A housewife sits on the stoop of her apartment building in a black neighborhood of Washington, D.C., and discusses all manner of things with her neighbors.
While driving home Mary hits a BMW parked across the street from 227, breaking the tail light. From the persuasion of Rose she decides to leave a note on the car. The next day, after no one has arrived to see the car, Mary wants to remove her note. However, another car comes by and nearly totals it, but then drives away. Before Mary can get to the car and remove her note, the owner comes out of an apartment and sees her note. Sandra tells Mary that she needs to use her "femininity" to get out of paying for the total damages. Mary says that she can't do that, so Sandra poses as Mary when the owner comes by to talk to Mary about the damages. Everything goes well until Lester comes home and their lie unfolds. Everything gets straightened out between Mary, Lester, and the car owner (Marvin), ending with a date for Sandra and a new friend for the Jenkins. Meanwhile, Mary tells Brenda that she cannot go skating with Calvin because she lied. (This episode was taped after the pilot to add additional characters and provide background for those in the pilot episode.)
When Mary's brother Lewis comes to town on business, she decides to set him up on a date with Rose. The next day when Rose won't give Mary any details about the date, they get into an argument where Rose finally admits that she thinks Mary's brother is "self-centered" and "egotistical". They stop speaking. Meanwhile, Lewis asks Sandra out on a date, and Mary fears that Sandra may be her future sister-in-law. When Mary spies on the ending of Sandra's and Lewis' date, and notices that all he talks about is himself and his job, she realizes where Rose is coming from. Sandra leaves Lewis on the stoop, dissatisfied with the date, and the next day Mary apologizes and she and Rose make up. (This episode was taped after the pilot to add additional characters and provide background for those in the pilot episode.)
For an assignment that requires her to write about her "Most Interesting Relative", Brenda asks her parents for help. Lester suggests his aunt Lucy, who was a woman brakeman. After Mary hears about Sandra's supposed relative who was a Moroccan prince, she searches through an old trunk to find information about an interesting relative of hers. What she finds is that she had an uncle, Corporal Mortecai Hurley, who was in the Civil War's 54th Infantry. She persuades Brenda to re-write her paper on Mortecai. Not to be outdone, Sandra goes to the library and finds out that Mary's uncle Mortecai was actually a "coward" in the war, and deserted his infantry disguised in the flag made to look like a dress. Mary and Lester tell Brenda and she becomes upset. She and Mary talk, and Mary apologizes for making her re-write her paper in the first place. But they decide that since the assignment calls for her to write about her "Most Interesting Relative", she can still turn in the assignment on Mortecai, because although it is embarrassing, it is still interesting. (This episode was taped after the pilot to add additional characters and provide background for those in the pilot episode.)
When Mary tries to convince the landlord to order her a new refrigerator, he refuses. Mary then agrees to loan Sandra her apartment for an extravagant party if Sandra will "persuade" the landlord to get Mary a new refrigerator. (This episode was taped after the pilot to add additional characters and provide background for those in the pilot episode.) Guest StarFran Drescher.
News of the breakup of her neighbors' marriage has Mary worried that the same thing could happen to her and Lester. Mary plans an evening of romance for her and Lester. Lester buys flowers (at Mary's suggestion) and they try to force romance by going out to eat, dimming the lights, and playing romantic music. But they realize that the only thing that works is by letting it happen naturally and reminiscing about the past. Meanwhile, Sandra has to babysit her 6-year-old niece Susie while her sister Harriet and her husband visit his sick mother. She solicits Mary's advice on what to feed her and how to get her to fall asleep. (This episode was taped after the pilot to add additional characters and provide background for those in the pilot episode.)
When the landlord dies, everyone believes that Sandra (Jackée Harry) will become the new landlord, including Sandra. She assures Mary (Marla Gibbs) that once she becomes the new landlord that Mary will have to find a new place to live after her lease runs out. The tenants all go to the will reading and it is discovered that he actually leaves the building to Rose (Alaina Reed Hall). However, when Mary thought that Sandra would get ownership of the building, she called a building inspector to check out 227. He states that 227 is in need of numerous repairs, more than the tenants can afford. (Shortly after the cancelation ofThe Jeffersons, Marla Gibbs now stars in this show.)
