Mrs. Brown's Boys

- Season 2

(2012)

Agnes is anxious to help Dermot and Maria, who are living with her, to get their own place, so she tells the insurance company Granddad has died so they can collect the money. This means that every time the bell rings, an agitated Agnes has to disguise her father-in-law as a table, though ultimately a claim assessor visits, detects the scam, and threatens Agnes with prison. Fortunately, somebody higher up in the insurance company has a relative who is looking out for Agnes so she won't need to kill Granddad after all.

Agnes is not happy. The kids keep pinching her toast; Dermot and Buster, dressed as wild animals for an ad campaign, are savaged by a randy escaped circus lion. But Winnie is delighted: the side effect of Jacko's new medication has rebooted her sex life. Cathy rounds up the family for a group counseling session for her college project but it descends into chaos until her boyfriend Mick arrives and the family closes ranks in exposing secrets he's kept from Cathy.

Maria brings a robot baby home from her prenatal class to practice mothering, but Grandad sits on it while Agnes is minding it and her efforts to mend it only make it worse. It's not the best time for Cathy to introduce Agnes to her professor (and new boyfriend), who wants to interview her on motherhood. Fortunately Maria is forgiving, her attitude much helped by having been told to expect twins.

When all of her kids declare that she's overweight, Agnes reluctantly begins a diet, but she soon begins to cheat. Suffering from heartburn she innocently swallows pills that Rory confiscated from the hair salon, where he's been promoted to manager, but they're not heartburn pills and they make her act oddly. Professor Clowne, Cathy's boyfriend, finds Agnes' behavior fascinating and becomes more determined to interview her for his book.

Family dog Spartacus is 15 years old and sick and the family discusses putting her in a home 'with other old bitches,' but when Agnes overhears she thinks they're referring to her. Their search for the right moment to tell Agnes coincides with the surprise birthday party they're throwing for her, and their secretive nature is driving her to distraction. Ultimately the truth is revealed and the family heads to the pub for Agnes's celebration; unfortunately Spartacus has worsened and has had to be put to sleep.

After Rory and his boyfriend argue and make up, Cathy feels that Agnes should make more effort to get on with Hillary, so Agnes asks her out to the pub. Initially Hillary is unimpressed, but after a couple of ciders she's ready to arm-wrestle anybody. But the outing is cut short when Maria is rushed to hospital and gives birth to triplets. After Mark shows Betty his romantic side, the only way to end the series is a song performed by the entire cast.

Mrs. Brown accidentally destroys her Christmas tree; and when Father Damien visits to tell her she can't be the Virgin Mary in the church Nativity play because there won't be one this year, she writes her own version. Cathy fools her into believing that she's being filmed secretly for a "mother-of-the-year"-search TV show, and suddenly Mrs. Brown is uncharacteristically nice to everyone.

Agnes prepares for her unorthodox Nativity play, "Men Are Bastards!" She finds parts for all the family and their friends, though the animals provided by Dermot are not exactly biblical. Having survived being locked into a wrist magnet to cure her rheumatism Agnes takes to the stage, but the production is a disaster: Buster's Angel Gabriel gets badly singed, Father Damien's trousers are ripped off him by the magnet, a shocked Hilary faints on stage, and Agnes has lost the Baby Jesus doll and enlists Grandad for the role It's time for Cathy to sack her mother and rally...