Denise: the Saga Continues
September 21, 1989
Denise returns from Africa with a pair of surprises. One is a husband, Martin, and the other is a stepdaughter, Olivia.

Surf's Up
September 28, 1989
Cliff buys a refrigerator for Theo's apartment. He is upset to learn that Clair has already been to the apartment, while Theo has failed to invite Cliff because he is worried that he will bore his friends. Cliff angrily heads over to the apartment and demands to come in. He takes pity on Theo and cuts short one of his tales. However, Theo's roommates find Cliff to be very interesting and keep pleading with him for more stories. Theo is impressed, and later tells Cliff that this is the first time he has seen him as a friend. Theo and his roommates get evicted after re-creating one of Cliff's stories by dumping soap and water on the floor and sliding around with sponges tied to their rears. They end up damaging the landlord's ceiling. Theo must move back in with his parents. Clair pressures Cliff to resolve the situation. Cliff goes to see the landlord and offers to pay him more each month if he allows the guys to return.

I'm 'In' With the 'In' Crowd
October 5, 1989
Everybody loses when Vanessa and friends play drinking games at an unsupervised get-together.

Denise Kendall: Navy Wife
October 12, 1989
Denise and Martin prepare to drive to Rhode Island to check out the house where they will be living on the naval base. Clair notices that Denise seems troubled. She confesses that she forgot to call the base and confirm the housing arrangement while Martin was away at sea. Clair encourages Denise to tell Martin the truth immediately, but she is too afraid. She does not tell him until they are called before the head of the base, causing Martin to look like a fool in front of the captain. They have to go back on the waiting list, and must make other arrangements for six months. He feels bad about continuing to impose on Cliff. They cannot stay with Martin's parents because his mother thinks that Denise is a flake. Cliff spends time with Olivia while Martin and Denise are away. She offers her theory about the origin of babies. When Denise and Martin return, he takes the blame for the housing snafu. Clair suspects that Denise screwed up on purpose because she was worried about having to care for Olivia on her own and wanted her family nearby. Clair tells Denise that she must eventually learn to take responsibility for her family; but assures her that she can always call on Clair for help.

Theo's Gift
October 19, 1989
Theo studies for a mythology exam with Justine, and seems to have a complete mastery of the subject. He is disgusted when he only receives a C on the test. He cannot understand why he continues to do poorly, and is tired of working so hard for mediocre grades. He says that he just could not understand the test questions. Theo tells his parents that he even went to the learning center for testing to try to get a grasp on his problem. When Cliff tells him to concentrate harder, Theo accuses him of failing to be supportive. Cliff and Clair accompany Theo to the learning center. The woman running the center tells him that he may have a form of dyslexia. After the diagnosis is confirmed, she gives Theo some tips on organization and suggests that he take some classes on dealing with the syndrome. Theo and his parents are thrilled that there is a way to treat his problem. His grades begin to show a marked improvement, and Theo predicts that he will soon get A's.

Denise Kendall: Babysitter
October 26, 1989
Denise and Olivia baby-sit Sondra and Elvin's twins and wind up destroying their apartment.

Shall We Dance?
November 2, 1989
Vanessa discovers that Rudy has a crush on one of her classmates, Clarence, and teases her about it. Rudy's teacher, Mrs. McGee, teaches the class a series of lessons on etiquette. Clarence eagerly volunteers to sit beside Rudy during a demonstration on dinner table manners, and they stare at each other lovingly. Clarence's friends get on his case, and force him to prove that he doesn't like Rudy by harassing her. Rudy and her girlfriends go to the Huxtable house and rant about how stupid the boys are. They go to the mall and ignore them, and continue this behavior the next day. When Rudy comes back after school to retrieve a book, Clarence knocks her books out of her hands and shoves her. Mrs. McGee catches Rudy beating up Clarence, and orders the two to be partners at the dance that is to conclude the etiquette lesson the next day. Cliff tries to counsel Rudy on why ten-year-old boys behave the way the do, but only confuses her. The boys and girls, not surprisingly, are reluctant to socialize at the dance. Kenny has to dance with Mrs. McGee after he cannot find a partner.

The Day the Spores Landed
November 9, 1989
Cliff dreams that the eruption of a volcano in Peru has sent spores into the drinking water and caused men to become pregnant. Cliff, Elvin, Martin and Theo are all pregnant. Theo deals with stares and unkind comments because he is an "unwed father." The pregnant men all become very emotional, while the women act insensitive toward them most of the time. The guys all go into labor at the same time, and suffer excruciating pain. Martin gives birth to a toy sailboat, while Theo has a mini sports car. Cliff has twins: a gigantic hoagie and a bottle of orange soda. After "experiencing" pregnancy and childbirth, Cliff wakes up and tells Clair how much he appreciates her and how much he admires all women.

