Mike gives the whole smiling thing a try. It doesn't really suit him, but a grinning Sue convinces him to press on. Things continue to go south smiling-wise. The little grin he let out to the teller at the bank got him roped into a boring 20-minute conversation with the woman.

Frankie believes her resolution is a wake-up call to the fact that she's always ignored Brick. She doesn't even know what his favorite color is. Frankie's mother-son bonding activities include killing ants and doing laundry. This isn't anything that interests Brick, who is going through a severe bout of reading withdrawal.

Things take a turn for the better when Frankie brings Brick to work. The little guy is fascinated by his mom's job. Frankie doesn't even have to raise her hand to go to the bathroom. Brick thoroughly enjoys hanging out in the showroom cars with his mom. He especially likes the yellow car since that's his favorite color. This info puts a big smile on Frankie's face. It disappears later once she realizes she accidentally left Brick at the office.

Frankie gets pulled over by the police while speeding back to the car dealership. Mike shoots a quick smile in the direction of the lady officer who stopped them to avoid any further delays. The family finds Brick waiting for his mom. At first he thought she snuck out to get him a present. Then he realized she flaked and left him there by accident. He knows her so well.

The entire family heads over to King Henry's for a celebratory dinner. Frankie pushes her three bowls of clam chowder aside long enough to thank Brick for her best-ever New Year's resolution. She loves spending time with him even though things ultimately went horribly wrong. Hey, there's always next year, right?