Joan runs into a figure from the past and makes a hasty decision that prompts Maya and Lynn to intervene.

William convinces Joan to host a baby shower for his sister, Linda; and her partner, Kira. Kira's water breaks during the event. William wants to take her to the hospital, but they insist on having a midwife conduct a home delivery, which ends up taking place at Joan's house. Joan constantly worries that the water from the birthing pool will seep out and ruin her floors. Lynn drives everyone crazy as she suggests possible baby names and reads off their meanings. William fears that parenthood (and being a lesbian) is all just a phase for Linda, and they get into an argument. Linda threatens to keep William away from his nephew/son, so he says that he will not sign the papers relinquishing his parental rights. William's friends try to convince him to change his mind. He eventually apologizes and admits that the reality of having to sign away his rights had just hit him. He and Joan agree to have a baby together if neither is married or has a child in ten years. They soon come t

After Brock invites Joan to join her for a weekend in Las Vegas, she is convinced that he plans to pop the question. She brags about this constantly to her friends, but isn't so sure that she is really ready for marriage. She drives Brock crazy as she constantly makes him turn back to Los Angeles and then toward Vegas again, and even after he says that he is anxious to marry her, she continues to battle cold feet. Meanwhile, William carries around a baby doll to try to prove to his sister that he can handle the responsibilities of caring for a child.

Maya learns that the publisher wants to sanitize her book to make it more accessible to white readers. She convinces her editor to stand up for her vision and get the original version of the book released. She succeeds, and Maya receives $25,000. After William shows up at her house to confront her, Joan flees for New York with Toni. Toni sees Todd with his colleague, Natalie, and again assumes he is cheating on her. She makes a scene on the set as she begs him not to leave her. Joan is surprised to run into William, who has come to New York to give legal advice to Maya. Joan tries to tell William that she isn't interested in him romantically. He says that this is okay, and that things between them will soon return to normal. William runs into Monica, his evil, golddigging ex-girlfriend. Lynn visits her birth mother, Sandy, for information on her biological father. She learns that Sandy wanted to marry Lynn's father, but Sandy's parents paid the man to go away. They claim it

Sean grows uncomfortable with Joan's relationship with Davis, as he feels that she flirts with him too much. After she confesses that they once shared a kiss, Sean upsets Joan by ordering her to stay away from Davis and 847 for good. Meanwhile, Toni angers Greg by displaying some of his paintings at the restaurant; and Darnell becomes impatient when Maya is reluctant to resume sexual relations with him after her surgery.

Joan finds herself in a bind when she is forced to agree to a dinner with both Ellis and Brock. She does not know how to handle the situation, although she insists that she is going to stay with Ellis. Joan winds up sharing a passionate kiss with Brock. Ellis nearly catches them in the act, and her friends witness the whole scene from the laundry room. Joan finally confesses her actions on the night of the play to Ellis. He is initially furious, but later visits her and lets her off the hook. They admit that they cared about each other, but were never really in love. Joan dashes off to give Brock a call. Meanwhile, William tries to cut a deal with Maya to get her to actually do her job, but she continues to outwit him.

Toni continues to see her therapist, Dr. Miller. Rather than following the doctor's advice and writing a letter to her mother detailing her grievances against her, Toni instead brings her mother to her sessions. Veretta stays with Toni and Todd and monopolizes the house. Todd tries to tolerate her rude and thoughtless behavior, but insists that she stop smoking in the house. Veretta refuses, and says that she doesn't have to listen to Todd because her daughter paid for the house. They get into a heated confrontation, and wind up ordering Toni to choose between them. Meanwhile, William worries that the fact that he and Donna have such different backgrounds (she cleans bed pans for a living and insists on travelling by bus) will impede their chances of having a future together. He vows to try his best to keep the relationship going, because he considers Donna to be special. Joan obsesses over whether to resume sessions with her own therapist after Lynn and Maya make several deris

A stranger stops Joan on the street and tells her, ""You made the right decision."" He claims to be a psychic, and manages to convince Joan that he is for real. She takes his words as a sign that she was right to break up with Brock. However, she soon re-considers after she runs into Brock on the street. She observes him playing with his young niece and concludes that she might be satisfied having children in her life without being a mother for a while. However, a visit to her gynecologist gives her pause when she is forced to face the fact that her child-bearing years are limited (because many older women face complications in their pregnancies). Meanwhile, a dream prompts William to confront Lynn about annulling their marriage. He accompanies the skeptical Maya when she tries to confront the psychic. After the man tells him that ""she's right in front of you,"" he mistakenly believes that he is destined to be with Lynn. The psychic later directs him toward a woman waiting for a

Toni is furious to discover that Todd failed to deliver a message from a remorseful Greg before the wedding. Claiming that she needs closure but actually hoping to rub her happiness in Greg's face, she insists that she needs to meet with him. Todd fears that Toni still has feelings for Greg and threatens to leave her if she sees him. Toni declares that Todd needs to trust her; she ignores his ultimatum and meets with Greg anyway. Meanwhile, Joan is devastated when William's nephew/son cries every time she holds him, as she sees it a a sign that she wouldn't be a good mother. After Jabari tells Maya and Lynn that his classmates think they are lesbians, Maya angers Lynn by saying that she wouldn't even be her type.

