Guys with Kids Episode 1.10 Christmas

Date night arrives and Gary and Marny are trying to enjoy themselves in the horse-drawn carriage. They feign enthusiasm, but only for a few minutes. It's too cold; it's too shaky, and the horses smell terrible! They decide to relive their youth and go bar hopping instead. Hours later, they drunkenly stumble into Nick and Emily's, happy as clams. Emily, overjoyed to see the couple letting loose, volunteers to keep the kids overnight so that Gary and Marny can have some alone time. She knew the carriage ride would work! A drunken Marny corrects her; the carriage ride sucked! Gary even lets them in on a little secret: Nick and Emily's cloyingly romantic "Nemily" dates drive everyone a little crazy. Gary and Marny tell Nick and Emily that they're just too damn cute sometimes. With that, the couple staggers out of the apartment, an extremely hurt Emily shutting the door behind them.

Gary and Marny, unbelievably hung over, wake up to their apartment in shambles. The Christmas tree is on its side, the fridge door is flung open and copious amounts of food and empty bottles cover every inch of their kitchen island. What on earth happened last night? Nick and Emily stop by moments later to return both sets of twins... and Marny's bra. After what happened last night, they will not be speaking to Gary and Marny.

Rewind back one week, before Marny lost her bra. Gary and Marny are having everyone over for Sunday dinner. Gary and Marny explain how excited they are for their present to each other (a dishwasher), and Emily wants to intervene. She's going to help spice up their marriage by encouraging them to head out on a romantic date. The dinner goes on and as the couples recount Christmas memories, Chris and Sheila recount the tale of their divorce. Nick claims it was the greatest Christmas gift he'd ever received. Later, Sheila tries to return her engagement ring to Chris, but he won't take it. It was a symbol of his love for her, which died. Relentless, she throws it at him and shuts the door. No backsies!

The following day at the park, Emily is displeased to hear that the most recent "dates" Gary and Marny have gone on have been to return appliances to Home Goods and listening to jazz in the waiting room at the pediatric office. Emily begs for the couple to let her plan a romantic date for them; the last thing she wants is for them to remain in a rut for 40 years like her parents did! Reluctantly, Gary and Marny agree. Meanwhile, both Sheila and Chris continue a game of cat and mouse with the engagement ring. One day, it shows up in Ernie's jack-in-the-box, the next day in Sheila's cereal box. Chris even gets it in the mail.

The next morning (where we started the episode), Gary and Marny arrive at Nick and Emily's to pick up the kids; they feel awful: they can't believe they called them "Nemily" to their faces. The Thayers are not talking to them. Emily is seething as she makes caramel apples. Everyone thinks they're ridiculous, huh? They're probably just jealous! Hesitantly, Nick asks Emily if she even really enjoys their over-the-top dates, like horse-drawn carriage rides. She admits it's not her favorite thing in the world, but she doesn't want to end up like her parents. She doesn't want Nick to just be someone she shares a space with. Nick assures her that they'll never turn into her parents, but perhaps not every gift and date has to be such a huge production.

That night at Chris', Gary and Marny resume their apologies, but Nick and Emily stop them. They were right: "Nemily" needs to take it down a few notches. In the kitchen, Sheila gleefully watches as Chris cuts into the roast and encounters the ring box. She runs out of the apartment, but Chris catches her right before she steps into the elevator. The ring is hers; why is it so important to Sheila that he take it back? Sheila admits that she feels guilty keeping it. It's her fault their marriage fell apart, and the ring is just a constant reminder of that. Chris wants Sheila to keep the ring, not as a symbol of their failure, but of their wonderful divorce. She agrees, and this one time, Chris wins. A few days later, Nick, Emily and the kids are indulging in hot dogs outside of the Home Goods store. Sure, Emily won't be putting these photos up on Facebook, but this "Garny" date isn't half bad!