Grace Under Fire

Quentins bad moods are puzzling to Grace. Perhaps he needs a male role model. Grace tells Russell that she is not ready to have a new relationship. These serious discussions take place up on the roof.

Grace is angry when her paycheck is attached to pay the back taxes of her ex-husband; Russells ex-wife upsets a date with Grace when she decides to return to him.

Faith asks Grace to talk to Evie, their wild younger sister, but when the three get together, Grace refuses.

Watching a talk show on tv, Grace sees her ex-husband brag about how his lawyer got him thousands for an injury and Grace decides to push for child support.

Graces status at the refinery becomes permanent and she gets a raise, but has to take the night shift and will miss the school play Libby is in playing a pork chop.

Grace takes her kids to her in-laws house to meet their great-grand mom (Lil) from their fathers side, the only in-law she actually likes. Lil gives her a ring to pass-on to Libby.

Needing her own space, Grace turns to the basement to create a room for herself and get some privacy.

Quentin shows his displeasure when Grace invites Ryan to dinner.

Quentin is totally out of control and getting into fights at school, so Grace takes him to a child psychologist.

It is Mothers Day and mother comes to visit. Faith gives them an earful.

Graces car is on its last legs and she goes shopping for a replacement. A neighbor is irate when she catches Libby kissing her son.

Grace tries to smooth things over when a new female employee charges Bill with sexual discrimination.

Grace dates a minor-league ballplayer while Faith wants a major commitment from Russell who backs off.

Nadine and Wade have a marital battle with Grace in the middle. Nadine catches Libby shoplifting.

Acting somewhat like Abby, Grace tries to reconcile her boss with his estranged pregnant daughter. Meanwhile, Quentin seems embarrassed to go out in public with his mother.

An employee is killed and the plant damaged by an explosion which puts Grace in the secretarial pool until the accident is investigated. Nadine and Wade date.

Grace has to contend with her down-in-the-dumps ex-mother-in-law and an invitation to a Christmas dance with Dougie.

Grace and Russell attend a real estate seminar with different objectives: Russell wants a profit, Grace needs material for a school assignment.

Matthew, Graces first son, who was given up for adoption, contacts Grace and puts her in a quandry. He wants to know who is his father for starters.

Jimmys father has chest pains and Jean is a pain of a different kind, when Grace insists he be taken to the hospital.

Grace plans to go to the opera in St. Louis alone. Meanwhile, Russell visits his dad.

Quentin has a fight at school and Grace is angry when she discovers that Quentin used a racial slur that started it.

From a dateless state to a flood. All her boyfriends ask her out at the same time.

Jimmy has gotten his life in order and accepted a new job in Ohio, but the family has mixed reactions.

Downsizing becomes a problem for Grace as she discovers that her job was not eliminated but usurped by her boss.

Grace faces a problem as she starts a relationship with Rick before she terminates Ben.

Grace demands that a day care center be provided at work when she cant find a suitable sitter.

A disgruntled ex-employee takes the gang hostage at the refinery.

Grace and Rick get together, but will it last?

The Kellys Christmas celebration is dampened when Emmet dies suddenly and his significant other appears at the funeral and shocks everyone by announcing that fact.

Graces fear of being dependent causes her to turn down offers of help from her family and friends.

When the nasty janitor is about to be fired for being HIV+, Grace is reluctant to help him. Rick instructs Quentin on how to behave on his first date.

The new Afro-American neighbors are coming for dinner.

The creative writing teacher and Grace are not tuned to the same frequency and trouble ensues.

While working for a crisis hot-line, Grace encounters the nasty janitor, Mullens, again and he hasnt improved.

Libby has been suffering from stomach pangs and Grace finds out they are from a stress-related ulcer.

After years of doing improvements on her rental house, Grace learns that her landlord is putting it on the market. Grace and Nadine attempt to discourage potential buyers, but the house is sold. When Libbys ""pet"" squirrel bites her, Wade, Russell and Floyd round up all the neighborhood squirrels so the culprit can be identified and tested for rabies. Libby is devastated to learn that the rabies test required killing the squirrel, and she tearfully ""runs away"" to the deserted, ramshackle house across the street. Grace follows her there to console her, and after seeing the inside of the house, decides to buy it and fix it up.

