Family Ties: Season 4
Season 4 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of Family Ties Season 3.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
The Real Thing (1)
Sep 26, 1985 · 24 min
Alex implements a fail-proof, and extremely unromantic, method of meeting the girl of his dreams: He picks her from pictures in the freshman directory. His selection, Tricia, seems
The Real Thing (2)
Oct 3, 1985 · 24 min
Alex realizes he must make Ellen aware of his feelings, but she is on a train on her way to marry another man, so he takes drastic measures to stop the wedding. The usually cool Al
Mr. Wrong
Oct 17, 1985 · 25 min
Mallory brings home her new boyfriend, Nick, a Rambo-type environmental artist, to meet her family, but Steven and Elyse are shocked by his crude appearance and gruff manner.
Designated Hitter
Oct 24, 1985 · 24 min
Jennifer takes on the class bully to defend her boyfriend and unwittingly humiliates him by undermining his masculinity and Alex is devastated when Mallory scores higher than him o
Don't Go Changin'
Oct 31, 1985 · 25 min
Alex does some fancy footwork on the dance floor to impress Ellen when he thinks he is losing her because of their divergent interests. Alex feels he has to compete with Ellen's ar
The Old College Try
Nov 7, 1985 · 24 min
When Mallory informs her parents that she has no intention of going to college after graduation, they are sure she is being influenced by her boyfriend, Nick, a high school dropout
My Tutor
Nov 14, 1985 · 24 min
Alex hires a tutor to help him with math, but his ""teacher"" turns out to be a 13-year-old genius who suddenly becomes more interested in Jennifer than in helping Alex. When Eugen
Mr. Right
Nov 21, 1985 · 24 min
Mallory's boyfriend, environmental artist Nick Moore, swaps his T-shirt, camouflage pants, combat boots and earrings for a three-piece suit and a haircut to impress Mallory's paren
Just One Look
Dec 5, 1985 · 24 min
Steven's old college buddy Richard Schofield is in town for and Steven looks forward to reminiscing about old times until he learns that Richard and Elyse share some memories he wa
How Do You Sleep?
Dec 12, 1985 · 24 min
Alex, who prides himself on being in control of his life, is embarrassed to admit that he is having a problem with insomnia, which is creating stress in his personal life as well a
You've Got a Friend
Dec 19, 1985 · 24 min
Mallory begins to feel severe guilt after reporting a young girl to the police for shoplifting, especially when he learns that the girl is from a home for abused children. Mallory
Nothing But a Man
Jan 2, 1986 · 24 min
Steven gets the promotion he has been waiting years for, but as the new regional manager of the station, he is required to put in long hours at the office, and soon realizes he has
The Disciple
Jan 9, 1986 · 25 min
Alex offers to help Jennifer with a speech project and winds up creating a monster, the speech is such a success that she is asked to repeat the performance for an awards panel. Je
Where's Poppa?
Jan 16, 1986 · 25 min
Alex secretly invites Ellen's dad to Parent's Day Weekend at Leland College, thinking that she will be pleasantly surprised to see him, but what he doesn't know is that Ellen has n
Fool for Love
Jan 23, 1986 · 25 min
Skippy's lifetime obsession with Mallory builds to a climax when he refuses to accept that she is in love with Nick, and creates an embarrassing scene at the Homecoming dance. Alex
Checkmate
Jan 30, 1986 · 25 min
A chess tournament between Leland College students and a visiting Soviet team turns into a wrestling match when Alex and his opponent, Ivan Rozmirovich, match wits and "fight" for
Engine Trouble
Feb 6, 1986 · 25 min
Elyse enrolls in an auto mechanics class to prove Alex and Steven that women can be just as competent with cars as men, but to protect his own masculinity, Alex joins the class to
A Word to the Wise
Feb 13, 1986 · 49 min
The Keaton family fills in his girlfriend, Ellen, on some of the more humorous events in Alex's life before they met in this special one-hour episode. Flashbacks to previous episod
Art Lover
Feb 20, 1986 · 25 min
Mallory suspects there's more involved than ""art appreciation"" when a wealthy and beautiful older woman takes a special interest in Nick's creations. Promising to help launch his
Teacher's Pet
Mar 3, 1986 · 24 min
Alex lands a teaching-assistant position and runs into big trouble when he has to grade a student who also happens to be his girlfriend, Ellen. When Ellen is assigned to Alex's eco
My Buddy
Mar 6, 1986 · 25 min
Steven has a very difficult time accepting that his youngest daughter, Jennifer,is growing up and no longer wants to ""pal around"" with him. As Jennifer grows and finds new inter
Once in Love with Elyse (a.k.a. Loan Arranger)
May 1, 1986 · 25 min
Elyse must deal with Paul, a young architect associate who falls in love with her. After working for a year in the same office as Elyse, Paul, a very promising architect, can no l
Paper Chase (a.k.a. Mallory's Graduation)
May 8, 1986 · 24 min
Mallory discovers that her high school graduation is in jeopardy unless she can pass a very tough history exam. Never an avid student, Mallory faces the possibility of failing her