De kotmadam

- Season 12

(2003)

Tineke sneaks in the older Mr. Paul Verschaven, who just needed a place to crash after missing his last train and offers her a fancy dinner, but Hugo sees them, so she passes him for a tutor. Because she believes to be the victim of thieves, Jeanne installs a security camera, but tells only Brigitte; she's actually disappointed to see none of her customers stealing, just Hugo and Tineke, so she installs the camera in Tineke's room- now Brigitte refuses to collaborate any further. Jef hopes to win at billiards against Odilon by exhausting him working in the garden, but...

Jeff has taken a day off on his birthday. Jeanne pretends she forget it, as he frequently did with hers and their anniversary, while a new fishing rod is to be delivered in the evening- just what he wants, and desperately tries to drop hints about with Odilon's clumsy help, which seems to get him stuck with a second-hand one. Stef offers sneaky, mischievous help which goes wrong... Hugo may figure as candidate on the TV show "Blind date", but Filip and Jeanne fear he'll make a laughing stock of himself and indirectly embarrass them, so he gets coaching from Stef and ...

Brigitte is confused and sends even more contradictory signals to her lover Evert about the part of sex in their relationship, which Hugo's and Lies's advice to the lovebirds makes even worse. Jef wants to attend a billiards tournament in Liège instead of qualified club-mate Robert. That leads to weirdly convoluted babysitting intrigues which get completely out of control for him, Jeanne and several babies' parents.

Stef hopes to earn spending money by sending in real life blooper videos starring the other students in embarrassing situations for the TV program Videodinges, simple to stage with simpleton Hugo... Jef encourages Odilon to join a jailers strike, so he'll be available to help him with domestic chores, notably painting, but Jeanne convinces him strikers may do no work, just demonstrate. Filip's rich dad has cut his generous allowance, so he hopes to be paid for Dutch classes for kids of European Union officials. In order not to be out-staged by Mimi's public spirit ...

When law student Sabine refuses to date dumb diet student Hugo, he is quite relieved to hear she prefers a silver spoon civil engineering student, and hopes to get her anyway by buying and getting Stef to help install -even if they have to take down the stairs banister- a Jacuzzi. The common bathroom is a mess because the old plumbing has broken down, but Jef won't work on it on his day off for the annual medical, so he pretends to Jeanne the doctor found him a near-terminal heart patient, so she'll spare and spoil him, at least until Odilon gives the game away as ...

His supplier had no faith in him, but Jef has decided behind Jeanne's back to convert the sweats shop, which recently had a turnover crash, into a fishermen apparel shop he would call 'De Kromme Haak' (hence the title, Dutch for 'the Curbed Hook'), but Jeanne explains the slump was short-term and even mentions fishing rods as a terrible product choice; Jef first lies there's a mini-mart about to be opened nearby which would sell very cheap sweats, so Jeanne will at least be open to other products; Filip however suggests another strategy: collaborating with her rival "...

Jef is furious when he thinks to overhear Jeanne's ma is visiting, delighted when his firm refusal is accepted instantly, furious again when he finds out it's mother-in-law's parrot Cri-cri, who has a whole repertoire of insults for him just like the old bag, which he takes to be a ploy to prepare her moving in at their place. Stef tries to record fights between Filip, Hugo, Brigitte and Lies, even if he has to instigate them himself. When Jef thinks Jeanne's ma is coming too, he sends Hugo to get a nasty pet supposedly to mind for a friend of his, alas he brings ...

Hugo is elated his girl-friend Sylvie accepts to coach him with a course at her home, Saturday morning, but Filip refuses to lend him a 'foulard' (tie); Lies advises him to learn about plumbing, Sylvie's dad's job, but his lack of talent is as great as his IQ is low. Jeanne hears a sweets firm is looking for an executive, and she would fit the profile according to a salesman. Jef pretended to be exhausted after a fishing 'accident', but when he hears Jeanne could earn thrice his pay, promises to take care of both household and students if she takes the job, believing ...

Hugo is desperate enough about his Dumbo-grades to resort to asking his mate Gerry, a gifted hacker, to doctor them- in exchange for a date with Lies, who is livid to be 'horse-traded'. Jeanne is jealous when she hears Mrs. Renard is admitted to a service club, asks Stef what they look for, and hence decides to pretend she's a member of a prestigious golf club- the solution is Gerry again. Just for fun, Gerry and Hugo change a newspaper article to say Jeanne sponsors the local soccer club for a fortune. Mimi is impressed, but the students are livid she's that rich and...

Young Bas tricked Jeanne for a free candy bar, but Jef confiscates his fake flipping coins. To Jef's fury, the billiards club has asked Odilon to referee an exhibition match with former world champion Ceulemans. Mimi convinces Jeanne skiing is a must; grudgingly Jef concedes, but to his horror she already booked the next week, coinciding with of the billiards event; Jeanne eagerly starts practicing inside. Hugo is afraid of a Hells angels type after making a move on his girl-fiend he believed the "Johnny"'s daughter, so he colors his hair black; with Stef's jacket he ...

When schoolboy Bas tells Jeanne how easy he handles his 11-year old girlfriend by playing the 'new man', she decides Jef must become one too; he won't have a bar of it, but Odilon is determined to save their marriage, so cooks a feast etcetera... After Filip spoke out in favor of the social division in working and ruling class, even stating his family pays their house staff, without respecting them, the other students decide to mess up his room to put him to menial work; he gets an adult to play hid dad, telling the others 'in confidence' he is so happy Filip is no ...

When Jef is out of inspiration how to trick Jeanne into letting him go fishing a whole week at sea for a bargain price as his mate Fernand can't go because of an arm injury, Stef thinks up a daring scam: he pretends to be an Army Colonel who wants veteran Jef for the Belgian contingent to an Africa Peace-keeping Corps. When Brigitte's lover Evert stays the night, blatantly against house rule, witness Filip is not believed; Lies thinks he's only so unsociable because of an unhappy youth. Jeanne brags to Mimi, whose husband Jos never served, her Jef is a 'real' man; ...

Stef enthusiastically tells Jeanne his professor chose her 'old-fashioned' sweets shop as location for a movie, but that adjective causes a firm no. For once, Hugo is smarter about handling Jeanne, telling her it could be great publicity and promising her a small part; as Stef can't get anyone in this late, they hand her a fake script-version to scare her off, making her character a transsexual; that fails to daunt her, until young customer Jonas tells her it's probably a nude part. Filip wants Lies to join his family on their new yacht; alas she says an invitation ...

Ten-year old rascal Bas tricks Lies into guarding his beetles, but Brigitte is afraid of all bugs. When Filip smirks at Jef about his poor fishing catch, he's cheated into a bet about Odilon 'bringing in' a salmon- from the fish shop; as revenge Filip sets up Odilon to cause a laundry accident he denies, leading to a firm refusal to help Jef and Jeanne with anything else. Jef tries to reconcile them to get his side-kick back, even make him help his mother-in-law in his place 'to make up', but Filip makes Jeanne believe Odilon belittled all she does for him. Stef needs...