Growing Pains: 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 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.
Episode Guide
Season 4 Progress Shield
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.
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.
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.
Family Ties (2)
Nov 9, 1988
Landlord-tenant problems abound when Mike (Kirk Cameron) moves into the storage area over the family garage
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
Mom of the Year
Jan 25, 1989
Maggie prepares her "Working Mother of the Year" acceptance speech.
Anniversary from Hell
Feb 15, 1989
Guests bicker at the Seavers' 20th-anniversary party.
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
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.
Show Ninety -- Who Knew?
Mar 22, 1989
Jason intervenes when Mike gets bad grades in psychology.
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
The Looooove Boat (2)
May 3, 1989
Jason tries to mend his mother's broken wedding plans.