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Season guide

Growing Pains: Season 4

22 episodes Premiered Oct 19, 1988
Previously on Growing Pains

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 Growing Pains 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.
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Season 4 Episodes

Episode Guide

🛡️ SPOILER SHIELD

Season 4 Progress Shield

Future titles & synopses blurred. Tap "Reveal" on any card to peek.
Binge Efficiency Engine

Season 4: Filler vs. Essential Canon

Filter episodes by narrative weight. Focus on essential mytharc and skip standalone side quests.

18%
82%
Mytharc (4): Crucial lore & season climaxes
Core (18): Character development & subplots
Side Quest (0): Standalone / filler
S4·E1 Mytharc

Fool for Love

Oct 19, 1988

Ben gets spooked at the prospect of asking a girl to a Halloween party; Jason becomes a disruptive force at Lamaze class.

S4·E2 Core

Birth of a Seaver

Oct 26, 1988

Maggie goes into labor on Ben's 12th birthday and Ben confesses to a patient at the hospital that he's already feeling crowded.

S4·E3 Mytharc

Family Ties (1)

Nov 2, 1988

Mike has a showdown with Jason over his rights as an 18-year-old college student, and declares his freedom from parental rule.

S4·E4 Core

Family Ties (2)

Nov 9, 1988

Landlord-tenant problems abound when Mike (Kirk Cameron) moves into the storage area over the family garage

S4·E5 Core

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Nov 16, 1988

Jason sends his mother on a cruise to get her mind off her dead husband, but when she returns with a fiancé in tow, Jason finds it hard to accept the man who will "replace" his fat

S4·E6 Core

Homecoming Queen

Nov 23, 1988

Carol is chosen for homecoming court.

S4·E7 Core

Nude Photos

Nov 30, 1988

Mike's photography course includes nude studies.

S4·E8 Core

Ben's First Kiss

Dec 7, 1988

Ben throws a party to get to know a girl.

S4·E9 Core

The Nanny

Jan 4, 1989

The Seavers hire a nanny for Chrissy.

S4·E10 Core

Mandingo

Jan 11, 1989

A travel snafu strands Julie with Mike.

S4·E11 Core

In Carol We Trust

Jan 18, 1989

Carol sneaks out of the house for a date.

S4·E12 Core

Mom of the Year

Jan 25, 1989

Maggie prepares her "Working Mother of the Year" acceptance speech.

S4·E13 Core

Semper Fidelis

Feb 1, 1989

Boner flunks out of college and joins the Marines.

S4·E14 Core

Feet of Clay

Feb 8, 1989

Maggie arranges for Ben to meet his favorite rock musician.

S4·E16 Core

Fortunate Son

Feb 22, 1989

When Mike takes a job at a convenience store, his mother is worried about him working the dangerous night shift; but Mike is more concerned about the favoritism his racist boss sho

S4·E17 Core

Double Standard

Mar 1, 1989

Jason punishes Carol and Ben unequally for the same offense when they are both caught after sneaking out for dates without permission.

S4·E18 Core

The Recruiter

Mar 15, 1989

Carol doesn't want to attend her parents' alma mater.

S4·E20 Core

Second Chance

Apr 12, 1989

After Carol disobeys Maggie and Jason by sneaking out to a bar with her college-aged boyfriend Sandy, she learns a valuable lesson when Sandy gets into an accident and ends up in t

S4·E22 Mytharc

The Looooove Boat (2)

May 3, 1989

Jason tries to mend his mother's broken wedding plans.

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