George and Tom get into an argument over who's in better shape, so to prove who actually is, George and Tom agree to run in a marathon through Central Park.

Tom and Helen are enjoying their vacation in Hawaii, while Florence is back home wanting to take a vacation. This leads Louise to buy her a plane ticket to Hawaii. Meanwhile, George visits his doctor and learns that he must lower his blood pressure so he decides to take a vacation to Hawaii with Louise.

George, Louise and Florence arrive in Hawaii and discover that Tom and Helen have decided to stay a few more days. Meanwhile, George begins to work on lowering his blood pressure which leads him to decide that he wants to sell his business and move to Hawaii.

George begins to get involved in the investment plan that would allow him and Louise to live in Hawaii and begins hinting to her that that's what he wants to do. Meanwhile, a sailing trip goes awry when Tom and George get lost.

After their boat tips over, George and Tom wash ashore on another part of the island. George and Tom are aided by some friendly islanders who will have to leave their home due to a development project, which happens to be the project which George is considering to invest in, which would keep him in Hawaii.

Helen and Jenny talk a hesitant Louise into going to a male strip club but when George forbids her to go she's all for it. Unknown the Louise, Helen and Jenny, George and Tom follow the girls to the club where George concocts a plan that involves themselves showing some skin.

Florence's cousin, Ernie, comes to town and pays Florence a visit. He quickly asks her for $1000 and Florence doesn't hesitate to ask George. However, George is convinced Ernie's a crook, and Florence will do anything to prove him wrong.

Lionel and Jenny are both dead set against entering baby Jessica in a baby contest much to George and Louise's dismay. However, one afternoon when Lionel and Jenny leave Jessica in George and Louise's care, they secretly sneak off to enter Jessica in the contest but in the process misplace her instead.

Wanting to do something more with her life, Florence tries writing a soap opera script using the 'Who Shot J.R.' storyline on "Dallas" as a basis, with George portraying the evil, greedy leading role.

George is ecstatic when he is chosen to guest star on a talk show to discuss Americanism. However, his chance at appearing on the show is up in the air when the host learns that George is sponsoring a Cuban refugee.

George and a rival cleaner are competing against each other in a bowling league. When his star bowler gets sick, George is reluctant to have Tom take his place, especially since Tom has only bowled a couple of times when he was 10 years old.

Louise is heartbroken when she discovers that the city is planning to tear down the building she grew up in. This leads her to make one last visit to her childhood home where she quickly remembers special memories of her mother and of her wedding day.

Michael submits an angry letter about the conditions in the Evans' apartment to a newspaper and gets an immediate response from a housing commission official who quickly finds himself stranded in the ghetto and experiences the conditions first hand.

Florida is running in a cleanest apartment competition and is sure she will win. However, her chances are dashed when Michael tries to help someone in need and brings home Ned the Wino.

Florida comes home from the supermarket with great news, she's been offered a role in a TV commercial. What's even better is the pay she will get, $5,000. However, once she reads the script and tests the product, Florida has second thoughts.

Florida and the kids become concerned about James' health after reading an article in a magazine about hypertension. When he learns about their concerns, he goes through the roof and refuses to go in for a check up.

A popular girl wants J.J. to paint her portrait and J.J. mistakenly assumes that they will become more serious when he makes plans to ask her to go steady. However, Florida and Thelma smell a rat.

Florida's strange behavior has the family and Willona wondering what's wrong with her. Michael thinks she's beginning menopause while Willona believes she's fed up with the boredom that comes with being a housewife.

Michael has the chance to be bused to a better school in a white neighborhood but he is determined to get out of it. Florida and James first hear about the opportunity when his principal arrives to question them about their responses on a busing questionnaire that Michael responded to and forged his parents' names.

J.J.'s 18th birthday has James and Florida in a fit when they find out they won't be able to give J.J. the art supplies he wanted because James' credit has been reduced to 0. After the birthday party, news hits the Evans family that J.J. has been arrested for robbing a liquor store.

J.J. is taken down to the police station for questioning in the liquor store robbery. The family gathers there and tries to think up ways to raise enough money for J.J.'s bail and ultimately consider taking money from a loan shark.

Michael must write an essay on the person whom he most admires. He first picks Florida for her strength and effort in keeping the family together. However, Florida points out that James may be the best person. However, James' recent actions in applying for a new job leave little to be admired.

An encyclopedia salesman is the last person James wants to see when he comes home from work. However, he softens when he learns the man is blind. This leads James to sign a contract and reads the fine print only after the man leaves.

