Parental Guidance

- Season 2

(2008)

It's been a month since Ling left for London alone and James has disappeared, leaving the children in the hands of their newly-remarried grandparents. However, it's revealed that Ling isn't in London but is, in fact, in Japan, for reasons unknown. James, unable to handle the children on his own, has reverted to his old drunken and slovenly habits. The children, feeling angry and betrayed, declare that they no longer need parents.

James has arrived in Japan, with Al. James is too proud to admit he's come to get Ling home, but Al knows better. Terence helps Ling confront her fears about her preparedness to face her future. Terence and Al try to play mediator and bring the two together, but it's not long before James and Ling start fighting and Ling declares she wants a divorce.

James, Ling and the kids move into their new home. The kids are still angry with James and Ling for abandoning them and refuse to speak to them. As James and Ling try to find ways to get back into the kids' good books again, James' parents Patrick and Cecilia announce that they are moving into their new home too. Even after they've moved back in together, James is the last to know what's going on in Ling's life.

Ling is trying to get the kids to study and concentrate and gets James to at least supervise dependable and responsible Jocelyn. All he has to do is make sure he's done her work. Nothing can go wrong. In the meantime, Ling is struggling to engage Jolene in studies. This causes Ling to wonder if she'll be unable to connect with the child she's pregnant with.

Ling's father, the Colonel returns to Singapore, much to everyone's surprise and meets his son-in-law James for the first time. Is it James or Ling who is more afraid of not living up to his expectations?

Matilda and Terence are getting married and their union can not be more different than that of James and Ling. Can James overcome his insensitivity and Ling manage her pregnancy crankiness to perform as Bridesman and Best Woman respectively? Even if their own marriage has never been through a honeymoon period, can James and Ling help the new couple overcome pre-wedding jitters?

At the very last minute, Ling and James discover they have to come up with an item for the children in their school's fund-raising concert. Like any ambitious parent, Ling sends the kids on intensive lessons to get them prepared in time for the concert. But it turns out it's not just the kids who have issues with the performance.

Between his parents, his kids and his wife, can a married man get any peace? James runs away to the pub and finds his old drinking buddy (Gurmit Singh, guest stars) and life seems to be perfect again. Meanwhile, Al takes one small step for a date with Cherie and one giant leap for his manhood.

James is dreaming of a shiny new sports car. But when James wrestles for control of the finances, he's in for the biggest shock of his life. Educating, clothing and providing for the children was never his problem until now. Ling thinks about her own childhood without a mother being around for most of it and starts wondering if she should be a stay-at-home mother.

Are James' parents heading for their second divorce? James isn't affected at all. He's been through one bad divorce, how bad can the second one be? But the situation may not be as simple as a divorce. In fact, it's life-changing. Al makes another attempt to date Cherie. Will he be third time lucky?

It's James' and Ling's first wedding anniversary and Al and the kids think they should do something special together. But Al has more in mind than just an ordinary anniversary celebration. With the parents out of the house, the kids and their grandparents clean up the house and find out a little more about Uncle James' past and the other woman he was once engaged to.

The stars are conspiring against James it seems. Everyone is angry with him, turning against him, including the lovable Jolene. But it seems the stars were also conspiring against James at a New Year Eve's party one fateful night in 1999 just as it was turning to year 2000. Perhaps it was the Y2k millennium bug, but could things have turned out better for James if timing, fate and coincidence had aligned more positively?

The baby is due to arrive, but Ling has to resolve some issues with James' ex-fiancé. In the meantime, James' parents and his father-in-law try and prep James for the arrival of the baby. James finally does the thing he's avoided his whole life - making a commitment.