Russell asks Grace to be his date at the dance at the Victory Country Club where hes applying for membership; though Grace cant imagine why hed want to associate with such a bunch of snobs, she agrees to attend the dance. Jimmy brings Quentin home after spending the summer with him in Ohio, and Quentin couldnt be angrier with Jimmy. When Grace learns that the reason for Quentins anger is that he wanted to keep living with Jimmy, she talks to Jimmy who says he wants to be more of a father to the kids, so hes moving back to Victory. Wade goes to take the test to become a garbage collector and comes home with a job as a police officer. At the dance, Russell proves hes willing to go to any lengths to be come a country club member.

Grace and Russell are so bored with their lives that they decide to go out on a pretend date. Grace and the guys at the refinery learn that theyve been fired and rehired as independent contractors which means theyll get no benefits. The guys decide to stage a group protest on the decision; they dont get their benefits back, but they do get free coffee. On her pretend date, Grace meets Rob, a very attractive man who she thinks would be great for cheap, meaningless sex, and agrees to go out with him, but when he comes to pick her up she discovers hes far too intelligent to use as a sex object, so they just go for coffee. And Wade and Nadine go back to the lakeside cottage where they spent their honeymoon, but all they do is go fishing.

Jimmys back in town to stay, and, on Graces recommendation, he gets a job at the refinery, but his first day is a disaster, and Nadine and Wade say she shouldnt jeopardize her job for someone who used to treat her so badly; Grace, however, says that Jimmys a different person than he was when they were married and he deserves to make a fresh start. Quentin goes to Jimmy for advice on dating, and he suggests that Quentin go on a practice date with a friend before asking out the girl he really likes. Grace goes to the motel where Jimmys staying and finds Jean there with her son. Jimmys depressed and thinks hell lose his job (in reality, Graces co-workers have been sabotaging him as revenge for the way he used to treat Grace) but he says hell never leave his kids again. Jean reproaches Grace for all the ""lies"" she told about Jimmy abusing her, but Jimmy makes Jean face the fact that the things Grace said were true. And Grace is livid when she hears about Jimmys advice to Quentin,

When Libbys poem wins the ""Why I Love My State"" contest, Grace, Nadine and Libby go to New York for the national competition. Rick follows Grace to New York to tell her that hes about to get married but will call it off if she still has feelings for him. Libby meets a cute boy whos also a contestant and tells Grace she wants him to win; Graces tells her shes disappointed that Libby would lose her competitive spirit for the sake of a boys approval. And Grace tells Rick that she still loves him but that their feelings for each other apparently arent enough for them to have a life together. They regretfully part, unsure if theyll ever see each other again.

With Grace at work all day and taking college classes at night, the kids are a little resentful that shes away so much and let Grace know it, and when she learns that the refinery will no longer pay for her classes its the last straw. She knows she has no way to pay for her education, so when she learns that she can take a proficiency test to get many of the credits she needs, shes faced with a dilemma. Shes scheduled to work the day of the test, and no one can switch with her, so its her education or her dead-end job. Her co-workers remind her that she really needs her job--her children are depending on her, but the kids say theyll support whatever decision she makes. Grace actually shows up for work the day of the test, but a conversation with her boss, John Shirley, convinces her that she has do what she knows is the right thing and quit her job.

When Matthew shows up at Graces and announces hes about to marry Joan, a woman old enough to be his mother who also happens to be pregnant, Grace tries to keep her cool, especially when Matthew tells her his adoptive mother has no objections. But when Grace speaks to Emily, she learns that the only reason she didnt object was that Matthew seemed so adamant about marrying this woman. As the wedding day gets nearer, Joan confesses to Grace that although she definitely wants the baby, she doesnt want to marry Matthew in spite of how determined he seems to go through with the marriage. When Grace confronts Matthew about Joans feelings, Matthew says he wants to marry Joan because he wont abandon this child. Grace understands that Matthew feels on some level that he himself was abandoned by her, and she tells him that he can still be very much a part of the babys life without marrying the babys mother.

