Present: Mary Elizabeth Sims, a Birmingham wife, mother, and aspiring writer, reaches out to her estranged childhood friend Rene Jackson, a prominent Washington attorney, when she returns home upon the death of her father. The friends…
Present: Rene represents a woman whose rapist is suing her for shared custody and visitation rights to the child conceived during the rape; M.E. confronts Kelly about her failing grades at school. Past: After M.E. learns something…
Present: Rene falls for the reporter assigned to do a story on her for the ""Birmingham Daily"" while turning down both Garrett and Graham; Colliar gets a job as a car salesman after he discovers that his back injury means that he can't…
Present: Approaching their 26th wedding anniversary, M.E. and Colliar are at odds and they each seek out Rene for answers about the other; Rene struggles to interject a note of friendship into a relationship with a new man who doesn't…
Rene helps plan a ceremony honoring her father. She asks M.E. to write a biography of her father to present at the event. In doing her research, M.E. discovers information about Rene's father's past that could be emotionally scarring for…
Present: When an old family friend who is now a city councilman asks Rene to defend him against corruption charges, Rene agrees after being convinced by some members of the black community that the charges are baseless and rooted in…
Present: After M.E. finds an empty beer bottle in the living room the morning after Kelly's party, she grounds her daughter for three weeks, even though Kelly tells her she didn't see anyone drinking; Rene pleads Kelly's case to M.E. by…
Mary Elizabeth solicits the help of her family and Rene in caring for her aging Grandma Otis. Meanwhile, Rene is asked to represent a boy whose family refuses to give him his inheritance because he belongs to a spiritual group they…
Rene is representing the parents of a child who has died of AIDS. M.E. tries bringing her friends and Rene's friends together. Past: Rene decides she wants to be a lawyer after watching her father in court. M.E. feels threatened by…
Present: Rene represents a white couple prevented from adopting their black foster daughter; M.E. has an ectopic pregnancy which leaves her feeling a mixture of sadness, guilt, and relief; Rene tells M.E. about getting an abortion while…
Rene represents a lesbian couple who are forbidden to marry on public property. M.E. suspects that Colliar is having an affair. Past: Rene and M.E. learn about sex.
When Rene defends a black family that has been kicked off their property, she must confront the Alabama law that states that interracial marriages are illegal. M.E. rediscovers her writing. Past: Rene is left to care for her father and…
Present: Rene gets fixed up with a man who turns out to be a stalker; Teresa visits Mary Elizabeth and Colliar, and things go awry. Past: M.E. bosses Colliar and Rene around; M.E. and Rene try to pull a prank on Teresa and Rene gets…
Rene's stalker is still around and she has to get a restraining order. M.E. and Colliar are beginning their own construction business. Past: Rene and M.E. sneak out to a carnival and stumble upon a Klan rally.
Rene is reunited with her cousin who has spent the past 20 years passing for a white man. M.E. and Colliar bid on a construction company. Past: Rene worships her aunt who encourages her to sing in the church choir, while M.E. gets pushed…
Rene represents a white man who was beaten by the police. When Kelly brings home her black boyfriend, M.E. and Colliar react. Past: Rene has her first boyfriend.
After Rene agrees to hire a youth whom her boyfriend Bill mentors, she discovers that Bill is not divorced - only separated. M.E. feels guilty when she develops a crush on another man, but Colliar is confident that their marriage is safe.…
Tully, a childhood friend of Rene and M.E.'s, offends Rene when he takes part in a bigoted, tasteless prank during a parade. M.E. and Colliar try to keep Tully from being fired from his job, only to find that they have alienated Rene in…
Rene sends some of M.E.'s stories to a publisher friend in New York. When the publisher visits M.E. on a trip to a Southern women's writing conference, M.E.'s writing career gets a jump start. To fight off her writer's block and help her…
Mary Elizabeth and Colliar deal with Davis's suspension from school for ""sexual misconduct,"" and try to raise a son and a daughter in the '90s without gender-typing them. Meanwhile, Rene fights to have a strip club's billboard removed…
Mary Elizabeth and Rene go to Los Angeles to visit Mary Elizabeth's sister Teresa, whom they must help come to terms with her fiancé's less-than-honorable motives. When lovesick Teresa returns to Birmingham with Mary Elizabeth, she…
Mary Elizabeth helps Rene prepare to meet Bill's kids. Each year Mary Elizabeth debates whether or not to plan a birthday party for Colliar. She always does, despite his protests and arguing, and he always has a great time. This year,…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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…
Present: M.E. is upset when Rene hires a black contractor instead of Colliar to do some renovations on her house; M.E. is put in the middle when Colliar sues one of Rene's clients for reverse discrimination when he loses out on a job to…
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…
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…
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…
When interviewing a Baptist minister for an article, M.E. discovers he doesn't practice what he preaches. Now a candidate for district attorney, Rene faces her first critics when she refuses to drop a client who is an illegal alien.…
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…
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…
Present: Rene creates a firestorm a few days before the election when she admits during a call-in radio show that she experimented with drugs during the seventies; M.E. struggles for creative control when Kelly's sixth grade teacher asks…
