S05E09 - Ron and Diane

This week Mark and Allen break down the Episode that introduced us to not only Jerry's wife Gayle, but also his two other daughters, Miriam and Gladys! When Ron gets an award nomination from the Indiana Fine Woodworking Association for a chair he made, he actually looks forward to the event, and plans to take his girlfriend Diane. As Ron's "self-appointed emotional guardian", Leslie invites herself to support him. Ron and Diane arrive at the ceremony, and Leslie is very excited to finally meet Diane. As Ron inspects all the wood-working equipment like a kid in a candy store, Leslie attempts to get to know Diane, cheerfully peppering her with questions and conversation. After being with Diane for a while, Leslie thinks she's perfect for Ron, and happily tells him so. But just as Leslie is thinking how great things are going for Ron ... who should show up ... but she-who-must-not-be-named ... the being known as ... "Tammy 2". Clearly there to once again mess with him, Tammy beelines for Ron. Leslie ushers her away and warns her not to screw with tonight. Not only does Tammy ignore Leslie's warning, but she goes so far as to arrange a seat for herself at Ron, Diane, and Leslie's reserved table in order to further torment Ron. Meanwhile, Tom, April, Andy, and Donna are planning their annual, sacred December event: "Jerry Dinner". Anytime Jerry does something stupid, they put a dollar in a box, and spend the resulting money on a nice evening out (this year they collected over $500). When Ann learns what they're doing, she tells them how mean this is, but she's dismissed by the group. While en route to Jerry dinner, Donna has a change of heart, saying they should at least invite Jerry to go with them. She turns the car around, drives to Jerry's house ... where they find a large-scale Christmas party in progress, with Ann, Chris, and Ben in attendance. The four of them end up out in the cold, huddled outside a window, peering in at the festivities, and wondering why they weren't invited. Finally, since Leslie is going to Ron's event, Ben is flying solo that night, and takes the opportunity to make plans with Chris to hang out. They decide to both go to the Gergich Christmas Party, for which they both have invitations. During the party, Ben witnesses several things happen that, earlier in the year, would have likely had Chris facing another mental breakdown. However, Ben is pleasantly surprised to find Chris rather level-headed with no visible signs of distress. Chris even goes so far as to look at an old picture of Millicent Gergich, whom he previously dated, with nothing but smiles and good feelings. So far, so good ... As always, we tackle the tough questions, such as ... Will Ron win an award for ... "chair"? Can these 4 "meanies" figure out why they never received an invitation from Jerry? Will Ben finally get to meet Jerry's wife Gayle? Will Diane end up winning Ron's heart? Does Ann have any sympathy for the "meanies"? Does Chris keep calm when Millicent shows up ... with her fiance? Will Tammy win an award for Ron's ... er ... wood? What penance must the "meanies" perform in order to get invited into the Gergich Christmas party? What fascinating fact does Chris learn about full-fat eggnog? Loyal podcast viewers, this one is not only a great episode, but a great CHRISTMAS episode! Don't believe us? Tune in and see for yourselves. We dare you. We double-dog-dare you. Many thanks to our wonderful sponsor, Cozy's Bar.