Mary gets caught up in the fervor of a sidewalk sale to help new landlady Rose make some much-needed building repairs and sells off Lester's favorite lamp--unaware that he's stashed the sale's proceeds in it.
When Mary writes a letter to the President about the pothole that is on her street that no one has seemed to fill in three months, the secret service starts snooping around 227 and gets the residents nervous. Then they find out that the President was actually praising her for her consideration of her neighborhood. He makes plans to come to the street and refill the pothole with Lester. When the Jenkins' catch the city filling in the pothole, they stop them and tell them that the President and Lester will be doing that later. The President cancels his appearance because of an emergency meeting but calls and commends Mary and also flies over the street in his helicopter. Guest starLeslie Nielsenas Bob Gamble.
When Sandra tells Mary how she can't keep a job because of jealous wives, Mary asks Lester if he knows of any job openings. He admits that his company needs a receptionist for their main office and Sandra gets the job. However, Pearl and Rose worry Mary so much about Sandra working with Lester that Mary becomes suspicious and jealous. When she goes down to the office one day to take Lester to lunch, she tells Lester how she feels about "Ms. Wiggles" and Sandra quits. Pearl and Rose put Sandra and Mary in the room together to talk it out and Mary apologizes. Sandra takes her job back, on the premise that Mary's jealous days are over.
Mary is upset that whenever Lester watches the football game, she doesn't get any attention. So she gets two tickets from Sandra for her and Lester to go to the game, with the hopes that he can teach her about the game and she'll get some attention. At the game, Mary insults the other fans and cheers for the wrong team. She and Lester end up having to leave early to avoid a fight.
When Mary can't solve daughter Brenda's boy problems, Brenda enlists the aid of an expert -- Mary's nemesis, Sandra, their sultry, sexy and "man-wise" neighbor.
Mary decides to buy a piano, even though Lester hates the idea and Brenda doesn't want to take lessons. When Sandra & Rose visit to take a look at the piano, Rose offers Mary piano lessons and Sandra wants lessons as well. Then, Sandra makes a sucker bet that for $20, she'll progress faster than her. After many piano lessons, Mary still struggles. Pearl tells Mary that Sandra used to take piano lessons. During a lesson, Mary offers to throw a party recital to show their progression. She shocks Sandra when she plays "Minuet in G."
When their church loses their land lease, the tenants must find another lot to place their church on. They enlist Lester's company's help to move the church to its new spot. Everything is OK, until the church comes up missing. Everyone is worried because they will have no place to have their Christmas pageant. They decide to build a large manger on the empty lot to hold the service. They later find out that the church was placed at the wrong lot.
Sandra starts dating a man who works with her and Lester, however she finds him boring. She leaves it up to the Jenkins to cancel their date. When he comes to the apartment, he meets Rose and she goes out on the date instead. The two hit it off very well. He asks Rose to go to New York with him and Mary and Sandra disagree on what Rose should do. Mary thinks she should not go, because they may end up sleeping together, which would be too soon for the time they were dating. Sandra thinks she should live life to the fullest. Rose finally decides to go and Mary apologizes for meddling into Rose's business. Rose has a great time but does not reveal if they went through it or not.
Brenda says she is library-bound, but meets Calvin at a dance instead.
Teenager Calvin pledges his love for Sandra.
Lester's old boss, Gus (Lou Albano) comes to visit the Jenkins from Hawaii. While there, Rose hires him as the building repairman and lets him live in an efficiency on the third floor. Pearl begins to notice that people go up to visit Gus and never return. She and Mary investigate and find out that Gus is homeless and his homeless friends are the ones that have come to live with Gus. It turns out his business in Hawaii went belly-up, and Gus lost everything. Mary has sympathy for them and feeds them, while trying to keep the news from Rose, because she would have to put them out based on the housing codes that they are breaking. Lester finds out about an abandoned building that his company will fix-up so the homeless people will have some place to live. This will also give Gus the chance to get back into business again.
While at a neighborhood watch meeting, the Jenkins get robbed, with Brenda in the kitchen on the phone. When they return from the meeting, they see that the burglars took an arm chair, their television, radio, and lamp. This gives Mary the idea of remodeling their living room. However, Lester has his heart set on buying a sports car. While on a test drive for the sports car, the neighbors and Brenda help set up a surprise for Mary. The living room has been remodeled with everything that Mary had circled in a decorating magazine. Lester decides that the sports car can wait. Guest starDennis Haysbert.
