Grace is upset with the number of expensive gift Quentin's getting from his girlfriend. A woman makes an advance towards Russell. D.C. lets Libby interview him for the school paper.
Vic comes to the construction site looking for a job, so Grace has to choose between loyalty to a friend and what she knows is best for the company. Russell informs Grace that Nadine has decided to leave Wade.
Wade's old Vietnam War friend visits, and he and Grace find that through their differences, there's also an attraction. Meanwhile, Jean re-enters the dating scene.
Grace goes on a clothes-shopping spree, only to find D.C. can't make payroll, and then finds money missing from her savings. Russell lets Wade use the pharmacy to try to solve a string of robberies.
Libby tries to prevent the destruction of a cherished town tree that lay in the path of the new bridge. Grace wants Russell to hire Quentin to work at his new soda fountain.
D.C.'s just a tad off base when he wants Grace to flirt with a hotel developer to help him win a construction job. Russell takes Dot on a second date, where he claims to agree with her that they should move slowly.
A pending bridge that will obstruct the view of the river from Emmet's burial site has Jean upset, so Jimmy and Quentin try to move the grave. Russell takes Dot to a riverboat casino, but is vexed when she won't place a bet on anything.
Grace's mother visits for the holidays, and immediately tries to force her parenting style on Libby. Russell offers Santa photos at the pharmacy, with Floyd as the big guy himself.
Grace gets a job at an advertising company, and her attempt to vent to her boss about her frustration with the lack of creativity involved leads to an unexpected offer that she's torn over accepting.
Grace finally earns her degree, but runs into problems while interviewing for jobs—all the interviews offer less than what she was making before. She tries to nudge Quentin towards gearing for college.
Quentin takes Jimmy's gun when he thinks burglars are trying to break in while he babysits Patrick and Libby. Grace finds Vic working at a coffee shop.
It's Grace to the rescue when Nadine goes into labor and Wade's undercover assignment prevents him from being there, and she's given reason to remember all the ways Jimmy let her down when their kids were born.
Grace becomes addicted to pills for her back pain. Russell's upset when customers jump ship for a new chain pharmacy in Victory. Libby obsesses over her birthday party, while Quentin covets a drivers license.
Quentin is suspected in a crime spree at the country club, and Wade's partner is eager to book him. With one day to go, Grace rues promising Libby she'd buy her a dog if she kept a goldfish alive for six months. Grace takes a job at a cocktail lounge.
Grace clashes with Jean over her making a traditional Kelly family favorite for Christmas. Quentin takes advantage of the privacy he's afforded in the garage apartment. Floyd irks Russell by giving away inventory as Christmas gifts to customers.
Grace faces a dilemma when the refinery stops paying for college classes, and she has to choose between taking a proficiency test to gain credits or keeping her job.
Still in New York City, Grace wants to do more to make the trip special for Libby, but a fireman makes the trip special for her. Meanwhile, Russell babysits Grace's kids, but mistakenly assumes Quentin's the one he needs to keep an eye on.
Grace and Nadine accompany Libby to New York City when her poem makes the "Why I Love My State" national finals, and Grace meets an old flame while they're there.
Grace's ex-husband Jimmy returns and she gets him a job at the refinery, but he has a hard time there since Grace's friends are trying to sabotage his job. Also, Jimmy gets into trouble when he gives Quentin some dating advice.
Grace and Nadine reminisce about a road trip to see an Earth, Wind, and Fire concert after they receive invitations to their class reunion. Wade arrests Russell.
Fed up with their dull love lives, Grace and Russell have a pretend date, where she meets a nice man. The refinery pulls a shady trick to screw Grace and her co-workers out of benefits. Wade and Nadine revisit their honeymoon spot.
Quentin is upset at having to leave his father and return home to Victory—so much so that Jimmy's decided to move back to town. Wade wants to become a garbage collector, while Russell yearns to join an elitist country club.
The sale of her rented home puts Grace in the market for a new place, and her friends urge her to buy instead of rent. Libby is bit by a squirrel, and the guys hope to catch it so it can be tested for rabies.
Grace enrolls in a night school for creative writing, but finds her family and Rick aren't pleased with the loss of her time. Grace discovers it may be time to take Libby bra shopping.
