Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman Episode Rating Graph

Merle arrives at the mortuary where Big Honey's partner Mac is reluctant to let him see her. Merle talks his way into the slumber room and is stunned to learn the identity of Big Honey. Detective Johnson, Mary, and Tom raid the mortuary just as Merle and Big Honey finish 45 minutes of passion. When Harold Clemens arrives on the scene for a news story, Merle is forced to reveal the mastermind behind the prostitution ring. At the police station, Tom has questions for the new mayor who once again proves he can talk himself out of any situation.

When Martha tells Mary that Cathy left home to live with the wealthy couple buying her baby, Mary thinks Cathy is just like Melinda Mason on the soap opera Hope for Tomorrow. Martha declines Detective Johnson's offer to play a rape victim for the police academy because she has to catch a bus for Colorado and meet George atop a mountain. Tom and Annie discuss alcoholism and share martini glasses of soda water with a twist. Heather and Tom talk about the pain of growing up and deciding whether to have an affair or a nervous breakdown first.

Charlie is helpless to stop Tom from drinking. Garth tells Pat he wants her dead and doesn't care that he'll fry for it. Mary visits the bandaged accident victim and finds Martha working as a hospital "Gray Lady". Loretta promises Mac she's stringing Lou along but Lou gets angry when a diner patron points out that Loretta doesn't want him. While Loretta and Mac are making out in Mac's truck, a drunken Tom arrives at the diner and passes out. Lou puts an unconscious Tom in Loretta's bed. Pat gives Garth a taste of his own medicine, and it's fatal.

Loretta and Merle come face to face for the first time since the shooting. Chester confides to Mary that he hid a nuclear device in the hospital and plans to blast his way out. Charlie hides his condition from Tom. Martha swoons when Cathy reveals George disappeared because of her pregnancy. Watching the 6:30 newscast proves an electrifying experience for the Reverend Jimmy Joe.

Mary finds coping with life as "America's Typical Consumer Housewife" beyond her grasp. An incomparable performance in an unforgettable episode.

Andrew Ackerman feels that Mary's appearance on The David Susskind Show will bring attention -and more money- to the psychiatric ward at Fernwood Receiving. Mary meets Wanda Rittenhouse on the ward, and Wanda thanks Mary for making "BDs" respectable. Mary tells Dr. Williams that she'd rather be a plant than a person, but he reassures her that she's stronger than she thinks. Charlie and Loretta wonder exactly what injuries were inflicted by the gunshot in Merle's motel room. Mary is welcomed into her new Nielsen family at the hospital.

Martha announces that George was rehired at the plant, but with Dewey's old custodial job. Everyone regrets not appreciating Mary more. Bill Patterson, chairman of the Fernwood city council, informs the Jeeters that a vote is being held to remove Merle from public office and orders them to vacate their taxpayer funded apartment. Heather convinces Tom to purge all mementos of their life with Mary. Loretta debuts her new act at the Capri.

Mac confronts George about Martha, and the Shumways face another financial crisis. Mary is amazed to receive sensible advice from Cathy about appreciating Tom's qualities. Wanda's potential presidential run intimidates Merle. Tom attempts to duplicate Dennis' appeal with a jar of Dippity-Doo, and Mary wishes she could choose without having to choose.

Charlie and Loretta decide that Wild Child needs to see a special kind of doctor: a veterinarian. Vernon and Texas agree to make it appear they're trying to help Tom but secretly want him sent up the river for a very long time. The GGG names George the Grand Mysto. Cathy visits Tom in jail and tells him that Mary's not coming because he's too negative. Mary holds a sparsely attended memorial service at the plant

Cathy sends Howie to the Shumway house to hide GGG paraphernalia. Once there he realizes Martha and George are members, and he vows to stop the telethon after Martha reveals that the GGG is backing the Guardian Party. Loretta becomes unnerved when she thinks someone's outside her house and the lights go out. Charlie finds that someone ripped out their fuse box, while the heavy breather watches them through the window. Wanda and Mary argue over Mary bringing Angelo Bickett as their Dimes for Diseases poster boy, because he's in an iron lung. Tex overhears Howie tell Cathy he has to stop the telethon. Texas handcuffs Howie to a cactus as the telethon goes on air.

Mary, George, and Tiny laugh at George's suggestion that they're all going to die. Tom barges into the Jeeter apartment raging against Merle for his childlike relationship with Mary. Mary asks George and Tiny to share their innermost secret desires. Loretta's dinner party to bring Lila and Mac together is a disaster when both cancel, and Merle receives a phone call from President Jimmy Carter, who offers to send federal aid for the auto plant disaster. Vernon and Tom are stunned by the arrival of the SWAT team who are all midgets.

Charlie fights Dr. Osgood's plan to have "Loretta's" life support turned off, but it's rendered moot when the bandaged patient dies. Pat meets her new cell mate Cookie LaRue, who is arrested while passing through Fernwood. Mary avoids Tom in preparation for leaving him over his affair with the woman in Lou's Diner. Tom explains to Mary that Loretta is the woman he was embracing, and she has amnesia. Meanwhile Loretta's wedding ceremony to Mac is commencing in Dayton. Just as Charlie begins to accept Loretta's death, Tom tells him that Loretta is alive and getting married in Lou's Diner.

Mary admits to Nat Dearborn that Pat once mentioned wanting to kill Garth. Tom questions Charlie about his confidence that the bandaged accident victim is actually Loretta. Mac invites the guys at the plant to his wedding to Lulu. Mae grouses that Wanda is only interested in using the Olinski report to further her own political career. Clete performs a live TV interview with Mae from her jail cell. Mae explains her position and reveals that she's leaving Fernwood forever, but not before saying something that's never been said on television before.

After Tom confesses to Charlie about possibly sleeping with Lulu, Mac reveals to Tom that Lulu turned up about three weeks ago carrying Charlie's photo. Merle gives Mary a toy wind-up chicken, while Heather and Little Garth wonder how to spell contraceptive. Tom goes to Lou's Diner, meets Lulu, and tries to make her remember her life as Loretta. Merle has Mae's town meeting raided, and she's arrested.

