Step By Step
Season 8 Episodes
1998-1999

Ep1: Time To Move On:
JT gets dumped by Sam. The family tries to console him in thier own ways. Mark is looking forward to going to college, as he starts packing for college.

Ep2: Big Loser After All:
Karen goes out on a date with a jerk, who just wants to have sex. Karen invites her date over to the house, as the rest of the family is out to the movies. Al comes home from work to find that Karen is lying on her bed crying. The date is gone by this time, Al gets the truth out of her sister, truth is: Karen's date raped her. Karen makes Al promise not to tell anyone. Al goes back on her promise and tells Frank and Carol what happened. Frank, Carol, and Karen have a talk and Karen ends up telling them the guy's name. Frank takes JT and Rich with him over to this guy's apartment to knock some sense into him. Frank ends punching the kid.

Ep3: The Dating Game:
Karen and JT decide to go on a double blind date with single friends of Dana's. JT, his date, Karen, and her date go out to eat, while JT and Karen are at the salad bar, they realize their dates are flirting with each other. Carol wants to throw a big going away party for Mark before he leaves for UWGB (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay).

Ep4: Dana and Rich's Secret:
Dana takes a home pregnancy test, which results show that she is pregnant. Dana tells Rich, who's just as happy. Dana and Rich tell Carol, Frank, and the rest of the family the news. Everyone is happy, except Carol and Frank. Carol and Frank believe they aren't even close to be ready for a kid, which offends Dana greatly. Al is asked to hangout with Sam some night, JT finds out and is furious.

Ep5: The Coffee Shop Waiter:
Karen and Al meet a new waiter at their regular coffeehouse. The two girls fight over the guy, but both back off after learning he is gay. Mark heads to Green Bay to get settled into his dorm, before school starts. Brendan is caught kissing the neighbor girl, Becca, by JT and Rich.

Ep6: Health-Nuts and Unhealthy Baby:
Frank realizes that Karen, Carol, and Al are on this extremely healthy diet and have no junk food in the house at all. Carol, Al, and Karen want to get Frank, JT, Brendan, and Lilly on the diet as well, but catch the four eating at a burger joint. Rich and Dana go to their first doctor appointment. They are told by the doctor that Dana has lost the baby.

Ep7: The Telling And Realizing:
While Dana refuses to get out of bed, Rich calls Frank and Carol over to help him get her out of bed. Frank and Carol soon learn that Dana had a miscarriage. During a heart-to-heart conversation with Dana, Carol tells her daughter that before she had Dana, she had two miscarriages and knows how Dana is feeling. Al, JT, and Karen spy on Brendan and his new girlfriend, Becca on thier first date.

Ep8: Sam's Return To Port Washington:
Sam Milano returns to town to speak with JT. JT learns that Sam is pregnant with his kid. JT is stunned, amazed, and shocked. Sam needs his help raising the kid. Al and Karen take Lilly to her first day of 1st grade and soon realizes that is the place to find single men (single fathers).

Ep9: The Proposal: Part One
JT tells the family he had gotten Sam pregnant. Everyone is quiet, but not Frank. Frank is mad. Frank, out of rage, kicks JT out of his house. Dana and Rich offer JT and Sam to move in with them temporarily until they can afford their own apartment. JT proposes to Sam, in front of Dana and Rich.

Ep10: The Proposal: Part Two
Sam accepts JT's proposal. Carol, Karen, and Al try to convince Frank to let JT move back in. Frank refuses to let his son, who got his girlfriend pregnant, back into the house. Dana and Rich tell them that JT and Sam are engaged. Frank still refuses to let his son enter the house.

Ep11: The Informitive Visit Of Mark:
Mark returns home from college to the news of Sam being pregnant, JT being engaged to Sam, Dana losing her baby, Frank having kicked JT out of the house, and that Brendan's got a girlfriend. Mark tells Dana, Rich, JT, Sam, Brendan, Karen, and Al that he has thought about dropping out of college to move in and work with his new best friend, Ben (Benjamin Salisbury).

