Maggie receives a letter from the government suggesting reasons why she hasn't been cashing her pension cheques. She is worried that if the government finds out how much money she has, they'll stop sending her the cheques.
Maggie is openly upset that Arthur and Deirdre are getting divorced tomorrow. Why couldn't they have a good marriage like Robert and Liz? Robert's marriage is obviously less than wonderful, but Maggie refuses to see it.
Arthur's uncle dies, and not even a funeral can keep peace within the family. After Maggie buys a bag of oranges and drops them accidentally into the open grave, Arthur's other uncle visits him and Maggie...with an unexpected situation.
Arthur is offered a job in Canberra, but what will he do with Maggie? Should he ask Robert to look after her, or should he take her with him to Canberra? Does he really want the job after all?
Arthur plans to give himself a break from Maggie by asking her sister, Lorna, to stay. This will give him time to spend with his new girlfriend. He discovers that trying to out-manipulate Maggie causes more trouble than it is worth.
Arthur asks some friends around for cards. Maggie can't play cards, so suggests snakes and ladders instead. It isn't always a good idea to bring friends around to meet your mother, especially when she thinks one of them is a Russian spy.
Arthur has begun asserting himself far too strongly since he met his new girlfriend. Maggie considers his morality in question, and decides to leave home and live with Robert, much to Robert's consternation.
