After eating fried chicken and crying in her car, Ma heads home. Together with her best friend Pua and cousin Liz, Ma gets ready for a Mean Maori Mean costume party.
Ma agrees to have dinner with Henare's sister. Taaps tries to connect with Heps but is kept at a distance. Tawhiti reveals his plans for his next protest.
The gang gate-crash Ma's weekly whanau dinner. Over the course of the evening, Ma clashes with her mum, Pua gets drunk, and Taaps and Tawhiti have an incident involving a water blaster.
Liz tries to impress her whanau by singing at karaoke, but this only makes her feel like more of an outsider. A sympathetic Taaps helps her learn a waiata to sing at Aunty Bella's party.
Working at the Ministry of Justice, Heps looks back to his childhood growing up in Wainuiomata. In the present day, Heps comes across research that sends him into a downward spiral.
Heps and Taaps throw a huge party at their flat. Ma insists she's a changed woman, Pua meets a potential lover, and Taaps tries his best to ask someone out.
Taaps shares some life-changing news with Liz, who also has some news of her own. Pua expresses her growing anxiety about where her life is going. A hesitant Heps attends counselling.
On her birthday, Liz tries to repress her sadness over her late father. Over the course of the day, the group visits Liz, and they update her on their lives.
Ma and Pua practise for Pua's upcoming interview. Taaps asks his Nan for advice on how to deal with Heps. An emotionally lost Ma gets some surprisingly solid advice from a stranger.
With the boys not talking to each other, Liz tries to get the group back together over text. Pua is nervous about her interview. Ma makes a risky move.
