Life Goes On

Corky runs for freshman class president with the help of an unpopular, smart student,Lester Fishbein. He has a crush on Rona and really believes that Rona likes him as well. Rona encourages him to run and Corky doesnt realize shes just joking with him.

An episode showcasing the singing talents of Patti LuPone. A Tony winner for the musical ""Evita"", actually centers around Corky, for whom nothing seems to be going right. First, he has an accident in drivers ed. Moreover, hes not doing well in his remedial arithmetic class, and if he doesnt pass a minimum-competency test he wont be able to stay in the mainstream program. What really gets to Corky, though, is the uneasy feeling that his mom gave up a promising show-business career because he came along. As it happens, Libby has a chance for a comeback of sorts, at the community colleges ""Autumn Follies"". She wants no part of it. And Corky doesnt want to take arithmetic tutoring with kids ten years younger than himself. But they work out a deal: hell take the tutoring if she auditions for the show.

Drew sets up Paige with a charmer whose head is in the clouds; unfortunately his sense of responsibility seems to be mired in quicksand.

Drew works on a construction project at an Indian burial ground. A wolf who mysteriously gaurds the grounds saves Corky from Dobermans pursuing him in a nearby wooded area.

A frustrated Drew decides to quit his construction job and go into the restaurant business; and he joins Libby in counseling a couple whose newborn daughter has Downs Syndrome. As it turns out in the end, the guy who owns the restaurant doesnt sell the restaurant to Drew because Corky has Downs. Also, we learn that the cook at his restaurant makes the best french fries.

Becca and Corky (in the same class somehow) do a classroom exercise in which paired students must pretend to be married for a week to investigate issues of marriage and family life. Becca is first paired with Lester Fishbein, then switches to Tyler. Neither works out terribly well. Corky, on the other hand, is paired with the new girl (Shannon Dougherty of 90210), upon whom he develops a crush. She only has eyes for the ubiquitous Russo, though, and Corky has to make peace with only being a friend. Meanwhile, Libbys parents hole up at the Thatchers to continue their love feud. Theres a great scene in which Sal Giordano encourages Corky that the right girl is out there.

Drews younger brother Richard, a lovable family black sheep, breezes in at a time when Corky is beginning to wonder wholl look after him when his parents die. Drew and Richard dont get along, but needless to say, the kids love him. The culmination of Drews mending relationship with Richard comes when Libby and Drew entrust the care of Corky to Richard if something were to happen to them.

At 18, Corky wants out from under his parents wings-- even if it just means taking the bus to school. Unfortunately, he ends up with the bad crowd. The height of this episode comes when ""bad boy"" Corky auditions for the community talent show with a hip-hop dance routine to "" Fight the Power"" from ""Do the Right Thing"", the Spikes Lee film. Eventually, after the rough kids with whom hes been hanging out turn on him, he mends his ways and does a tap dance routine with Becca (their ""standard"" act) in the show instead.

Drew finally gets a chance to own his own restaurant, but its Corky who brings home the bacon: a huge runaway porker that hogs Corkys affections. Corkt adopted it to fill the void of Paiges leaving ( so this must be when Monique Lanier left the show). How Drew got the restaurant bears discussion. In ""Ordinary Heros"", he tried to but it, but when the brothers who owned it discovered that Corky had Downs, one of them got cold feet about what that would do for business. Then the writers decided instead on the fact that Drew cant get the loan approved to buy the place. When the owner of the pig ( which Corky named ""Jeffrey"", even though it was a girl) finally is reunited with the animal, he mentions something about liking restaurants but having no time to run them. Drew sees his shot and goes for it-- cut to the Grand Opening of the Glen Brook Grill, with cameos by all the friends of the family from previous episodes.

Beccas aged dance teacher (Viveca Lindfors) must enter a nursing home.

Becca finally gets asked to the dance by Tyler. Only had already accepted an invitation with someone else. She breaks it off with the first guy, but then feels guilty and dances with him or something.