Toni and Maya get into another argument before an evening out, in part because Toni refuses to believe that Maya can get the girls into an exclusive club. Toni tries to gain admission to the club and fails. Maya shows up and easily gets herself, Joan, Lynn and William past the doorman. Joan convinces the reluctant Maya to also get Toni into the club. When the doorman waves to Toni, another woman believes the wave was meant for her, and they get into an argument. Joan tries to play peacemaker, but the situation turns into a brawl. Maya and Lynn jump into the fight, but Toni is hurt by the fact that Joan fails to back her up. She begins to question their friendship, so Joan searches for a way to patch things up.

Joan becomes fed up with the ""boys' club"" mentality at work, as her opinions are ignored and she is passed over for important cases. When she believes that William has deliberately stolen her idea, she blows up at him in front of everyone, leading to a rift between them. Meanwhile, Maya discovers that Toni and Lynn's yoga instructor is a little too ""hands-on"" in his approach toward his students.

After Joan reveals that she hasn't had sex in a year, her friends push her to go for a one-night stand. Joan is reluctant because she generally doesn't sleep with anyone until she has been in a relationship for three months, but tries to make a move on Davis Hamilton, a handsome man who owns the restaurant the girls frequent. She convinces Davis to drive her home and makes a pass at him, only to learn that he is engaged. Although nothing happens between them, Joan tells Toni and Lynn that she slept with him. When the girls blab the news around town, Davis' fiancée dumps him, leaving Joan to struggle for a way to clean up the mess.

Joan turns to her friends for support when she fears that she might be pregnant. When a test turns out positive, she tries to cope with her fears about impending motherhood. Meanwhile, Lynn recalls memories of her ""white"" childhood after receiving a box of belongings from her mother.

Maya learns that tuition has increased substantially, and she doesn't have enough money to cover it. William tries to give her the money by pretending she has received it from the firm's continuing education plan, but she turns him down. Lynn housesits for Joan so that her DSL can be installed while she is away with Brock. Lynn claims that she is going to work on a grant proposal for another documentary, but gets nothing done. Joan refuses to let her stay at the house, and Toni and William also reject her. Maya agrees to let Lynn move in for a month if she pays rent. Lynn proceeds to lie around and do absolutely nothing. Maya pays her tuition, but learns that her credits do not transfer and she must start over again as a freshman. She is unbelievably frustrated and breaks down in tears. Lynn annoys Maya by complaining about her own plight and claiming to be depressed. William tells Lynn what Maya is experiencing and convinces her to be more sensitive, and also to take action

Lynn persuades Toni to accompany her to Virginia, where she seeks Sandy's help before a presentation aimed at receiving a grant for her AIDS documentary. During the visit, Lynn meets her grandmother and learns a shocking secret about Sandy's health. After discovering how much money William is now earning, Maya tries to become his assistant in the hopes of improving her salary and returning to school. However, William will only sign off on the arrangement if Joan gives her approval.

Joan decides to waive her ""three-month rule"" and sleep with Sean, but finds that the results are extremely disappointing. She seeks her friends' advice on how to help Sean improve his performance. Maya, with help from Toni, seeks medical attention after she and Darnell have difficulty conceiving a second child. William keeps having the misfortune of approaching every time Maya is discussing her gynecological situation with one of her friends.

Joan Clayton, a successful attorney, prepares to celebrate her 29th birthday (although she claims to be 26 to make her achievements seem more impressive). Toni, Joan's best friend, begins dating Charles, a venture capitalist with a propensity for toe-sucking who dated Joan until he freaked out at the prospect of marriage. Toni tries to hide the truth, but their friend Lynn forces her to confess to Joan. Joan claims she has no problem with Toni bringing Charles to her birthday party; but then brings her friend and colleague, William, to try to make him jealous. Joan is furious to learn that Charles is now interested in settling down, and the evening comes to a screeching halt. Meanwhile, Toni constantly clashes with Maya, Joan's sassy assistant.

