rc: Russell
Kyle purchases a one-way ticket for Max in the hopes of persuading her to move to London with him. Max is furious that Kyle will not stay in New York for her, and accuses him of attempting to turn her into a housewife. Overcome with frustration, she trashes her friends' apartment; but later receives counsel from Khadijah and a surprisingly sympathetic Regine. Khadijah rejects Regine's snooty roommate candidate; then recruits Tripp Williams, an aspiring songwriter who has just been booted from Russell's apartment. Regine reluctantly allows him to move in on a trial basis, after initially claiming that having a male roommate would be a disaster because he would surely fall in love with her. A pushy activities director disrupts Overton and Synclaire's honeymoon cruise. After wandering off during a luau, the newlyweds discover that they have been left stranded on a deserted island.
Tag: Latifah can't get her line out in kitchen scene with Kim Fields.
Quotes:
Khadijah: "Oh man. What's happening with this world, Kyle? Synclaire is married. Max is telling people she loves them. Life just doesn't make sense anymore."
Kyle: "Oh, boo. You've still got Regine."
Khadijah: "Damn. I need a drink."
Kyle: "You said, `I love you.'"
Max: "Well, `I love you' was supposed to keep your ass here!"
Regine: "Khadijah, you are missing the big picture. Any man living under this roof is bound to fall in love with me. No, no. You know I'm right. If Max had two percent more testosterone, she'd be hitting on me."
b: 11 Sep 97 pc: 466851 w: Bill Fuller and Jim Pond d: Ellen Gittelsohn NOTE: Mel Jackson joins the cast as Tripp Williams.Overton and Synclaire begin bickering about their predicament. They realize that much of their fear is the result of their anxiety about marriage, and vow to work together to overcome their doubts. A helicopter finally rescues the couple. The cruise director tries to force them to foot the bill, but Synclaire tells her off. Tripp quickly wins the affection of Khadijah and Max, but can't seem to do right by Regine. She attempts to break up his football-viewing party, but changes her tune when R&B singer Montell Jordan arrives. Although Khadijah warns that they are making a mistake, Kyle and Max refuse to re-consider their positions about his move to London. Khadijah drives Kyle to the airport, where they sadly say their good-byes. Max arrives at the last moment, and she and Kyle challenge one another to back down. As Kyle heads toward the gate, Max forlornly asks him for one last kiss. After a passionate kiss, Kyle departs, leaving a tearful Khadijah and Max to console one another. At the apartment, Max, Regine and Khadijah confer in the bathroom. They are shocked when Tripp passes by and exposes himself as he steps into the shower. Regine is the only one who seems to mind.
Tag: Kim C. pops her head out of shower, warning that she and Tripp are "busy."
Music: "Endless Love" (Lionel Richie and Diana Ross), performed by Kim Coles and John Henton; "I Gotcha" (Joe Tex), sung by Kim Coles
Quotes:
Max: "I just want to give you one more chance to get over yourself and stay."
Kyle: "Why don't you get over yourself and get your butt on this plane?"
Max: "Aw, you smooth talking bastard, you."
Max: "Kyle…can't you give a girl a kiss?"
Regine: "Goodbye to fickle men. From now on, it's about me."
Khadijah: "Ooh, that's new."
The Phoenix Suns come to town, and Max convinces Khadijah to visit the team's locker room and ask out Cedric Ceballos, with whom she has often flirted during interviews. Khadijah becomes so nervous over the date that she gets a splitting headache. Max tries to get her some aspirin, but accidentally gives her four herbal tranquilizers. (Regine had a supply so that she could give half a tablet to nervous brides.) Khadijah goes completely loopy at the restaurant, and refuses Max and Regine's attempts to help her. When they try to explain to Cedric, they are called groupies and thrown out. Tripp does not endear himself to the girls with his candor about Khadijah's situation. An old man comes by Overton and Synclaire's new apartment in the hopes of finding the old tenant, Mrs. Porchnik. Overton and Synclaire are afraid to break his heart by telling him that she has died. Max later tells him the truth (quite callously), and the man explains that Mrs. Porchnik owed him 500 dollars from a poker game.
