The Weaver family is feeling crowded as Jackie is determined to get closer to Debbie and imitate having a female friend – something she’s had trouble with on her own world with her husband being supreme leader. Jackie actually does a pretty good job of conveying her loneliness while still being utterly ridiculous
Reggie, the aliens’ eldest son is growing increasingly fascinated with Marty’s human activities like changing the oil while his inept, buffoon father does silly things like polish the space ship. Just to make it clear who we’re supposed to regard with contempt, Marty has butched up the traditional masculinity, and Larry is mincing along – let’s not be subtle here. Throughout the episode Reggie is clearly getting closer to Marty much to Larry’s annoyance.
Marty and Debbie, at the limits of their alien tolerance, decide they need to spend more time with actual humans. They invite some of their human friends over – Larry for a guy’s night playing cards and Debbie going out to a tapas bar for sangria. All set – though they have to tell Larry and Jackie that they’re unavailable.
Jackie is happy to meet Debbie’s new friends but Marty and Debbie are quick to convince them it’s best not to come. Jackie interprets this as worrying that she won’t fit in among the humans. She talks to Reggie about this and he introduces her to New Jersey Housewives, a reality TV show. Jackie thinks the people shown are mentally unbalanced but Reggie asks why would they be on television if they weren’t respected (oh why indeed)? Jackie sets about imitating the characters to be a real woman and a real housewife. Reggie again complains about his dad not adapting to humanity and that Larry won’t let them have a television (or a telephone to watch television on).
Prepared in a garish golden dress, Jackie is ready to join Debbie’s party – Reggie wants to go to watch Marty’s poker night and pick up human customs so Larry decides to go to “dominate” the humans and show them which customs are worth learning.
Let the cringe-worthiness commence! Jackie imitates the worst of reality TV, insulting, backbiting, nasty comments, dramatic over-reactions. Her behaviour eventually has the whole table attacking each other. It devolves into a multisided fight and, eventually, everyone leaves and Jackie flees to the bathroom when Debbie tells her the real reason why she didn’t invite her.
In the bathroom, Jackie tells Debbie she doesn’t have to pretend and understands that she’s not a real friend, again, Jackie’s loneliness is rather well underscored. Debbie kindly explains that they are friends but it’s hard to explain everything all the time – something Jackie can sympathise with since they have to dumb everything down for the humans. They bond over Debbie’s friends’ jealousy over her home and the fact they have the best hair – and decide that since they’re crying together on the floor of a public bathroom, they are the definition of girlfriends.