Toni refuses to speak to Todd because she is up in arms about his debt and feels betrayed by the fact that he failed to disclose this information sooner. While at the spa with Joan, Toni's ring is apparently repossessed by a woman on behalf of Harry Winston. A furious Toni plans to divorce Todd, but seems to soften as she discusses the situation with William. However, she still tries to throw Todd out of the house. After she explains that her greatest fear is becoming poor again, Todd says that he is afraid of losing her, and points out that he accumulated his debt trying to court her. Toni learns that Todd did not buy her ring at Harry Winston; the woman simply stole it after overhearing her conversation about debt. Todd gets Toni to agree to work on the marriage, and they reach a compromise about the insurance settlement for the stolen ring. Meanwhile, Joan confides in her new assistant, Peaches. She says that Ellis is away in New Zealand working on his movie, but she has dec

Maya invites Darnell's girlfriend, Lena, to her Christmas party in an effort to be civil. However, she grows jealous and gets Jalen to pose as her boyfriend. She is also furious when Lena gets Jabari a Game Cube (he wasn't supposed to get one because of his poor performance in school), and accuses the couple of not communicating with one another. Maya later catches Lena with a man at the bar, and winds up in the strange position of trying to help her with her relationship. Meanwhile, Joan gets really carried away while organizing a caroling outing for her friends.

After still being convinced that Maya is not dealing with her loss, Joan decides to take Maya on a shopping spree to help her recover but surprisingly, Joan realizes that she is the one who needs therapy because of Aaron departure to Iraq. Meanwhile, Monica tells William that she is pregnant but his reaction is unlike she expected.

Joan feels bad about the way the girls have treated William's past girlfriends and decides to go out of her way to make Donna feel welcome. She hosts a dinner to give them a chance to get to know her. Donna is unnerved by the closeness between Joan and William, particularly when they take it upon themselves to help her organize a Cinco de Mayo party for the convalescent home where she works and get really excited about it. Donna confronts William during the ride home and offers the opinion that he is in love with Joan. He insists that this is not true and tries to provide reassurance. He then angers Joan by backing out of plans to do a song and dance together at the Cinco de Mayo party. Donna observes William's reaction to Joan's ridiculous performance and again opines that he loves her. William tells her about the psychic, but Donna believes that her purpose might actually have been to force William to face his true feelings for Joan. Meanwhile, the girls are furious when they

Maya checks into the hospital to undergo surgery for the removal of a fibroid tumor. Joan's friends (especially Lynn) question her priorities when she decides to leave Maya's bedside to attend an important business dinner with Sean. Toni continues to clash with Greg over his lack of income. At the hospital, she takes an immediate interest in Maya's doctor, the wealthy and handsome Dr. Clay Spencer.

Joan finds herself alone on Thanksgiving after everyone makes other plans for the holiday. After dining at 847, she meets Davis's friend Preston Hall, a handsome and highly successful attorney. Joan invites him back to her place for a home-cooked meal before he has to leave on the red-eye, but her friends suddenly begin appearing and she can't seem to get them to leave.

Joan forgives Toni for slapping her in Jamaica and trying to seduce Sean, much to the shock and dismay of Maya and Lynn (who has returned from Jamaica). When Joan's hair begins to fall out due to stress, she sees a therapist, who recommends that she cut Toni out of her life for good. However, this proves difficult when Toni seeks Joan's shoulder to lean on after a setback at work. Meanwhile, Darnell is upset by Maya's bixini wax, and accuses her of changing as the result of her association with the girls.

Toni refuses to believe Joan's claims that she isn't upset about spending Valentine's Day alone, and insists on constantly trying to cheer her up. She follows Joan to the movies and annoys everyone by talking loudly and giving away plot points. Joan gets up and moves to another seat, and runs into her old friend Davis. They go out to dinner and have a nice time together, but Joan realizes that she isn't ready to get into another relationship. Toni tells Todd that they shouldn't exchange Valentine's gifts because of their limited finances, but then reveals that she recently spent $2800 on boots. Todd is hurt when Toni then buys Joan a gift, but Toni actually realizes this and takes steps to correct her mistake. William tries desperately to make a connection with Donna, the woman at the bus stop, but she wants nothing to do with him. He makes the ill-advised move of sending Lynn to talk to her, which only ends up frightening Donna further. However, he later pleads his case and co

Maya is stunned to learn that her mother has decided to sell her house and move away with her boyfriend. Toni's mother surprises her by coming to town for Joan's Mother's Day brunch. William eagerly anticipates a visit from his mother, who comes bearing a cake from his aunt's award-winning recipe.

On the eve of their wedding, Yvonne learns that William hasn't told his mother about their relationship.

