- Ray and Debra try to be nice to each other.
- Debra and Ray realize they are nicer to strangers than to each other. Ray wants to know where the paper is, while Debra is talking on the phone. Ray keeps interrupting her while Debra is trying to have a conversation with her friend. Meanwhile Ray ignores whatever Debra is saying while he is watching sports center. During the show, Debra had asked Ray to take the kids to the park, so she could have some time to clean up the house and have sometime for a small nap.
Debra later goes to the park herself and finds that Ray is helping other moms (Lori (Mary Jo Keenen) and Elise (Stephanie Erb)) by keeping an eye on their kids while they run errands. Debra is shocked to find that Lori and Elise find Ray helpful, thoughtful and resourceful.
Ray and Debra decide to be nicer to each other. Ray wants Debra to stop calling him an idiot & call him sweetie instead and Debra wants Ray to give her unassisted compliments (Debra says that she always has to fish for compliments by asking "how do I look", or "what did you think of dinner") and not disturb her while she is on the phone.
Debra wants to donate books for a community book fair and wants Ray to help her out. Frank and Robert also bring over books that they want to donate. Things go well at first, but Frank and Robert warn Ray and Debra. Due to Ray helping out Debra, he is not watching the game. And while Ray is helping out, Debra is bringing him refreshing drinks.
They hug in front of Frank, Marie and Robert, who cannot understand what is happening. Frank and Robert say being nice is not the answer as couples need to blow off steam with each other. Marie says that couples need to be kind and that kindness has always been her motto. Marie says that it is out of kindness that she does not criticize Debra, unlike her other friends, who would not stop talking about their daughters-in-law. Frank argues that if couples don't fight each other, they fight with others and that's how brawl starts. A spouse is the perfect escape valve. Robert was nice to his ex-wife every single day and that did not help at all when she left him.
But the situation gets awkward when they are just pretend-nice to avoid being honest. Ray doesn't want fish for dinner that Debra cooked. He asks for anything else, and Debra makes him a turkey sandwich. But Ray doesn't like the sandwich that she made, as she used a new dressing, which tastes weird. Ray says nice things to avoid being honest. Ray and Debra end up fighting about everything. Ray says that he sees no difference in being nice or fake nice, just to keep the other person happy. Eventually Ray makes a deal with Debra, he can throw the sandwich and she can call him an idiot. And now both are happy. Ray gets very excited and wants to have sex with Debra, but she gets fake excited and follows Ray very slowly.
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