Tag: John tries four different punchlines before getting desired reaction.
Quotes:
Khadijah: "I don't flirt with him. I just use my people skills to get him to open up. Okay, it doesn't hurt that I carry a little tape recorder in my cleave."
Regine: "Khadijah, God did not bless you with boobage so that you could carry office supplies. Girl, you've got to use them things to get a date!"
Khadijah: "I guess I could approach him about a follow-up interview."
Regine: "No, you will not! That's the old Khadijah. Now the new Khadijah needs to put down the notepad and ask the brother out."
Max: "The new Khadijah needs to get some and tell us all the dirty details."
Khadijah: "The new Khadijah sounds like a big-mouth hooker."
Khadijah: "I gotta go. My man's missing me. Mmmy mmmman mmmissing mmme! That's a lot of m's. I like m's."
b: 25 Sep 97 pc: 466853 w: Chris Sheridan d: Ellen Gittelsohnrc: Russell
Synclaire begins spending most of her evenings at rehearsals, leaving Overton feeling neglected. After she blows off the romantic dinner he had prepared, he goes out to a gambling club with Russell and Tripp. When Overton loses the money the couple had set aside for a new bed, a furious Synclaire forces him to sleep on the couch. Khadijah forces her to realize that she had been too hard on Overton, so Synclaire apologizes and skips a rehearsal to spend time with her husband. Overton surprises Synclaire by having a new bed delivered. (He had sold his favorite leather jacket to pay for it.) Regine's new relationship is complicated by the man's devotion to his dog, which he won't even keep out of the bedroom. Regine finally breaks up with him when it becomes apparent that he prefers the dog's company to hers. Regine, unaware of the potential harm, feeds the dog a chocolate treat. The dog is hospitalized with chocolate poisoning, but ends up pulling through.
Music: "Gamin'" by Deborah Williams (from the Living Single soundtrack)
Quotes:
Regine: "It is for Norwood, the man who has wined and dined me for five fabulous weeks. He deserves it."
Khadijah: "And it looks like he's gonna get it."
Max: "Funny, I didn't think you had a problem with an audience, considering that your mother caught you and your boyfriend getting busy on the roof."
Regine: "When are you guys just going to let that go?"
Max: "When it stops being so funny."
Synclaire: "Don't you have the kind with the dancing bananas on the box?"
Khadijah: "We did when you lived here, but you got married and moved out, remember?"
Max: "Yeah, girl. The groceries are for the people who live here."
Max plans on making a play for her old law school professor and mentor, Clayton Simmons, who is in town to give a lecture. She organizes a law discussion party at the girls' apartment. Khadijah confesses to Synclaire that she once spent the night with Clayton, but can't bring herself to tell Max. At the party, Clayton acts as though he doesn't remember Khadijah. An offended Khadijah takes him into the kitchen. He explains that he does remember her, but didn't say anything in case she hadn't told Max. Max overhears their conversation through an open window, and is very upset. Clayton explains that he cannot date his students, but says that he is proud of her. Max is exasperated by Khadijah's tendency to keep secrets, but forgives her. Regine is outraged when Tripp lets the woman he is entertaining wear Regine's bathrobe and use her bubble bath. She also cuts his soap-on-a-rope because it is not appropriate for a "diva's bathroom." Tripp embarrasses catererer Regine by showing up for the party sweaty and reeking of garbage. They finally agree to a compromise.
Quotes:
Regine: "Those bras moved in here way before you did."
Tripp: "With as much space as they take up, they need to be paying rent."
Regine: "I will take that as the compliment I know it was meant to be."
Tripp: "What do I do about Regine?"
Overton: "Well, you can't trap a badger by slapping a bunch of neck bones out in the middle of the yard. See, you got to hide them behind a rock--preferably one with some peat moss, but that's just me. Next thing you know, badger stew for everybody. Yeah!"
