Family TiesSeason 5

TV-PG

90%

Chronicles liberal ex-hippies Steven and Elyse Keaton, their conservative son Alex, daughters Mallory and Jennifer, and later, youngest child Andrew.

Where to Watch Family Ties • Season 5

28 Episodes

Be True to Your Preschool
E1
Be True to Your PreschoolAlex shocks his parents when he visits his 3-year-old brother Andrew's very special preschool class, decides the wrong values are being stressed and withdraws him from the school. Steven and Elyse had pulled strings to get Andrew into the special preschool. They are shocked when Alex announces that the school teaches ""anti-competitive"" values, and argues that his brother should be taught in a more aggressive manner.
Starting Over
E2
Starting OverDistraught that his girlfriend Ellen has gone to Paris on a dance scholarship, Alex desperately tries to find someone to take her place, but finally realizes that falling in love again will take time. Alex mopes around the Keaton house pining for Ellen until Sharon, a pretty waitress, attracts his attention. Once on a date with her however, Alex tries to transform her into another Ellen, with disastrous results.
The Freshman and the Senior
E3
The Freshman and the SeniorMallory is teamed with 66-year-old Margaret Hollings on a college sociology project and fins that she has a lot to learn about honesty, sensitivity and older people when she almost causes the woman to quit the class. As Mallory facves the fact that te widowed senior citizen has her own special problems as a college freshman, Alex takes a special interest in the terms of the last wills and testaments of his parents.
My Back Pages
E4
My Back PagesA college friend of Steven & Elyse's visits. Matt wants to restart their college magazine. Steven agrees. As the staff talks about holding demonstrations and getting arrested, he realizes he has changed from the radical years of college.
Beauty and the Bank
E5
Beauty and the BankAlex is emotionally torn when he goes to work in a bank and finds that the vice president to whom he reports is Ms. Ryan, a beautiful, smart and self-confident woman and that he's growing more romantically interested in her each day. The Keaton family delights in Alex's taking orders from Ms. Ryan, but their playfulness wanes when they discover his attitude toward her is taking a toll on his career and ego.
Mrs. Wrong (1)
E6
Mrs. Wrong (1)Nick and Mallory make sudden plans to elope when Steven and Elyse vehemently oppose their marriage plans and threaten to ground their teenaged daughter. During a quiet evening together, Mallory pops the ""big question"" to Nick. They are ecstatic until they learn that the entire Keaton family is solidly against the idea.
Mrs. Wrong (2)
E7
Mrs. Wrong (2)Mallory and Nick are determined to get married, so they decide to elope. Alex tries to talk her out of it, but only after they have been gone for some time does he go after them. When Steven and Elyse learn of this, they panic; Steven hopes Alex can stop them, while Elyse concedes they'll have to grudgingly accept the situation. But while waiting for the justice of the peace to be available, Nick has second thoughts about what they're doing.
The Big Fix
E8
The Big FixWhen Terry Bridgeman, a colleague of Elyse's, confides that he has broken up with his girlfriend, Elyse decides to fix him up with a family friend, the beautiful Liz Obeck. What Elyse doesn't realize, however, is that Liz has been seriously involved with someone else for two years.
My Brother's Keeper
E9
My Brother's KeeperAlex must choose between his friendship with Skippy and allegiance to his college fraternity when Theta Pi Sigma pledges Skippy with the idea of making him the object of a cruel prank. Skippy is desperate to become a member of a fraternity, but in his zealousness he fails to recognize that he is the ""Big Stooge"" of the semester.
High School Confidential
E10
High School ConfidentialNick faces a serious dilemma when he learns that to teach an art class he must have a high school diploma. Mallory volunteers to tutor him, but it takes the skills of another Keaton to help him prepare for his final exam. When Mallory fails to make Nick understand grammar, Alex finds a unique way to help him grasp the basics.
Paper Lion
E11
Paper LionWhile assisting his economics professor in the final stages of an important research paper, Alex faces a serious moral dilemma when he finds that his mentor's conclusions are not supported by the facts. On the threshold of winning the coveted Wilson Award for his work with economics professor Rhodes, Alex is dismayed to discover that a major error in Rhodes' computations invalidates the professor's theory.
My Mother, My Friend
E12
My Mother, My FriendMallory brings a friend home from college who immediately becomes pals with Elyse. Mallory's friend Allison is studying architecture, so she and Elyse spend a lot of time together - leading Mallory to question her closeness to her mother. Meanwhile, Alex and Steven play many games of Scrabble. Of course, Alex gets money involved. They both invent words and the stakes go very high.
O'Brother (1)
E13
O'Brother (1)Steven's brother Rob visits, but stuns everyone by announcing he and his wife have separated and are filing for divorce; he is dating a woman he just met on the plane. Mallory and Jennifer find excuses to see a cute paramedic at the mall.
O'Brother (2)
E14