Michael, one of the brightest boys in his class, comes home with the news that he scored the lowest out of his whole class on an I.Q. test. Infuriated at first, Florida and James hear Michael out and realize that I.Q. tests are designed for certain demographics and in this case exclude designed for white people. Meanwhile, J.J. prepares for a wild date with his latest girl, Henrietta.

Thelma's been seeing the same man for two months and hasn't introduced him to the family yet. However, when she comes home with an engagement ring, Florida and James demand that they meet him and they are in for a surprise when they finally do.

A wedding has Florida realizing that Willona is the only friend of hers left that isn't married. So this leads Florida to try her hand at matchmaking, and matches her with Duane, friend of James'. However, Florida is a little crestfallen, when Duane leaves the wedding early, claiming he doesn't feel well and she thinks her matchmaking plans have failed, that is until they arrive the next day at the Evans door, together.

James finds a bag of robbery loot adding up to $27,000. After some coaxing from Florida, James decides to turn it in. However, what Florida doesn't know is that there was $29,000 in the bag and James kept the other $2000 and James has no regrets especially after the only reward he was given was a $50 gift certificate for the supermarket.

J.J. secretly has become a member of the Satan's Knights, a gang who are in the midst of a gang war with the Warlords. Two members and the leader of the Satan's Knights arrive at the Evan's home to escort a scared J.J. to a meeting place where the two gangs are to tangle. However, on the way there they run into James and Florida and a scuffle ensues leaving J.J. shot.

J.J. is recovering after being shot by Mad Dog, which only turned out to be a flesh wound. Meanwhile, a vengeful James presses charges against Mad Dog but a worried Florida is afraid James's anger will take over before the law does.

James is sure he's going to get a sales position at a department store but when he brings Florida along on the interview he is in for a big surprise, the supervisor would rather hire Florida rather then him. It seems the supervisor would "kill two birds with one stone" hiring a African American woman.

Florida comes home all excited that she is going to night school hoping to achieve a High School Equivalency diploma, but her working in the daytime and going to school at night puts a strain on her relationship with James, who is dead set against her entertaining the notion of school.

A woman, known in the projects as the "Wiggler" asks J.J. to paint a nude portrait of her as a birthday gift for her husband. However, Florida has a hard time understanding why a woman would pose in the nude and why she has to pose in the Evans' apartment. Meanwhile, Florida is also not too happy that James is taking such a liking to "the Wiggler."

Realizing his mechanical skills, Florida suggests that James open a fix-it shop but when they go to the bank, they're turned down for a loan. This leads James to set up shop right in the apartment, despite a clause in the lease and pretty soon Bookman begins nosing around trying to put an end to the family business.

J.J. is enchanted with his new girlfriend, Clarissa, and is all set to take her to a ritzy debutante ball. However, Clarissa has come to the Evans' apartment with some bad news, her parents won't let her go with J.J., citing that they think she's too good for him.

An elderly resident of the projects appears to be living on pet food after Michael takes out her garbage. The Evans family's attempt to do something for her is complicated when she brings a meat loaf to dinner and the kids suspect it is made from dog food.

A childhood friend of James' arrives for a visit and quickly his gambling problem becomes an Evans family problem when two hoods show up looking for him to pay off a $5000 debt. Meanwhile, with a houseguest, J.J., Michael and James must learn to share the pull out couch in the living room.

Kyle is appointed the church's new choir director. He gives in to Regine's pleading and awards her the solo in the performance honoring the church's 50th anniversary. When he discovers that she can't sing a note, Kyle decides to save Regine from public humiliation and give the solo to the talented Latrice. After a distraught Regine throws a fit and continually disrupts rehearsal, Latrice returns the solo. Overton and Synclaire force Regine to face the truth about her singing, and she rehearses all night in the hopes of improving. She comes down with laryngitis, Kyle and Latrice take over her part, and the performance goes off without a hitch. Meanwhile, Khadijah is wary of the reactions of her fellow parishioners when she attends church for the first time in two years.

Overton and Synclaire's engagement party is marred when her bickering parents announce that they have separated. When Synclaire begins to express doubts about her own union, Overton forces the James' to talk things out. Lilah reveals that she has tired of her husband's constant wisecracks. She has not revealed her desire to become a lounge singer because she fears Clinton's ridicule. He agrees to support her dream, and they realize that their problems are manageable. Regine tries to use the party as a trap to prove that Max and Kyle are seeing each other. Max suggests that they bring phony dates to throw off Regine; but is distressed when Kyle flies a model friend in from Los Angeles for the evening, while she is stuck with the perpetually boring Teddy. Max finally takes Kyle to the kitchen and confesses that she is seething with jealousy. Kyle pressures her into admitting that she likes him, and she is on the verge of making a more significant admission when Regine bursts in. Max pretends that she is choking Kyle, and Regine is foiled again.