Family Ties

Alex picks out his dream girl from the school directory and falls for her roommate.

Alex takes drastic measures to stop Ellen from getting married.

Mallory brings home her new boyfriend, Nick, a Rambo-type environmental artist, to meet her family.

Jennifer takes on a class bully to defend her boyfriend.

Alex does some fancy footwork on the dance floor to impress Ellen when he thinks he is losing her because of their divergent interests.

When Mallory informs her parents that she has no intention of going to college after graduation, they are sure her boyfriend, Nick, a high school dropout, is influencing her.

Alex hires a tutor to help him with math, but his "teacher" turns out to be a 13-year-old genius who suddenly becomes more interested in Jennifer that in helping Alex.

Nick seeks Alex's help and advice on how to fit in more comfortably with the Keaton family, and ends up taking a "normal" job and going to extremes to be accepted.

Steven looks forward to reminiscing about the good old times when an old college buddy, Richard Schofield, comes to visit.

Alex, who prides himself on being in control of his life, is embarrassed to admit that he is having a problem with insomnia, which is creating stress in his personal life as well as in school.

Mallory begins to feel severe guilt after reporting a young girl to the police for shoplifting, especially when she learns that the girl is from a home for abused children.

Steven gets the promotion he has been waiting years for, but as the new regional manager of the station, he is required to put in long hours at the office and soon realizes he has no time for his family.

Jennifer seeks Alex's help on a speech for her class.

Alex creates conflict by inviting Ellen's father to Parent's Day Weekend.

Skippy refuses to accept that Mallory is in love with Nick.

A chess tournament between Leland College students and a visiting Soviet team turns into a wrestling match when Alex and his opponent, Ivan Rozmirovich, match wits and "fight" for their countries.

Elyse enrolls in an auto mechanics class to prove to Alex and Steven that women can be just as competent with cars as men, but to protect his own masculinity, Alex joins the class to prove her wrong.

The Keaton family fills Alex's girlfriend, Ellen, in on some of the more humorous events in Alex's life before they met.

The Keaton family fills Alex's girlfriend, Ellen, in on some of the more humorous events in Alex's life before they met.

Mallory suspects there's more involved than "art appreciation" when a wealthy and beautiful older woman takes a special interest in Nick's creations.

Alex lands an assistant teaching position and runs into big trouble when he has to grade a student who also happens to be his girlfriend, Ellen.

Steven has a very difficult time accepting that his youngest daughter, Jennifer, is growing up and no longer wants to "pal around" with him.

Elyse must deal with Paul, a young architect associate who falls in love with her.

Mallory's poor grades jeopardize her high school graduation.