Good Times

When Florida starts acting strangely, her family and friends don't know what to make of it: menopause or boredom?

For J.J.'s 18th birthday, his parents want to get him art supplies, but James' bad credit complicates matters. Meanwhile, J.J. is picked up by police for robbing a liquor store.

The police question J.J. about the robbery and the Evanses contemplate going to a loan shark for J.J.'s bail.

Michael forges his parents' signature on a busing questionnaire to get out of being shipped to a better school in a white neighborhood.

Michael must write an essay for school on the person he admires. He picks his mother for her strength, but Florida suggests that James would be the better person to write about.

Florida and James are shocked when they meet the man Thelma has been secretly dating for two months. And with an impending wedding, her parents are concerned about their obvious differences.

Florida and James are surprised when Michael gets very low marks on his I.Q. test despite being one of the smartest kids in his class. After Michael explains the test, his parents visit the school to express their concerns.

When a blind man comes to the Evans household selling encyclopedias, James takes pity on the man and signs a contract agreeing to buy them. But after he leaves, James reads the fine print and realizes he's made a mistake.

To his parents dismay, J.J. joins a gang. Their fears are proved warranted when J.J. is shot.

J.J.'s wound is only superficial but James wants revenge on the man who shot his son and will do anything to get it.

Florida wants Willona to settle down and fixes her up with one of James' friends.

James stumbles on a bag containing $27,000 of stolen money. He wants to keep it but Florida convinces him to take the money to the police. No good deed goes unpunished - James doesn't know that the bag originally contained $29,000 dollars.

Thelma's favorite cousin is staying with the Evanses for Christmas. Her visit becomes an issue when Thelma discovers she has a serious drinking problem.

Florida accompanies James on his job interview at a department store, but the supervisor prefers to hire Florida and not James.

Florida wants to get her GED but between night school and working, her relationship with James suffers.

Florida has a problem with a woman who wants J.J. to paint her in the nude. Though the portrait is a gift for her husband, Florida doesn't want her posing in the family's apartment.

James is rejected for a bank loan to open his own fix-it shop. So, he sets up business in the apartment.

J.J. falls for a girl from a ritzy family. Despite being crazy about one another, her parents won't let him take her to a fancy dance because he's not good enough for them.

The Evanses suspect their elderly neighbor is surviving on dog food. They invite her over for dinner but are faced with a dilemma when she insists on bringing the meatloaf.

James' childhood friend brings more than old stories when he comes to visit - his $5,000 gambling debt brings two thugs looking for payment to the Evans household.

J.J. is determined to quit school and work full-time in order to marry his girlfriend, Henrietta. James and Florida don't understand until a very pregnant Henrietta visits the Evanses.

When both James and J.J. lose their jobs, J.J. decides to help his family by joining the army.

Thelma has an opportunity to attend a prestigious boarding school. But when a snooty sorority girl is too insistent that Thelma join, she realizes they only want her because she's black.

James tries to teach Michael some tactics on how to handle a bully at school. Michael has his own ideas and invites the boy over to his house.