While in Hawaii, Corky goes dolphin-riding and Becca falls for a surfer. (Part 2 of 2)

Rona and Tyler break up because Rona lied to him and went to a frat party. Becca becomes manager of Tylers band and sets up a gig for them at the opening of the new mall with the prerequisite that there has to be a female singer in the band. Tyler asks Becca nad she agrees. At the last minute she backs out and asks a friend to do it and Tyler ends up leaving with Beccas friend, leaving the Bec depressed. Also, Libby is offered a chance to leave the restaurant and return to her old high-pressure, but higher-paying job.

Halloween scares up a bad time for all: Libby and Drew at Jerrys big party, Corky at the school masquerade, and Becca who is home alone. The horror movies shes watching start to get to her. The lights go out, an intruder breaks in- it turns out to be Tyler. Confusion abounds.

Becca gets a crush on a French student and Maxi with this French guys friend. They have high hope of getting in with this ""mature"" crowd. She and Maxi go to a bar with these boys and Maxi gets drunk. Becca tells her mom the next morning to get some help for Maxis hangover. Beccas mom ends up telling Maxis mother what happened after giving her word to Becca that it was just between them. Becca and Maxi get into a fight and Maxi is in with the mature crowd. Becca ditches school and gets grounded but has to go out that night when she recieves a call from Maxi because one of these guys had left her stranded. She gets caught sneaking back in the house. Side plot: A lady is choking in the restaurant, Corky runs to get Drew who gives the lady the Heimlich maneuver and the two of them become heros. Later the lady sues Drew for $ 25,000 because supposedly he broke one of her ribs.

Tension between Becca and Drew isnt helped by the arrival of Libbys sister Gina (Mary Page Keller) and neice Zoe ( Leigh Ann Orsi).

Corky resolves to enter a 50k bike race despite his fathers objections, and makes friends with another biker who is epileptic. He bought a brand-spanking new bike from a guy in the bike store who had a crush on Paige. The bike was stolen, and Zoe, seeing Corkys heartbreak, stole him an almost identical one. The truth wins out, though, and all gets cleared up in the end.

Gina despairs when nothing she does is right in the eye of her mother, and Corky despairs when his special-ed substitute suddenly takes leave.

Becca does a double flip over her gymnastics coach-as does Gina over a handyman (Michael St. Gerard) several years her junior.

Drew confronts his feelings about them having yet another child. He comes through in the end when another woman goes into labor early. Becca makes muck over athletes unearned grades-only to muddy herself.

Corky befriends an older man with Down Syndrome who leads a kind of life that Corky would like to lead.

Expectations run high as Becca awaits Tylers invitation to the prom, and Libby expects her baby. Patti Lupone sings ""More Than You Know"".

The Thatchers rise from the ashes of the restaurant: exchange student Becca prepares to take wings for Paris; Paige and Corky go hunting for jobs.

New roles with Libby as the primary bread-winner and Drew as the homemaker, create new friction in their marriage.

Becca is devastated to learn that Jesse has tested HIV-positive, and during a scuffle between him and Tyler, she blurts out in front of everyone that he has AIDS.

Corky imagines that his family is turning into Venusians after seeing a B-movie called ""Body Snatchers From Venus"". At this time, Paige is learning to be a welder (in Corkys nightmare, she builds a spaceship.)Paige and Becca have a falling out over a malfunctioning answering machine ( in his nightmare, this machine is a LONG- distance communicator).Drew is trying to go on a new diet-and-exercise regimen (when he says to a friend that some new exercise machine ""will make you a new man"", Corky freaks). Becca is appling for college ( the Illinois State University representative calls and says he wants to make Becca ""one of us"", which Corky overhears). After noting that Venusians dont like dairy products or other abnt-acidic material, Corky attacks the family with baking soda and milk.

