Tue, Jan 3, 1989
Tony is very proud to hear his prodigy former protégé Mason will be teaching one of his college courses. He and Angela give pointers how to overcome his timidity. Being the gratefully doting teacher's pet becomes so embarrassing and Tony hands in a terrible paper. The dean volunteers to mark the stack it's in, so Tony begs to get it back, in vain, boding truth time for professor Mason.
Tue, Jan 10, 1989
During a visit from old Brooklyn friends, Tony decides to take Mrs. Rossini's cocky adolescent cousin Al under his wing. He is proud when the knave starts making something of his life in a beautician school. Still, Tony turns defensive once Samantha responds to this bad boy's irresistible charm, which Tony knows all too well, having grown up pretty much the same way.
Tue, Jan 24, 1989
Jonathan is running for student council treasurer. Tony cleverly advises to lure some popular boys and hosts a brownies evening with Sam as 'accidental' star attraction. However, Mona's 'loose' reputation proves a problem, which exhausts Jonathan's patience with his utterly abnormal grandma.
Tue, Jan 31, 1989
Tony has had enough of Sam's wasteful wardrobe acquisitions. Jonathan demands payment on her $223 credit line. Tony's and Angela's bragging how they raised money as youths is exploited to make the dare: each other selling the T-shirts Tony designs and Sam hand-produces at the local flea-market.
Tue, Feb 7, 1989
Tony attends a St. Louis Cardinals reunion weekend, to play in a benefit old-timers match and catch up with former teammates. Angela came along to cheer him. When super-fan Betty starts seducing the boys as she used to, Tony pretends to be recently married to Angela, who grudgingly plays along. His friends lure him to the bar, where Betty gets him to hug and dance. Angela reacts very jealously when she sees Betty steal an 'adulterous' kiss.
Tue, Feb 14, 1989
As enthusiastic as Tony is about his quality-time ski-weekend with Sam and Angela about staying behind with Jonathan, as unwilling their kids really are to be shielded as children. Sam blows a shot at handsome skier Zach while Tony takes a kids skying course with little kids including abusive Amber, then turns possessively jealous when Tony still scores with foxy instructor Lisa. back home, Jonathan hopes to escape thanks to Anegla's cold, which also decks Mona, but decides against it to take care of ma and handle the heating repairman better then they ever could.
Tue, Feb 21, 1989
Mona feels both offended as dating-role model and a failure as mother finding out Angela took an escort to an awards event. After hearing the frustrating story of her disastrous prom date from both ladies, Tony reluctantly accepts to ask her on a 'real' date, as opposed to several 'accidental' ones.
Tue, Feb 28, 1989
Tony and Mona are dead-eager rivaling to be invited along as Angela's partner to an exclusive New york party where Frank Sinatra will sing. Angela bails out to try rescuing an account, so Mona steals her dress and the tickets. Only on-site Tony discovers the tickets aren't transferable. Angela returns early, just in time to join them, but adds to the confusion, so all three end up thrown out. Tony however is thus just in time to meet his idol and render him appreciated service.
Tue, Mar 7, 1989
When Tony finds out Samantha let airhead friends take her illegally drinking beer at a frat party, he gives her a sound lecture. For once firmly seconded by Angela, he refuses to cover up Dam's drunken state. However they commit the error of feeling guilty just for having innocent drinks at home, and Tony's sports fan-buddies are not much help in 'setting the good example'.
Tue, Mar 21, 1989
Tony and Angela try hard to be welcoming to their smug new neighbors, Mark and Pam, but soon get into a bitter garden row. Jonathan however sees a perfect mate at least in their daughter Heather, so being told the neighbors are off-limit is not acceptable. The smitten kids decide to lead their oldies by example.
Tue, Mar 28, 1989
For a school paper assignment, Tony lets Sam stay over at Trish Carlin's models boarding school. Trish's son Rick is sweetly innocent, but Sam's Brooklyn friend Caroline, who got in as favor, keeps attracting boys and trouble, while abusing ever-helpful country-girl Martha, who nevertheless makes the difference when Trish finally has enough of the sass.
Tue, Apr 4, 1989
Tony convinces Angela to hire for her roof repair his former coach Ralph. Mona can't resist seducing him just because he didn't flirt with her. Then dumps Ralph for the next conquest as soon as he's smitten, another suitor left heartbroken. Tony taking offense as fellow male and friend at last gets Mona to promise she'll mend her man-eater ways.
Tue, Apr 11, 1989
Tony has organized a PTA project offering each kid a week job experience with one of the parents. Sam and Bonnie are left out, so they 'get stuck with' Tony's domestic experience and Angela's advertising agency. Lazy Sam chooses what seems the least work, only to change her mind after hearing easy-going Bonnie enjoyed giving it a real go. The scenario is repeated after the mates switch jobs, but by now the mentors get on to them.