Ep12: Mark's Decision:
Mark tells Carol and Frank his plans. Frank, feeling he is Carol's son and he's already angry with one of his sons, decides to let Carol react first. Carol goes ballistic. Carol had big hopes and dreams for Mark, but she then tells him if he move in and work with Ben only if she can meet him. Mark agrees. Ben, Mark, Frank, and Carol have a meal together, Carol asks 20-some questions to Ben, who without nervousness answers them calmly. Carol lets Ben and Mark move in together in Ben's studio apartment in Green Bay, Ben works at a computer store.
(BEN AND MARK AREN'T LIKE LOVERS OR ANYTHING, JUST BEST FRIENDS, IF U WERE THINKING MARK AND BEN ARE GAY, YOU'RE WRONG)

To be continued later.....R/R

but I see you have taken more of a dramatic road with this. HOw would you incorporate those extreme moments such as losing a baby or rape into a sitcom that has never gone to that level before?

Ep13: Slowly But Surely:
Frank starts to ease up on his anger towards JT. Carol deals with Mark being not in college nor at home. Rich and Dana attempt to get pregnant, after Dana starts feeling jealous of a 5 month pregnant Sam.

Ep14: Brendan And Becca, No More:
After Carol catchs Brendan alone with Becca upstairs in his bedroom, Carol goes nuts. Becca breaks up with Brendan, after Carol blews things way out of proportion (and tells her parents about the incident-they also freak). Frank has a talking with him about 'the birds and the bees' and that he doesn't want another son to be sexually active before marriage. Brendan is mad at Carol for causing Becca to break up with him. ((truth be told, Brendan and Becca were not having sex-just kissing on his bed)). Meanwhile, Mark and Ben start having conflicts-causing Mark to rethink his new living/work arrangements.

Ep15: We Need A Little Christmas:
Carol wants the whole family together for Christmas. Carol begs Frank to have a talk and forgive JT, as she tries her best to convince Brendan- life isn't over after being dumped. Mark visits for the holidays, and drops some good news-he is moving back home (and quitting his job with Ben). The family is also happy to know that Dana and Rich just found out they are pregnant again (but don't want to "jinx" it).

Ep16: Karen's New Beau:
Karen's new boyfriend, Jeff (Topher Grace) is kept a secret from Karen's family--only for one reason, because Jeff (who is 24) is a single father to his very cute 4 year old daughter, Ashley. Al and Dana soon learn about Karen and Jeff dating. They also meet Ashley, assuming she is Jeff's little sister-but to Karen's dismay, Jeff sets the girls straight with the truth. Dana and Al immediately tell Rich, JT, Sam, Mark, Brendan, and Lilly--and word gets out to Frank and Carol. Frank and Carol want to meet Jeff and Ashley as soon as possible.

Ep17: Door-to-Door:
Al and Dana both takes jobs as door-to-door cosmetic ladies. Even though the pay is not all that great, the sisters end up loving it (and want Karen to apply too). Karen, Jeff, Ashley, Frank, and Carol go out for dinner one night. Karen is very quiet during the whole meal. Jeff assumes she is embarrassed of him and his daughter, Karen (in front of her parents and everyone) tells Jeff she loves him and Ashley-but just is unsure of how Carol will react to her dating a single father. Carol feels horrible for making Karen a nervous-wreck. Carol has a heart-to-heart chat with Karen in the ladies room.
(everything works out in the end :) )

Ep18: Rich's Rich Folks:
Rich's parents end up getting a rather-large amount of cash from a deceased relative. Rich's parents decide to move to Florida and live in a condo-leaving their home (located across the street from Frank and Carol's) to Rich and Dana. Rich and Dana happily move into 'their' new home, but realize that they will be leaving Sam and JT without a place to stay (after Sam recently sold her apartment. Rich and Dana decide to let Sam and JT move in with them in their new home. Frank, Carol, and the family learn their news.

Ep19: Playdate:
Al goes out with a rebellious yet loveable guy, Shawn (Rider Strong). Carol and Jeff set up a playdate for Ashley and Lilly, as Karen is clueless about what is happening.