Corky takes a tumble for the new assistant manager; Becca is torn between Tyler and Jesse: Tyler says that he isnt over her; Becca cant break the news to him because deep inside, she wants to commit to Jesse. Becca helps Jesse search for the girl who infected him with HIV; when they come to the house where she lived, Becca learns that the girl has already died. Becca reveals how she feels about Jesse to him during a very low point in the cemetary.

The thatcher house is struck by lightening. As a result, Corky predicts the future, Arnold the semi-wonder dog runs away, Becca gets a major static problem in her hair, Drew becomes attracted to another woman, and Paige enchants the bosss son, Kenny Stollmark Jr. Nothing returns to normal until lightening strikes the house again.

Becca, Libby, and Paige have entered the ""man zone"". They tear down a wall in the Thatcher house to reveal another room, which is then redone (mainly by Paige) to be baby Nicks new room. Momentos from the old room lead to flashback-type scenes that reveal the changing roles of women in American society: Jesse and Becca as 60s hippies, Libby becoming a 50s Avon lady (with the Thatchers as a 50s family), et al. Libby decides to leave Jerrys advertising firm to deal full-time with Nick. Paige discovers her true calling after finishing Nicks room-- she also wants to be a builder.

Jesse gets hired to work as a waiter at Drews place, but declining patronage forces Drew to let him go. They become real close because they share a love of the blues, so Jesse is upset when Drew tells him of his decision. In the end, Drew offers the job again, but Jesse declines.

Inspired by her grandparents upcoming 50th wedding anniversary, Becca proposes to Jesse, and he agrees! But then they think twice. Part of the problem with Jesse and Becca is that one of the guys at the hospice is about to die from AIDS. This guy doesnt want to have any thing to do with his wife- doesnt want her to see him in the pain hes in, etc. Jesse does the same thing to Becca and breaks things off completely, saying she doesnt know what shes in for, and she should live a normal life. The man dies and Jesse talks to his wife, who makes him realize that maybe Becca can handle this. Becca is also worried about handling it, but Libby tells her about finding the strength to raise Corky. They get back together, but marriage is put off. Subplot: Kenny wants Paige to marry him, but Paige isnt so sure. Whats more, a remark he makes about Corky ticks her off. Michael acts as psychiatric help.

Drew and Libby leave the kids to watch over the house. Becca and Jesse decide to have a party there. Then Tyler and some college frat buttheads crash it and take over the house. Meanwhile Michael Romanov, a suitor of Paiges ( they met at that Steelworks where Paige learned to weld) crashes a stuffy gathering at the country club where she, Kenny and Kennys parents are. Becca kicks a drunk Tyler out, saying she cannot be friends with him anymore, and he goes to drive off. Corky tries to stop him from driving drunk, but cannot get him to hand over those car keys, so they drive off together. They crash into a tree, leaving Tyler near death and Corky mute with a broken arm. Paige returns with Kenny from the country club disaster to one at home. Kenny proposes to her, but when she hears the awful noise from the house, she goes in and helps break up the chaos. Drew and Libby return, find one last drunk who tells them where their children are, then go off to the hospital. At the hospital, Pa

Paige has a great heart-to-heart with Drew about her upcoming marriage with Kenny. Drew takes matters into his own hands and convinces Michael to get Paige. Then behind both their backs, he hires Michales band to play at the wedding. Paige and Kenny break up at the altar; Paige runs off with Michael instead. Corky proposes to Amanda. Jesse leaves for Arizona with his mom, but later comes back, saying that Becca is his family now.

