Present: Tillie Sims arrives for a visit and once again puts her son in jeopardy when a loan shark follows her from Florida looking for the money she owes him, prompting M.E. to give Tillie an ultimatum; worried that April's incoherent behavior means that she has a substance abuse problem, Rene forces her to take a drug test, which turns out negative; when April begins to exhibit delusional behavior, Rene gets Mrs. Samuels' permission to take her to a doctor. Past: After James is attacked by the police during the march on Selma, Elston and James disagree about the effectiveness of non-violent protest; after federal troops are sent in to protect the marchers, the entire Jackson family joins the march; Rene is forced to reconsider the practice of non-violence when she is tormented by Tully's constant bullying; Colliar's mother doesn't intervene when he is abused by his father.

Present: M.E. realizes that she forgot Bobby's birthday for the first time in the 22 years since his death. When she goes to the cemetary to visit his grave, she is horrified to discover that the cemetary has made an error and dug up his grave. In her grief and anger, she seeks Rene's legal assistance and ends up confronting her about not attending Bobby's funeral. These painful memories also put a strain on M.E. and Colliar's relationship because of the difference in how they each express grief and guilt over Bobby's death. Rene, frustrated by her relationship with Bill, begins a quest to figure out what men want and Joe tries to convince her to pick his brain as a part of her research. Past: Teresa loses her virginity and tells Rene and M.E. that they should never trust boys. Colliar manages to convince M.E. that he'll never hurt her, and they share their first real kiss.

Present: Nick hires an election strategist who rubs Rene the wrong way when she attempts to ""lighten up"" Rene's image by setting her up for an endorsement by a politically influential group whose color-struck policies and members she abhors; although the Sims and Williams families agree to support Kelly and Ajoni in keeping their baby, Colliar continues to have a hard time dealing with Kelly's pregnancy. Past: M.E. humiliates Rene in front of Henry when she pushes her in the pool and ruins her hair, so Rene forces M.E. to sit with her through the four-hour ordeal of getting her hair relaxed.

While dining at a restaurant with Rene, Mary Elizabeth (M.E.) mistakenly assumes a black woman walking by is a waitress. The incident ignites a heated debate between Rene and M.E. about modern day racism and leads M.E. to examine the topic in a freelance article for the magazine she was recently fired from. As part of her investigation, M.E. interviews her Uncle Jimmy, who is in the Ku Klux Klan, and learns that racism still exists in its harshest forms. After the article is published, M.E. finds a cross burning in her front yard. Meanwhile, Rene searches for a new office assistant and is upset that Bill, who is away at a seminar, has not called her. Past: Rene's father, James, prosecutes a legal case against the city for preventing black men from taking the exam to become police officers. Rene pleads with her father to drop the case after M.E.'s Uncle Jimmy threatens that something bad will happen to their family if he does not.

Present: Rene represents a woman who was fired when she protested against her employer's preferential treatment of workers with children; M.E. helps Kelly and Ajoni move into their new apartment; Matthew's demetia worsens; Rene realizes why she lives alone as M.E. begins to wear out her welcome; Colliar seeks out Rene's help when M.E. seriously begins to contemplate a divorce; inspired by how Catherine cares for Matthew during difficult times, M.E. moves back home, but into Kelly's old room. Past: The O'Briens are devastated when Johnny is killed in Vietnam; when the Jacksons come to pay their respects, Matthew asks Rene to come into the house and visit with M.E.

Present: M.E. and Colliar are proven correct in blaming Uncle Jimmy for coordinating the cross burning when his name is discovered on the membership list of an online hate group that has targeted Rene and Sara on their ""hit list""; Rene files a civil suit against Uncle Jimmy; Bill and Rene discuss the future of their relationship. Past: As James proceeds with his civil rights suit against the police department, Sara and Rene are pulled over and threatened by a police officer while they are driving on an isolated road, and they see Jimmy O'Brien sitting in the patrol car; James and Sara discuss whether they should stay and fight or return to Detroit.

Present: When Kelly follows in her mother's footsteps, M.E. and Colliar are thrilled by her being elected to the homecoming court and have a complete meltdown after she reveals that she's pregnant; Rene is appalled when she discovers that rapes are being deliberately underreported by the police and underprosecuted by her opponent. Past: M.E. and Colliar go through a difficult patch; Rene gets a new boyfriend named Henry.