Toni suffers a breakdown after Greg cheats on her, then reveals that he only took her back so that he could get revenge against her. Lynn and Maya try to help her pick up the pieces, but Joan is less than sympathetic. Without Toni to round up male guests, William finds himself as the only man at Joan's Halloween party, and becomes overwhelmed by all of the female attention.

Toni cheats on Greg with Clay and winds up contracting chlamydia. Joan frets about the fact that Sean has yet to tell her that he loves her, especially after he reveals that he has been offered a six-month job in New York. She seeks her friends' advice on how to coax a love declaration from him. Meanwhile, Maya feels threatened by the temp who filled in as Joan's assistant during her absence.

Joan begins dating a client, Frank Anderson. Everything seems to be going well until a crazed woman shows up at the office looking for Joan. She tells Maya and Lynn that she trailed her husband to Joan's house. Joan angrily breaks up with Frank in public. She later learns that Toni has been using her house to rendezvous with her married boyfriend and assumes that she was wrong to suspect Frank of wrongdoing. However, Toni's boyfriend soon delivers some surprising news that sheds new light on the situation.

Joan sees Maya's husband, Darnell, in a possibly compromising situation with another woman. Her gut tells her that something may be going on, but she agonizes over whether to share this information with Maya. Meanwhile, Toni begins dating a white city councilman who is also running for mayor. He becomes fascinated with her hair after she reveals that she wears a weave.

The girls and William make lists of the qualities they want in their ideal partners. When everyone goes to an art gallery, Joan is amazed to find a man who meets all of her qualifications, but her friends later warn her that she may have frightened him with her aggressiveness. At the same gallery, Toni runs into an ex-flame who is tending bar; and William has another meeting with possibly unstable cop Yvonne and considers giving her a try. Lynn, meanwhile, becomes obsessed with a painting of a red triangle.

Maya and Darnell meet a man they suspect is abusing his wife. Joan finds out Aaron does not believe in celebrating Valentine’s Day.

Joan is the subject of office gossip and jokes after she begins dating a younger man who works in the mail room. She is embarrassed by the attention, and winds up hurting Chris's feelings. William is upset when Chris usurps his spot as pitcher on the company softball team. Maya fears that the persistent Stan will expose their involvement to Darnell.

On her 30th birthday, Joan grows depressed at the realization that she hasn't had a lot of excitement in her life. She determines that she will live life to its fullest in her thirties, and demonstrates her new philosophy by taking her friends to a nude beach--where they run into her father. Meanwhile, William suggests a pre-nuptial agreement to Yvonne, and is surprised by her response.

William and Monica battle over learning the sex of the baby. Lynn deals with the fact she might not be marketable to Blacks.

Joan causes a dispute between herself and Aaron after purchasing an expensive kitchen range for their new house and not discussing it over with him. After they defuse their feud, Aaron receives unexpected news. Meanwhile, Lynn begins to flaunt her success with her progressing music career. Golden Brooks, Reggie Hayes, Keesha Sharp and Khalil Kane also star.

Joan struggles to take care of last-minute details for the opening of her restaurant, including trying to secure a celebrity to make an appearance. Things grow more complicated after her publicist quits. Although she claims to be fine, Joan also grows upset over seeing William with another woman--especially when she discovers that their relationship is not what she believed it to be. She worries that she has lost William's friendship forever. Meanwhile, Maya, Toni and Lynn fear that they haven't been supportive of Joan. They go to great lengths to try to convince actress/comedienne Mo'Nique to attend the opening of J-Spot.

Joan's procrastination puts her job in jeopardy when she doesn't act quickly enough toward securing donations for a charity auction, which she has agreed to arrange for her boss. She turns to Toni to use her connections to the area's finer merchants to bring in an item that can help Joan meet the auction's $60,000 goal. However, Toni forgets to help Joan because she is obsessed with tracking down her ""best friend,"" supermodel Beverly Johnson (with whom she has never actually had any contact). Joan launches into a verbal tirade about Toni, which she overhears. Toni accuses her friends of being ""jealous, ugly bitches"" and continues on her quest to meet Beverly Johnson. She eventually meets Beverly, who is perplexed by her claims that they are soulmates and mistakes Toni for a schizophrenic. Toni reluctantly sees a therapist, where she initially raves about her life, but soon breaks down and admits that she fears no one would miss her if she died. Meanwhile, William seeks revenge a

After an uncomfortable kiss, Maya realizes that she was wrong to get involved with Stan, and wants to stop seeing him. Stan, however, reveals that he has fallen head over heels, and refuses to give up on her. He seeks revenge by forming a friendship with Darnell and threatening to tell him about the affair. Meanwhile, William recuperates at Joan's house after being dumped by Yvonne.

