Summer has arrived and Parker is ready for it. With a new hair style he checks off step one of his 3-step plan towards maximum coolness... That is until his prank (step 2) winds up with the wrong person taking the blame for the crime. This is when the character Brad Penny is introduced as he takes the heat for the prank gone bad. Now Parker's Summer might not be as bright as he planned with the fear of Brad looming as he seeks vengeance.
In a strange turn of events Brad Penny starts to treat Parker as a friend. Knowing there should be something lingering below the surface Parker falls back to his friends for support. Like a plague the once menacing Brad Penny is one step ahead and has befriended seemingly everybody in town. Now Parker faces the possibility that he's going crazy as everyone is under Brad's spell. For once Parker isn't the cool and collected guy from years past as paranoia haunts him throughout the episode.
Whenever Shelley can exploit weakness in Parker she does. Being an older, buff and bad boy, Brad Penny is also the sworn enemy of Parker Lewis. Consequently Shelley makes a goal of getting a kiss from him against Parker's wishes. As an added bonus Shelley knows Parker is rather powerless against Brad with his track record of 0-2 against him. Also in love news Coach Kohler steps up his game in attempts of winning the heart of Grace Musso. Either Valentine's Day come early this year or a few people are going to wind up crushed.
With Annie leaving town for a bit Parker is left with Mikey for entertainment. Mikey's idea of entertainment though usually involves flirting with the ladies and consequently leaves Parker in an awkward position. As the two hook up with two college girls and go to an underground dance a potential connection is made. Parker's faced with the very real possibility of cheating on Annie and probably not getting caught. Will Parker give into pressure or will his conscience eat him alive?
Love is definitely in the air and everyone wants a piece. Musso's found a suave piano player, Mikey's found a good looker but has yet to talk to, and Kubiac thinks he found a match for Kohler. Things aren't what they seem though as everyone who's found love learns the moral of the episode, "Love is Hell".
Whenever girls are involved with the buds it's either with Parker or with Mikey. Now when both guys are going on a double date Jerry is completely left behind. Wanting to break out and do something different before the Summer is over, Jerry bumps into Brad Penny and his group. Jerry proceeds to experience life from a different vantage point in Brad's group instead of with Mikey and Parker. Now Jerry gets to see what being a bad boy is all about.
Annie sees something in Kube that no one else has seen before. She notices that the gentle giant is really good with kids and even goes so far as to have him help her with watching over the daycare kids. Parker watches his Annie time get gobbled up with busy schedules until Larry is spending more time with Annie than he is. Parker grows paranoid and Larry starts to think maybe he'd be a better match with Annie than Parker.
In the diner things start slipping a little bit when Kohler finds love and Kohler has his uptight friend managing the diner. Now Mikey is on edge with the no-holds manager who runs things by the book. At the same time Parker has to intervene when Hank jumps into marrying the girl he's nearly just met. All the while Grace seeks a chance to finally be rid herself of Hank by making sure Hank and Carol's marriage goes off without a hitch.
The very real threat to small business owners is whenever a mega-corporation takes up shop and shuts their competition down. Mondo Video's existence is potentially in ruin as "Powder Keg Video" has opened up one of their franchises in Santo Domingo. Mr. Lewis finds that no matter what he does Powder Keg is slowly running him out of business. Mr. Lewis is posed with option of shutting down Mondo Video and managing the new Powder Keg Video, but can he swallow his pride and work as a corporate slave?
The back-story of Coach Kohler has until now been somewhat of a mystery. Out of the blue Hank's dad appears and gives Hank his share of inheritance from his mother's death. Kohler is his own worst enemy and as his dad anticipated spends the money in the blink of an eye as he buys Atlas Diner. Knowing nothing about running a restaurant he may have bitten off more than he can chew (no pun intended) as he runs the restaurant into the ground. The only person that can get through to him is his mother and seeing as it's her estate that allowed Hank to buy the restaurant it ...
Parker's at the age when he deals with the responsibility of purchasing his first car. Against his dad's wishes for a safe and reliable Volvo, Parker decides on a convertible sports car instead. Parker's dad feels as if he's losing his son as he grows older and more independent, and this decision weighs heavily on both of them.
The constant search Grace Musso has been on to find her significant other might have come to an end. Parker's Uncle Bill is single and has come across Ms. Musso and has found love. Though finding Ms. Musso love with Bill entails special treatment from Musso the threat of Grace becoming their aunt is a hard pill to swallow. Parker and Shelley need to decide whether they should intervene and break the two up or ride the wave of fringe benefits.