Mary and Dr. Medwick rap about rape and upward mobility. Loretta kisses Jody and tells him goodbye forever. About to jump from the bridge, Charlie hears Loretta's love song to him on the radio and decides to go home. Joe Sutonni wants to give Charlie a physical and psychological makeover. Merle goes on live television and offers voters two minutes of silence to look into his eyes and see the best man for mayor.

Mary complains that she now feels like a sex object. Brian and Christine tempt Cathy with $40,000, but she must agree to have a second baby, fathered by Brian. Mary meets Jody and gives Loretta the same warning Loretta once gave her about Dennis Foley. Merle confesses his sinful past to Wanda, but she sees his repentance as a political asset. Detective Johnson offers to get Martha a job acting in police training films.

Martha explains George's disappearance to Mary. Loretta confides to Mary the exact nature of Charlie's injuries and how it affects her marriage. Merle attempts to make amends to Charlie, but Mary interrupts and accidentally reveals Charlie's impotence. Charlie rages at Loretta for her betrayal. Heather and Mary discuss going crazy.

Charlie's up in the night, but not the way Loretta dreamed, so she works on the song "Moanin' in the Night." At the Bide-a-Wee Inn, Cathy meets Mrs. Delorean who's moonlighting as a hotel clerk, and convinces her to see the guest register in hope of finding The Armenian's last name. Merle visits the Haggers house and tells an ambivalent Loretta that he's been reborn by the Lord as a politician. Mary arrives home to find her kitchen trashed, Heather in platform shoes, and lots of drama in the family.

Mary has a perfectly normal, ordinary, typical morning for national TV. Loretty saves a sinful soul and gets second billing. Mary's kitchen is out of sync.

Loretta visits Mary with absolution and a new brand of floor cleaner. Howard and Ed disagree over plans for the future. Mary comes face-to-waist with the Reverend Jimmy Joe Jeeter.

Mary admits to a beautiful moment in one of the seven positions. Cathy's application to nunhood is rejected. Tom goes for a walk and gets some timely advice.

Tom is out of the overflow, but Mary is getting more than her share. Mary has someone new to trade troubles with. Tom and Dennis argue the needs of a wounded bird.

The Shumways are warned about Sergeant Foley from the one he loves. Mary tells of the meaning of STET and loses more than her arm. Muriel talks of Charlie's "base instincts."

Mrs. Haggers meets Mrs. Haggers. Sergeant Foley waits with Mary. Mary is shaking - and it's not from the cold. Charlie and Muriel remember things differently.

Tragedy strikes the Haggers in the form of a stationwagon full of nuns. Mary does her best to comfort Charlie. Neither Tom nor Mary can get any sleep.

George gets a ""visitor"" and then a ""surprise."" The Hartmans get a call from Tom's ex's ex. George returns home in a panic.

Leroy is worried sick. Mae talks to Tom about Mary. Leroy Fedders gets into his last bowl of chicken soup.

Mary is interviewed by a reporter; Young Heather Hartman displays suspicious behavior when asked about the recent murders; Grampa Larkin is arrested again.

Charlie and Mary visit a recovered George who's distressed over all the crazy complications that ensued while he was brainwashed. A police officer gives Martha notice to vacate the Shumway house which is in foreclosure. Mary and Cathy argue grammar. Brian and Christine visit the scene of their baby's upcoming birth. Heather and Little Garth talk about making out.

Mae informs Mary that she's writing a book about sexual satisfaction using the women of Fernwood for her research. The Shumways dish the family dirt to a recovered George. Tom rejects Mary's suggestion that he get his old assembly job back. Mary visits Brian and says she'll resort to blackmail to ensure Tom's return to the plant. Loretta as Lulu accepts Lou's offer to be his new waitress in the diner.

Mary and Pat cut up Tom's credit cards. Montgomery Monk uses a Ho-Ho to reprogram George. Merle feels that Wanda is spending more time on public life than married life. Garth admits to Charlie that his father was a wife beater. In her Lulu personality at Lou's diner, Loretta flirts with Mac and doesn't recognize a snapshot of Charlie.

Mary schemes to bury Chester's Peanuts lunch box containing the nuclear device in Fernwood's time capsule. Martha receives a phone call from Jack and Jill Renquist, who claim they can make contact with George on the flying saucer. Detective Johnson continues to get closer to Martha. Mary and Wanda watch Merle, Annie, and Commissioner Rittenhouse on Clete Meizenheimer's public affairs show Tee Vee Dinner. During the broadcast, Merle accuses the commissioner of corruption, and Rittenhouse chokes to death on his TV dinner.

Dr. Williams confirms Mary's chat with Gore Vidal when Mary requests an overnight pass to go home and clean her kitchen for his visit. Mary wonders if she'll be required to have sex with Dr. Medwick, the sex therapist Dr. Williams recommends for her treatment. Martha reports George's disappearance to Detective Sergeant Johnson, Heather's former bodyguard during the Davey Jessup saga. Dr. Medwick explains to Mary how the bible encourages healthy sex for pleasure.

Mary counts her disconnections. Roberta confronts Dennis about his responsibilities. Merle tells Loretta of his cheap ($1.75) and sinful ways.

Tom gets a boost from his thermos. Mary tries helping herself by helping others. Martha finds out she didn't help her parents' marriage.

Mary has the hard truth for Heather. Heather has the hard questions for Mary. Sergeant Foley gets put in traction and straightens things out with Cathy. Tom's refuge is the scene for more fighting.

Tom says that it's different. Loretta makes a generous offer to Merle Jeeter. Misery gets company.

Grandpa offers some philosophy and gets a lift to the supermarket. Tom's dejection breeds rejection and Dennis' feelings come straight from the heart.

Loretta gets a visitor with a "la la la" in the night. Mary takes a walk and explains her role as a kissee. Mary is sure Loretta won't understand.

Loretta's TV coverage is more complete than expected. Mary really needs her doctor - so she gets put on hold. Martha makes a confession. Tom gets an unexpected escort.

It's Loretta's big day on the Dinah show and all goes great until she commits a shocking blooper.

Mary feels awful and Roberta says "great." Mary tells Dennis he must forget Cathy. Mary confides in Cathy, who hates her.

