Episode list

Robson Arms' new owners, Chuck and Trixie Hoskins, hold a meet and greet courtyard party for all the tenants. The Hoskins are Texans recently transplanted from the Mexican desert where they were conferring with a Shamin. They're a little eccentric - they own a sensory deprivation tank - and overly friendly. For some tenants, they are just a little too friendly. But the building is still a business, more so Trixie's vision. One of the first orders of business they have with Yuri, who they have kept on as superintendent, is to evict a tenant behind on rent: Bobbi. Going through a divorce from Bobby and without a job, Bobbi is three months behind on her rent. But Bobbi has been trying to cope, which Yuri understands, and because of that, Yuri sticks up for Bobbi to the Hoskins. But the Hoskins get Yuri on their side when they present him with a jacket made from the hide of the Gila Monster. The jacket is like a badge of honor. Yuri is about to talk to Bobbi about the eviction but Bobbi instead gets Yuri sidetracked with an emergency babysitting job looking after Baby Robbie. On this babysitting stint, Yuri for the first time notices Robbie's Texas-shaped birthmark, one just like his own. Thinking that Robbie might be his own son, he enlists Val, who is now working as a janitor at a hospital, to get a DNA test done. Meanwhile, Yuri reluctantly issues the eviction notice to Bobbi. A confrontation with Bobbi about the eviction and the results of the DNA test make Yuri ponder his future at Robson Arms.

Newlywed geeks Fred and Alicia are happy with their new life together. Fred's obnoxious co-worker, Bark - just dumped by his "one-date" girlfriend - is despondent. Although Fred doesn't particularly like Bark (despite the fact that Bark considers Fred to be his best friend), Fred takes pity on him and invites him over for dinner. Bark and Alicia hit it off. For Alicia, Bark reminds her of her brothers Gordie and Kev who live in Ontario. Alicia dearly misses her brothers and the rest of her family, which is why she fosters Bark's friendship. However Bark seems to be slyly hitting on Alicia. Bark becomes Fred's unwanted third wheel in whatever Fred and Alicia do. Alicia tries to set Bark up with her fiend Tish, but Bark seems only to want to spend time with Fred and more so with Alicia alone. Fred eventually feigns illness to get out of spending time with Bark, but Alicia, thinking Fred sick herself, ends up going out with Bark by herself. Fred and Alicia need to clear the air before their marriage can get back into its honeymoon phase, but not before Fred has it out with Bark.

What came first: Sault's negative attitude or her string of very bad luck in Vancouver? Specifically on the work front, she has lost one contract after another to her arch rival, Richard, or Dick as she calls him. Positive thinking may help her in an upcoming request for proposal for a "Yay Vancouver" campaign. In general, Geoff thinks her negativity came first, and he convinces her to accompany him to a positive thinking seminar. After attending, Sault thinks it's a load of rubbish. Trixie also attended the seminar and uses the positive thinking message to her benefit. But after one good thing happens to Sault, a string of good luck seems to follow, including getting the contract for "Yay Vancouver". Sault's perspective turns 180 degrees where she feels that positive thinking will get her anything regardless of anything else she does. After some bad things happen, including learning about Trixie's ulterior motive in doing that first positive thing for Sault, Sault realizes that there is a balance between positive thinking and making things happen for oneself. Sault decides to take charge of her life.

Stanley and Geoff make some compromises in their social life, each committing to do activities the other enjoys. Of late, Geoff has been spending much "mentoring" time with newly out of the closet ex-Robson Arms tenant, Andrew Colton, which has made Stanley slightly jealous and somewhat suspicious. But he doesn't worry about Geoff and Andrew for the time being as he is looking forward to a visit from Toronto by his ex-wife, Frances. Frances is a smart, beautiful woman who has much more socially in common with Stanley than Geoff has with Stanley. Stanley would probably still be married to her if she was only a man! But with Frances and Stanley having such a good time together, Geoff decides to let them go to the opera together instead of Stanley's original commitment of going to Seattle for Pride weekend with Geoff. But Geoff also decides to go to Seattle anyway with Andrew and some other friends. But when Geoff arrives home unexpectedly, he finds that Stanley and Frances have caught up more with each other than would have been expected. But with this major jolt to their relationship, Stanley and Geoff have to make some tough and radical decisions regarding their relationship. Meanwhile, Fred recognizes Chuck as former children's television star, Captain Bed Head. Chuck uses Fred's idolatry of him to his advantage.

Bobbi feels her life is falling apart. She has resorted to selling skin care products over the telephone, but is making no money doing it. And Bobby has not paid child support in months. She has nightmares about who she feels has caused all her problems, namely Sasha. To empower herself, she decides to join SWUT - Single Women United Together - a self-help group. Although she doesn't find solace in the group as its original intent, Bobbi does find solace in the fact that two of the members - in progress transsexual Phyllis aka Phil and shy stuttering Norah - look up to her. The three form a Bobbi clique. Her power role in SWUT is short term when Sasha, who dumped Bobby, joins the group. Despite Sasha volunteering to leave the group, all the non-Bobbi clique members of SWUT vote to keep her in. Bobbi does whatever she can to get Sasha out, but Sasha fights back. After a physical altercation between the two, Bobbi gets expelled from SWUT. During her final act of "revenj" (as she spells it) against Sasha, Bobbi realizes that the two are more alike than she'd really like to admit. But are their similarities enough for Bobbi to bury the hatchet. Meanwhile, Alicia, still angry at Hal, needles him about what she's sees as tenant infractions.