Synclaire: "'Maxine is a generous contributor to a variety of charities.'"
Regine: "What? Max, dropping off a bag of your sweaty bras at Goodwill doesn't count."
rc: Russell
After Overton and Synclaire bring a pile of classic '60s records home from a garage sale, everyone (including Russell) annoys Khadijah by playing loud music and dancing while she is trying to work. She retreats into the hallway and falls asleep on the stairs. She dreams that she is Flo, a member of a pop group called the Flavorettes. The other members are Maxy (Max), the brassy lead singer and founder; Cynthia (Synclaire) a militant woman with ties to the Black Panthers; and Regina (Regine) a woman who cares little for glamour and is hopelessly devoted to their manager Rupert (Russell, no accent). At Flo's urging, they take a gig at a club run by her boyfriend Sonny (Tripp). When Maxy trips over a microphone cord during the performance, Flo takes over the lead. Suave producer O.W. Jones (Overton) is very impressed, and takes the group under his wing--with Flo as lead singer. The others are angry that Flo is being groomed for stardom, but agree to perform at the Apollo. Flo is momentarily stung by her friends' resentment and the loss of Sonny to Maxy, but decides her new fame is worth it. When Khadijah wakes up, she is in the mood to dance after all.
Tag: Cast tries to sing along with Chaka (shown only in syndication).
Music: "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas; "Tell Him" (Exciters), performed by Erika Alexander and Queen Latifah with the Flavorettes; "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" (Betty Everett) and "Up the Ladder to the Roof" (Supremes), performed by Queen Latifah with the Flavorettes; "Sweet Thing," performed by Chaka Khan
Quotes:
Cynthia: "What makes you think we want to be Shoopettes? `Shoop, shoop' is the sound the broom makes when it's sweeping the black man under the carpet, man!"
Maxy: "Backup is meant for people like that tone-deaf Aretha chick upstairs."
Regina: "Wigs? You…you expect me to wear fake hair? Well, I'm sorry mister, but you're not turning me into some…diva."
b: 30 Oct 97 pc: 466859 w: Clayvon C. Harris d: Ellen Gittelsohn
NOTE: Tom Joyner is the host of a nationally syndicated radio program. He helped organize a letter-writing campaign with the goal of convincing Fox to return Living Single to the air for the start of the 1997-98 season.Max continues her pattern of portraying characters with questionable opinions on musical talent in the fantasy episodes. In 3.21, Big Max rejected Duke Ellington when he auditioned at her club. In this episode, Maxy dismisses Aretha Franklin as "tone-deaf"; and opines that Chaka Khan is "working it real hard, but she's never gonna make it."
During the Flavorettes' performance at the Apollo, Maxy tries to sing a verse, but Flo shoves her away. This is probably a parody of an incident during the much-hyped Supremes reunion at the taping of Motown's 25th Anniversary Special in 1983, in which Diana Ross shoved a microphone in Mary Wilson's face.
Regine interviews for a job coordinating a charity event for handsome entrepreneur Dexter Knight. She is stunned to find herself dropping all pretenses and being completely honest with Dexter. Regine believes that she may be hearing wedding bells soon, but comes down to earth when she realizes she can't make the budget for the party. She is forced to cut corners to pull off the event. Khadijah and Max go to the party, using passes from the public defender's office. Several old men hit on Khadijah because she reminds them of a young Pearl Bailey. She later leaves with New York Jets wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. When Max knocks a glass of wine off a tray, Regine dives in front of Dexter and absorbs the damage. She confesses her budget problems, and admits she is trying to impress him. He kisses her. When everyone gets on Max's case about not giving Overton and Synclaire a wedding gift, she presents them with a blank check. However, she lays a guilt trip on them by saying she will donate any extra money to the charity.
Music: "Hello Dolly" (Pearl Bailey), performed by Queen Latifah
Quotes:
Dexter: "Before I lost the weight, the closest thing I ever got to a compliment was, `Damn, man. You can really put away that fudge.'"