Martha confides in Mary and tells her about the ozone. Mary talks to Heather about love and slaps her in the face.

Mae's reunion is a big headache for Tom and it's all Mary's fault. Loretta and Charlie get some not so friendly news. Loretta makes a spectacular comeback, in more ways than one

Mary's chicken soup makes the evening news. The time has come for Steve to gesture goodbye. Mary's guilt gets Leroy a Cadillac.

Tom has something to discuss with Mary. Tom moves in with Charlie. Loretta is sinking fast.

Cathy brings Steve over to meet her parents. Fanny is too much for Raymond. The mass murderer is revealed and Heather, Trudy, and Mary's lives are in danger.

Grampa Larkin appears in court; Tom and Mary's drought in the bedroom continues.

Loretta eases Charlie's mind by telling him that Merle's leaving Fernwood. Dr. Williams promises to give Mary an overnight pass from the ward. Tom discusses his new job with Heather. Charlie is released from the hospital but has performance anxiety when he and Loretta get home.

Mary vows to put an end to something. Tom bowls alone and makes a friend. Charlie's good news waits for the "good news." Dennis complicates a "no" with the truth.

Charlie talks to Loretta about Muriel. Cathy and Dennis return from a night together. Loretta prepares for her predecessor.

Mary and Tom have a surrogate. Loretta gets a non-obscene phone call. Mary leaves Tom alone with Mona.

Mary is too busy preparing food products without food to care about Cathy's relationship with Dennis. Loretta receives a phone call from another Mrs. Haggers. Mona arrives at the Hartman house to carry out Mary's plan. Loretta confronts Charlie about his past.

Mary tells Tom that it'll be 23 years before their sexual desires are synchronized again. Tom is angered by Mary's need for "something else" that she can't explain. Mary seeks answers to happiness from Grandpa Larkin who surmises she doesn't quite fit in anywhere. Mary hides under the kitchen sink. Cathy worries that she's losing Steve. Loretta has inspiration for a new song, Ballad of a Legless Woman. Mary cries and shares a lunch meat sandwich with Grandpa.

Mary plays hostess to a funeral and eulogizes the late Leroy Fedders. Tom and Mary make plans for the hypothetical. Tom has a surprise for Mae.

Tom and Mary owe Heather an explanation. Loretta is still looking up. The Friendly Loan Company drops in on the Haggers. Mae drops – in the Hartmans' house.

Mary makes a discovery about Heather. The Hartmans make a parental decision. Tom and Mary get high for the Lord.

Grampa Larkin visits a psychiatric social worker; Mary gets some sex books; a strange man follows Heather home from school.

Tom and Mary visit the doctor. Cathy gets a new job. Charlie gets still more bad news.

Mary is served with a summons by Sergeant Foley, along with a much more personal invitation. Blanche and Leroy discuss the Hartman's problems. Grandpa has his day in court.

Loretta and Cathy agree that men like Howie are funny in the head and are also funny in bed. Lila and Vernon separately phone Howie and offer to meet him with tips for his story. Everyone meets at the Haggers home to rehearse acts for the telethon but end up arguing about who gets to go on the air in prime-time. Lila gets Howie into a hot tub and tries to seduce him for the diary, but Texas catches them, jumps in the tub, and tries to strangle Howie... until Wanda walks in and finds all three together in a compromising position. Tom warns Mary to not hang out with Dewey because he could be part of the black militant group in Fernwood. At the plant, Vernon hides himself in the shadows and tells Howie that the black militant group was responsible for the plant explosion. Howie accidentally finds GGG paraphernalia hidden in the plant break room.

Mary confesses to Wanda that she skimmed her diary thinking it was a posthumous Jacqueline Susann novel, and subsequently lost it. Wanda wants Loretta to emcee the telethon. As Charlie and Loretta celebrate her being back on the road to superstardom, they're being watched through the window by an unseen heavy breather. Lila phones Tex when Wanda says she knows the diary is lost. Mary and Dewey secretly agree to perform a scene from Othello for the telethon. After a talk with Mary, Texas and Lila believe Howie has the diary, and Tex is ready for violence.

Texas tells Vernon that funding has been pulled for the GGG, and they use the bombing to divert Tom's attention away from their school book ban. Lila convinces Mary to give her Wanda's diary, and they discover it's missing from the waffle iron. Mac brings a drunken Howie home, and he and Cathy seize the opportunity to get closer. Merle and Wanda's plot against Lila begins to take effect. The Jeeters convince Vernon that the GGG should incorporate into a political party known as the Guardian party, represented by Merle. To raise funds, they decide to hold a Dimes For Diseases telethon.

As the GGG returns from their trip to stop school book delivery at the depot, Mary questions their actions. Merle and Wanda instigate their plan to drive Lila crazy. Mary confesses to Tom that she read part of Wanda's diary. George rigs an electric shock as aversion therapy for Martha's kleptomania.

Dash, Skipper, and Chuck, the midget SWAT team, defend their qualifications to a skeptical Merle. At Mary's house, Cathy confronts Martha who is cleaning out the house, but Martha denies being a kleptomaniac. Mary scrambles to stop Tiny from committing suicide by hanging, bludgeoning, and suffocation. Merle and Wanda have a restless night worrying about their problems. Wanda attempts to trick Lila into going away to Miami. The SWAT team climbs through the plant's ventilation shaft in a last ditch effort to rescue Mary, George, and Tiny.

Vernon announces that a SWAT team has been called to rescue Mary, George, and Tiny from the rubble. After seeing Mac in action, Cathy decides that maybe "bigger" is her type. Merle attempts to reign in Tex's unorthodox police methods such as dismissing Cathy's claim that a dangerous right wing group is threatening Fernwood. At the Capri a distraught Tom and Martha talk about how different things could've been if they'd been more supportive of George and Mary, and they fantasize a life where George dances the tango, and Mary is a star chanteuse.

Trapped in the rubble of the plant, Mary asks George if he thinks she's good enough in God's eyes that she won't die. Loretta catches a distraught Merle praying for Mary in the Hartman kitchen. As Howie and network reporter Jud Thompson arrive at the scene of the disaster, Vernon says a clue's been found near the site of the bombing: an Afro comb used by foreigners and others of dark color. Lila uses Wanda's diary to blackmail Merle into appointing Texas as the new chief of police for Fernwood.

