to Rodney, Trina does take her father up on his offer and, when Rodney finds out, he's determined to pay off the debt by going to work for Carl's car dealership -- as a repo man!
To celebrate Halloween, Rodney's favorite holiday, he and Barry decide to play a practical joke on police officer Gerald Bob (Jon Reep), but their antics go awry and Rodney ends up at the police station.
When Rodney's young-at-heart mother arrives in town, he suspects it has something to do with her selfishly ending yet another marriage - her sixth -- until he finds out her real reason for being there.
Upset that Charlie almost destroyed his truck, Rodney explains to Bo and Jack why the old truck has such sentimental value to him. Through flashbacks, he reminisces how he bought the truck with his last money from Carl, and how it ultimately played a key role when he and Trina fell in love.
This Thanksgiving, Rodney and Trina try to avoid having the big holiday dinner that every year turns into a disaster because of the crazy antics of their families. When the dinner turns into a big disaster anyway, they are determined to not let it ruin their day -- in spite of a shocking surprise from Carl and Patsy that tests their resolve.
Although Rodney and Trina can no longer take another night sleeping on their lumpy mattress, they can't afford to buy a new one. But when Rodney goes shopping at a mattress store, the charming and sexy saleswoman, Carmen, convinces him to buy the most expensive one in the store. Instead of getting a good night's sleep, Rodney has sexy dreams about Carmen and is torn between telling Trina or keeping his secret to himself.
The true spirit of Christmas gets a little lost when Rodney, determined not to disappoint Bo and obsessed with finding the video game the boy so much wants, accidentally pulls down the church's huge religious landmark in his zealous quest. Meanwhile, a single-minded Trina wants the boys to experience the holiday church service up close, and becomes similarly obsessed with getting the family the best seats in the house.
As Rodney and son Jack are preparing for their duet at Jack's school talent show, Rodney has to reluctantly cancel when he gets a last-minute out of town standup gig that could really launch his comedy career. Jack acts like it doesn't bother him, but Rodney, wracked with guilt, wonders if he made the right decision. Meanwhile, Trina gives Charlie money to enroll at the local community college, but Charlie focuses more on buying new clothes, getting invited to keg parties and being popular than she does on her studies. (ABC)
Trina is competing with her co-worker, Irene (Patrika Darbo), for a promotion at work. When Rodney offers to accompany Trina to her job's fancy charity ball, she needs to make a good impression on her boss, Gordon (Ronald Ernest West), -- who hates Rodney. Once there, Rodney tries to impress Trina's boss, but a series of embarrassing incidents aren't likely to help Trina's cause.
After man-hungry Charlie goes through yet another bad break-up, a sympathetic Trina lets her camp out with her and Rodney at their home to help her over a string of bad luck with men. To get her out of their house, Rodney takes it upon himself to find Charlie a new guy and introduces her to a promising prospect.
Since Rodney and Barry's birthdays are just days apart, they have a tradition they refer to as ""Hell Week"" in which they play pranks and send each other outrageous gifts the other has to accept. One of Barry's crazy pranks includes publishing Rodney's obituary, which brings an unexpected visitor to Rodney's doorstep-his estranged father, who hasn't seen Rodney since he was 16.
Charlie surprises everyone when she tells them that she and her latest boyfriend, Kirk, her college professor, are getting married the following week. Rodney, who has his own suspicions about Kirk, gets another surprise when he sees Carl, his father-in-law, being more friendly to Kirk than he has ever been to Rodney, and the two finally have it out about their relationship.
On Valentine's Day, which is also Charlie's wedding day, Rodney wants to get Trina the engagement ring he couldn't afford when they got married. But the jeweler makes a mistake and the diamond for the ring ends up in a very unusual place! Meanwhile, Charlie wonders if she and her fiancée, Kirk, can look forward to the same fun and loving relationship that Rodney and Trina have.
Rodney and Barry's longtime friendship is tested when a financially-strapped Rodney unwittingly takes a job with Barry's competitor to earn some extra cash. Guilt-ridden, Rodney tries to keep it a secret, but Barry discovers the deception and busts him. Meanwhile, Trina and Charlie have a Tupperware-style ""lingerie party"" and discover at the end of the party that one of the marital aid gadgets is missing.
While the boys are away camping with their Grampa Carl, Trina looks forward to spending an entire day with Rodney, and even christens it ""We Day."" They go to a garage sale, buying each other under-a-dollar gifts, including a mannequin named Ruthie. But in the middle of their fun day, Rodney decides he wants to keep a golf date with Barry, causing Trina to question -- with some encouragement from Charley -- why she and her husband can't be together for just one whole day.
Rodney gets a job on a cruise ship and is excited that he can accomplish two goals: take Trina on the honeymoon they never had and pay the property taxes. But while Trina is getting over a bout of seasickness, Rodney gambles away all of their spending money. Meanwhile, back home, Charlie throws a party for her junior college friends at Rodney and Trina's, and a reluctant Barry decides to join in the fun.
Things start looking up for Rodney and his career as a standup comic when a talent agent gives him a shot to be in a showcase. But then Trina loses her job at the bank and Rodney is forced to take a second job working nights. Exhausted, Rodney must find a way to stay awake long enough to appear in the showcase.
After the family's TV is stolen in a robbery, Trina refuses to let Rodney use their health insurance money to buy a new one. Bo doesn't want to have his friends over without a TV, so Rodney comes up with a creative but somewhat risky solution to get the cash for a new set.
Just when Rodney gets the chance to spend some special time with his family, his agent gets him a well-paying comedy gig which would take him away from Trina and the boys for two months. Now Rodney and his family must deal with the bittersweet reality of his finally realizing his dream -- even if it means that Rodney has to leave for awhile in order to provide his family with a better life.