Grace, mortified by her family's behavior towards some negroes who've moved into the neighborhood, invites them over for dinner. Quentin uses his father to get his head shaved, though Grace has forbidden it.
Grace quickly regrets showing support to a janitor people want fired for being HIV-positive. Russell and Rick offer Quentin advice for a date to a school dance.
Grace discovers a neighbor's son is spending so much time at her house to escape his perfectionist mother. Wade learns he's been mistakenly engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.
Grace wants to build Quentin a room in the basement, but won't let anyone help pay for it. Russell's fed up with his father always staying out so late.
Grace is stunned when Rick and Jean instantly mesh at her Thanksgiving dinner. Nadine is upset that Wade wants ribs for Thanksgiving instead of turkey.
Matthew's adoptive mother is livid after Grace bails him out following a college prank. Russell lets his father start a one-hour photo service at the pharmacy.
Learning Jimmy's promotion will send him to Ohio, the family has conflicting feelings about his impending absence. Russell uses some unethical strategy in trying to get dates.
When Quentin gets into a fight after using a racial slur, Grace wants Jimmy to straighten him out. Meanwhile, the refinery plans a roast for John Shirley.
Quentin turns resentful after Grace invites his half-brother, Matthew, to the house for dinner. Meanwhile, Wade and Russell just want to get a good look at the kid.
Taking the kids on a camping trip ends up with Grace livid when Quentin's fight with a yuppie family's daughter brings to light a lie Jimmy's been feeding to him.
Grace can't put her finger on what about her seemingly perfect relationship with Travis is putting her off. Vic worries about his hair loss when he finds out his wife's old boyfriend is coming to a class reunion.
Grace reluctantly allows Quentin to visit his father for two weeks and is disheartened when her short story is published in the paper, but only after being heavily edited.
Grace deals with Dougie's invitation to a Christmas dance and the bizarre gifts brought by her former in-laws. Russell wants to make this the best holiday season ever.
A slip on the ice at Nadine and Wade's leads to a trip to a new age massage therapist where Grace vents on dealing with their issues, but her troubles brew again when Wade's home insurance is cancelled and he can't pay her bill.
A lonely Thanksgiving turns racous when the Kellys come to Grace's after Libby runs back home from their feast. Grace suggests to Nadine it's time to get a place of her own.
Grace tries to heal a rift between John Shirley and his pregnant daughter and tries to discover why Quentin's suddenly embarrassed to be seen with her. Wade sells pottery out of Russell's pharmacy.
Grace asks out a minor-leaguer, though Nadine warns it's not a good idea. Their one-year anniversary prompts Faith to pressure Russell for a commitment.
A rent increase forces Grace to make some tough choices, including pleading to Jimmy for more help. A new boss at the refinery make some unsettling changes.
Bill's faced with a sexual discrimination charge after a second woman get employed at the refinery, and Grace tries to mediate. Nadine decides to consult with a fertility clinic. Russell feels his life isn't exciting enough.
Quentin runs away after being told he can't spend the summer with his father. Some of the men at the refinery are disgruntled over Grace's promotion to supervisor.
An explosion at the refinery leaves Grace temporarily in need of work, and she consoles Ryan after his father's death. Nadine and Wade continue to try to get pregnant.
Quentin doesn't hide his animosity when Grace invites Ryan to dinner. Russell hurts Faith by not calling her his girlfriend. Wade and Nadine want a baby, but finds it dulls the excitement of sex.
A weekend getaway to Chicago is ruined when Ryan gets to the airport too late for he and Grace to catch their plane. Meanwhile, Faith wants a little more in the bedroom out of Russell.
The Kellys are livid when Grace is entrusted with an heirloom ring to hold for Libby. After Grace has a spat with Jean, Emmet tries to get them back on good terms.
The wives of Grace's co-workers view her with suspicion. Dissatisfied working for the phone company, Wade quits to become an airborne traffic reporter.
His foul moods make Grace think Quentin may need a male influence in his life. Meanwhile, she tells Russell she just can't get into a relationship right now.
Grace looks to start afresh after divorcing her abusive husband. She lands a job at a refinery, dates the local pharmacist, and deals with her son's rash of misbehavior at school.