Previous slackers, Hal and Nick, are now productive members of working society. Nick has just started working as an insurance broker and Hal is continuing his career in animal control, working for Dennis. Both Nick and Hal are good at their jobs. Nick is in line for a major promotion, but Hal admittedly doesn't care for the way Dennis runs his business. Life on the most part is going swimmingly for both until Hal's father, Ramon, drives up to Robson Arms. He has retired, sold the family house, bought a motor home and plans on driving to Santiago, Chile. He's just waiting for his passport before he leaves. But during his wait, he causes one ruckus after another in Hal and Nick's home. He also denigrates Hal's job as he doesn't see the profession as being secure. With Ramon's newfound disposable income, Hal asks his dad for a loan to buy his own van to start his own animal control business. Ramon refuses as he'd rather see Hal get a secure office job. But Hal and Nick learn that Ramon isn't as financially secure as he seems, as he has made some less than wise investments with his new best friend, the "Prince of Nigeria". In addition, Ramon's retirement was not quite his own doing. But equally as important, they get the impression that the road trip is all talk as Ramon just doesn't seem to want to leave. An incident at work makes Nick realize that he does not want to grow old without striving for something he really wants in his heart. Both Nick and Hal achieve their dreams when first Ramon lends Hal the requested money, and second a never traveled Nick buys a one year around the world plane ticket.

Carol starts dating Matt, a handsome, intelligent renaissance man who respects Carol as a person. The dinner party crowd of Toni, Bao, Geoff and Stanley all like Matt. But Carol keeps him at a distance. Carol then meets Jason Rogerman, the single father of one of her students. Jason is brash and crass, but deep down is more like Carol in terms of personality than Matt. They start a passionate sexual relationship, all the while each stating that it is only sexual since Carol was up front about her relationship with Matt. The dinner party crowd do meet Jason, and cannot understand why Carol would spend any time with Jason when she has Matt. Public perception takes a hold of Carol's mind set until she realizes that being sympatico with someone is more important than what other people think. Meanwhile, Fred continues his by-the-books running of the building fronting for the Hoskins. Geoff and Stanley can't agree on a wedding date. And the Hoskins start the process to turn Robson Arms into an expanded building of high end condos.

Sault's book proposal is turned down by the publisher. However, the editor of Canuck, a new magazine, likes her writing and wants Sault to write an article on vertical bar conditioning aka pole dancing. This test article leads to Canuck offering her a monthly column. Things finally look to be going right for Sault, until her older sister Alex aka "Annabelle Bonaduce" (the Ste. Marie sisters were big fans of _"Partridge Family, The" (1970)_ when they were kids) comes for a visit. Alex was always the perfect one, and still is seemingly so, with a good job, wonderful and gorgeous family and a yacht club lifestyle. Alex's visit was not by accident: she's come to Vancouver to bring Sault back to Toronto to live under the watchful eye of the family, who think Sault subconsciously sabotages everything positive in her life. Getting advice from Hal, Sault decides that she needs distance from her family despite the fact that she loves them. But Sault's unusual life provides fodder for her monthly column. Meanwhile Stanley has a crush on a new columnist, who writes under the name Annabelle Bonaduce. Elsewhere, Carol leads the charge in the anti-condo movement. But Chuck bribes one more tenant onto the pro-condo side: the Tans.

Hal misses Nick in more ways than one. With Nick still traveling through Europe, Hal misses chumming around with his buddy but also misses Nick's financial contribution to the apartment. Hal is behind in rent, and doesn't want to resort to Trixie's other method of payment (wink, wink). He's even had to hire Joel, who he dislikes, for his animal control business as he can't turn down jobs since he needs the income. Just in time, Nick returns home, but he's not alone. He's brought with him is new Belgian wife, Anke. Anke is beautiful, passionate, emotional, controlling and critical of anyone or anything against her own thoughts and beliefs. She and Hal initially get along until she begins to control everything that happens in the apartment. Hal also doesn't like the "puppy dog" way Nick acts with her. Georgia, who wants to enroll at the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design, wants advice from Anke, who is a self-professed artist herself. Anke denigrates all of Georgia's work, which irks Hal. This is the last straw for Hal who wants Anke out. Anke thinks she's trumped him when she signs a lease for the apartment. The three roommates have come to a head, and Nick ultimately has to make a decision between his best friend and his wife. Meanwhile, Bobbi also needs some money despite receiving Euros in the mail from an anonymous source. She believes the Euros are play money. Tuition for the secretarial course she wants to take has gone up and is now unaffordable to her. The receptionist at the school suggests she earn some easy money as a phone sex operator, a job that goes against all of her puritan attitudes.

