Plot

Sheriff Andy Taylor invites Aunt Bee to stay and help raise his 6-year-old son Opie when his housekeeper, Rose, leaves to get married. Opie objects to the change.

In the sleepy township of Mayberry, North Carolina, Sheriff/Justice of the Peace Andy Taylor is just about to join citizens Wilbur and Rose in holy matrimony. Rose is Andy's former housekeeper, and marrying Wilbur means that she will no longer take care of Andy and his six-year-old son Opie. During the wedding, Opie makes his objection to the marriage known as he feels it means Rose doesn't love him anymore. Into Rose's place comes Andy's Aunt Bee, who leaves her lonely spinster life to live with Andy and Opie full time, yet there are objections from Opie, who sees Aunt Bee as an interloper who will never live up to all the things that Rose was in his life. All Opie's attempts to prove that Aunt Bee isn't needed fail, as does Andy's attempts to make her more accessible to Opie, like teaching her to fish and play baseball. The last straw comes when Opie discovers his bird Dickie missing from his cage because Aunt Bee left it open while cleaning it. Finally, Aunt Bee decides that it would be best to just leave, but Opie has a change of heart, deciding that she will be nothing without the important skills of baseball, fishing and frog hunting, and that he is the only person who can teach her these important skills. In the end, he accepts Aunt Bee, Dickie returns, and Andy plays a tune on the guitar. All is well.—Jerry Dean Roberts

Andy and Opie's housekeeper, Rose, gets married to Wilbur Pine and Opie is not happy about losing the only woman he has ever known to raise him. Andy's Aunt Bee comes to town to replace Rose but Opie has a hard time warming up to her, especially when he learns that Opie doesn't know how to do any of the fun things he likes to do.—burvegas-1

Rose, Opie's beloved housekeeper, is leaving to get married and Andy's aunt, Bee (who raised him), is coming to replace her. Opie refuses to even give her a chance and, after a few mishaps by Bee, she decides to leave. Opie realizes she can't do anything right without him, so he tells her to stay.—bobbymaxwell

With Andy's long-time housekeeper Rose getting married, his Aunt Bee comes to Mayberry to live with him. Andy is close to his Aunt Bee, whom raised him as a child. Opie on the other hand has difficulty readily adapting to this new arrangement. For him, no one can replace Rose, and no matter how hard she tries, Aunt Bee can't seem to bring him around. When she accidentally leaves Opie's birdcage open and his pet escapes, she decides that it might be best for her to go. Opie overhears and realizes that he really wants her to stay.—garykmcd

The episode begins with Andy acting not as Sheriff but as Justice of Peace. He is performing the marriage ceremony for Rose, his housekeeper and Opie's surrogate mother. Despite some rather creative protest from Opie, the two are married and Rose if off to her new life.

With Rose now off and married, Andy asks his Aunt Bee, who raised not only Andy but several other members of his family, to come and take Rose's place. This idea does not set well with Opie who rejects Aunt Bee before she ever arrives. Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Andy makes numerous efforts to warm Opie up to Aunt Bee but Opie remains unimpressed, convinced that Aunt Bee could never raise him because she lacks the essential skills of any housekeeper, abilities like playing baseball, hunting frogs, or, of course, fishing. When it looks like Aunt Bee is responsible for Opie losing Dickie, his pet bird, Aunt Bee realizes she's fighting a losing battle.

Aunt Bee finally gives up and decides it would be better to move on. However, Opie has a sudden change of heart and decides that Aunt Bee must stay so he can teach her the essentials of life.