Charlie and Alan make their plans for Thanksgiving, as Jake was staying with Judith and her parents Sheldon and Lenore. Charlie suggests that they both go to Las Vegas. With that being finalized, Charlie leaves to meet with his ex-girlfriend Lisa, hoping that she would take him back.
Charlie meets Lisa at the coffee shop, where she announces that she is getting married. Charlie tries to talk some sense in her, but though she claims that she does have feeling for Charlie, she wants to move on and settle down with her life. In a final attempt to win her, Charlie claims that he is hosting a Thanksgiving dinner at his home, with every family member present. This involves inviting Jake, Judith, her parents and Evelyn, and paying $ 1,000 to Berta for staying with him, and cook for his family.
On the day of Thanksgiving, Charlie bribes Jake from time-to-time for speaking well for him at all occasions. He introduces Lisa to Judith and her parents, pronouncing their names wrong. Then Lisa meets Berta, who advises her not to get back with Charlie.
Evelyn then meets Lisa and complains about the ‘hideous’ furniture in the house, which in fact Lisa had picked. Next Evelyn casually mentions Judith turning gay to her parents, who get shocked on hearing the news, resulting in a fiasco within whole of the family.
To make the matters worse, Rose joins them uninvited, and mentions to Lisa that she and Charlie had sex once.
During dinner, Jake suggests that everyone say thanks before eating (which he was bribed for by Charlie). This results in comical thanks from almost all the family. Charlie in the end, starts fighting with Evelyn for not letting him carve the turkey.
Lisa leaves Charlie, saying that they will always remain friends, and that he will be the first one she calls when she gets divorced.
Jake: Aren’t we gonna go around the table and say what we are thankful for?
Alan: Jake, why don’t you go?
Jake: I am thankful for my mom and dad, and my uncle Charlie, who has (starting reading from a paper) shown in a few short months that I have been here that he is capable of significant change and growth.
Charlie (to Lisa): Too obvious?
Lisa: Little bit.
Alan: Ok, I am thankful that I can spend the holiday with all the people I love and all the people who love me. And Judith.
Evelyn: I am thankful that I will be dead someday and you all will feel horrible that you weren’t nicer to me.
Lenore: And I am thankful that our daughter gave us at least one grandchild before she….. (starts crying).
Judith: I am thankful I finally found a therapist who has no compunction about prescribing powerful sedatives.
Berta: Well I am thankful I can sit here and see you rich people whine my family is scrambling for a corndog at the Bermuda fair ground.
Lisa: Charlie?
Charlie: No, you first.
Lisa: Well, I am thankful for you, and I hope you will always be my friend.
Charlie: Ok. Well, I am thankful for you too. And I am thankful for everybody coming together today as unwilling participants in my desperate charade.
Rose: Amen.
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Charlie, greeting Lisa when she arrives for Thanksgiving.