After an explosion rocks the auto plant, Texas admits to Vernon that it was the result of his bomb, not the noxious fumes reported by Mary. Howie receives a death threat warning him to stop his secret society investigation, and Cathy suspects him of being a virgin. Mary, George, and Tiny are trapped beneath the rubble of their collapsed work area. At the Capri, Lila shows Wanda's diary to Texas, but Martha swipes it. Texas and Vernon spot a convenient scapegoat for the bombing: Dewey, the auto plant's black janitor.

Loretta offends Cathy while attempting to fix her up with Mac. Mac tells Loretta that he wants no part of a new romance since he's happy with her and Charlie. Texas presses Vernon about the TV station scheme. Tom reacts angrily when he finds Mary playing with Merle's toys and she tries to describe the nature of their childish relationship. Merle finds Lila entertaining Texas, and throws him out. Vernon offers to solve Mary's grievance about noxious fumes on the assembly line but secretly plans to do nothing. Texas loses his box on the conveyor belt, and the bomb detonates by Mary, George, and Tiny.

Depressed over not being invited to the party at Mary's, George wanders Fernwood, seeking company from Grandpa Larkin and Barbie, Martha, Merle, and Cathy. Martha steals a lighter from a customer at the Capri and gives him $5 from the cash register. Wanda suggests that Lila get someone of her own, but Lila expects one to be a Jeeter. Tex passes out pink muumuus instead of robes as the official wardrobe of the GGG. George stops by Mary's kitchen and finds himself initiated into the GGG.

Mary and George convince Jess Davis to hire a depressed Martha as a part time bartender at the Capri. Cathy and Mary discover Martha's secret life as a thief. Wanda calls Lila's blackmail bluff, but Lila has a trump card: Wanda's personal diary. Vernon and Texas initiate Tom, Charlie, and Mac into the GGG.

Grandpa Larkin asks Barbie to live with him. Vernon offers Tom and Charlie free lifetime memberships to the GGG. Howie tells Cathy that he's stuck in boring Fernwood and wants to track down the TTT. Loretta helps Mary write a song for the disgruntled workers, while Martha's one of the miserable housewives of America. George forbids Barbie from moving in but changes his tune when he realizes he needs Grandpa Larkin's social security check to help with the rent. At Wanda's dinner party for the Hartmans, Lila poisons a piece of pie for Merle, but Mary gets it mixed up and served to the wrong victim.

Officer Malloy from the Fernwood police department questions Mary about Baby's disappearance. Howie unsuccessfully attempts to comfort Cathy. Vernon promises Texas that there are many unhappy families in Fernwood, and the GGG will happily give them a scapegoat for their anger. At Pat's disastrous welcome home party, Vernon surveys all the despondent guests intently.

Charlie reassures Loretta that it's just the two of them, but Mac interrupts with breakfast and a declaration that they're one big, happy family. Texas and Tiny give Mary the unwritten rules of assembly workers, and she breaks them. Howie reveals to Martha that he's an investigative reporter working on a story about underground groups. Mary pays a very crowded visit to Merle, Wanda, and Lila. Baby disappears while Cathy washes clothes at the launderette.

Tom and Mary force the peeper to confess to Nat Dearborn that Pat was abused and Garth's death was accidental. After Wanda's confession that she kissed Merle and declaration that their situation is changing, Lila promises that she always gets what she wants. Pat prepares to leave Fernwood with Zorrina and Godza. During a drinking game with Charlie and Mac, Loretta admits that she's jealous of their friendship. Mary arrives at the gypsy camp with news that Pat is being cleared of murder charges, but Pat still has to decide whether to stay with her old life or leave for a new one.

Vernon and the newly formed Glorious Guardians of Good (GGG) decide to change their outward appearance while keeping hate in their heart. Howie encourages Cathy and Mary to reconcile at the Capri, where Merle collapses again in agonizing pain. Lila adds more poison to Merle's pills. Raymond and Barbie agree to sow their wild oats before settling down together, but being macho is taking its toll on him. While making love on the kitchen floor, Tom and Mary spot a Peeping Tom through the doggy door. Mary is stunned at the identity of the peeper, who confesses that he saw Garth beating Pat and witnessed the accident that led to Garth's death.

After Wanda brings Merle home from the hospital, Lila blackmails her into not sleeping with him, insinuating that she could reveal their affair to voters. Later, Lila slips poison into Merle's vitamin capsules. Vernon visits Mary on the assembly line and after she insists the petition was solely her idea, he throws it in the trash can. Texas privately asks Vernon when their secret meetings will begin again. Charlie and Mac continue to bond at the Capri. Vernon holds a mysterious meeting of the Twilight Teachers of Truth, a white supremacist type organization. Disturbed by a lack of members in Fernwood, they decide to change their name to the Glorious Guardians of Good with Tom and Mary as their new image of all that's good and decent in middle-class America.

No one believes that Merle didn't try to commit suicide, and Clete shows up in the hospital to interview him. Mary attempts to get all the men in the plant to sign a petition for more pleasant working conditions. Catholic nuns arrive to escort Heather to their convent after receiving a letter from Mary, forged by Heather, requesting that she be taken in as a novitiate. Mary smuggles food to the gypsies who convince Pat to leave Fernwood with them.

Due to Martha and George fighting, Cathy convinces Howie that he should let her and Baby live with him in a platonic way while he romances her. Lila declares her love for Wanda and decides it would be better if Merle were out of the way. Loretta feels like a third wheel at the Capri when Charlie and Mac discuss Paul Newman and weekends in the wilderness. Mary receives an urgent phone call from Merle, who's deathly ill. Mary finds Merle unconscious and mistakenly believes that he's attempting suicide.

In the series finale, Merle literally bares all to voters at the Capri Lounge, and a comeback may be in his future. As Cathy and a reluctant Barth are wheeled into surgery, Martha falls to her knees and prays. Dr. Fermin emerges with shocking news about the transplant. A tornado strikes Fernwood, and Cathy goes into cardiac arrest. Tom wonders about Mary's new life. Far away from Fernwood, has Mary escaped a life of Swanson's TV dinners and waxy yellow buildup for her happily ever after with Dennis?

