Susan is on the phone to Michael's headmaster. Apparently Michael is not at school and moreover has a history of playing truant. Susan isn't having any of it - Michael is not some" woolly-hatted skateboarding loser" as she puts it. Imagine her surprise then when Michael breezes past.
At the surgery Roger is in an elated mood - he has crossed the line from acquaintance to friendship with Abi. She has asked him to go shoe shopping with her. Ben points out that the friend zone is the worst place to be in.
Ben and Susan meet with the Headmaster, Mr Morris, to discuss Michael's truanting. Mr Morris says they need to have a more relaxed attitude and signs them up for a parenting class. Ben wonders why he can't just give Michael a "damn good hiding".
Back at home Susan is telling Roger that women prefer mean men - especially Abi who has her sights set on the very mean Craig. Roger vows to be nastier to her in future.
At their first parenting class, Ben and Susan find that their counsellor is in fact Mr Morris himself. Susan is then told that Michael's truanting is all her fault.
Susan has vowed to become a hands-off parent and be a slob like Ben. She tries not to bat an eyelid when Michael announces that he's off to go skateboarding under a flyover. She even controls herself when he asks "has anyone seen my crack pipe".
Later that night Michael sneaks back in from his 'all night rave' but Ben is too drunk to tell him off and Susan is sticking to her guns and pretending not to care. This state of affairs is not pleasing Michael. Now Susan has become a slob there are now 'two Bens' and a power vacuum has developed. One of the Ben's (i.e. Ben) will have to go. Ben is not happy and begs Susan to resume her authoritative role. Thank god, she says, "do you know how exhausting it is doing nothing"
Michael's truanting is now solved by a good deal of shouting from Abi, Susan and Ben. He scurries off to school. Roger arrives and, testing out his new lean mean persona, calls Abi ugly and a "pile of old dog poo". She slaps him and storms out. Roger is euphoric - "next stop: full sex"
