Down to Earth

Ethel is sent Down to Earth to help the Preston's family, as a maid. Richard is skeptical of hiring her, but she talks him into it, which is something she seems to be very good at. She's is confused in the kitchen, making a mess on her first day. J.J. comes in and helps her out. He asks why she doesn't know this. She can't tell him she's an angel, the words. So she shows him in cherades, and 'snaps' herself into the fridge for proof, and J.J. agrees to keeping it a secret. Richard comes in a little later, and the kitchen is a still disaster, but Ethel's able to calm him down and keep her job. The family is in complete chaos, as has been the usual since Margret, Richard's wife, died. Ethel has just enough time to clean up before eveyone goes to bed. She sits alone in her room and celebrates it alone.

Ethel mistakenly thinks Richard is trying to kill Lissy.

When the Prestons are stuck inside due to bad weather, Ethel comes up with games to have fun.

When Ethel has to order groceries on the home computer, she accidentally orders ten of everything and must hide the mountain of groceries from the family.

When Richard brings a client home for dinner, Ethel realizes that she was the man's housekeeper when he was a little boy in the 1920's. To complicate matters, Lissy needs a chaperone for her school's 1920's-theme dance, and Alistair agrees to chaperone... with Ethel as his date. Ethel starts having genuine feelings for Alistair, so Mr. Divine intervenes and tells her that she must break it off.

Duane is recklessly charging expensive things on the credit card in preparation for the school formal -- a formal that Lissy is protesting because the girls aren't allowed to wear pants. Jay Jay ignores Ethel's wishes and Richard won't get off of the telephone. Ethel thinks that the Prestons would be better off if she quit, so Mr. Divine lets her peek 30 years into the future and see what the Prestons' fate would be without her in this take on ""It's a Wonderful Life.""

When Ethel's assignment to the Preston family is deemed a success, she is ordered back to heaven -- until she convinces her superior angel otherwise.

Ethel rebuilds the confidence of a professional wrestler through a practice match with Richard.

Ethel is forced to hire Phil, Mr. Luster's lazy brother-in-law, as a handyman.

When Duane runs up his credit card bill, he must take a job as a breakdancing chicken to pay it off.

Richard impersonates an art critic in order to discourage their new neighbor Candy's enthusiasm for garbage art.

Lissy finds a boyfriend, but Richard is suspicious of 17 year-old Karl's intentions, so he sends Duane on a double date with his sister (and he also follows them). But the plot thickens when Karl comes on to Ethel, so Ethel enlists Candy's help to turn the tables on Karl.

Lizzy invites Illyitch, a russian foreign exchange student, over to the Preston's. Duane isn't happy about having a communist in the house. Illyitch enters, accompanied by Krankov, a bodyguard/high-diplomat, who shortly leaves. Ethel is exposed for knowing to speak Russian. Illyitch likes Lizzy, and vice-versa. They look at pictures together, and he's quite in the prom pictures. Illyitch lets the family know he wants to defect in a game of cherades. Not wanting to create an international incident, got on the phone, and put on hold. Krankov returns and just before the door opens, Ethel ""snaps"" Illyitch into the kitchen. They stall and try not to give themselves away. Illyitch talks about being home-sick, and Lizzy explains defecting to him, and doesn't want to leave his country forever, just for an extra week to go to prom. They tell this to Krankov and he says no, but Ethel convinces him. They go to prom, and Illyitch looks so happy.

Richard has a new product for his mail-order catalog to do, and has to test it. It's eskimo shoes that are supposed to keep your feet warm, but it being August and 90 degrees, how would they test it? Lizzy and Duane had parties to go on Saturday, the day he wanted to test them, and they said they'd go if he would take them somewhere cold enough to test them. Ethel talked with the butcher and he said they could use their meat locker on Saturday after they closed. She announced it and the teens are upset when it sticks to what they said, but do it. Duane slams the door, and it jammed shut. They tried several different things, but nothing worked. They all got a little closer while inside, then finally Ehtel 'snapped' out and let them all out, while putting her clothes on a piece of meat and J.J. distracted them. They were all happy to go.

Lissy's become a reporter with the school newspaper, but she lacks a good story. When Duane announces that he has to climb the rope in gym class but he's afraid of heights, Lissy turns him into the laughing stock of the school.