Maya befriends Stan, a man she meets at the office and helps get a job. He encourages her aspirations to return to school. Maya initially tries to fix up Joan and Stan, but soon grows jealous. Toni joins a protest against a rapper in the hopes of winning God's approval. William searches desperately for a best man.

Joan plans an elaborate scheme to get revenge on William for the latest in a series of Halloween pranks. Toni is put off when her date asks her to engage in a threesome--with a stuffed animal.

Jabari becomes extremely sullen and disrespectful, and begins talking back to his parents. After he runs away from Joan's house while she is watching him, Maya and Darnell finally learn the source of Jabari's anger: he is upset over Darnell's engagement because he wants his parents to reunite. Maya and Darnell struggle over what to do about their son's despair. Meanwhile, Lynn and Toni refuse to believe that William's depression stems from his car's inability to pass a smog test. They insist that he is actually upset about the break-up with Joan, and pressure him to share his feelings.

Maya's cousin Ronnie and his boyfriend, Peaches, tell Maya that they have spotted Darnell in a compromising position with a woman at the Red Lobster. It is the same woman that Joan once saw with Darnell years earlier. Maya confronts Cecily and learns that she is having an affair with Darnell. This leads the distraught Maya to declare that she and Darnell are now ""even"" and move back to the house, where she and Darnell make a decision about the future of their relationship. Meanwhile, William obsesses over the fate of a missing suitcase.

Toni plans to open her own real estate office, but Joan's efforts to encourage her to be practical wind up putting a damper on her enthusiasm. Toni accuses Joan of failing to support her dreams, although Joan insists that she just doesn't want her friend to get hurt. Meanwhile, Swedelson, disappointed by William's recent performance at work, encourages him to remedy what ails him by going on a ""booty call.""

Toni's brother Antoine comes to town for a weekend rendezvous with Maya, but soon spooks her by declaring his love and announcing that he will not return to Boston. When she rejects him, he locks himself in the bathroom and refuses to leave. Meanwhile, William orders Lynn to leave his house, but continually sabotages her efforts to find a roommate. Toni agrees to help Joan clean out her house, but insists that Joan's love life is what actually needs to be purged.

Maya challenges Joan to get comfortable with her singleness. Meanwhile, William must figure out how to keep his past marriage from Monica.

Maya makes her friends feel guilty about leaving her alone as they spend time with their significant others. She convinces them to accompany her to a hangout in her old neighborhood, where she runs into Darnell. She is disturbed to learn that he has failed to tell her that he has gotten a small business loan to open a car repair business, and by the fact that he has a new girlfriend. Meanwhile, William plans to return to the law firm, but first tries to complete a list of things he wants to do before he dies--including becoming a Soul Train dancer.

Maya befriends a fellow single mother, a janitor at the law firm's building. They quickly make a connection, but Joan finds the woman's attitude irritating; and fears that her example could negatively impact Maya's relationship with Darnell. Meanwhile, William pretends to work at Lynn's office because he misses the camaraderie of a workplace; and Lynn tries to scam her co-workers out of money by pretending it's her birthday.

Maya and Darnell plan to renew their wedding vows, and Joan agrees to hold the event at her house. However, Joan constantly disagrees with Maya's choices and tries to mold the event into her own dream wedding. Maya tells Joan that she no longer wants her to be a bridesmaid, and later rebuffs her apology and takes her to task for constantly looking down on Maya. Meanwhile, Toni grows concerned by the tendency for black men to marry outside of their race. She determines that she and Lynn must do what they can to bring William ""back to the fold.""

Joan, Toni and Lynn set up dates with men they met over the Internet. Lynn's guy never shows up (his parole was denied), while Toni rejects hers because his skin is too dark. Although conspiracy theorist Maya warns that he will turn out to be a serial killer, Joan is pleased with her date, Marcus. Joan freaks out after discovering that Marcus wears a girdle because he has large hips, prompting Toni (who had taken heat from the girls over her treatment of her date) to take her to task for her behavior. Meanwhile, William also uses the Internet in an attempt to find love. He finally gets a date, but the woman seems to be completely crazy.

Todd takes the custody battle to court with a mountain of evidence against Toni. Meanwhile, William starts seeing a much younger woman.

Joan has several run-ins with an actor at the gym, but finds herself attracted to him. However, she re-considers her decision to date Ellis after discovering that he has lied to her. William's sister comes out to him, then asks him to become a sperm donor so that she and her partner can have a child.

Joan starts to realize Maya’s house has become the hangout spot and she is no longer the center of the friendship.

