'How To Live With Your Parents': Season 1, Episode 4: 'How to Not Screw Up Your Kid' Recap

Living with your parents means that peaceful events, like reading, will be interrupted. Max and Elaine come in, arguing about the theatre tickets that Elaine has misplaced. In an effort to clear them out, Polly has Elaine remember what she was doing (her hair) when Max gave her the tickets. Polly finds them in her curls.

Natalie shows Polly and Julian a drawing she has made of their family camping trip. Polly has to inform her they are not going on that trip this year… she says the government has given Golden Bear back to the bears.

On the way to the theatre, Elaine gets a call. Max’s Aunt Florence is dying. He refuses to go see her, but Elaine wants him to use the opportunity to dig into the reason behind his anger. Elaine talks him into stopping by the hospital.

Natalie tells Polly that Betsy at school called her stupid and said her hair is ugly. Polly videochats with Julian trying to decide if they should tell the teacher. They decide to wait and see what happens before taking action.

Max and Elaine go to Aunt Florence’s room. Elaine, as a life coach, thinks Max needs to confront his anger, and confront her.

Polly talks the Betsy issue at work. Gregg tells her that he tried to ignore his bully as a child, and the boy only made things worse for him. Polly gets a call from Natalie’s school.

She and Julian talk to Natalie’s teacher. She tells her there is something to know about Betsy—she does not exist. Natalie has made her up.

Elaine and Polly chat in the morning, and Elaine explains how she is trying to get Max to open up his anger, but Aunt Florence slept all night. Julian comes in and they talk about Natalie’s issue. Elaine says that Polly used a cane for two years, which they ignored as they knew it was for attention. Polly realizes Natalie needs more attention.

Max looks at old pictures of his aunt that Elaine has set on his desk… and a slideshow on his computer. Max breaks down a little. He goes in and tells Elaine that she judged him and filled him with self-doubt as a child. Elaine tries to help him work through it.

Max and Elaine go to see Florence, but she has passed away.

Polly, looking for ways to give her daughter more attention, is inspired by “Downton Abbey” and prepares a tea party.

Natalie tells them Betsy says they need to watch television. Polly and Julian have to regroup. They decide to go with it. Natalie says she’s going to do what Betsy says. Julian talks to Natalie about Betsy not being real, but she counters that maybe he is not real and gives him an existential crisis.

Polly asks Natalie what it will take to get rid of Betsy. Natalie says they need to go camping at Golden Bear. Reluctantly, they go.

They hike, pondering why Natalie wanted to come back so badly, since she hadn’t enjoyed herself last time. Polly realizes that she wants to be a family again. They both realize that neither one of them actually told Natalie that they had split up, just changed the subject.

They decide to wait until they get home to break the news so Natalie can enjoy her trip.

At home, Max angrily grates cheese, as Elaine has unleashed a mess of emotions but he no longer has anywhere to bring them, as Florence is dead. Elaine says it is not too late.

They bribe a man and go to her body in the morgue.

Max tries to talk to her, but Elaine can’t stop laughing.

“I must have miscalculated my reaction to dead people.”

She starts panicking and crying and laughing as Max tries to tell Florence that he is sorry and he forgives her.

Polly and Julian finally explain to Natalie that they are just going to be friends. Natalie seems okay with it, and they eat cupcakes. Natalie tells them Betsy stayed in Golden Bear.

“Good. Now that she’s gone, can I ask you something? Is she a ghost?”