Andrew Ackerman feels that Mary's appearance on The David Susskind Show will bring attention -and more money- to the psychiatric ward at Fernwood Receiving. Mary meets Wanda Rittenhouse on the ward, and Wanda thanks Mary for making "BDs" respectable. Mary tells Dr. Williams that she'd rather be a plant than a person, but he reassures her that she's stronger than she thinks. Charlie and Loretta wonder exactly what injuries were inflicted by the gunshot in Merle's motel room. Mary is welcomed into her new Nielsen family at the hospital.

Mary becomes better acquainted with her hospital family. Cathy is confused by the results of a pregnancy test. Not knowing the extent of his injuries frustrates Charlie. Merle calls the hospital to make amends. Tom finds Heather with a new look and taking good care of herself at home. Ackerman and Dr. Williams reach an impasse over the length of Mary's stay.

Dr. Williams reveals to Mary that Tom signed her commitment papers. Grandpa Larkin suggests that Cathy turn go to George with news of her pregnancy. Charlie begs Nurse Nugent to tell him if he lost his manhood. Fletch realizes Chester stole the missing plutonium, which Chester says can level all of southern Ohio. Wanda asks Mary to be in charge of the ward while she's out on a weekend furlough.

Dr. Fermin has answers for Charlie, but it doesn't put the patient's mind to rest. Martha explains to Grandpa Larkin the facts surrounding George's mysterious disappearance. Merle attempts to buy Jimmy Joe's forgiveness with a television set. Wanda leaves the ward in Mary's capable hands

Loretta and Merle come face to face for the first time since the shooting. Chester confides to Mary that he hid a nuclear device in the hospital and plans to blast his way out. Charlie hides his condition from Tom. Martha swoons when Cathy reveals George disappeared because of her pregnancy. Watching the 6:30 newscast proves an electrifying experience for the Reverend Jimmy Joe.

Mary and Tom are happily reunited at Fernwood Receiving, but the visit takes an unfortunate turn when she confesses she thinks Chester is dangerous. Cathy wants to have a talk with Clete, who interviews Merle about the most recent tragedy in his motel room. Charlie insists that Loretta pledge not to tell a soul about the exact nature of his injuries.

News of Jimmy Joe distresses Mary. Cathy's pregnancy delights Clete until he realizes that she's three months along. Martha and Heather discuss death. Tom reassures Heather that Mary's condition is improving. Loretta secretly phones Merle and agrees to meet him at the Capri. Mary questions Nurse Gimble about her latest injury in a series of injuries.

Merle announces his plan to leave Fernwood, but first, a bowler at the Capri Lounge wonders if he might run for public office. Dr. Williams attempts to assuage Mary's fears about Chester's plan to level Ohio with a nuclear device. Ackerman fights to keep Mary institutionalized as long as possible because she's "money in the bank." Mary receives a stack of fan mail from TV viewers and talks to Gore Vidal on the phone.

Dr. Williams confirms Mary's chat with Gore Vidal when Mary requests an overnight pass to go home and clean her kitchen for his visit. Mary wonders if she'll be required to have sex with Dr. Medwick, the sex therapist Dr. Williams recommends for her treatment. Martha reports George's disappearance to Detective Sergeant Johnson, Heather's former bodyguard during the Davey Jessup saga. Dr. Medwick explains to Mary how the bible encourages healthy sex for pleasure.

Loretta eases Charlie's mind by telling him that Merle's leaving Fernwood. Dr. Williams promises to give Mary an overnight pass from the ward. Tom discusses his new job with Heather. Charlie is released from the hospital but has performance anxiety when he and Loretta get home.

Charlie's up in the night, but not the way Loretta dreamed, so she works on the song "Moanin' in the Night." At the Bide-a-Wee Inn, Cathy meets Mrs. Delorean who's moonlighting as a hotel clerk, and convinces her to see the guest register in hope of finding The Armenian's last name. Merle visits the Haggers house and tells an ambivalent Loretta that he's been reborn by the Lord as a politician. Mary arrives home to find her kitchen trashed, Heather in platform shoes, and lots of drama in the family.

Tom arrives home from his white collar job, and Mary is stunned at how much he looks like the husband she imagined in her doll house. Detective Johnson informs Martha that George may have led a double life and doesn't want to be found, leading him to ask her to accompany him to a dance. Martha receives a phone call from the mysterious Jack and Jill, who claim that George has been abducted on a UFO. In the bedroom, Mary tells Tom what she learned about the bible and sex from Dr. Medwick. At first Tom is disgusted by the sight of his and Mary's reflection in the bedroom mirror, but as they begin to make love, he becomes aroused by it.