Maya and Darnell consider adopting a child while a neighborhood meeting presents them with the chance

A series of unfortunate events prevents Joan from being there for Toni (again) as the custody hearing takes a surprising turn.

Melanie becomes jealous when Derwin hires a sexy image consultant who appears to be more than willing to do anything he asks. Joan worries whether Melanie will be able to balance medical school with life in the NFL.

Toni realizes she has fallen for Todd after he protects her during an altercation with a man on the street, but is still reluctant to date him because of his size. Joan is appalled when Ellis rates her only a 5.5 on looks on a scale of one to ten.

As Valentine's Day arrives, William is very excited because he and Joan have been dating for three months and can now sleep together. Although William is anxious to get to it right away, Joan insists on planning a romantic evening so that she can finally have a good Valentine's Day. William agrees to go along with her wishes. However, their efforts to consummate their relationship prove so uncomfortable that they reluctantly come to the realization that they are better off as friends. Meanwhile, Toni, Maya and Lynn go out to dinner together for Valentine's Day and reveal their deepest, darkest secrets.

Darnell moves into the apartment across from Maya as they deal with control issues. Toni begins breastfeeding to help her case with Todd.

Joan's mother makes a surprise visit and constantly criticizes her, particularly anything regarding her decision to open the restaurant. Joan grows fed up with her lack of support and tells her off, prompting Carol to leave. Joan also grows tired of fighting with William about the restaurant. She decides to buy him out to preserve their friendship, but he refuses to accept the check. They discuss his previous love confession, and William angers Joan by saying that he was ""desperate."" A ranting Joan winds up admitting that she tried to go to his New York hotel room to confess her feelings. They kiss and admit their love for each other, but Joan collapses when her mother emerges in a bathrobe. Meanwhile, Maya is concerned when she discovers that Jabari has been watching pay-per-view porn.

Lynn is excited about a visit from her birth father, Ken, and his wife. Her adoptive father fears that he is losing his daughter and flies into town at the same time. Lynn grows frustrated because Ken doesn't spend any time with her, as his wife has planned the entire trip and is only interested in seeing celebrities. Meanwhile, Joan and William try to plan their first date, with limited success. Toni dodges Todd's divorce lawyer, who is trying to serve her with divorce papers.

After volunteering in New Orleans, Joan returns to LA determined to repair her relationship with Maya, Lynn, and most importantly, Toni.

Joan holds a fund-raiser to earn money for a holiday party for the support group of relatives for the soldiers in Iraq. Meanwhile, Monica learns of William's holiday traditions.

Considering a return to her legal career, Joan interviews at a law firm, where one of the partners — a much older man — pursues her.

Joan and Toni fight when Toni claims Joan's good fortune has made her a bad friend. Williams learns how to play video games.

Lynn's sister Tanya comes to town to help celebrate the anniversary of Lynn's adoption. Tanya, who is white, has immersed herself in African-American culture. Maya quickly befriends Tanya, but Joan and Toni grow annoyed with her for acting ""too black"" and get into a confrontation with her. Maya and Lynn defend her, but Tanya later takes things too far at the salon. Meanwhile, Joan tries to organize William's bachelor party.

Joan learns Maya and Lynn kept a recent outing they had with Toni secret, then later insists on bringing Monica into the circle of friends.

Eldon finds himself forced to choose between Lynn and the church. Joan and Aaron have their first big fight. Maya and Darnell sell their house.

Joan runs away to Mexico with Aaron in attempts to keep him from leaving to Iraq. While in Mexico, Aaron realizes that he cannot run from the war and the two of them decide that they should get married before he departures. Meanwhile, Maya automatically assumes that Jabari has been using marijuana when she finds it in her home. Also, Lynn reaches another milestone in her music career, but she doesn't feel comfortable celebrating because of Joan and Aaron's problem.

William heads home for his mother's operation and faces childhood memories along with his emotionally distant father.

With Morgan celebrating his first Christmas and Hanukkah, the pressure is on Todd and Toni to figure out his religious upbringing.

Joan makes an unexpected move that causes Aaron to fumble his response. Maya and Darnell find their dream home.

Toni objects when Joan plans a birthday party for her. In the midst of their argument, Toni inadvertently reveals that she has been lying about her age for years. Joan and company tease Toni relentlessly about being older, and she grows insecure about her looks. After a disastrous Botox session, Toni seeks the advice of a plastic surgeon--whose only suggestion is therapy. Meanwhile, William winds up falling for a woman who was only supposed to be a one-night stand.