Regine: "I'm telling you, it was like Romeo and Juliet, like Maria and Tony in West Side Story."
Max: "Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman."
Regine: "Yes…She was a hooker!"
Max: "Okay, so she had a real career and you don't."
Regine: "You know, maybe Regine Hunter was meant to die an old maid."
Max: "Why should she be any different than the rest of us?"
rc: Russell, Laverne
Overton receives tickets to the Ohio State-Michigan football game, as his uncle Smoke Eye's son is the Buckeyes' quarterback. Synclaire refuses to go, and Khadijah is unable to come along because Regine needs her to help break the news to her mother that she is moving in with Dexter. Overton decides to take Tripp. When Regine rejects Russell's desperate marriage proposal, he asks to come along to take his mind off his troubles. He drives the guys in a run-down van. They pick up a beautiful hitchhiker, only to learn from the radio that she is a robbery suspect. While she is sleeping, the guys pull over and step outside to discuss what to do. The woman steals the van. By the time the guys make it to the police station, the hitchhiker has been caught. A policeman drives Overton and Tripp to the end of the game. Tripp has the Michigan shirt ripped off his back, and Overton's cousin leads OSU to a comeback victory. Laverne is surprisingly calm upon learning Regine's news, but fears Dexter will never agree to marriage. While they are in the kitchen, Dexter slips into the living room and plays the piano. He proposes to Regine, who accepts before Laverne faints.
Quotes:
Regine: "I need my friends, my girls, with me when I tell Mom. She doesn't usually fake a seizure when there's company."
Khadijah: "I can't believe you're cool with this living together thing. I mean, you cried for days when Oprah let Steadman move in."
Overton: "I'll never forget the first time Dad and Uncle Smoke Eye took me down to Columbus. Ten below zero, up in the nosebleed seats, and when Jim Otis ran that kickoff back for a touchdown, I spit the pacifier right out of my mouth."
b: 13 Nov 97 pc: 466860 w: Janette Kotichas Burleigh d: J.D. Lobue NOTE: There is not really a Damon Howard on the Ohio State football team. Ironically, Damon's "brother," Desmond Howard, played for Michigan, where he won the 1991 Heisman Trophy.T-Boz previously appeared as herself in 3.12.
Khadijah jokes that Laverne is "worse than Penny's mama on Good Times," a reference to Chip Hurd's role on that series as the abusive mother of Janet Jackson's character.
Max is burying herself in her work. She encourages her clients to plea bargain, so that she can get through as many cases as possible. Walter Jackson, a man accused of trespassing at a hospital, thwarts her plans by insisting on going to trial. He believes that he is the Son of God, and says he was only trying to comfort the sick. Khadijah researches Walter's background and learns that he is a former corporate raider who became disgusted by his work. Max is disturbed when Walter asserts that she is trying to get over a broken heart, and describes in detail incidents from her childhood that he couldn't possibly have known about. He dissuades her from withdrawing from the case by challenging her to overcome her fear of losing. Max tries to win through "smoke and mirrors," but Walter urges her to tell the truth. He forces her to realize that she has relied on her career as a crutch because she doesn't know who she is. Max attacks the dishonesty of the legal system, and points out that Walter helped many people. He is sentenced to two weeks in jail. Max apologizes, but Walter tells her that the purpose of the trial was to force Max to undergo some soul-searching. She is left completely confused and empty.
Quotes:
Max: "So we're going to need some character witnesses. How many of the apostles can you round up?"
Max: "I'm sorry I'm late. I got stuck in lock-up with this crazy brother who thinks he's the Son of God."
Synclaire: "Oh. I met a man on the subway once who had a sock puppet he said was Gandhi. I didn't buy it, though. But he had a brown sock that sounded just like Luther Vandross."
Max: "What do you want from me, man?"
Walter: "Miss Shaw, I want you to look inside yourself and tell me who you are."
Max: "Maxine Shaw…"
Walter: "Attorney-at-law. I know, it rhymes really nice. But there's got to be more to you than that. What do you stand for? What do you care about? What drives you to get out of bed in the morning…besides breakfast?"
