A Plot: Barry, Lainey, and the JTP watch The Day After with Murray, and feel the fear of a nuclear war. Barry tries to create a bunker, but Murray crushes Barry's dreams by becoming the new leader of the bunker, and preventing Barry from building his own. After realizing how afraid Barry is, Murray lets on that he too is afraid, and there is nothing they can do but live their lives here and now.
B Plot: Erica and Adam fight for Beverly's affections with Mother's Day approaching. Each has an alternative agenda: Erica wants to go to Emory University in Georgia, while Adam wants to go with Jackie to the beach. Erica asks first and gets to go to the college of her dreams, so Adam sabotages it by making a video of Erica disappearing, and not being a part of the family. A heartbroken Beverly revokes her decision, Erica tells Adam off, and Jackie sides with Erica. Adam fixes the situation, causing him to miss out on going to the beach with Jackie, but she in turn gives him a second kiss.
- Crazy Survivalist: Barry tries to become one, but lacks any useful survival skills, particularly in comparison to Murray.
- This Is Reality: While watching The Day After and afterwards, most of the cast is appropriately scared and paranoid of nuclear war, but Murray appears to pay no mind; while most of them are saying how the movie makes them scared, Murray only remarks that Steve Guttenberg has a lot of range. Barry spends the episode attempting to get Murray to take this stuff seriously, only for Murray to blow him off each time. When Barry ultimately has enough and flees to his room, Murray walks in and admits that he is scared too; he feels it's his duty to keep his family safe and out of harm's way and the idea that there's something out there that he wouldn't be able to protect them from scares him more than anything.
