Episode list

Well-off Antwerp insurance agent A. Slisse tries in vain to teach his mate Cesar some martial arts as self-defense, claiming the war left to many dangerously well-trained youngsters out of control around. Slisse's bossy wife, who always considered the commoner beneath their station, insists he's kept away for the visit of daughter Tine's fiancé, diamond trader's heir Joe Flour, and his posh mother. Grumbling he must get ready, Slisse finds solace in the daily visit from the mailman, who is obsessed by reading reference works from cover to cover, and his own two sons, culinary student Jan Slisse and soccer talent Jan Slisse.

Tine's fiancé and his posh mother Madam Flour arrive. The conversation -in fake French and common Antwerp dialect- reveals the father is no diamond trader but an engineer, and the boy's name is really Jules, only the liberating Yankees kept calling him Joe till it stuck. Slisse boasts he's king of his castle, but follows wife Melanie's orders and breaks his heart by breaking buddy Cesar's heart: Slisse must tell him to go without returning. In bed he tells Melanie that Cesar saved his life foolishly in the First World War trenches. As she mistakes his gloom for physical sickness, Dr. Monchausson is called. He agrees milk is poison for a grown man, refuses to examine him and leaves after eagerly copying an ancestral recipe for doc's own insomnia.

Slisse has devised a scheme to get his wife Melanie to agree to let Cesar back into their lives. With the help of the maid, Valerie, he succeeds in convincing Melanie Cesar has inherited several houses. Knowing Melanies love of standing and money, he is sure she will welcome Cesar with open arms. In the meantime, after a talk with his daughter Tine, who accuses him of being old fashioned, Slisse tries to come across as modern and young with Tine's boyfriend Joe. He doesn't really succeed.

After trying to teach Cesar some table tennis theory and talking to the mailman about the bad influence of the weather, Slisse warns his mate to keep up the lie that he inherited his mother's real estate. While preparing a surprise birthday party for Cesar with the whole family plus Joe and his ma -telling the amused boys to use posh vocabulary-, Slisse learns the ladies already knew their game.

Slisse is building a new home, but systematically disagrees with the modernist plans his wife concocts with the architect Cocufier, grumbling Cesar rather takes her side then his. Next he gives the game away about their old home's defects until electrician Fernand and his wife reconsider whether it's quite what they want to rent.

Slisse may boast to Cesar he understands the youth so well they come to him with their problems, when his daughter Tine tells her fiancé Jules 'Joe' the doctor just confirmed they're expecting a baby, neither dares tell either parent. So Joe gets Cesar to tell the grandmothers-to-be, which he does by playing a prop-clues-guessing game. The ladies soon realize they were just the same in their day. Slisse gets a big surprise as he was just lecturing his sons about going out late at night by making an example of their 'sensible, responsible' sister.

Now Slisse has moved into his new house, he's constantly complaining about both design and other teething problems, so the girls keep putting off telling him about Tine's pregnancy. The mailman, who changed his route so he can still pass by, is welcomed warmly, although he digs modern architecture. Next contractor Mortelmlans and architect Cocufier get a full load, but have 'answers' for everything, alas even more modern and ludicrous.

Slisse is still unaware of his daughter's pregnancy. Thus he is quite surprised to find a crib in the hallway. When Cesar naively explains how he is going to decorate the crib, and that it is his present for Tine, some things start to dawn on Slisse. As a belligerent emperor he calls his entire family to account.

Joe and Tine's wedding is a jolly party, where Slisse champions arrogant Antwerp 'chauvinism', ironically rather against uncle Emile 'Miele', a pastry baker originally from Ghent, then versus Joe's French father. Melanie feared the bride's pregnancy would shock surprise-visitor uncle Evarist, but the colonial missionary's sense of humor proves even more daring and broad-minded.

Tine and Joe's baby is three days late. The whole family, maid and mailman worry and chat. First-time granddad-to-be Slisse gets a splitting headache, decides to call for another doctor as the first one still hasn't arrived and objects to a young midwife.

The family is still waiting for the baby to arrive and the tension is mounting. Jan, Rik, mother in law Therese Flour and Cesar are playing cards, and Sliise can't help but interfere, loosing the game. Thanks to his meddling, there are now three doctors in the house. Finally, Tine delivers Slisse's grandson.

Slisse and Cesar are playing pool in the attic, which Slisse has somewhat decorated as a man-cave. Much to the chagrin of the mail man, who has to climb three flights of stairs to deliver the mail. Once he makes it up there, re regales them with his plans to become a rock star. As Slisse and the mail man discuss his career prospects, Cesar faints. His convalescence takes several weeks, and he is lovingly taken care of by SLisse. To pull a prank on his friend, Cesar decides to "play dead", but as he sees the devastating effect this has on his best friend, he can't keep it up. For the first time in his life, Cesar finally calls his friend by his first name, Sander.