At their vows renewal ceremony, Mary's parents are in the middle of the argument and are not talking to each other. Lester talks to his father-in-law, and Mary talks to her mother to encourage them to make up and go through with the ceremony. Meanwhile, Sandra meets a man who turns out to be married, and Rose has a peculiar conversation with another man: it turns out that both her late husband and his late wife both used to vacation in Vermont for one week out of the year, to go "fishing" and "writing poetry," respectively. They both assume that their mates were cheating with each other, until they realize that their mates used to go to separate cities in Vermont.
Sandra begins dating a basketball player who rubs Mary the wrong way from their first meeting. He comes across as rude and arrogant. Calvin idolizes him and mimics his attitude. Brenda doesn't like hanging around the "new" Calvin. When Calvin hears how the Rocketman talks to Sandra in an argument, and hears the Rocketman call him "some dumb kid," he changes his opinion of Rocketman and realizes that he was acting like a jerk.
While reading the newspaper, Rose and Pearl choose 6 numbers related to an article that is in it. However, Mary thinks the lottery's a waste of time and money. But with a big jackpot, Rose & Pearl don't care. Mary preaches to the girls what a waste of time it is, so the girls agreed. Lester buys Mary a scratch off ticket and she wins $10. However, while waiting in line to redeem it, she gets a lottery play slip and gets numbers from the same newspaper article. Sandra spots her and then she know she's in trouble. Rose & Pearl enter Mary's apartment and were mad that after she preached about the evil of playing the lottery, she buys a ticket for herself. So she offers to split any winnings should it be a winning ticket. The Pick 6 is a winning ticket and that not only Mary won, but many people in the 227 apartment building won, as well as much of Washington DC! The big jackpot turns out to be worth $266 & that Mary, Rose & Pearl will each get $88.67!
Mary urges Lester to give Calvin a job so that he will spend less time with Brenda.
Mary and Sandra compete on the ``Wheel of Fortune'' game show.
Mary, Rose and Pearl may be sent "up the river" after they go overboard defending "227" against a graffiti artist who then sues them for assault--and it seems even bleaker when the key to their defense is the testimony of a lone eyewitness--Sandra.
Olympic gold medalist Florence Griffith-Joyner shows Brenda that there is still honor in not finishing first.
The diva (Nell Carter) for the benefit opera loses her voice.
The tenants try to reach their landlord only to find he's living in a penthouse.
The men deal with an abandoned baby when the women spend a weekend at a health spa.
Lester stays with swinging bachelors after a fight with Mary.
The women become lost in the desert when the gang travels to an Arizona dude ranch.
The search is on after the women are kidnapped in the Arizona desert.
Brenda is tempted to plagiarize an essay to win a role in a rock video.
En route to surprise Lester with a work-site birthday party, Mary and Sandra are accosted by a biker gang.
Dylan's cleaning-crazy mother (Charlotte Rae) moves in after leaving his father.
Sandra comes up with a slogan for a new perfume but gets upset when her boss steals her idea.
Lester tries to dissuade Calvin from joining the Army.
Julian snubs Mary's invitation to a Christmas party.
Mary makes a regrettable phone call after a would-be client (Ronnie Schell) turns down Lester's construction bid.
Brenda, prevented from throwing a party at the Jenkins, decides to hold the party in the landlord's vacant apartment.
Lester (Hal Williams) falls asleep in church and has a bizarre dream of his journey to heaven with Mary.
When a boastful Lester gets his own radio show, Mary decides to burst his bubble.
Travis encounters a notorious gangster (Gary Coleman) after finding $250,000 in his limousine.
Mary witnesses the infidelity of Rose's boyfriend (Kevin Peter Hall) while on a trip to Atlantic City.
While the gang continues their Atlantic City vacation, Mary discovers more about the infidelity of Rose's boyfriend.
Mary is hailed as a brave new artist following a cleaning mishap in an art gallery.
Julian fakes death to keep from losing the building.
Mary plays a "slasher" when the apartment building is rented for a horror film.
Mary, suffering from appendicitis, shares a hospital room with an eccentric patient.
Mary and Lester try to help homeless citizens find work and shelter.