Max: "I don't know."
Walter: "Finally, we're getting to some truth."
Synclaire auditions for a role in a prominent comedy troupe, whose alumni include Whoopi Goldberg and a guy from Good Times. Although her audition is extremely impressive, she learns that all the spots for women have been filled. Synclaire disguises herself as a man and assumes the role of James "Jimmy" Overton. She wins the part and (thanks to coaching from Overton) consistently fools the cast and crew. However, Overton is distressed by the fact that the couple cannot show affection in public, particularly after hearing that Jimmy may have a long and prosperous career ahead of him. Unable to accept the strain her charade is putting on her marriage, Synclaire reveals her true identity during an improv sketch. After helping Tripp out of a jam, Khadijah begins to believe that she has what it takes to be a big-time jingle writer--much to Tripp's annoyance.
Quotes:
Synclaire/Jimmy: "After we hit a few games, we should go mack us a few honeydips. You know what I'm saying? `Cause you know the ladies love cool James, you know. You all right, man. You all right, you know. What? What, what?"
Overton: "'Macking honeydips'? Baby, you're a man, not a gigolo."
Phil: "This is the part of the evening where we like to get back to our roots. Improvisation. Throw a situation at us."
Max: "How about a pompous stockbroker that dumps a beautiful lawyer?"
Khadijah: "Let it go, Max."
Phil: "Jimmy is a woman. Shocking."
Marco: "Oh, so that's why I was attracted to him."
Phil: "Now tell me why was I?"
rc: Scooter, Roni
Khadijah dreams of kissing Scooter in a hot tub. Max forces her to join her at a New Age retreat, where she hopes to find the purpose of her existence. Synclaire tags along. Khadijah is bewildered when the hot tub at the facility resembles the one in her dream, and is shocked to find Scooter at the retreat. When she tells him about her dream, he becomes distant. He later joins her in the hot tub and explains that his girlfriend dumped him because his heart wasn't in the relationship. He is still hung up on Khadijah, but cannot stand to just be friends. Khadijah admits she loves Scooter, but isn't sure this is enough. They agree that work is no longer their top priority, and decide to build a new relationship. Max discovers that she was a man in all of her past lives. She resolves that she must have a child, leading to much mockery from Khadijah and Synclaire. Overton and Synclaire lease Kyle's apartment to Roni De Santos, a local DJ. Tripp confesses that he once slept with Roni after winning a date with her in a contest, only to be rejected. Overton forces the two to spend time together. Roni tells Tripp that she pushed him away because she was afraid of being fired. However, she is now dating someone else.
Quotes:
Khadijah: "Damn. Scooter was just about to kiss me."
Max: "Yeah? Well, pillows don't have lips, baby!"
Roni: "You live here too? I mean, uh, hi! How are you?"
Tripp: "What was the question?"
Roni: "I don't know."
Overton: "Just a guess, bro, but, uh…you two seen each other naked?"
Synclaire: "Max trying to be a mommy! Hey, maybe you can lay an egg!"
b: 18 Dec 97 pc: 466861 w: Gene Miller and Karen Kavner d: Maynard C. Virgil I NOTE: Kim Fields Freeman does not appear in this episode.rc: Roni
Synclaire's embittered colleague Marco steals her act and uses it in his one-man show. Synclaire is furious, but agrees to back off after learning that he needs money to pay his child support. Phil, the head of the Gotham Players, informs Synclaire that Marco has no children; and collects substantial alimony payments from his ex-wife, Joyce DeWitt of TV's Three's Company. Synclaire and Overton bring Joyce to one of Marco's performances, where she rips up their alimony agreement because he failed to report income. When Marco begins to bomb, Synclaire takes the stage to help him out. She catches the eye of Tony Jonas, president of Warner Brothers Television, who offers her the chance to audition for the role of a renegade nun in a new series. Max reveals that she has become pregnant through a sperm donor. Khadijah chastises her for behaving so impulsively, but agrees to support her. She remarks that the child might force Max to grow up. Roni and Tripp flirt shamelessly during a game of Monopoly, and while walking Max's new--and uncontrollable--dog.