Mary is served with a summons by Sergeant Foley, along with a much more personal invitation. Blanche and Leroy discuss the Hartman's problems. Grandpa has his day in court.

Sgt. Foley tries to save Mary, but to no avail. Mae and Tom try to save Mary, themselves.

Loretta delivers word that a neighborhood family was murdered; Mary and Tom have a disagreement about making love; Charlie announces he almost has enough money to get Loretta's record demo made; The Fernwood Flasher is finally captured.

This episode is a review of the events that took place in the first thirty-five episodes.

Mary forgets more than Heather's lunch. Howard informs Mary of Betty's unforeseen arrest. Martha hopes Tom will grow to accept imperfection.

Mary vows to compose her thoughts, while Loretta cleans house for the Lord. Mary makes some important decisions and talks to Dennis of flexible straws and love.

Mary can't see eye-to-eye with Loretta's child minister. Tom makes a dinner date for his 100th chicken fried steak. The Haggers have a surprise for the Hartmans.

Mary gets a Help Line of her own. Cathy may become Fernwood's kitchen cookie. Martha begins her search for identity. Howard tries his hand at counseling Tom.

Mary has some pamphlets and Sergeant Foley has some ideas. Cathy is in something. Tom makes some decisions.

Still another couple appears to be splitting up. Cathy is encouraged to stick with her job. Tom and Ed make some other engagements.

Loretta makes a misprint in Billboard and is worried about her iffy chances. Tom has some good news, but Mary has to cancel. Mary interviews for the typical American consumer.

Mary gets a non-obscene call from David Susskind. Cathy tells Clete to have is own children. Ed takes a walk. The Help Line gets cut off and it's all Mary's fault.

Merle gets ready for Loretta's visit. Mary has a dream of what might have been and makes her live television debut.

Mary becomes better acquainted with her hospital family. Cathy is confused by the results of a pregnancy test. Not knowing the extent of his injuries frustrates Charlie. Merle calls the hospital to make amends. Tom finds Heather with a new look and taking good care of herself at home. Ackerman and Dr. Williams reach an impasse over the length of Mary's stay.

Mary and Tom are happily reunited at Fernwood Receiving, but the visit takes an unfortunate turn when she confesses she thinks Chester is dangerous. Cathy wants to have a talk with Clete, who interviews Merle about the most recent tragedy in his motel room. Charlie insists that Loretta pledge not to tell a soul about the exact nature of his injuries.

News of Jimmy Joe distresses Mary. Cathy's pregnancy delights Clete until he realizes that she's three months along. Martha and Heather discuss death. Tom reassures Heather that Mary's condition is improving. Loretta secretly phones Merle and agrees to meet him at the Capri. Mary questions Nurse Gimble about her latest injury in a series of injuries.

Tom visits Annie's trailer and accepts a dinner invitation from her. Dr. Fermin advises Cathy to sell her unborn baby to a needy, but wealthy, couple. Tom finds Mary's story about Chester's nuclear device difficult to believe.

At the Capri Lounge, Loretta sings "Moanin' in the Night."

Loretta foresees trouble for Mary and Tom when Annie decides to remain in Fernwood for an extended visit. Mary and Gore Vidal get to know one another. Charlie admits to Loretta his embarrassment over her new song. Loretta suggests hypnotherapy as a cure for Charlie's sexual dysfunction.

Garth Gimble, Nurse Pat's husband, tells Ackerman his plan to promote the hospital through a Mary Hartman Homecoming Day and burial of a time capsule to be opened in 2076. Ackerman realizes that he must release Mary early in order to have Gore Vidal's participation in the time capsule burial. Loretta warns Mary that Tom is getting too close to Annie Wylie. Loretta attempts to hypnotize Charlie.

Mary is told that she'll select the items for the time capsule being buried by the Fernwood Chamber of Commerce. Grandpa visits Mary and recognizes Chester as a madman. Loretta tantalizes Dr. Medwick with her erotic dreams. Cathy considers aborting the baby. Martha receives a letter regarding George's disappearance.

Tom and Heather give Gore the brush off, so he interviews Martha. Mary is in a lather to get Heather's old Peanuts lunch box, which is identical to Chester's. Mary and Tom discuss their friendships with Gore and Annie. While Chester is distracted by playing a game with Heather, Mary switches the lunch boxes, but she might have been caught.

Gore promises to promote Ackerman and Fernwood Receiving on The Merv Griffin Show, but first he has to convince Merv. Annie accepts Tom's offer to park her trailer in his driveway. Mary phones home and notes Tom's lack of enthusiasm over Mary Hartman Homecoming Day. Wanda reassures Merle that he's not to blame for Commissioner Rittenhouse's death. Charlie phones Dr. Fratkis, who offers reconstructive surgery for $5000.

Just as Mary leaves the hospital, sex therapist Mona McKenzie is admitted for getting too much of a good thing. Nurse Gimble continues to show up with more bodily injury. Jack and Jill Renquist visit Martha and promise to make contact with George just as soon as she pays their expenses. Wanda insists that Merle assume her late husband's position as zoning commissioner. Charlie runs into Jody Troxel, the son of Charlie's old friend Hubie.

An oblivious Martha receives another visit from Detective Johnson. After a letter from Sgt. Foley arrives, assuring Cathy that it's physically impossible for him to be the father of her child, she makes a decision about Dr. Fermin's offer. Mary and Tom enjoy a night of passion. Annie promises Mary that she'll leave Fernwood. Tom tells Mary and Annie that he's been chosen to star in a commercial for the RV dealership. Mary vows to find a way for Cathy to keep her baby.

Martha and Detective Johnson storm the Gimble house after hearing Pat's screams, but the couple manages to cover up Garth's abuse. Mary gives Charlie an alpha wave machine to help cure his impotence. Jody wants Charlie to manage his racing career. Loretta and Mary discuss Charlie's desire for an expensive transplant operation from Dr. Fratkis, but Mary suggests that Loretta make Charlie jealous instead, forcing him to make love to her. Mary is astonished by Tom's professionalism in the TV commercial. Pat turns up at Tom and Mary's back door and collapses in their kitchen.