Libby reminds Grace of their deal that if she could keep her goldfish alive for six months, Grace would buy her a dog. Tomorrow, Libby tells Grace, Fishy Fishman will be six months old, and a deals a deal. Grace is willing to do anything in her powder to convince Libby that a dog isnt a good idea. Wade drops by to introduce Ted, his new partner. Grace tells Russell about Fishy Fishmans upcoming birthday, and Russell says a lot can happen overnight, but Grace warns him not to try anything.Wade and Ted return to Graces and want to see Quentin; some kids climbed the fence of the Victory Country Club the previous night, went skinny-dipping in the pool, put lipstick on a statue of Ben Hogan and made off with some very expensive golf clubs. Against Wades wishes, Ted insists on taking Quentin in and booking him unless hes willing to rat on his friends. At first Grace gives Wade a hard time until she finds out this isnt his idea. Jimmy shows up at the police station saying theres no wa

Grace tells Quentin that he cant get a drivers license until he improves his grades just as Jimmy arrives driving a 1969 red GTO and announces that he bought the car for Quentin using Quentins college fund to pay for it. Grace insists that Jimmy has to return the car and get the money back, but Jimmy suggests that maybe Quentin isnt really cut out for college. Quentin says hell keep a straight A average if Grace will let him keep the car, but Grace wont hear of it. At the car lot Grace encounters Rob, a guy shes dated sporadically, and learns that hes the one that sold Jimmy the car; Rob agrees to resell the car, and Grace agrees to go out with him again. Rob tells Grace he hopes their relationship can move to another level, beyond a mere physical relationship to a committed one. Grace doesnt know how to respond; she tells Nadine shes not sure she wants anything more than what they already have--after all she doesnt have a great track record, but Rob is a smart, multi-facete

When Grace isnt invited to Ricks weekend getaway because he has made plans with someone else, Grace decides to go Vegas for the weekend with Jean, Jean wins it big on the slots and Grace finds out she is only lucky for other people and not herself

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Grace gets a new job at an advertising company and shockingly, her misery brings something new and improved.

Grace is in search of a job and Libby is worried that theyre going to be poor again. Russell knows D.C. is looking for an assistant and suggests that he hire Grace, but D.C. says Grace talks too much and would give him attitude. He relents and offers Grace the job. She arrives at work and immediately begins making suggestions. D.C. says hed like her to do what she was hired for and do it quietly. Hes afraid shell never be able to keep her mouth shut and thinks hell probably have to fire her before the end of the day. But when D. C. realizes that Grace has saved the company several hundred dollars by effectively dealing with a stubborn delivery man, he says she can hang around for a while. Wade tells Grace that he and Nadine have been fighting over the phone since shes been at her mothers. Grace suggests that he put his feelings in writing, but he misunderstands and sends an angry letter to Nadine. And Grace introduces Wade to Dot, who tells him he needs a haircut.

Louise, Graces mom, arrives for the holidays, surprising everyone. Louise has definite ideas about how little girls are to be brought up and she disapproves of Libbys tomboy behavior. Her mission is to turn Libby into a demure young lady, and she starts with a present to Libby of ballet slippers. Grace has no use for Louises attempts to mold Libby into the lady that Grace never was. She likes the strong, independent Libby and doesnt want her to change. And Libby is feeling quite uncomfortable from all the pressure shes getting from her grandmother. Meanwhile, Russell is selling ""Photos With Santa"" at the pharmacy with Quentin doing the photography, but Russells disappointed when Dot refuses to pose in a silly elf costume