Rene embraces the holiday season, but things turn sour when her attempts at planning a holiday party for the lawyers association fall flat. Luckily, she is still able to have a great Christmas with Elston, his partner and their son, Victor. M.E. is determined to have one more old-fashioned family Christmas, but things go awry when Ajoni proposes to Kelly on Christmas Day. Past: The girls begin a tradition of donating gifts to those who are less fortunate.

M.E. is outraged and decides to fight the school board when Kelly is asked to switch to another school because of her pregnancy. Rene meets an interesting man while representing Kelly. Past: Rene and M.E. get to ""first base"" with their boyfriends, but M.E.'s Catholic sex (mis)education deters them from going any further.

Rene is sued for malpractice by a former client and his wife; so she hires Joe Lozano, an attractive attorney to whom she rents office space, to defend her. However, Rene learns that the way Joe wins cases isn't all that ethical....M.E.'s daughter, Kelly, dyes her hair black and hangs goth paraphernalia in her room. While M.E. struggles to accept Kelly's new lifestyle, Kelly insists that being into goth has nothing to do with contemplating suicide. M.E. also worries that Kelly doesn't want to go to college. Past: After attending a service at a Baptist church with Rene, M.E. decides to convert from Catholicism, which makes her mother furious.

Tension runs high as M.E. helps Kelly get ready for the wedding. Rene tries to convince one of her clients to leave her abusive husband. Ajoni and a very pregnant Kelly get married and spend their wedding night at the Sims house. Past: M.E. smokes Theresa's marijuana, mistaking it for a cigarette. Rene and M.E. argue about courage as Rene prepares a care package for Elston in Canada.

Present: M.E. and Colliar are torn when they discover that their friend and neighbor is a convicted pedophile, and they struggle to contain the hysteria that envelops the community; Rene meets opposition from her mother and the historical society when she begins to renovate her office. She's finally convinced to change her plans when her mother lets in her on some momentous events that occurred there. Past: Rene accidentally hits Johnny's prized baseball into the yard of a mysterious neighbor whom M.E. is convinced is a murderer living in a haunted house. When Rene gathers up the courage to retrieve the ball, both girls are in for a surprise, and a valuable lesson.

Present: Rene and Sara prepare for the Jackson family reunion while Bill is away camping with his kids. On their way to the reunion, Sara collapses and is rushed to the hospital. When Elston arrives at the hospital, he introduces Rene to Mark, his partner of 12 years, and their son, Victor. Elston reveals that Victor is his biological son, conceived with the help of a surrogate mother who later sued for custody. Rene is upset that Elston didn't tell her about Victor and that he didn't consult her about his legal problems. The tension between the siblings escalates when Mark, who's a doctor, disagrees with the way Sara's doctor is treating her diabetes. Rene and Elston finally have a heart-to-heart talk, which leads to Elston opening up about his life to his mother. Sara is resistant at first, but relents when she meets her grandson for the first time. Over Colliar's objections, M.E. decides to look for a job to help make ends meet. After she lands a job as a security guard, he ends up

Present: The fur flies at the Sims and Williams households when M.E discovers Ajoni asleep in Kelly's room one morning, even though both teenagers insist that nothing is going on between them; Ajoni's parents are upset about the interracial relationship and concerned that Kelly will keep Ajoni from attending college; after Ajoni's father throws him out of the house when he persists in dating Kelly, M.E. and Colliar allow him to stay with them; Rene and Joe explore the possibility of expanding their relationship. Past: Rene incurs the wrath of her beloved Cookie Grandma when M.E. reveals that Rene has a crush on a white boy.

Rene and M.E. take a road trip that turns sour when they are car-jacked and Rene is arrested for car theft. When Rene calls Lakeisha for help, she discovers that she has been asked to run for district attorney. At home, Colliar struggles to hold things together when Kelly loses Rene's dog and Davis announces he wants to be a priest. Past: M.E. and Rene explore the possible existence of aliens

In court, Rene defends a developmentally disabled man who wants the right to be a father someday. Her case to save him from a vasectomy falls apart, however, when the man kidnaps a baby for Rene after she mentions wanting to have kids. Meanwhile, Mary Elizabeth starts her magazine internship and has a tough time fitting in with all the younger employees. Past: Rene and M.E. sneak off to a rock concert attended by both blacks and whites; but the girls find themselves in danger when the police get involved.