Jesse paints a nude painting of Becca. (It is never determined if she posed nude or if the nudity was solely the product of Jesses imagination.) Becca decides to let it be shown in the Nevermore Bookstore, and this leads to a nice scandal. Endless date proposals on her answering machine are just the tip of the iceberg. See, Drew buys his paper there, and when he sees his daughters voluptuous body immortalized in paint, he goes nuts, even lecturing Becca at school loudly enough for Beccas French class to hear. Drew tries to buy the painting from Harris, but Harris refuses. Drew, Corky, and Jesse conspire to steal the painting back, but get arrested. ( Corky was the mastermind, inspired by the Pink Panther Film Festival at the theatre.) In a subplot, poor Paige ( still hurting over her breakup with the Crown Prince of Irresponsibility Romanov) shows Becca and Libby a cubist tatoo of MIchael on her shoulder. Now, back at the police station, Harris bails out the three art bandits after

Paige fends off an attempted rape by Beccas poetry teacher ( Leigh J. McCloskey). But their accounts differ and Becca, at first, believe the teacher. Corky imagines that a calendar swimsuit model ( Shari Shattuck) has come to life, and this imaginary woman explains how men tend to see only the bodies of women, not whats inside. Libby confronts her memories of a rape during her high school days. Becca confronts the teacher when his story gets a few holes in it.

Amandas angry parents vow to annul her marriage to Corky and try to regain custody of Amanda. They then run off to a motel, further angering the Swansons, not to mention their attorney. Amandas father also falsely tells Corky that Amanda wanted the annulment. Meanwhile, Becca and Jesse are mad at each other. Becca cant come to Jesses first show at the gallery beacuse of Corky and Amanda, and his recent growing involvement with Jill. Jesse is mad in part because the art show did not go well. Becca and Jill face off; Jill says Becca is too much in control, and acts like the only one who can take care of Jesse, but shell back out anyway. Jesse talks with Corky about their ""honeymoon"" and Corky makes Jesse happier by interpreting one of his paintings as a window. In the end, the Thatchers and Swansons go to court, but the judge lets Amanda make the final decision: She will live with Corky. They get Paiges old loft above the garage, while Paige decides to move out.

Ray nominates Becca ( against her wishes) for Homecoming Queen; Goodman nominates a cow in protest of beauty pageants in general. The third contestant is a stuck-up cheerleader. Also, Artie (Paiges supervisor from the steelworks in season 3) and Paige redo the restaurant with a bovine motif. (They formed a partnership called Darlin Construction, so called because Artie always calls Paige darlin.)

Paige finds that she is carrying Michaels baby, and is at first delighted to know this. Sos the whole family. But Michael comes back, and decides he does not want the baby. Paige is undecided on whether or not to abort, and Corky and Amanda want to adopt the baby. This all conviently ends with a miscarriage.

In her quest to get Becca out of her shell, Goodman takes her and Jesse on a double date. But Jesse and Becca get pissed off as Goodman and her date, Norman Bates, get kinky at the table. Jesse and Becca decide to test the limits of their passions and try to have ""safe sex"". But their sleepover at his apartment is more like a slumber party, as Jesse keeps balking at going farther. Becca tells Drew and Libby about that night, that she slept in Jesses arms, and they get pissed off. Drew tells Jesse that hes concerned the starcrossed couple will go too far. Subplots: Paige, not realizing how much of a need she has for Artie, becomes jealous of an acquaintance of his; Gradma Teresa stays over a night at the Thatchers due to her husband breaking the furnace, then goes back because someones gotta keep Granpa Sals feet warm.

Jesses insurance runs out, and he gets transferred to County Hospital (which is like being transferred to the Recieving Hospital in Detroit!)Becca goes with him. Jesse nearly dies of AIDS-related cardiac arrest, and doctors apply the ol shock therapy at-you guessed it-five to midnight. Becca discovers a haunting self-portrait of Jesses that he doesnt remember painting. Jesse has a dream where he and Becca plan on going to Paris, but the taxicab stops at the hospital with a tab of $11.55- another interpretation of 11:55.

Becca and Jesse go to see the ocean, after Jesse says that is something that he wants to do. Jesse is not exactly on top of the world, however, as he is jealous of Ray, who has been seeing Becca lately. During an arguement, they flash back a few Glen Brook weeks ( not from old episodes, but stuff that would have occurred during the course of other episodes). Ray bought them the plane tickets that they needed to get there. This episode shows the development of the relationship between Ray and Becca.