Loretta is dismayed when her scheme to make Charlie jealous only incites his anger. Jody gives Charlie a cut of the race winnings, enough for Charlie to make a down payment on his testicle transplant with Dr. Fratkis. Clete informs Merle of a terrible disaster at the Condos for Christ construction site. Heather arranges a welcome home supper for Annie after her accident, but Mary has other plans for the celebration.

Dr. Fratkis informs Charlie that he has to find his own donor for the testicle transplant. Cathy moves into the Addams mansion, but is dismayed when Christine hides her in a secluded attic room. Merle needs to clear his name in the Condos for Christ disaster caused by the late Commissioner Rittenhouse's shoddy materials. Mary gives Annie a cake baked with aspirin.

Charlie and Dr. Fratkis agree to perform his transplant immediately. Loretta is hired to sing at the drag races and composes an impromptu song about making her man whole again. Wanda convinces Merle to build a political career as monument to Jimmy Joe, but she can't succeed in turning him on. Mary wants to get out of the house and into tomorrow by having a second child.

Garth rejects Wanda's desire to enlist Pat in Merle's mayoral campaign. Later, Garth becomes disgusted by Pat's novel, a fictional account of their relationship, and forces her to destroy what she's written. Charlie meets with Dr. Fratkis and is horrified to learn that Fratkis has only performed the transplant surgery on canines. Loretta and Jody return from the drag race filled with excitement, but Mary brings the emotions down with news that Charlie was arrested in New Jersey.

Mary stuns Jody and Loretta with news that Charlie was arrested for cruelty to animals. In jail, Dr. Fratkis admits to Charlie the shocking identity of his transplant donor. Merle visits Tom to settle any conflict between them and asks Tom not to tell Wanda about the affair with Annie. Later, Merle and Jody both attempt to console Loretta. Charlie phones home and tells Loretta that he's never coming back.

Garth forces Pat to quit her job. Mary brings Pat a letter from Little Garth's military academy. After finding Jody in the Haggers home, Tom cautions Loretta to beware of men who might try to take advantage of Charlie's absence. Mary wants to be Cathy's natural childbirth coach, despite Cathy's desire for a man. Pat drops by Mary's kitchen and confesses that Little Garth is keeping a secret that will enrage Garth...if he finds out.

Martha visits Annie to discuss their AC/DC trouble. Charlie phones Loretta and tells her that he got out of jail but still won't come home. Jody offers to take Loretta to New Jersey to find Charlie. Mary decontaminates her kitchen with the help of the FDA and gossips to Wanda about Annie's sexuality. Pat phones Mary to tell her that Little Garth is home, but the call is interrupted by Garth, who thinks they're keeping secrets.

Pat and Little Garth hide the truth from Garth about his son's bed wetting. Detective Johnson insinuates that Annie is part of a prostitution ring in Fernwood and wants to use an antiquated city ordinance to send her on her way. Cathy is delighted to have Brian as her natural childbirth coach. Charlie returns to Fernwood and pays a secret visit to Mary. Mary gives Charlie a note left by Loretta and Jody, which they misinterpret.

Loretta and Jody meet Dr. Fratkis in New Jersey and learn that someone uglier than a Godfather cast member bailed Charlie out of jail. Mary and Merle have an intimate conversation about sexuality, and Merle can't help but feel attracted to Mary's innocence and gingham dresses. Wanda and Merle discuss Mary and Annie. Loretta and Jody return to Fernwood, where Mary confesses that Charlie may have left again under the wrong impression.

After writing about her in the journal, Mary visits Annie and bristles at her attention. Tom's arrival prompts Annie to make a quick exit with Mary's journal which Annie thinks is a shopping list. Mary admits to Tom that she was researching bisexuality. At the Capri, Jody watches Loretta sing a song imploring her husband to come home to his lonely prom queen. Sitting on a desolate bridge, Charlie is befriended by a wolf. Merle shocks Wanda with a marriage proposal cleverly timed for election eve. Pat's mother pays a visit and urges Pat to leave Garth.

Guests fill Mary's kitchen on Christmas Day, including the Jeeters, Gimbles, Annie, and Loretta who arrives late with one Jimmy Joe's bicentennial Christmas trees. Mary leads the group with a prayer of thanks, a rendition of Silent Night, and asks everyone to sing Happy Birthday to the baby Jesus. Martha opens the kitchen door to find a chanting George dressed like a religious cult member. Loretta performs for a packed house at the Capri lounge and receives her best Christmas present ever when Charlie arrives and gets a rise out of the occasion.

Charlie and Loretta express their passion in the car on the side of a public road. Heather hands over another sex questionnaire that Mary had hidden in a box of Froot Loops, and Mary learns the questionnaire was sent by Mae Olinski. Pat's tenderness toward Garth ends in her being beaten by a plastic snowman. Sikanda, another Boga Zidi cult member, joins George in the Shumway home which they raid. Tom's loan is refused, and Mary shows him a bounced check.

Charlie and Loretta grab the dictionary when Fernwood's new skywriter writes the word "foreplay" in the sky. Montgomery Monk arrives at the Shumway home to begin George's deprogramming. Mary gives Pat a copy of Ms magazine's cover story of battered wives and suggests she give Garth a taste of his own medicine. Later, while fighting with Garth about Mary's visit, Pat slaps him. Before boarding her bus to Dayton for the recording session, Loretta is harassed by photographer Jake Walters. When another drunken passenger intervenes, a fight breaks out, Loretta is hit on the head, and she awakens with amnesia.

In Dayton, Jake stops by Lou's diner where amnesiac Loretta is pegged as a slut. Loretta, calling herself Lulu, is befriended by owner Lou and regular customer Mac Slattery. Wanda tells Mary that she's found a way to achieve ultimate satisfaction and knows she can teach it to any man. Little Garth brings Pat to Mary's kitchen after Garth turns the hose on her, destroys her clothes, and locks her out of the house. Montgomery Monk attempts to restore George back his crabby old self. Mary hosts a disastrous New Year's Eve Party where Annie announces she's leaving Fernwood, and a drunken Tom reveals he's been fired.