Libby wants to go to Washington on a class trip, but Grace cant afford to send her. A tornado has hit Victory and there has been much destruction: the church steeple blew off, and an armored car from the casino took a direct hit and money flew all over town. After the storm, Quentin finds a cloth bag by the house with two-hundred-thousand-dollars in it. Everyone has an idea about how they could use the money, but Grace makes it clear that theyll be returning it. The casino management calls a press conference to thank the Kellys for returning the money, but when Grace hands over the bag, twenty-thousand -dollars is missing. Grace is interrogated for hours. Shes afraid Jimmy took the money, and Wade makes her furious by hinting that maybe she took it herself. But when Grace finds the missing money in the cookie jar, Jean confesses she took the money to help the church rebuild. As Grace returns the rest of the money, she cleverly tells a TV reporter that the casino has offered to pay f

Libby visits the bridge construction site on a field trip and discovers that the Victory Tree that holds a significant place in the towns history is to be cut down. Shes very upset, so Grace suggests she start a letter writing campaign to save the tree. Libby even stages a demonstration at the site, which makes D.C. irate that construction has been halted. He thinks the whole thing is Graces fault because shes the one who suggested the field trip. Libbys amazed that Grace doesnt share her concern for the tree; but Grace tells her the bridge is important too, both for the town and for their family. A town meeting is called to discuss the fate of the tree. When D.C. tells everyone that the bridge represents thirty- million-dollars in revenue for the town, its certain that the Victory Tree is doomed, but Grace demands that Libby also be allowed to have her say. Also, Russell has expanded his store and has built a fancy soda fountain. Russell used the town meeting as a chance to plu

When D.C. and Grace have a meeting in a motel with an equipment supplier, gossip that theyre having an affair flies around Victory. Jean gets the news at the fabric store, Libby hears it while going door to door for the school candy sale, and Wade hears the rumor that D.C. was at a motel with a prostitute. D.C. is upset that the rumors will cause Graces co-workers to suspect favoritism, but Grace refuses to let the situation bother her. She flippantly starts a couple of stories of her own – that Russells adopted, that a certain teacher in town has posed for a nudie magazine, and that the Kellys neighbor Earl has been burying bodies in the backyard. Things backfire on Grace when its revealed that Russell is adopted but Floyd has never gotten around to telling him. Mrs. Sheffield sheepishly reveals to Grace that she may be the teacher in question; she did pose, but it was as an underwear model in the Sears catalogue. The police arrive at Earls and dig up his backyard where hes bee

At the construction site, Grace feels the resentment of her co-worker, Derrick, who wanted the job Grace has. Grace, who has asked D.C. for more responsibilities, is surprised when her old pal Vic from the oil refinery shows up and says hes desperate for a job. D.C. leaves the decision to Grace, whos on the spot because she knows that Vic is lazy. Feeling sorry for him, she tells him he can have the job, but warns him he cant let her down. Vic immediately begins to slack off and Derrick is smug that Grace has made a poor decision on hiring Vic. D.C. warns her that Vic better shape up or theyll both be out on the street, and points out that Vic is now up on a scaffold without a safety harness eating his lunch, even though lunch hour is long over. He tells Grace to go up and have Vic come down. Grace has vertigo but reluctantly goes after Vic. She orders him to put on a harness and come down and as he does, he falls to the ground and is rushed to the emergency room. Also, D.C. somewh

At the pharmacy, Russell and D.C. get into a disagreement about a watch D.C. tries on that breaks before he has a chance to buy it. Grace runs into Bev, Quentins girlfriends mother, at the pharmacy. Bev tells her shes feeling suffocated in her marriage; being rich isnt that great. Grace has a hard time relating to Bevs problems. Grace is at home being driven crazy by Libbys trumpet practicing when Bev comes by and announces shed like to stay with Grace for a while to get back to her middle class roots. Grace agrees to let her, though Quentins upset to have to live under the same roof with his girlfriends mother. It soon becomes clear that Bev is having as much trouble adapting to life at the Kellys as they are having her there. She takes two showers in the morning and depletes all the hot water and uses four towels a day. Grace thinks Bev could solve all her problems with an honest talk with her husband, but Bev disagrees. Grace takes Bev out to a bar to show her how dismal si