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,…
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…
Kelly and Ajoni announce that they are getting married in 10 days, but M.E. and Colliar refuse to sign the parental consent forms. Rene's identity gets stolen. Past: Rene and M.E. learn more about the Vietnam War when Elston runs away to…
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:…
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…
Present: The road not taken intrigues M.E. and Rene as they wonder what would have happened had they switched houses and destinies many years ago. Rene sees herself in a loving marriage with two children as she struggles to maintain her…
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…
Present: Uncle Jimmy dies and M.E. ensures that he's not buried with any Klan insignia; Rene refuses to assist Joe with the case of a wheelchair-bound man who feels discriminated against when a strip club won't allow him to get a lap…
Present: Rene's defense of Richie has everyone in town talking; after Richie is acquitted of manslaughter and sentenced to one year's probation for criminally negligent homicide, Rene decides to expand her practice and specialize in…
Present: Events put a damper on Rene's plans to move into a new office suite; Kelly brings a new dimension to nervous new motherhood and exhausts her parents with her constant, frantic calls; Rene loses an employment discrimination suit…
Present: Stacy introduces Rene to a handsome and opinionated judge, who ends up hearing the case of a Native American artist Rene represents when a controversy arises over a Holocaust mural he painted for a museum; M.E.'s back goes out,…
A mentally disabled man seeks Rene's help when the state threatens to separate him from his aunt and place him in an institution. M.E. faces the severity of Alzheimer's disease when her father arrives for a visit. In the past, Port Dixie…
Rene takes on big business when she represents a group of children diagnosed with lead poisoning. M.E. and Davis share some quality mother-son time together. In the past, the girls perform in the school play.
A tornado ravages the Sims house while M.E. and Rene are trapped inside Rene's law office with a parolee. In the past, Sara discovers that young Rene is dating an ""older man,"" and Teresa contracts chicken pox.
Rene fights for the rights of a homeless woman, while the newly homeless M.E. and Colliar search for shelter and comfort. In the past, unwelcome guests crash the girls' pajama party.
Present: While the future hangs over M.E.'s head like a storm cloud, Colliar looks ahead to growing old with his wife in their dream house. Meanwhile, Rene defends Joe in court. Past: Colliar and the girls take aptitude tests with less…
Present: Rene and Turk have a spirited disagreement over potential candidates for a Girls At Risk scholarship before Turk finally gives in to Rene's choice; Sara busily plays matchmaker even though Rene vehemently tries to discourage…
M.E. and Colliar practice tough love with Kelly when she and Ajoni are unable to find a babysitter; and Rene defends the civil rights of the dead. In the past, the girls experience the hippie movement.
Present: As M.E. visits Fillmore to speak with Davis's teachers about his slipping grades in the aftermath of the tornado, she is caught in the middle of a school shooting; shocked and devastated by having to watch a student die in the…
Present: Rene represents an elderly couple facing eviction from their retirement community for publicly displaying their affection. Rene and Turk take the big plunge and make their relationship public. M.E. writes a spirited column…
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Present: Rene starts down the long slow road to recovery at breakneck speed. Although she is weak and in pain, she is determined to tough it out on her own without any help from anyone, both at home and the office. While she is in the…
Present: Rene returns to work and finds that her illness has shaken her self-confidence. Several clients, concerned about how much her health may impact her ability to represent them, have left the firm, and she is scrambling to retain…
Present: After M.E. is selected for jury duty, she mounts a one-woman jury nullification campaign when she refuses to convict an elderly woman who was charged with drug trafficking for growing and distributing marijuana to cancer…
Present: M.E. is forced to reexamine her views on capital punishment when Glenn arranges for her to witness the execution of a man convicted of a rape-murder and to write a column on her emotional reaction to the event. When Davis comes…
Present: M.E. and Gail politely jostle over planning Emmett's first birthday party, but get into a really serious disagreement over his racial heritage. Gail insists that Emmett is a black child with a white mother and that everyone who…
Present: Rene represents a 14-year-old boy in a custody dispute; M.E., Colliar, Rene, and Turk go to a night club where the ""comedian"" targets M.E. and another woman with offensive comments about their size; when the other woman asks…
Present: Stacy and two other women are groped by a crowd of men during a convention. When the police don't arrest the men, Rene files a civil suit on behalf of the women. Rene meets Turk's sister, Rita Gail, who gives Turk an ugly family…
Rene represents Lakeisha's boyfriend when his employer fires him for adhering to the tenets of his Rastafarian religion by wearing dreadlocks; Kelly quickly gets burned out working double shifts to support herself and Emmett, so M.E. and…
Present: M.E.'s and Rene's attempt to have Catherine and Sara resolve their issues only results in creating conflict between M.E. and Rene; an angry M.E. decides not to participate in the wedding in any fashion; Rene's in the middle of a…
Present: M.E. takes over the wedding plans when Rene is forced to attend a hearing; Rene returns home to a perfectly planned wedding, and marries Turk; Catherine and Sara make peace; Kelly and Ajoni announce that they're staying in…