O'Brother (2)The emotional roller-coaster continues at the Keaton household with the arrival of Aunt Maureen, Uncle Rob's estranged wife. It seems like Rob has been less than candid when he told his brother Steven that the marital separation had been a mutual decision. According to Maureen, Rob left two months ago,without a word, and has been on the road, trying to sort out his life ever since.
Higher Love
E15
Higher LoveMallory's relationship with Nick is put to the test when she joins a poetry reading group and becomes infatuated with its handsome and sophisticated leader, English grad student Colin Spenser. Newly exposed to poetry and enormously flattered by Colin's persistent attentions, Mallory begins to question the wisdom of being ""tied down"" to Nick. Despite a stern warning about Colin's sincerity from one of his former conquests, fellow group member Joyce, Mallory is swept off her feet by his gift of roses and poetry, and agrees to join him for a special tete-a-tete following an evening's reading. Her perspective, however, is shaken up quite a bit when she realizes that she is, in fact, just the ""next girl in line"" for the all-too-smooth Colin.
Architect's Apprentice
E16
Architect's ApprenticeSteven and Elyse are forced to take a new closer look at Nick and his considerable artistic talents when they invite him to compete with other local artists to create a sculpture for the lobby of Steven's television station.
A Tale of Two Cities (1)
E17
A Tale of Two Cities (1)Alex attends a banking conference with his boss, but when his hotel reservation is lost, he shares a hotel room with his boss. The room is quite small. Elyse and the girls want to remodel the kitchen, although Steven is reluctant.
A Tale of Two Cities (2)
E18
A Tale of Two Cities (2)While Alex and Rebecca attend a banking convention, Rebecca is nervous about meeting her boss. She has some drinks to relax, but ends up getting drunk and ruins the meeting. Steven wallpapers the kitchen but makes a mess of the job.
Battle of the Sexes
E19
Battle of the SexesWhen Alex plays "gentleman" to his mother and two sisters and orders for them at a restaurant without even asking them what they want, the battle begins with Elyse, Mallory and Jennifer on one side, and Steven, Alex and Andrew on the other.
Band on the Run
E20
Band on the RunJennifer talks Alex into letting her band audition for Leland College's dance. When the band turns out to be good, Alex sees it as a money-making proposition, and takes over as the band's manager, causing problems.
Keaton vs. Keaton
E21
Keaton vs. KeatonSteven's station offers one scholarship for a child of an employee. Alex happily applies, though Mallory must be talked into trying for it. Alex is certain he will be selected, but has unexpected emotions about Mallory's aspirations.
A, My Name is Alex
E22
A, My Name is AlexWhen Alex's friend Greg dies in a car accident, Alex is thrown into a state of shock and begins to seriously question the meaning and purpose of his own life. Having been asked to accompany his friend on the fatal trip and refusing because it wasn't convenient, he is overcome by guilt. He tries to fathom why he was spared in the face of such selfishness, and begins to have encounters with Greg's ghost. His family urges him to get help.
"D" is for Date
E23
"D" is for DateJennifer develops her first major crush on science lab partner Tim Higgins, the handsome star pitcher of the school baseball team. When Tim comes over to work on their science project, Jennifer is thrilled, but also embarrassed by his open admiration of her academic talents. Believing the adage that boys never like girls who are smarter than they are, she decided the way to keep Tim interested is to play dumb.
Love Me Do
E24
Love Me DoSteven wants to throw a surprise birthday party for Elyse, but everyone knows he never throws a good surprise party. Also, Skippy meets one of Mallory's friends and is attracted to her. He asks her out and she agrees. Then he is nervous.
The Visit
E25
The VisitElyse's sister Michele is visiting with her family. Everyone looks forward to Michele, but not her husband and children; she is friendly and helpful, but the others are loud, rude, and obnoxious. On this visit, they also bring a large dog.
Matchmaker
E26
MatchmakerWhen Mallory comes home from her sixth disastrous date in a row, Alex tries to comfort and then help. He will find her a new and perfect boyfriend using a computer that the Keaton's have gotten for Jennifer's ""educational"" use. Yet, when Roger and Mallory don't hit it off, Alex refuses to give up on getting this ""perfect couple"" together.
It's My Party (1)
E27
It's My Party (1)In her quest to become one of the popular kids, Jennifer invites her trendy classmates to her thirteenth birthday party. When they become bored and begin grumbling at her ""lame"" party (which includes a traditional puppet show by her father), Jennifer takes drastic action. With Mallory's guidance, she becomes a ""valley girl"", who then deserts her own party. Yet, it's only a matter of time before Jennifer realizes she isn't having any fun and she rebels against her new friends.
It's My Party (2)
E28
It's My Party (2)In her quest to become one of the popular kids, Jennifer invites her trendy classmates to her thirteenth birthday party. When they become bored and begin grumbling at her ""lame"" party (which includes a traditional puppet show by her father), Jennifer takes drastic action. With Mallory's guidance, she becomes a ""valley girl"", who then deserts her own party. Yet, it's only a matter of time before Jennifer realizes she isn't having any fun and she rebels against her new friends.