Martha explains George's disappearance to Mary. Loretta confides to Mary the exact nature of Charlie's injuries and how it affects her marriage. Merle attempts to make amends to Charlie, but Mary interrupts and accidentally reveals Charlie's impotence. Charlie rages at Loretta for her betrayal. Heather and Mary discuss going crazy.

Tom gives Mary the choice of returning to the psychiatric ward when her overnight pass ends. Dr. Williams tells Ackerman that nothing short of induced psychosis will prevent Mary from successfully completing treatment soon. Mary enjoys a reunion and marble swirl cake with her Fernwood Receiving family. Merle meets with Commissioner Rittenhouse, Fernwood's zoning commissioner, to discuss tax exempt status on the Condos for Christ property, but Rittenhouse wants green papers in exchange. Loretta attempts to tell Merle why she can't talk to him ever again. Mary, Wanda, and Nurse Gimble chat about their husbands, and Mary notices that Nurse Gimble has added another injury to her body.

Chester phones Fletch at the laboratory, and he convinces Mary that Chester is in possession of dangerous plutonium 239. Mary exposes Chester's threat to Nurse Gimble, but she suggests Mary's regressing into fantasy. Charlie finds an ad in a magazine, giving him hope that a doctor in New Jersey can restore what's missing from the groin. Nurse Gimble theorizes about the violent nature of men. Tom sells his first recreational vehicle then meets live wire trucker Annie Wylie.

Tom visits Annie's trailer and accepts a dinner invitation from her. Dr. Fermin advises Cathy to sell her unborn baby to a needy, but wealthy, couple. Tom finds Mary's story about Chester's nuclear device difficult to believe.

At the Capri Lounge, Loretta sings "Moanin' in the Night."

Loretta foresees trouble for Mary and Tom when Annie decides to remain in Fernwood for an extended visit. Mary and Gore Vidal get to know one another. Charlie admits to Loretta his embarrassment over her new song. Loretta suggests hypnotherapy as a cure for Charlie's sexual dysfunction.

Garth Gimble, Nurse Pat's husband, tells Ackerman his plan to promote the hospital through a Mary Hartman Homecoming Day and burial of a time capsule to be opened in 2076. Ackerman realizes that he must release Mary early in order to have Gore Vidal's participation in the time capsule burial. Loretta warns Mary that Tom is getting too close to Annie Wylie. Loretta attempts to hypnotize Charlie.

Mary is told that she'll select the items for the time capsule being buried by the Fernwood Chamber of Commerce. Grandpa visits Mary and recognizes Chester as a madman. Loretta tantalizes Dr. Medwick with her erotic dreams. Cathy considers aborting the baby. Martha receives a letter regarding George's disappearance.

Mary schemes to bury Chester's Peanuts lunch box containing the nuclear device in Fernwood's time capsule. Martha receives a phone call from Jack and Jill Renquist, who claim they can make contact with George on the flying saucer. Detective Johnson continues to get closer to Martha. Mary and Wanda watch Merle, Annie, and Commissioner Rittenhouse on Clete Meizenheimer's public affairs show Tee Vee Dinner. During the broadcast, Merle accuses the commissioner of corruption, and Rittenhouse chokes to death on his TV dinner.

Tom and Heather give Gore the brush off, so he interviews Martha. Mary is in a lather to get Heather's old Peanuts lunch box, which is identical to Chester's. Mary and Tom discuss their friendships with Gore and Annie. While Chester is distracted by playing a game with Heather, Mary switches the lunch boxes, but she might have been caught.

Gore promises to promote Ackerman and Fernwood Receiving on The Merv Griffin Show, but first he has to convince Merv. Annie accepts Tom's offer to park her trailer in his driveway. Mary phones home and notes Tom's lack of enthusiasm over Mary Hartman Homecoming Day. Wanda reassures Merle that he's not to blame for Commissioner Rittenhouse's death. Charlie phones Dr. Fratkis, who offers reconstructive surgery for $5000.

Just as Mary leaves the hospital, sex therapist Mona McKenzie is admitted for getting too much of a good thing. Nurse Gimble continues to show up with more bodily injury. Jack and Jill Renquist visit Martha and promise to make contact with George just as soon as she pays their expenses. Wanda insists that Merle assume her late husband's position as zoning commissioner. Charlie runs into Jody Troxel, the son of Charlie's old friend Hubie.

Mary tells Tom that she switched Heather's lunch box with Chester's. Garth decides to use Mary's comment "you're only as recovered as you think you are" as the PR catchphrase for Fernwood's economic growth campaign. Watching the time capsule ceremony on television with Mona, Chester realizes that he was tricked. Annie has breakfast with the Hartmans, inciting Mary's jealousy. Charlie introduces race car driver Jody to Loretta.