Lynn finds herself extremely attracted to a poet, and is stunned to learn that he has been celibate for five years. Ellis refuses to leave the house after fans on the Internet trash him and label him a sellout. William tries to win back the girls' trust following the Christmas Eve debacle.

Maya helps Joan try to reach Aaron's kids, as she tries to read them a letter Aaron wrote to his students. William tries to teach Jabari how to drive

After Darnell reveals that he has failed to get a band for his wedding (which is just two days away), Maya recommends that he hire Lynn's band. However, Lena is not impressed after hearing the group perform, and lashes out at Darnell. He turns around and blames Maya for the fight, accusing her of trying to sabotage the wedding. Darnell shows up at Maya's apartment drunk after the bachelor party and says that he loves her. Meanwhile, Lynn continues to battle her feelings of jealousy regarding Finn. William begins to complain about the restaurant, prompting Joan to suggest that he is actually dealing with issues about their break-up. After going into false labor, Toni vows to live life to its fullest in the short time left before she gives birth.

Joan returns to work at the J-Spot only to find that William has put Monica in charge of managing the bar.

William is made a senior partner in the law firm. He is thrilled about this, as is Maya, who will now get a substantial raise. He brings a beautiful date to the party honoring his promotion. Joan comments that he now has everything he wants, but William still feels as though something is missing. He talks with Swedelson at a strip club. Swedelson says that William should not pursue a relationship with Joan and instead advises him to go after Sharon, who had earlier seemed to be sending William signals. However, William discovers that Sharon is involved with the building's security guard. He goes to Joan's house and tries to share his feelings with her, but backs down after she talks about thinking of him as her ""big brother."" Meanwhile, Toni, Maya and Lynn enjoy the benefits of an especially friendly masseuse.

After learning that her agent has secured her a three-book deal, Maya becomes even more negligent in her duties as William's assistant. He finally ends up firing her. Maya then learns that her publishing company is being bought out and her deal is not going to happen. William refuses to re-hire her because he cannot bear to let go of her incredibly efficient replacement. Maya turns to Joan for help, but isn't too happy about becoming her assistant again. Meanwhile, Toni frets about her weight and her friends' seeming indifference to her concerns; and Lynn joins the ranks of the paparazzi.

Maya, Joan and Lynn fly to Chicago to try to persuade Monica to get back together with William.

Toni repeatedly tries to seduce Todd when he returns to L.A. for her three-month check-up. He instead tells her that he has consulted a lawyer and wants a divorce. Joan suggests that she re-consider her priorities and face the fact that she may be a single mother. Toni instead begins to question whether she wants to have the baby at all. Meanwhile, Joan learns that William is seeing more than one woman and does her best to try to sabotage the situation. William accuses her of jealousy.

Toni reluctantly signs her divorce papers, and accepts a date from a persistent ex-flame after he kisses her. Maya, certain that Toni isn't over Todd, asks Todd to intervene in the hopes that they can give their marriage another try. Meanwhile, Joan hires a chef who turns out to be an ex-girlfriend of William's. Joan is upset until William tells her that the sex wasn't that good. William is forced to reveal that Lynn was the best sex he ever had--but Lynn doesn't feel the same.

Maya has her first book signing, and her friends and family come to the store to offer their support. Joan, Lynn and Toni also read excerpts from Oh, Hell Yes. Maya is surprised and pleased when Darnell stops by to get a copy of the book signed. Although her friends believe she is overreacting, Maya insists that Darnell wants her back and determines that she must make a move on him. Meanwhile, Joan cannot handle being around William in the aftermath of their break-up.

After sleeping with bandmate Finn, Lynn believes that she can deal with an open relationship, but becomes extremely jealous whenever she sees him with other women. Meanwhile, Joan forces William to attend Toni's baby shower, although he believes such events should only be for women. He gives Toni an heirloom cradle that he expects to get back in the future for his own kids, only to learn that Toni has given it away to her cleaning lady (before firing her).

Toni and Todd's relationship is thrown into flux after she inadvertently mentions marriage. When Toni goes into hiding, Todd seeks the assistance of her friends, who convince him that Toni loves him and help him confront his own feelings for her. Meanwhile, William finds himself extremely attracted to Sharon, leading to an odd face-off with Monica.

As Joan dates three men all at once, William reconnects with an ex.

Joan becomes jealous over Toni's engagement, and takes out all her frustration on Ellis, whom she begins blaming for all of her problems. She also resumes training for the Los Angeles Marathon just weeks before the event in an attempt to take her mind off Toni. Intimidated by Toni's expensive registry, William, Lynn and Maya pool their resources to come up with a wedding gift.