Tue, Apr 25, 1989
Tony has started playing golf but has to rise early to get access to the public links, so Angela surprises him with a country club membership she won in a raffle. Thus Tony sets out to network while playing, but is looked down upon by posh members. Only tycoon Lowell Michaels, risen from poverty himself, befriends Tony. When the ladies here about such a potential client, just what Angela's agency needs to recover, Mona emotionally blackmails Tony to abuse his new friend's confidence to arrange a business appointment.
Tue, May 2, 1989
The Bower home's surprise how excited Angelo gets at the mention of an announced visitor, former study mate flirt Brian Thomas, is topped spectacularly when he tells why he came. They actually had a drunk Vegas marriage he supposedly annulled in Tijuana after they came to their senses, but the Mexican procedure was invalid. Now he's engaged with Rhonda and comes to fix their divorce, but quickly falls back in love with Angela.
Tue, May 9, 1989
Unlike model-student Tony, Sam studies no more than necessary, and preferably with attractive male colleagues, like Scott. After she helps him pass the French exam, he gives her the answers for her chemistry exam. After it's all discovered, neither teacher Timmons nor Tony is likely to believe she didn't actually cheat.
Tue, May 16, 1989
Tony plans to treat himself, for his upcoming birthday, to a shiny successor for his utterly run-down van, but decides against the expense. Angela offers to make it a birthday gift, which is turned down as too extravagant, then to share the costs since it's useful for the whole household. Even then, Tony can't quite bring himself to chuck his first-ever vehicle and convinces Sam of its unique souvenir value, but already advertised to sell it.
Tue, Sep 19, 1989
A client offers Angela a weekend trip to Jamaica, with the whole household. Tony's careless sense of relaxation contrasting with ever-serious Angela leads to a bitter contest and separation 'to have fun' in which she goes overboard, ultimately being rescued from drowning during a nightly skinny-dip. After a talent-contest, they reconcile and consider the possibility of a future marriage.
Tue, Sep 26, 1989
Tony welcomes a visit from Sam's Brooklyn-neighborhood-buddy Charlie Briscoe. When he learns she has left school and home, he calls her mother, but when rudely told 'keep her!' he refuses. Sam scolds that disloyal hypocrisy, which even Trish rebukes as he's her dream-parent. After a dog-food photo-shoot at the bower-home, agent Trish Carlin comes up with an alternative, yet Charlie seems uninterested.
Tue, Oct 3, 1989
Emotional blackmails suckers Tony into house-sitting for Mrs. Rossini and her cat Fiorello during a heatwave in Brooklyn during her mini-cruise. Tony enjoys catching up with his noisy blue-collar mates, especially Dennis and his ever-pregnant wife. Angela pays Tony a surprise visit and has a nightmare about leading such a housewife life without prospects.
Tue, Oct 10, 1989
While Tony and Angela bicker who 'gave Same the love for literature', the only things that gets her and airheads like Bonnie to read non-obligatory books is hunky book club lecturing teaching assistant Ethan. Tony gets wind of Sam's latest flame being 'much older' and tricks him to review a 'first edition at home. Neither Micelli expected Ethan to bring his wife.
Tue, Oct 31, 1989
After a soirée Tony help host masterly, Richard Braden invites Angela's firm to merge with his much large one. Only Mona is against, but her bluff 'or I quit' is called. The row grows so bitter even Tony advises to give up collaborating. Once working for Braden, Angela starts doubting the wisdom of handing over control. Mona fails to get another job but increases the pressure by becoming Braden's coffee lady and stir outside the cups.
Tue, Nov 14, 1989
Between his study, domestic and paternal duties, overworked Tony is risking a burn-out. Tired of smoothing the endless bickering at home, he joins Dr. Berl's family therapy, against Brooklyn tradition. However the conclusion is Jonathan and Sam's bickering is normal 'sibling' friction, only Tony needs more sessions. He ends up in a group for 'super-moms'.
Tue, Nov 21, 1989
Attending a gym, Angela meets less prudish girls, who openly get her talking and thinking about hunky men, like Ernie who works out there, or Tony. Now at home to, she ponders and recalls the fat high-school experience root cause of her romantic shyness. Should she start dating Tony, or still declare him fair game for others?
Tue, Nov 28, 1989
Tony dreaded Dr. Purcell's aptitude test, but his results offer a wide choice. He wants to major in business and start start his own firm. For easy marks, he takes Sam's suggestion, primary class observation. However the mean old teacher Bunch forces him to take over, even straightaway. Despite a disastrous, unprepared first class, Tony soldiers on and gets the taste of teaching.
Tue, Dec 5, 1989
Jonathan hoped, after failing any athletic selection, to cast off his total nerd image by joining the school orchestra. Alas, the accordion he picked is even less popular than nerds. Tony however convinces him perseverance can pay off by invoking the happy example of his Brooklyn friend Bobby Governale, who agrees to tutor Jonathan. The two become inseparable and end up pushing Tony away for allegedly 'discriminating against accordion players like everybody else'.