227 (1985)
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Al Gordon — Writer
Episodes 17
Matchmakers
Rose tries a video-dating service, but wonders if she can live up to the image Sandra creates for her.
Read MoreThe Handwriting on the Wall
When Mary and Rose come home from the movie theater, they see JoJo spray painting his gang tag underneath Pearl's window. Pearl hits him with her pillow, Rose grabs the spray can and accidentally sprays his shirt, and Mary grabs hims, but tries to talk sense into him.
JoJo tells his mother everything that happened, while leaving out the part about him spray painting on the building. They decide to sue the ladies, and use Sandra as a witness, who was in the car on a date.
When they get in court, his mother and the Judge eventually find out the truth and JoJo is made to clean up his damage. His mother apologizes to the ladies and the ladies are fined 10 cents each.
Read MoreA Good Citizen
When Sandra comes to show the ladies the new ring that her boyfriend gave her, Mary notices an article in the newspaper that mentions a robbery at the same jewelry store where Sandra and her beau first admired the ring. Mary suggests that Sandra contact the police.
The police put a bug in one of Sandra's earrings so they can record her convo with her boyfriend. While he is there, he shows Sandra some bracelets and neckalaces. Just then, the police come into her apt, but Justin gets away.
Sandra is afraid that he may come back, so she asks her friends to keep her company and sleeps on the Jenkins' couch. The next day when she returns to her apt fearless, Justin returns with all the ladies there, but the police come in and arrest Justin. They reveal that they were surveilling Sandra's apt.
Read MoreThe Working Game
Upset when Brenda comes home from University Day wanting to attend Northwestern, Mary anticipates an empty nest by demanding that Lester give her a job at the construction site --and gets fired on her first day. Mary takes a job at a travel agency (with Sandra), where her boss finds her so invaluable that he wants her to accompany him on a trip. The boss comes on to Sandra, who then quits and tells Mary not to go on the trip. She goes anyway, and Sandra then tells Lester about their boss. He surprises Mary in Philadelphia and jumps to the worng conclusions when he finds a man's suit and bathrobe in Mary's closet. He finds out that Mary bought them for him as a surprise.
Read MoreCheck Snub
The Social Security office says that Pearl is dead, and the resulting protest lands Pearl, Mary and Rose in jail.
Read MoreTeach Me Tonight (2)
Sandra overhears how Mitchell interacts with his students and she tells him that he needs to continue teaching because he needs the kids and much as they need him. Sandra and Mitchell confide in the Jenkins separately that they are not ready to get married. When the minister asks if anyone objects, they both raise their hands. They decide that they are not the that the other should marry and need more time to decide whether or not they are ready to get married. Meanwhile, the ladies try to teach Sandra how to cook.
Read MoreSee You in Court
Mary and Sandra go to court over song royalties.
Read MoreShall We Dance?
Mary catches Lester dancing with his old girlfriend.
Read MoreThe Sing-Off
For a choir sing-off, Mary has found housing for all of the competitors except one, and for good reason. He is rude, pushy and impatient. He winds up staying with the Jenkins.
He tries everything he can to guarantee that his choir will win, including taking the judges to dinner and bringing in a professional gospel singer.
The D.C. choir brings in Brenda, Tiffany and friends to sing with their choir, which gives them a unique, youthful sound. The competition ends in a tie, where both teams will represent the East Coast in the California semi-finals.
Read MoreThe Big Deal
Lester's construction company has the chance to be purchased by a multi-national company. The lawyer that is over the proposed merger sub leases the apt and next door, and he and Mary start off on the wrong foot from the beginning. He requests tickets to see the Pointer Sisters, makes Mary cook a steak, (after she'd already made fish) mistakes her for the maid and tells her to clean his apt for $3.00 and hour.
When Mary can't get tickets, she, Rose and Sandra dress up as the Pointer Sisters and host a party for Thurmond. Lester decides that he does not want to sell.
Read MoreMy Aching Back
When a movie is being shot outside 227, Sandra asks the director if there is any role not yet filled. He gives her a line to say (""Officer, he went that way""), but she cannot say it as naturally as Mary, so he recasts Mary in the role. Sandra is upset.
Mary is so nervous, she practices the line day and night until finally she becomes so stressed that her back goes out. Rose brings a chiropractor to her house to relive her stress and straighten her up (she was bent over before).
When it comes time to say her line she does it well. Sandra winds up with a role after all-- the dead homeless person on the apt. steps.
Read MoreThe Whiz Kid
Mary is the director for the church production of ""The Wiz"" and her cast is edgy. Meanwhile, the Jenkins' have a house guest. A college student who will be staying with them for a year. They are all surprised when 11 year old Alexandria shows up. She gets on everyone's nerves with her know-it-all attitude.
She reveals to Mary that she wants everyone to like her and she thinks that no one does at that moment. Mary tells her to just be herself, even if it means acting her age.
Read MoreDouble Your Pleasure
Sandra's cousin Conchita (also played by Jackee) comes to visit, and her finacee follows her to America. Conchita does not want to marry Carlos in an arranged marriage so she asks Sandra to tell him for her.
The two go back and forth with whether or not they want to marry each other, until finally Conchita realizes that she does love Carlos and they decide to get married.
Read MoreThe Real Decoys
Sandra gets a job as a meter maid. When Pearl gets her purse snatched while on her way to the bank with Mary and Rose's dues, Sandra and Mary hatch up an idea to stage a stake-out in the park. Rose and Mary pose as elderly women.
They become suspicious when a skater continues to skate past them and suspect that he is the mugger. An older man comes and sits on the bench with Mary and Rose. He eventually snatches their purses and the skater, who is an undercover cop tries to handcuff him. Sandra decides to be the hero when she jumps in, but she handcuffs the skater instead and the mugger gets away.
When they get home, Pearl realizes that the dues money wasn't in her purse but pinned inside another bra.
Read MorePlay it Again, Stan
When Mary and Lester are on their way to the airport their tickets are stolen by a pick pocket who is running from the cops. As Lester and the police officer go after the man Mary waits in the cab and imagines their lives as the movie Casablanca.
In the end, Lester gets the tickets back and they go off to the airport.
Read MoreA Date to Remember
When Sandra goes on the Love Connection, she chooses Gary because he is the owner of a jewelry store. When he arrives, Mary is in Sandra's apt to greet him, because Sandra has gotten Mary's phone glued to her fingernail. They decide not to eat out, and Gary says that he will cook for Sandra. The problem is, Sandra doesn't have any food in her apt, so she goes to the Jenkins' to ""borrow"" food. While in the kitchen, Lester arrives with the loan officer.
It turns out that the loan officer is Gary's ex-wife! Mary tries to keep Sandra and Gary in the kitchen until Cynthia leaves. When she finally leaves, the coast is clear...until Cynthia comes back and sees Gary in the apt. She tells Lester that the deal is off and throws a pie in Gary's face.
She later returns to apologize for being unprofessional, but once again runs into Gary, this time kissing Sandra. She calls the deal off once again, and the entire group gets into an argument outside 227.
Sandra later finds out that Gary is the owner
Read MoreFor Sale
Rose sells the building and a sister of Lester's friends comes to visit. She staying with the Jenkins and is driving them crazy. She gets hired as the building manager.
The company that bought 227 wants to demolish it and the tenants become mad at Rose for selling the building. Eva found originally sheet music from John Philip Sousa and the building is declared a historical landmark, so it can't get torn down.
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