Martha's new pet sitting service terrifies George after he finds a monkey and a tarantula in his kitchen. Complications arise when lawyer Darcy Pinker demands Cathy sign a contract before giving birth, and Dr. Fermin phones to say he can't attend the delivery. Tom convinces Charlie to seek help from Merle to find Loretta. Loretta sweet talks money out of Lou then flirts with Mac. A state trooper stops by the diner looking for Loretta, but Lou claims he hasn't seen her.

Heather and Little Garth trade embarrassing secrets, and Mary catches them kissing over the kitchen table where Cathy gave birth. Harold Clemens misses the point in his interview with Mae and Wanda who want the world to know that foreplay is fairplay. Merle asks Mary to be the spokesperson for his Jump for Fitness campaign and watches with delight as she jumps rope in the kitchen. Violence is on the supper menu at the Gimble home.

After admitting his own childhood abuse, Garth confines Pat to a closet. George barges into the Addams house and threatens to tell Mr. Addams the truth about Cathy's baby unless Brian tells him first. Tom agrees to return to the plant, and Mary has a special gift to mark the occasion. Loretta urges Lou to sell the diner and take her where the action is.

Loretta and Charlie are reunited in Mary's kitchen, but Charlie's doubt over what Loretta did as Lulu creates tension in their marriage. Grandpa Larkin plays checkers alone, while Tom hustles to get his family's finances back on track. Reverend Buryfield officiates at Garth's funeral, where Charlie and Loretta realize they're being petty, and Merle presses Mary for a closer relationship.

Merle plays a new fetish with Mary, hand puppets called Little Merle and Little Mary. George visits Martha at the hospital and has a conversation with a corpse. Mary confesses to Tom that she's been hired as a ticket taker at the Bijou theatre, but reassures him that he's still the head breadwinner. Leaving Fernwood for a new life in Chicago, Mae stops by the Hartman home to say goodbye. Mary's job at the Bijou comes to an abrupt conclusion when she's robbed at gunpoint.

Hired by the Fernwood jail, Mary gets on the matron's bad side by fraternizing with Pat. Wanda is non-plussed to catch Merle and Lila getting passionate on the sofa, and Merle is appalled that Wanda hired Lila to satisfy both of their needs. Cathy and Martha explain to Harold Clemens that they plan to make extra money by giving tours at the Shumway house, which has been designated an historical landmark. Pat is tormented by a nightmare in which Garth taunts her while she awaits death in the electric chair. Cookie strongly urges Pat to join her in breaking out of jail.

Grandpa and Barbie learn a lesson of their own while lecturing Heather and Little Garth about keeping their relationship a secret from parents. George bristles as Cathy and Martha prepare to make a tourist center of the Shumway home where visitors can see the famous Marquette Rock in their yard. Tom attempts to comfort Mary who cries in the night for no apparent reason, but he makes a statement he may later regret. Cookie forces Pat to break out of jail with her.

George loses his temper when a group of tourists invade his kitchen. Harold Clemens introduces his friend Howie Freeze to the Shumways. Mary interviews with Vernon Bales at the auto plant and gets the job. Charlie is surprised at Loretta's new role as the perfect housewife. Pat wants to turn herself in to the cops, but Cookie blackmails her into staying on the lam.

Charlie and Mac clear the air about what Loretta and Mac didn't do while she had amnesia. Howie asks Cathy out to dinner, and after a crazed George destroys the Marquette Rock, she agrees. Mary stops by the Capri for a very uncomfortable after-work drink with the guys from the plant. Heather teases her hair, wears too much makeup, and talks back Mary and Tom. Tom blames Mary for Heather's behavior and isn't happy with their role reversal when he's forced to cook while she's out drinking with the boys.

Mary is angry when Cathy admits that Heather went out on a date. Pat reaches out to Mary for help. Heather and Little Garth slip into the Gimble home and sleep together. Lila defends Wanda to Merle, and proclaims she's saving her kisses for the right man. When he comes on very strong, Cathy insists that Howie court her with picnics and miniature golf. Mary tells Pat that Little Garth is cured of bed-wetting, and the fugitives meet gypsies Zorrina and Godza in the woods outside Fernwood.

Wanda explains to a disgusted Merle how Lila provides something that he doesn't, but when Merle suggests it's grounds for divorce, Wanda retires to the bedroom with him, leaving Lila alone on the living room sofa. Loretta orders Charlie's favorite pizza and puts on her shortest nightie, but Charlie rejects her in favor of a night out with Mac. A real estate agent tells Mary that he's been given approval by Pat's mother Mrs. Welch to sell the Gimble home. Mary invites Texas, Tiny, and Vernon over for a game of poker, and the evening turns into a total disaster when she spills employee secrets to Vernon.

Tom warns Mary that there's gossip at the plant about resentment brewing against Mary, who's trying too hard to break with traditions. At the plant, Texas is annoyed when Mary stops the conveyor belt to have coffee cake and a chat. Two cops visit the plant and grill Mary for information about Pat, who's still a fugitive. Merle's attempts to get close to Wanda are thwarted by Lila's presence. Merle intimidates Wanda into having sex with him.

Mary and Martha argue about Cathy who arrives with news that she lost Baby. At the gypsy camp, Zorinna shows Godza the infant she snatched while tumble drying her babushkas at the laundromat. The Shumways lament their losses. Heather spies on Tom and Mary making out. Lila hides in the armoire in Merle and Wanda's bedroom and becomes enraged when the couple begin to make love. When Merle asks for one good reason why he shouldn't kick Lila out, Wanda soberly reminds him that she could destroy their lives.

At the plant, Mary and the men debate whether noxious fumes are a safety or grievance issue. Vernon invites Tom for an after-work drink to get to know one another better. Howie tries to interview an elusive Merle. Lila attempts to sabotage Merle and reminds him to take his pill, which she poisoned. Before leaving Fernwood forever, Pat shares a very heartfelt goodbye with Mary.

Vernon tells Texas that they'll exclude George from the GGG until he's so left out that he'll come scratching at their door to be let in. Mary informs the family about Martha's kleptomania, a result of all her recent losses. Howie sleepwalks in frustration over thinking that the secret society he's investigating is in Austin. Lila demands that Merle convince the coroner to not perform an autopsy on Chief Nigel Quinlan, and after Wanda warns him that Lila's in possession of a personal diary, Merle's forced to comply.