Present: When Rene is pulled over on a mistaken warrant and humilated by the police officers, she sweeps it under the rug despite the urgings of Lakeisha and M.E. that she file a complaint. When she witnesses a college student going through the same ordeal shortly thereafter, she offers to represent him pro bono in a lawsuit against the police department for racial profiling. When he challenges her to stand up for her own rights, she finally files her own complaint against the police. Davis dates an older woman and seeks Colliar's advice for putting the brakes on the relationship. Glenn assigns M.E. to a story about road construction in a neighboring town and Kelly offers to help her research it. Past: Elston clashes with his father over Malcolm X and his becoming a Black Muslim; M.E. wants to support the civil rights movement by forming a group of White Muslims consisting of Colliar, Tully and Bobby; the Jackson family grieves together when Malcolm X is assassinated.

M.E. and Colliar face increasing financial problems because a client of Colliar's has gone bankrupt. M.E. is humiliated at the grocery store when she finds out she's on their bad check list. Meanwhile, Kelly tries to buy a car from her boyfriend against M.E.'s wishes. Bill's first homicide case involves trying to get a murder witness to testify. Bill asks Rene to talk to the woman, but his plan backfires when Rene advises the woman that she doesn't have to testify if she fears for her life. The situation puts a freeze on Rene and Bill's already rocky relationship. During the case, Rene becomes jealous of Bill's new female partner. Matters worsen when Bill comes to Rene's house drunk and she asks him to leave. Past: A seamstress working on M.E.'s sister's gown tests the girls' faith in God when they learn about the horrors of the Holocaust the woman has suffered through. The girls set up their own test for God.

Rene deals with her feelings for Bill following their breakup. She throws a housewarming party to help herself overcome the loneliness, but the plan backfires when all the guests are couples. To gain a sense of closure, Rene writes Bill a letter articulating her complaints about the relationship, but she doesn't intend to mail it. M.E. takes on a security guard assignment at an office complex and investigates some of the strange activities of the tenants. She finds that her curiosity gets her nowhere...except into trouble. Past: Rene learns the power of words when she encourages an elderly black man to sit in the front of a public bus. When the man is severely beaten by two white boys, Rene feels guilty about her words and vows never to speak again.

Present: When a friend from college spends the weekend, Rene finds out some unpleasant truths about herself and her relationships; Rene is unhappy when Sara rents out a room to fellow church member. Past: M.E. becomes attached to her family's new maid, leaving Rene feeling abandoned.

M.E. is shocked when a Vietnamese man named Tuan appears in Birmingham and claims that her brother Johnny is his father. Rene represents a man who is trying to gain full custody of his children by enforcing a prenatal contract he made with his ex-wife. Past: When Johnny finishes boot camp, he comes home for a short leave before heading off to Vietnam. When Colliar and M.E. get into an argument, Colliar turns to Johnny for advice on women, so Johnny agrees to double-date with Colliar and M.E. Before he leaves for the war, Johnny makes M.E. and Colliar promise they will stay together forever.

Colliar tells M.E. that he's moving out. When he returns after a few days with an idea to give Kelly and Ajoni $5,000 so they can get their own place, everyone is furious with him and accuse him of being a racist. M.E. and Colliar have a huge fight which ends with M.E. moving into Rene's house; Meanwhile, Rene represents the a woman who accuses the new district attorney's nephew of rape. Past: A bewildered M.E. and Rene watch Colliar and Henry become supercompetitive at the Spring Fair.

Present: Rene becomes the guardian ad litem for a young teenager whose mother is being investigated for abuse after allowing her daughter to undergo multiple cosmetic surgeries; M.E. and Colliar confront Kelly after a condom drops out of her boyfriend's jacket; realizing she's not over Bill yet, Rene decides to break up with Clay. Past: M.E. and Rene give Tully's cousin Agnes a makeover to help her fit in with the other kids.

Rene takes the case of a 14-year-old boy who is on trial for murder. The prosecutor wants to try him as an adult. M.E. is frustrated with her lack of control when Colliar quits her job for her and gives her an allowance. Past: M.E. and Rene experiment with alcohol; disaster ensues

Present: M.E. decides to write a book about the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement after learning about Mrs. Samuels' experience as a cleaning lady for Dr. Martin Luther King. Rene is reunited with a friend who was once an active student leader at Morehouse but is now serving a life sentence. Past: M.E. and Rene learn how involved Sara is in the civil rights involvement after James is arrested during a protest and Sara steps in to take his place as a leader. Rene is surprised when she sees her mother step back into the background upon her father's return.