Joan decides to open her own restaurant. William is offended when Joan fails to share the news with him, as he instead hears it from two junior partners at the firm. Joan responds by taking William to task for reuniting with Monica so soon after declaring his love for Joan. They get into a heated argument and decide to end their friendship. Joan finds the perfect space for her restaurant, but doesn't have the money to lease it immediately. Toni suggests that she get an investor, then tries to arrange a truce (for business purposes only) between Joan and the one person she knows who can supply enough capital for the restaurant: William. Meanwhile, Joan and Maya grow concerned by Lynn's behavior after she begins performing on the streets while painted up as a robot.

Toni struggles to juggle her career, the custody battle, dating and motherhood as Joan keeps blowing off plans with William for star-studded events.

Darnell suggests to Maya they should move back to the city, but Maya is opposed to the idea. Monica adjusts to life without her family's wealth.

Joan tries to confess her feelings for William, but knocks on the wrong door and winds up on the run from a crazed lesbian who thinks that Joan stole her girlfriend. Joan is repeatedly thwarted in her efforts to try to share her feelings with William, and gives up after he ignores her to have a tryst with Monica in the airplane's bathroom. Lynn returns to her birth father's house and admits that she is his daughter. Todd refuses to believe that Toni is pregnant unless she takes another test. She refuses, and orders him to be on the plane back to Los Angeles the next day. When he does not show up, she tries to hold up the plane to make everyone wait for him.

Lynn continues to work at the church with Eldon, despite the status of their affair. William decides to give the girls the silent treatment.

After having her miscarriage, Joan and Lynn worry that Maya is in denial and not dealing with her grief when Maya suspects Darnell of blaming her for it. Also, William and Monica prepare for their first dinner party. Meanwhile, Joan tries to persuade Lynn to finally open up a bank account.

Lynn meets her biological mother, Sandy, who suddenly appears at Joan's house. Although the two initially become friends, Lynn soon becomes embarrassed by some of Sandy's behavior. However, Lynn becomes intrigued by a documentary project about sexuality, and quits her job to help her work on it. Meanwhile, Joan and Maya drive each other crazy as Maya and Jabari stay with Joan while Maya looks for an affordable apartment.

Todd takes action when Toni has difficulty handling her motherly duties. Meanwhile, Joan becomes fed up with her friends' freeloading at the J-Spot.

Ellis goes all out to give Joan a magical Valentine's Day, but the couple's future is put in jeopardy when he learns that his ex-girlfriend is about to have their child. Toni finds her Valentine's Day card from Todd offensive, and fears that he is only dating her because she is black. William cannot bring himself to tell Monica that he quit the law firm.

Lynn sets out to perform at a local club during open mic night. Joan and William discover a large amount of money is missing from the J-Spot.

Aaron and Joan share an uncomfortable moment when they run into one of Aaron's exes. Meanwhile, Darnell helps William cope with his current situation.

The girls instantly detest William's demanding girlfriend, Monica. Joan in particular is up in arms after Monica convinces William to renege on a promise to make her co-counsel for a big case because he would look better in the partners' eyes if he handled it himself. Joan seeks revenge on William, and the girls later confront Monica. Toni keeps running into plastic surgeon Dr. Todd Garrett. Although the two seem to have hit it off, Toni refuses to date him because of his lack of height.

Joan tries desperately to get Toni to forgive her and allow her to be a bridesmaid. However, it remains to be seen if there will even be a wedding, as Todd walks out on Toni because of her selfishness. Meanwhile, Lynn objects to Sivad's decision to write a poem for the wedding.

Toni's friends refuse to believe that she is pregnant, as they are certain it is all part of a ploy to win back Todd. Even after Toni shows them an ultrasound and experiences morning sickness, they still believe that she is lying and insist on tagging along to her doctor's appointment. After her pregnancy is confirmed, an apologetic Todd comes home to help care for her, but remains unsure about their relationship. Meanwhile, William grows fed up with Maya's poor performance at the office and places her on probation after her antics with client Rev. Al Sharpton (including giving him a copy of her book) prompt Sharpton to give William a lecture.

With her bills piling up, Maya is forced to consider a job writing for a porn publisher (which already employs Lynn). She turns down the position due to moral objections and resumes selling her book on the street. When she has little success--due in part to bootleg sales--Maya decides to give up on her dream and go back to working as a legal secretary. This does not work out, and she winds up accepting the job at the porn publisher. Fortunately, she is soon able to quit after her writing aspirations get a boost from a surprising source. Meanwhile, William and Joan quarrel after he goes home for Thanksgiving without her; and Toni vows to not talk too much about her pregnancy.

Joan cuts loose two of the men she's dating when she develops feelings for an NBA player. A traumatic event lands Toni behind bars.