Texas angers Vernon by bringing a stick of dynamite to the plant as part of a scheme to blow up a TV station because it aired Roots. Loretta and Mary decide to match make Mac and Lila to get Mac away from Charlie. Mary confides in George about Martha's problem. Lila meets Mac at the Capri and is disinterested, but Texas catches her eye. Wanda and Merle are stunned when they find that Lila has moved into their apartment.

Vernon wants Mary to solicit Merle about the GGG, and Texas still has ideas about the TV station that showed Roots. Mary grimaces when George and Vernon talk guns. Howie is introduced to Vernon who warns him about the dangers of investigating secret societies. While the family keeps watch on Martha at the Capri, the wallet of a customer disappears. A rock bearing a threatening note smashes through Howie and Cathy's window. At the plant, Texas places a time bomb into a cardboard box.

Martha feels like Lee Grant in Marooned as she and Tom anxiously await news of George and Mary. The survivors think they're hallucinating elves when the SWAT team breaks out of the ventilation shaft. Realizing she lost Wanda's incriminating diary, Lila turns the Jeeter apartment upside down and then frisks Wanda. The SWAT team blasts open the entrance to the buried work area. After Vernon suggests the explosion was intentional, Texas says he's found a clue... a Marvin Gaye album and Afro comb left by the bomber.

Mary and Tom's low-key reunion leaves her unfulfilled. The SWAT team visits the guys at the plant to say goodbye. Mary befriends Dewey and realizes talk isn't cheap. At the Capri, Lila spots Martha stealing a patron's lighter and confides to Tex that she thinks Martha has Wanda's diary. Vernon holds a GGG meeting in Mary's kitchen and is appalled to see Dewey doing an odd job for the Hartmans. When Mary makes a motion to have Dewey join the GGG, Vernon suggests ominously that they already have big plans for him.

After Howie reveals that he has documentation of a dangerous paramilitary group in Fernwood, Charlie suggests to Mac, Tex, and Vernon that the GGG protect him against death threats. Mary attempts to cure Martha's kleptomania with group hostility therapy, but only succeeds in making Martha angry at her daughters. Cathy encourages Howie to share her bed, and is dismayed when he puts her off until the day after tomorrow. Lila sneaks in the Shumway kitchen to search for Wanda's diary but is interrupted by Mary and then George, who catches Mary taking back Martha's cache of stolen goods.

Mac and Cathy each interrupt Charlie and Loretta's love in the afternoon, and lamenting Howie's disinterest in sex, Cathy probes Loretta for information about Mac. At the Capri, a drunken Howie admits to George that he's never known women in the biblical sense. George offers Howie advice about using women but is furious when he realizes Howie plans to use it on Cathy. Mary is shocked by what she reads in Wanda's diary. Merle calls Mary to tell her that Tom returned their toys. Lila phones Mary about the diary, but Mary refuses to give it back. After Mary tells Howie the significance of her hypothetical diary, Howie secretly steals it.

Mary and Cathy attempt to shock Martha out of her kleptomania by having convicts Duke and Crude terrorize her. Fed up with Lila, Wanda and Merle decide to drive her insane. Howie tries to read Wanda's diary, but is interrupted by Cathy, who takes him to bed. Texas emerges from Howie's closet and steals Wanda's diary along with Howie's research on the GGG. Realizing the intruder, Howie chooses phoning the cops over making love to Cathy. At the GGG's Disco Night, Vernon brainwashes the crowd into leading a crusade against the school system's books, and Mary finds the party getting very strange.

Mary brings her grandfather home from the police station; Kathy falls for a blue-eyed Armenian bartender; a reporter interviews Loretta about the murders; and Mary feels ashamed when Tom rejects her sexual advances (or lack thereof).

The mass murderer will only give up when he gets a stack of bibles and an oath from the Reverend that the police won't follow him for 24 hours.

The ordeal is over and everyone is relieved that Mary is safe.

Mary deals with the aftermath of her ordeal. Charlie looks after Loretta, while Mary is furious with Tom.

Mary feels that her marriage is over. Tom seeks advice from Coach Fedders, while Mary gets sociable with Sgt. Foley.

Mary makes a trip to the library. Martha insists that being miserable is the only key to happiness.

Martha is on the floor. Cathy and Steve try to help. Meet the all new, all now Roberta Walashak.

Mary, Martha, and Loretta plan Cathy's impromptu bridal shower while she's throwing her engagement ring back at Steve. A distraught Cathy arrives home, announces Steve's infidelity, and renounces men. Dennis drops by the Hartman kitchen and tells Mary that he still wants her and will wait for her, but when Cathy arrives, Dennis asks her to dinner.

Mary's breakfast is a failure. Loretta's career is a success. Mary attempts to save Cathy from a tragedy with a reading from TV Guide.

Dr. Fermin tells Loretta that she's in spontaneous remission. Charlie devises a plan to come up with money to stall eviction by selling raffle tickets for a color TV he and Loretta don't have. Martha refuses to believe George's claim that he was framed by union officials in Milwaukee. Loretta and Mary decide that Mary's "thing" is communication. Tiny catches Charlie selling raffle tickets and orders him out. When Tom intervenes, Tiny tells him to shut up or he's fired, prompting Charlie to deck Tiny who falls to the floor unconscious.

Tom is furious with Mary after finding her sex books; Grampa Larkin's social worker admits that she's in love with him; Heather's story makes the evening news.

Charlie tries talking sense into Tom, but Tom feels something is missing in his life. Cathy prepares for her date with Chuck. Charlie and Loretta go to the Doctor's office. Raymond goes to see Roberta and meets Fanny. Tom chats up Mae at the bar.

Mary tries to calm the mass murderer, while he continues to ask for demands: a car and $100,000.

Mary says Tom shouldn't go to waste. Cathy's magic fingers make their debut.

Loretta gives a farewell performance. Cathy plays hard-to-get and says yes to two dates.

Mary has hopes for Loretta's success. Mary's emergency is a job for Otto Feurenbach. Charlie and Loretta are in a room that's not green.