Cliff's Wet Adventure
November 16, 1989
The Huxtables host a large gathering for Thanksgiving dinner. Cliff must go to the market in the midst of a terrible storm to gather ingredients for the meal. Unfortunately, he keeps forgetting items on his list and getting sent back out into the rain. Martin's ex-wife, Paula, calls from the airport during a long layover. Denise invites her to join the family for Thanksgiving so that she can spend time with Olivia. Martin feels uncomfortable about the situation, but Denise assures him that everything will be fine. Paula and Denise have a talk while Martin helps Olivia prepare a gift for her mom. Paula explains why she ended her marriage. She had always made decisions based on what her parents wanted, and could no longer stand it. Although it was painful, she felt that she needed to live her own life.

Grampy and Nu-Nu Visit the Huxtables
November 30, 1989
The Huxtables and the Kendalls meet for the first time.

Cliff La Dolce
December 7, 1989
Against her better judgment, Clair leaves Cliff in charge of the household.

Getting to Know You
December 14, 1989
Cliff and Martin meet at the cafe for coffee. Two women hit on them and are disappointed to learn that they are married. Cliff and Martin introduce them to Theo. The Huxtable women spend the day on a shopping excursion. They convince Elvin to dress up in an elf costume when he visits sick children at the hospital. He is initially put off by the costume, but eventually becomes very enthusiastic about lifting the kids' spirits. Cliff and Martin are left alone in the house. Cliff pushes him for details about his courtship with Denise. They later bond over their experiences in the Navy. Cliff says that he is glad that Denise married such a good man, but is disappointed that he didn't get to give her away. The family organizes an impromptu ceremony in the living room so that Cliff can officially give his daughter away. Olivia and Cliff discuss Santa Claus and his racial background.

Elvin Pays for Dinner
January 4, 1990
Sondra and Elvin make plans to have dinner with his old friend from college and her sister. However, Sondra decides to stay home because she is preoccupied with her personal statement essay for law school applications. Elvin offers to cancel, but she encourages him to go out and have a good time. He promises to return by 9:30 to take babysitters Vanessa and Rudy back home. He calls from the restaurant to tell Sondra that he might be late, and she encourages him to stay out. When Elvin returns home, Sondra is furious that she had to interrupt work on her essay to drive her sisters home. She acts cordial toward Elvin's guests, but refuses to speak to Elvin after they leave. She is especially upset that he paid for dinner. They have dinner with Cliff and Clair the next day. Cliff gives Elvin advice on being psychic so that he will know how to keep from upsetting his wife. Clair sympathizes with Sondra, but points out that she could have avoided the whole fiasco by being honest with Elvin. They eventually make up. Vanessa and Rudy get hooked on old movies. They become too caught up in the films and fear that Sondra is going to kill Elvin in a jealous rage.

Cliff's Nightmare
January 11, 1990
Cliff arrives home in the middle of the night after a long series of deliveries. He insists on eating a sausage sandwich, despite Clair's warnings that it will disagree with him and cause him to have bad dreams. He has a very bizarre nightmare that begins with Vanessa forming a jazz-funk combo and Olivia travelling back in time. He ends up back in the Navy and reporting to Theo, who chides him about his diet. Clair then becomes caught in a tornado that sucks her out of the house and leaves her hanging to the window. She calls out to Cliff for help, but he is distracted when his sandwich starts talking to him (literally disagreeing with him). A weird puppet doctor tells him that he has to make a delivery at the hospital, and brings in two monsters to drag him away. He is forced to make a delivery in front of a bunch of creatures. When the delivery does not happen, they tie him down and try to operate on him. Cliff wakes up and vows to change his diet. The food in the refrigerator starts talking and doubts that he will make good on this promise.

Denise Kendall: Singles Counselor
January 18, 1990
Denise's attempt to play matchmaker for Vanessa backfires, leaving her in a sticky situation.

The Birthday Party
January 25, 1990
Denise and Martin host Olivia's fourth birthday party. Cliff is unsure of how the children will react to Denise's menu, which includes healthy food such as all-natural (sugarless) cake. The kids arrive and begin running wild. Denise and Martin discover that they have forgotten to rent the video for the party. Denise is busy with the food, so Cliff watches the kids while Martin goes to the video store. The kids find the video boring, so Olivia leads them through the house in search of her present, a tricycle. They raid the basement fridge and help themselves to a chocolate cake. However, they still enjoy Denise's food, and take a nap after wearing themselves out. Martin and Denise give Vanessa and Rudy's old tricycle to Olivia. She is a little disappointed that they didn't buy her a new one, but likes the gift after Denise explains that it is a way of accepting her into the family.

