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.

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.

Rene and Bill argue over how much they should spend on a house. After learning how much money Rene actually has, Bill begins to feel threatened. He decides to let Rene choose whichever house she wants, but Rene is left uncertain as to whether she and Bill are really right for each other. M.E. believes that her male boss at the magazine is ignoring her suggestions and favoring a young male intern, so she pulls a bold stunt to get his attention. M.E. is also angry because Rene has become so focused on Bill. Colliar convinces M.E. to give Rene some space. Past: M.E. is forced to fight, literally, for Colliar, when a new girl tries to win his affections.

Present: Rene and Bill discover that they have very different points of view about parenting; Rene wonders if she's cut out to be a mother when she can't get Bill's daughter to warm up to her; Bill is unsettled when Rene decides to keep her birth name after they marry; M.E. tells a white lie for a colleague which results in a story they worked on about child safety seats being inadequately researched before it is printed, and Glenn's firing an innocent employee, and ultimately both of them, when he discovers the deception. Past: M.E. wears Rene's ""Blue Belle"" uniform to help her sell candy in white neighborhoods; the girls can't understand why Colliar is acting so strangely until they see him being abused by his drunken father.

Present: M.E. is distressed when Davis joins the football team; Rene is conflicted when she represents a client who confesses to a murder he committed in self defense 34 years earlier; M.E. helps Davis's parentless friend find a new home. Past: M.E. and Rene discover that they share ownership of Port Dixie with a homeless woman who claims to be a Hungarian princess, and argue; Rene is skeptical about her stories, but M.E. is enthralled by every word.

M.E. and Sarah think Rene is avoiding making wedding plans and confront her on it. Rene reacts by suggesting to Bill that they run off to Paris to elope. He reluctantly agrees. M.E. and Colliar invite Rene and Bill over for dinner and the foursome play ""I Never"" - a game in which you confess things you've done or never done. M.E. is heartbroken to learn she has not been Colliar's only lover. During the game, Rene admits that when she was 28 she married a pro-basketball player on a whim in Las Vegas, though the marriage was annulled two days later. Bill is furious that Rene kept this from him. They postpone the wedding indefinitely and Rene signs the mortgage papers to their new house - without Bill. Past: A white civil rights activist stays at Rene's home. M.E.'s Uncle Jimmy threatens to take serious action if the Jacksons ever house another white person. When the activist disappears without a trace, Rene fears M.E.'s uncle is to blame.

Rene defends a young man charged with vehicular manslaughter: He hit a pregnant woman and she lost her baby. The case becomes more complicated when Rene discovers that the woman was on her way to get an abortion when the accident occurred. This issue stirs an emotional and personal debate between Rene and M.E. M.E. must decide whether to attend a school play starring her daughter, Kelly, or an important writing seminar that she has already paid for. Rene moves into her new house without Bill and must tell her mother that the wedding has been postponed. Past: A popular friend of M.E.'s sister takes M.E. under her wing. However, the girl insists that M.E. give up her friendship with Rene.

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

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: 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.

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.

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.

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.

M.E. is frustrated when her daughter, Kelly, won't talk to her about her relationship with her boyfriend. Rene is caught in a bind when Kelly confides in her instead of M.E. When M.E. and Colliar's sex life hits a low point, M.E. suggests they go out on a date. She's disappointed when Colliar turns it into a double date with a potential business client and his wife. The situation becomes more awkward when the couple approaches M.E. and Colliar about partner-swapping. Meanwhile, Rene pursues a famous singer (and longtime crush) when he comes to town. Past: M.E.'s Aunt Harriet dies and leaves her a scary doll. M.E.'s sister, Theresa, catches M.E. and Rene trying to bury the doll; she then uses this information to try to blackmail M.E. and get her own bedroom.

Present: M.E. disagrees with Colliar's teaching Davis about guns and taking him on a hunting trip; Rene represents a teacher removed from teaching for practicing Wicca outside the classroom. Past: Rene wants to change her look for her first day in middle school and faces opposition from Sara; M.E. is less than thrilled when Catherine buys her a bra.

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. decides to change her will after she is sent to the hospital for having a life-threatening allergic reaction. Meanwhile, Rene takes a step in getting over Bill by pursuing a relationship with M.E.'s Norwegian doctor. Past: Young M.E. and Rene open a secret box and discover some shocking news.

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.

Present: Lakeisha misrepresents herself as an attorney in Rene's office to help out the non-profit Girls at Risk program, and Rene fires her. Nevertheless, Rene agrees to serve as her character witness when Lakeisha is brought up before the Bar Association. After Lakeisha expresses remorse for what she's done, the Bar Association puts her on probation, and Rene agrees to rehire her. While Colliar is away on a job, M.E. is mugged at gunpoint at work and suffers from post traumatic stress. After getting back together with Bill, Rene realizes that she no longer has any feelings for him, and ends the relationship for good. Past: Lured by lots of easy cash, Rene and M.E. agree to act as lookouts for a small time crook, and learn to play poker in the process. Flush with money and their new-found skill, they challenge Colliar and Tully to a friendly game of cards. When they lose everything to Tully and he threatens to squeal on them if they don't pay up, they are forced to scramble for ways t

Present: Rene represents Bill after he is involved in a controversial shooting. Joe starts an aggressive campaign to market M.E.'s book. Past: M.E. suspects that Colliar is cheating on her with Rene.

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: M.E. goes on a campaign to convince a very reluctant Rene to go to their high school reunion, and enlists Joe to escort Rene and pose as her husband after Rene cites her single status as the reason she's not attending; Lakeisha learns the perils of getting a tattoo under the influence; M.E.'s elation over having her book accepted by a publisher turns to despair when she realizes that it's a vanity press; Colliar gets his old band together to play at the reunion; M.E. doesn't react well to the combination of too many Harvey Wallbangers and too many catty comments from Colliar's ex-flame Della Mae; Rene reconnects with her high school prom date and is astonished when she finds out how much has changed over the years, and how she was an inspiration in ways she never imagined. Past: Rene is apprehensive about attending a predominately white high school; M.E. goes on a hunger strike to convince her father to let her attend South Birmingham High School; wanting to see the world, Joh

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: 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.

Present: M.E. is elated when her book sells out at the local bookstore and she's invited to appear on a local tv show; Rene is accepted as a mentor in the Girls at Risk program, but things don't go smoothly with her mentee April. Past: After losing the captaincy of the cheerleading squad, Teresa decides to become a nun and makes Rene the unwilling receipient of her acts of charity.