Jim and Cheryl and Ryan and Dana miss the movie because Jim stops to ask a question that Cheryl finds just a little annoying – if a coffee shop used to be a Chinese laundry. When he does, it brings up the age-old Erik Estrada story too.
It seems that Jim believes that one night, a car stopped and asked them directions, and the occupant of the car was none other than Erik Estrada. Cheryl agrees that the occupant may have had good hair, but there is simply no way that it was Erik Estrada. This, of course, means that Jim must do anything in his power to prove her wrong.
When Jim hears that Erik is going to be at a charity poker night later, he and Andy head there, and he quickly loses all his money trying to get into the tournament. Unfortunately, by the time he runs out of money, the riverboat is out on the river, and Jim and Andy are now late for the play.
In something of a stroke of good luck, the laws in this country are a bit lax, and being “out on the river” simply means “not docked”, so they are really only about ten feet from shore – but they still aren’t on dry land, either, and as Andy is quick to point out, gravity is “not his friend”. But they jump for it.
Walking into the play a short while later, Jim tries the “saved a drowning baby” ploy, but it doesn’t work. He’s busted. It’s only later at the mall, when they see Erik Estrada, that he has a chance at redemption. Unfortunately he almost gets himself killed, as Erik Estrada guns it, and Jim jumps on the hood to try and stop him.
As Jim is being hauled away in the ambulance, Erik Estrada stops and talks to Cheryl, which is when he recognizes her from their previous meeting, when he asked for directions – now it is she who is busted, but she can still keep it from Jim! At least, she can until Erik Estrada turns up at the hospital. To make matters worse, he confirms that the coffee shop was indeed a Chinese laundry. The horrors!
