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.
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.
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.
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.