Thu, Jul 23, 1987
Seeing that Mallory is a wreck after her break-up with Rick and six failed dates, Alex decides to match her with a fellow Leland student. His theoretically ideal choice is Roger Sloate, an engineering major. Alas, Alex's chaperoning isn't rewarded - his dumb sister dumps Roger like the rest, but accepts a last double date, where Roger spontaneously falls for Alex's date Tracy. Something smart Alex can't understand is that love is irrational chemistry. Dad Steven is dead-set against 'dehumanizing' computer games, but after a computer is rented for the kids' homework, he gets hooked worse himself, and Elyse too.
Thu, Aug 6, 1987
On Jen's 13th birthday, she is unusually resistant to the usual party ingredients; she clearly only pretends to appreciate the hand-puppet show her dad revels in, and actually gets completely obsessed with imitating the fashion-obsessed herd of 'cool kids' at school, even if that means abandoning all her rather tomboy habits. Stacie's gang and chasing boys seem to overtake her whole personality, and she even takes lessons in 'cool' signals and talk from airhead Mallory.
Thu, Aug 13, 1987
Since her birthday party, Jennifer is spending all her spare time with her new 'cool' airhead friends, doing atypical things such as mall-shopping - spending all her babysitting savings - and scorning her own habits and family traditions, and no longer dares to sit with real friend Beth. She even lets Chrissy convince her to ditch a math class for a sale. Ellen and Mallory try to reassure Alex that the newly 13-year-old Jennifer is just becoming aware of her sexuality. A call from vice-principal Ross about Jen's truancy makes Steven and Elyse ground her indefinitely. She seems to have lost interest in the Bengals-Steelers football game Steven was proud to get tickets for, and even Mallory is now exasperated by Jen's change. While the family is out, Stacie's 'cool' gang barges in for an improvised party, and breaks out some beer. When the intruders even tell her friend Beth to leave, as 'this is a private party', Jen is through not being her Keaton self at all.
Sun, Oct 25, 1987
An internship opens at the station where Steven works. He thinks Mallory should take the job, but she is not thrilled about the idea. She avoids her father so he will not keep asking, but eventually takes the position, with less than ideal results. The Keatons try to solve a cereal contest to win a $5,000 prize.