Ep20: A Long, Overdued Apology:
Frank decides "enough is enough" and takes JT to a bar (his treat), where Frank confesses an apology to JT, who accepts and the father and son talk about the new baby and life after the baby's born. Mark decides to go to a community college, after feeling bored without being in school. Mark's new news makes Carol overjoyed. Al and Karen are upset with Carol as she "pushes" Mark (and Dana) to go to college and she just "nudged" them to go college.



MORE EPISODES TO COME LATER ON.....

Ep21: Carol's Enemy:
Carol gets peeved by Frank's work's new Quality Control Manager, Rosie (Mimi Rogers). Carol learns Frank had turned down Rosie's intimate dinner plans for the two of them--when makes Carol more in love with Frank and more angry with Rosie. Carol goes down to talk with Rosie, where she denies everything and tells her that it was Frank who made advances on her. Meanwhile, Rich and JT are stricken with the flu and rely on their loving, pregnant girlfriends/fiancees to take care of them.

Ep22: Couples Retreat:
Dana wins a radio contest for a couples retreat (expenses paid) for four couples, so she and Rich invite JT and Sam, Frank and Carol, Jeff and Karen to attend the retreat with them. Turns out, Jeff and Karen are "meant to be together", as where Frank and Carol are "meant to be close pals" all due to a couples survey scoring guide. Carol and Frank are horribly upset with their bad scores. Meanwhile, Al and Mark bond together back at the house (as Brendan and Lilly are gone at friends houses). Al and Mark (whos 20 and 19) decide to enhancing their bonding experience by raiding their parents' liquor cabinet.

Ep23: Ashley's Mother:
Jeff and Karen's so-called "Perfect Saturday Date Night" is interrupted by Jeff's ex (Ashley's mom), Julia (Neve Campbell) showing up with one of her usual antics: she was drunk and wanted to get back with Jeff and have her "perfect family"). Karen is not happy with her, when Julia kisses Jeff right before he kicks her out. Meanwhile, JT and Rich witnesses Mark writing cheat-sheets for this Economies test.

Ep24: Money and Choosing:
Frank and Carol learn 6-year-old Lilly has been paying a boy classmate of hers to be her "boyfriend" in money that she took her her parents. Frank and Carol are not happy with Lilly and her stealing money from them. When they try to get their money back, they learn the boy's mom is none other than-Frank's QC Manager, Rosie (Mimi Rogers). Rosie refuses to give money back, causing a rift between Rosie and the Lamberts. Meanwhile, Al and Karen are asked to be godmothers to Sam and Dana's unknown babies--as JT and Rich choose each other to be the godfathers.

Ep25: Baby Showers:
Carol, Karen, and Al (and Lilly) throw a double baby shower for Dana and Sam. (Dana's 5 months pregnant, Sam's 7 months pregnant). During the shower, Sam gets into an argument with her newly-divorced mother, Jean (Joyce DeWitt). Meanwhile, the guys (Frank, JT, Rich, Jeff, Mark, and Brendan) go to a Brewers game. While at the game, Rich awkwardly asked Frank for his permission to marry Dana, Frank grants Rich his permission.

Ep6: Health-Nuts and Unhealthy Baby:
Frank realizes that Karen, Carol, and Al are on this extremely healthy diet and have no junk food in the house at all. Carol, Al, and Karen want to get Frank, JT, Brendan, and Lilly on the diet as well, but catch the four eating at a burger joint. Rich and Dana go to their first doctor appointment. They are told by the doctor that Dana has lost the baby.

Ep7: The Telling And Realizing:
While Dana refuses to get out of bed, Rich calls Frank and Carol over to help him get her out of bed. Frank and Carol soon learn that Dana had a miscarriage. During a heart-to-heart conversation with Dana, Carol tells her daughter that before she had Dana, she had two miscarriages and knows how Dana is feeling. Al, JT, and Karen spy on Brendan and his new girlfriend, Becca on thier first date.

These might go together as a two-part episode.