Music: "What the World Needs Now Is Love" (Jackie DeShannon), performed by Kim Coles and Sam McMurray
Quotes:
Synclaire: "Obie, Marco stole my act!"
Overton: "Yeah, and by the looks of things, he took one of my belts, too."
Max: "I was searching for fulfillment and something in my gut told me this is it."
Khadijah: "That's your problem! Always thinking with your stomach!"
Phil: "Phil has a plan. And if I do say so myself, it is diabolique."
Overton: "'Diabolique'? Boy got a little Joan Crawford in him."
rc: Kyle, Russell, Scooter, Roni
Overton notices that Max received her sperm from the same bank where Kyle once made a deposit following a brush with death. Khadijah and Synclaire are astonished to discover that the profile of Max's donor matches Kyle perfectly. Overton checks Kyle's records and confirms the match. Max announces that she will not tell Kyle about the baby. Overton decides to throw together an impromptu New Year's Eve party and invite Kyle, who is spending the holidays with family in Cleveland. Max tells Kyle that she is pregnant, but says that the father is no longer part of her life and turns down Kyle's offer to help her. Overton tells Kyle the truth, and he is flabbergasted. When he remarks on the odds of Max selecting him, Overton asserts that the baby is an act of destiny. Kyle claims that his life couldn't be better, but Overton is certain that he isn't over Max. He states that Kyle and Max need to "stop acting like opponents and start acting like parents." Max tries to hide on the roof, but Khadijah nails Kyle with a snowball and alerts him to her location. An extremely melodramatic Max gets down on her knees and surrenders to Kyle, as she can no longer fight him. Kyle assures her that he will always support the baby and her, and tells her how much he loves her. As they embrace, Kyle declares that the baby is proof that they are destined to be together. "No, we are doomed to be together," Max laughs. Synclaire is offered the television role, but fears leaving Khadijah behind. Khadijah promises that they will always be close, and tells her that she can accomplish anything. At the New Year's Eve party, a midnight kiss from Tripp convinces Roni to drop her boyfriend. After the gathering breaks up, Khadijah is surprised by a visit from Scooter, who has dropped in on his way to Rio. Khadijah makes a spur-of-the-moment decision to join him for the weekend. When Scooter remarks that Khadijah is changing, she replies, "Get used to it, 'cause I'm not looking back." She leaves, but returns a moment later to take in another long look at the apartment. "Well, maybe just a little," she sighs.
Music: "My Funny Valentine," sung by Queen Latifah and Kim Coles; "When I Fall in Love," sung by T.C. Carson
Quotes:
Kyle: "Ah, Maxine. I see you've found Mr. Right."
Kyle: "It's just that I never pictured you as the motherly type is all."
Max: "And all that time I spent trying to make a man out of you."
Kyle: "Well, then who did you seduce and where is the body buried?"
Max: "Not deep enough."
Overton: "Well, easy target as Max is, you look me in the eye and tell me you're over her."
Kyle: "No. See, see, my life has never been better. I am this close to making partner, I just got a gig singing at a jazz club in Chelsea, and I don't mean to brag, but the Brits are caught up in a little thing they are calling Barkermania."
Overton: "Yeah? So, how's your love life, jazzman?"
Kyle: "It's never been better. I am dating a supermodel. Six foot one and girlie is well worth the climb."
Overton: "Tell me. How many times you close your eyes and you see Max?"
Kyle: "I'm afraid to close my eyes, man. Dear God, why can't I exorcise this demon?!"
Overton: "That's because of a little thing we Joneses like to call destiny. And it never goes away. It rides your back till your knees buckle, you fall flat on your ass, you look up and you say, `All right. Enough, God. I-I get it.'"
Kyle: "Overton, I have been flat on my ass since I met this woman. Tell me, when are her knees going to buckle, huh?"