Not Everybody Loves the Blues
February 1, 1990
Theo frets to Elvin about his relationship with Justine. He is worried about losing her if she decides to go to graduate school, but says that he isn't ready for a serious relationship. Theo and Elvin attend a performance by legendary blues singer/guitarist Riley Jackson. Theo brings one of Riley's records to the Huxtable house to introduce his music to his parents. He is stunned to find that Riley is at the house having dinner. He is a longtime friend of Russell and Anna, and visits with them whenever he is in town. He came to see Cliff and Clair because Cliff's parents are away. Vanessa is depressed because she doesn't have a boyfriend, and declines to listen to Riley sing. She thinks that blues music is too whiny. Kenny, a fan of the blues because of his brother's influence, comes over and does a duet with Riley. Rudy is not impressed. Theo seeks relationship advice from Riley. He is confused because he loves Justine, but still doesn't know if she is "the one." Riley says that all relationships move at their own pace. Theo is very happy when Justine returns to town and joins him at Riley's performance. Vanessa loves the show and gets overly enthusiastic. Theo talks to his parents about Justine. He says that he is afraid that Justine wants to get married and will be disappointed if he doesn't commit. His parents point out that he has no reason to believe Justine feels this way, and suspect that Theo is using this as a cover because he is the one starting to think about marriage. Theo is a little freaked out.

Rudy's Walk on the Wild Side
February 8, 1990
Danielle comes to the house and shows off her new shirt. Rudy and Kim decide that they must buy identical shirts while they are still available, but Rudy doesn't have enough money. She searches her room, but comes up $2.30 short. Kenny offers to give her the money in exchange for the autographed Magic Johnson poster that Cliff had given her. He doesn't have any money at the moment, but says that his brother owes him money and will be getting his paycheck that night. Rudy decides to ask Clair for an advance in her allowance in the meantime. Unfortunately, Vanessa first approaches Clair and tries to demand a raise in her allowance (which she feels her parents "owe" her). Clair becomes angry and says that she's not giving out any more money, so Rudy keeps quiet. She swipes some of the money that Clair had left out for the dry cleaners. Clair drives herself crazy tearing apart the house while looking for the missing cash. Kenny tells Rudy that his brother couldn't come up with the money, so she turns to Theo for help. Cliff makes the connection and realizes that Rudy took the money. He advises her to come clean with Clair. Clair is relieved that she isn't losing her mind and misplacing things. She scolds the guilt-ridden Rudy for taking the money, but goes easy on her because she seems to have learned her lesson. Cliff realizes that Kenny lied about getting money from his brother so that he could stake a claim on Rudy's poster. Cliff accompanies Kenny to his house to get it back.

Mr. Sandmanbr /> February 15, 1990
Cliff and Clair receive a phone call from Rudy's teacher, Mrs. McGee. She reports that she has assigned Rudy and classmate George Thompson to put together a dance routine as part of a class presentation about the 1920s. However, Rudy has refused to cooperate. Rudy tells her parents that she feels self-conscious around George because he is a talented and experienced dancer. She fears that she will just make a fool of herself. Clair forces Rudy to attend dance classes, but assures her that she only wants her to make an effort. Cliff attends one of Rudy's classes. While she and George are away with the choreographer, he gets into a dance-off with the instructor, Mr. Sims. Mr. Sims quickly wears him out. Rudy continues to struggle, but Mr. Sims promises to keep working with her until she gets the hang of it. Rudy and George preview their routine for her family. Meanwhile, Olivia pretends that a bunch of clothespins are a family and plays with them.

Isn't It Romantic?
February 22, 1990
Theo brags to his dad and brothers-in-law about his romantic evening with Justine. He insists that marriage immediately sucks the romance out of any relationship. Cliff, Elvin and Martin take offense to this, and tell each other stories demonstrating how romantic they can be. Elvin and Martin are not impressed with Cliff's story about whisking Clair away to a hotel, because they feel it is more impressive to show affection without spending a lot of money. The three men make a bet on who can buy the most romantic gift for his wife without exceeding a 25-dollar-limit. They plan to present the gifts after a nice dinner at the Huxtable house. Olivia spills the beans about the bet to the women. They are furious, and vow to react negatively to whatever they receive. Sondra breaks her part of the deal after opening Elvin's gift. He gives her a single pearl, and vows to keep buying her one every year until she can have the necklace she has always wanted. Denise melts after Martin makes a time capsule with a handkerchief that includes lipstick from their first kiss, and a flower from their wedding. Cliff launches into a story about a barrette that Clair wanted when they were first dating as young teens, and claims that he tracked it down for her. Clair angrily responds that another girl liked the barrette; she actually wanted a green bracelet. She opens the box and is delighted to find the bracelet.

