To encourage Joe to get more involved with community, Marie puts him in charge of directing the school play at the youth center. Joe's diva like direction angers the parents, but the children love his over the top antics and have him convert their usual performance of ""Yankee Doodle"" into selections from ""Salome.""

Joe attempts to end a long standing feud with a neighboring family, over a punch bowl Marie claims they never returned, when he notices Michael showing an interest in the youngest daughter of the other family.

While cleaning out the attic, Michael and Joe come across Marie's old diary, and deduce it was written about the time Marie was expecting Joe. After reading a few pages, Joe gets the assumption that Marie was having an affair with a neighbor, and thinks he's illegitimate.