Trama

When Marie covers for Debra, she ends up owing Marie a favor.

Debra accidentally throws out Ray's letter from Muhammad Ali and Marie takes the blame for it. But in return for helping Debra, Marie has Debra take the blame for the disappearance of Frank's clothes. Debra can't lie very well so she tells Frank the truth and tells him not to tell Marie. In return Frank wants her to take the blame for digging up Marie's roses. It becomes one big mess.—Chris Green

Debra complains to Ray about leaving things around the house. When Ray leaves his Sports Illustrated magazine on the dining table for a few days, she throws it out. Ray says that he doesn't want Debra touching his stuff, but she asks Ray to put his stuff away properly in its proper place. Debra is adamant that she will not touch Ray's stuff if he puts it away.

Robert gives Ray a letter he got from Muhammad Ali as an appreciation for the article Ray wrote on Ali being his first sports hero. Robert had come across Ali during one of his police calls. He sent Ali's manager the article written by Ray and he responded to Robert with the letter of appreciation. Ray was very excited, he wanted to frame the letter and says that he would redesign the house around the letter. Since Ray and Robert were in a hurry for a golf game, Ray leaves the letter in a kitchen drawer.

Debra accidentally throws out the letter Ray got from Muhammad Ali. She was in a hurry and cleaned out the drawer where Ray had kept the appreciation letter from Mr Ali. The drawer was full of marketing fliers and Debra was looking for a coupon when she decided to clean it by throwing everything out into garbage.

Ray returns home and starts looking for the Ali letter in the drawer. Ray starts panicking as he cannot find the letter, while Andy (Andy Kindler) and Gianni (Joe Manfrellotti) make fun of Ray as they allege that there was no letter to begin with. Ray starts tearing the kitchen apart trying to find the letter. Debra runs to Marie to recite how she threw out the letter and says Ray will kill her. To save her from Ray's wrath, Marie takes the blame for the letter. Marie starts crying and Ray has to give up in front of her.

As a return favor she blames Debra for throwing away Frank's old clothes. Debra has to admit that she gave all of Frank clothes to a door-to-door dry-cleaning person who was trying to put himself through college. She then claims that no one picked the phone when she called to get the clothes back.

Maries goes to get new clothes for Frank as she had kept a costume for Frank to wear on Easter. Frank complains to Debra that he hates the clothes that Marie buys for him as they make him look like a dandy or a Frenchman. Debra confesses to Frank that Marie got rid of his clothes and she is forced to cover for Frank when he digs up Marie's rose bush. She gives up and tells Ray the truth. Marie then tells Debra that she bought Debra's birthday gift (a necklace that she is wearing around her neck), because Ray forgot it.

Marie's method of using favors to control them comes out in the open. But she tries to spin it by saying that she covers for everyone as that's what a mother does.

Marie gets Frank's old clothes back from the homeless shelter, but now Frank is used to prancing around in Marie's nightgown.