Theo's Dirty Laundry
March 15, 1990
Cliff finds women's underwear in Theo's laundry. Clair does some sleuthing and soon discovers that Theo has moved in with Justine. Theo explains that Justine lost her roommate, and that he moved in so that she wouldn't lose the place. The rent is cheaper, so he has been putting the extra money from his parents into a bank account. Clair is furious that Theo has lied to them. She and Cliff declare that he is not allowed to live with his girlfriend because it will interfere with his education. Theo disagrees, and feels that the arrangement has been good for the couple. He says that they will find a way to make it on their own if their parents won't support them. Justine tells her parents the truth, and warns Theo that her father is angry with him. They try to come up with a plan to stay together, reasoning that they can get jobs and tranfer to a cheaper school upstate. They soon conclude that they are moving too fast, and decide to abide by their parents' wishes. When Theo returns home, Clair refuses to accept his apology and throws him out. She plans to take him back if he grovels, but worries when he doesn't return for several hours. They soon learn that Theo is staying with Justine's parents. They are not upset because her father wants to keep an eye on Theo. Inspired by a conversation with Paula, Denise announces plans to become a teacher and help children with learning disabilities. She tries to convince her parents that she is serious, and promises to move out soon. Clair dissuades her, noting that she will need help with Olivia if she wishes to go back to college. Cliff thinks that Clair is crazy to pass up the opportunity to get one of their kids out of the house.

What's It All About?
March 22, 1990
Clair must work grueling hours as she takes on the most difficult case of her career. She gets very little sleep for several days. She is unable to relax when she returns home from court because the children repeatedly demand her attention. Clair becomes extremely irritable. She tells Cliff that she has "nothing left to give." Cliff tries to help by getting a surgeon friend to allow her the use of his desolate cabin for the weekend. She is thrilled for the chance to be alone and rest, but ends up freezing when the pipes and a window break. She wants to come home, but no trains are available until the next day. Clair convinces the manager of the lodge to drive her to the nearest bus station. Cliff offers to do his best to help her continue her vacation at home, but Clair elects to help Rudy with her history paper instead of resting.

Off to See the Wretched
April 5, 1990
Vanessa and friends go to see their favorite group, the Wretched, and don't tell any of their parents that the concert is in Baltimore.

The Moves
April 19, 1990
Clair tries to prevent a community center from losing its playground. She meets with opposing counsel, her friend Bernadette, in the hopes of arranging a settlement. The Huxtables' neighbor Jeffrey, whose wife recently left him because of his lack of spontaneity, undergoes a series of lifestyle changes to prove that he is not boring. He begins wearing bright-colored clothing and a series of ridiculous hairpieces, and considers buying a sports car. When Clair brings Bernadette to the house, Jeffrey is instantly smitten with her. She has read many of his novels and seems interested in him, but Jeffrey calls the whole thing off. He concludes that she is attracted to his "flashy" new personality, and fears he would be living a lie. Cliff believes he has a fool-proof method to keep Olivia out of his hair when he repeatedly sends her after personal items. However, she consults Rudy about his behavior and comes up with a plan of her own.

Live and Learn
April 26, 1990
Denise becomes discouraged after learning that Medgar Evers College will only accept transfer credit for one of the courses she took at Hillman (archery) because it is the only class in which she received at least a C. When she goes to pick up Olivia at preschool, she is impressed by the teaching methods of "Uncle" Wilton, who uses rap to teach the multiplication tables. She decides that she can reach the children through alternative methods, and does not need to return to college. She ignores the advice of both her teacher friend Rebecca and Clair and decides to approach Wilton about becoming his assistant. She is crushed when Wilton tells her that she needs a master's degree, as he also employs traditional teaching methods. Rebecca convinces her that she still has a lot to learn about communicating with children. Cliff and Clair expect Denise to find yet another calling, but she surprises them by enrolling in college as a freshman.

The Storyteller
May 3, 1990
The Huxtables eagerly anticipate a visit from Cliff's great aunt Gramtee, who is coming to town to celebrate her 98th birthday. She embarrasses Cliff with stories about his childhood, and mesmerizes the children by sharing accounts of a relative who lived during times of slavery. Olivia is upset by the family's plans to attend church after Gramtee's birthday celebration, as a friend's parents had invited her to come to the zoo and Playland at the same time. She continually pleads with Denise to let her go to the zoo, but Denise stands her ground. Clair is impressed by Denise's resolve, but warns her to expect a tantrum. Olivia eventually talks to Gramtee, who tells her that she can make her own decision about whether to attend church. However, Olivia elects to go to church after all because she likes spending time with Gramtee.