An unknown vandal has been wreaking havoc at Robson Arms, this at a time when Trixie is trying to fix the place up to pass code so that the condo approval will go ahead. Chuck is somewhat nonplussed by the vandalism. Trixie thinks the vandal is Carol, the leader of the non-condo movement in the building. In reality, the vandal is a sleepwalking Chuck. When Trixie finds out, she thinks his actions are a sign of subconscious sabotage of her wishes. They have a battle of the wits, this between Trixie's dreams of wealth from the condo development and Chuck's attempts to thwart Trixie's every move for whatever his purpose. Chuck's motives are to continue his and Trixie's illegal maneuvers in making money, in this situation by selling non-existent condo units to offshore investors, then pulling up stakes with their profit. But after running from the law for such a long time, Trixie wants to lead a legal if not ruthless existence in their quest for money. Trixie manages to get her way this time. In the process, an old face returns to Robson Arms to help Trixie in her quest for wealth.

Sault, aka Annabelle Bonaduce, is running out of ideas for her magazine column. The only one of the many hair-brained ideas that Sault came up with that was approved by Charlotte, her editor, was an exposé on a gay wedding, Stanley and Geoff's wedding to be more precise. Sault, as Geoff's maid of honour, is reluctant to tell her "bride" of this news. When she eventually does, Geoff flatly refuses. One would think that Stanley would reject the idea as well, but when he hears about the possible free swag associated to spruce up their otherwise sparse festivities... Meanwhile, Bobbi, with newly received secretarial school diploma in hand, gets her first temp job at the chiropractic office of Dr. Jordan Cohen. Bobbi is excited about the job since she is physically attracted to Jordan. She wants so much to be in love and be loved again, both for herself and for finding a father for Robbie. Luckily for Bobbi, Jordan is as equally attracted to her and he asks her out. Before him asking her on this date, Bobbi secretly rifled through Jordan's private things to find out more about him. She finds only one possible skeleton, which she thinks is a wife named Angela. After their date which included an exciting romp in bed, Bobbi discovers that Jordan's skeleton is not exactly what she thought it was. His skeleton?: he hates children. It really is rather a morbid fear of children. Bobbi initially keeps news of Robbie from Jordan, but when it looks that they are mutually falling in love, Bobbi ultimately has no choice but to tell him. Because of his deep feelings for her, Jordan tells her he will try to not let Robbie get between them. Regardless of if things between Bobbi and Jordan work, Yuri (Robbie's biological father), newly arrived back at Robson Arms, is willing to support Bobbi and Robbie in any way they need.

Val has come to stay with Yuri as Val's been placed under house arrest for some minor infractions and as Val has no where else to go. Once at Robson Arms, Val sees that Yuri is acting a little differently, especially doting on one tenant, namely Bobbi. Val instinctively knows that Robbie is Yuri's son. Providing some brotherly Kukoc advice, Val tells Yuri that Kukoc men make terrible fathers and that he should keep his distance for Bobbi and Robbie's sakes. In a moment of drunkenness, Val kind of lets slip to Bobbi that he knows who Robbie's father is. Bobbi finally comes to the understanding of Robbie's true parentage when she sees Yuri's Texas-shaped birthmark, exactly like Robbie's. After that, Bobbi decides to keep Yuri at an emotional but kind distance. Meanwhile, Geoff and Stanley's wedding is fast approaching. Stanley likes all the free swag they are getting from being "Annabelle Bonaduce's story", but Geoff is finding the extravagance overwhelming. By association, Geoff is also finding the thought of being married overwhelming. Or is Geoff just having a plain case of cold feet? Will he show up to the ceremony? An unexpected incident at the wedding site - Robson Arms' courtyard - may just place enough ease in Geoff's mind to go through with the marriage.

Bobbi finally receives a child support payment from Bobby. But elation for the much needed money is torn for needing to tell Bobby the truth that Robbie is not his biological child. Meanwhile, Chuck and Fred are moving forward on the condo application. Fred and Alicia are looking forward to the new 2-bedroom mountain view unit they will be getting as part of their deal for Fred's work as tenant president. They have the support of fifteen tenants and only require the support of one more tenant to proceed. However, getting that last signature may be a problem as they have run out of supportive tenants. Chuck figures their last hope is to trick elderly Tabitha into signing. What is working in Chuck's favour is that he knows Tabitha trusts Fred and will do whatever Fred tells her to do. On Fred's urging, Tabitha does sign. But Fred is feeling pangs of guilt and remorse when he realizes that Tabitha doesn't have the money to buy a unit and will thus eventually be turned out onto the street. His guilt turns to anger when he realizes that Chuck has been lying to him and to the other tenants. Specifically, Chuck plans not to renew the Tan's lease on the store and has been lying about Hal, Nick and Anke's lease. And worse for Fred and Alicia, he reneges on their large mountain view unit. Fred decides to ease his conscience by tearing up his own signature of support. But Chuck may have one last trick up his sleeve to help get the condo become a reality.