Once and Again: Season 3
Season 3 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 Once and Again Season 2.
- 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 3 Progress Shield
Busted
Sep 28, 2001 · 60 min
As the two families merge into one house, disagreements over Jesse and Zoe's room decorations dominate the breakfast discussion. Lily's employer, Pages Alive, shuts down, so she's
The Awful Truth
Oct 5, 2001 · 60 min
Grace doesn't know what to make of her new teacher. Judy asks Lily to work at her planned bookstore/cafe. Lily also interviews at a radio station. Karen brings up the idea of
Kind of Blue
Oct 12, 2001 · 60 min
Sam returns to town, further complicating the lives of Judy, Lily, and Rick. Sam wants to hire Rick to be the architect for a project he has. Judy, however, wants to hire Rick to
Acting Out
Oct 19, 2001 · 60 min
Jessie and Grace both audition for the same role in a school production of ""As You Like It."" Mr. Dimitri throws them a curve when he announces that he is planning a musical versi
Destiny Turns On The Radio
Nov 2, 2001 · 60 min
A boy in the play school play asks Jesse out. Grace is less than happy with the news, because she thought that the boy was flirting with her during rehearsal. Karen is upset that
Jake and the Women
Nov 9, 2001 · 60 min
The women (and Grace and Zoe) want to hold a baby shower for Tiffany. This doesn't excite Jake. He doesn't want Grace - and especially Zoe - to have expectations about him and Ti
Chaos Theory
Nov 23, 2001 · 60 min
Lily and Karen both have unrealistic expectations for Thanksgiving celebrations. So naturally, nothing goes as planned. The lighting board at the theater goes out, so rehearsal is
The Sex Show
Nov 30, 2001 · 60 min
Grace finds an ""adult magazine"" in their home recycling bin. This leads to a whole ""will you talk to Eli about this?"" talk coming from Lily to Rick. Rick is amazed at Sam's c
Tough Love
Dec 7, 2001 · 60 min
When Eli loses his job and Grace's teacher questions her acting, they both learn the hard way that real self-confidence can be one of life's toughest accomplishments. Both learn th
Pictures
Dec 14, 2001 · 60 min
Amid complete chaos, a surprise Christmas Eve delivery of Tiffany and Jake's baby unites the Manning and Sammler families like never before. Meanwhile, Judy's first encounter with
Taking Sides
Jan 4, 2002 · 60 min
Flashbacks in the series' interview style recall a telling incident in the lives of Rick, Karen, Sam Blue's estranged wife Jeannine, and Sam himself, who rues another dalliance. Al
Gardenia
Jan 11, 2002 · 60 min
A tragic accident shakes Karen from her deep depression and sets her up for the toughest battle of her life. This makes Eli and Jessie learn the hard way that their parents are mor
Falling in Place
Mar 4, 2002 · 60 min
Jessie's anxiety and guilt about her mom's slow recovery causes tension with every member of the family, especially Lily. Meanwhile, Eli is in denial about the seriousness of his m
The Gay-Straight Alliance
Mar 11, 2002 · 60 min
Grace pursues her teacher and Jessie develops an attraction for her friend Katie.
One Step (Parent) Backward
Mar 18, 2002 · 60 min
Sam places his dream of committing to Judy and having a family squarely on the shoulders of his ten-year-old son. Meanwhile, Jake finally realizes his feelings for Tiffany and his
Aaron's List of Dreams
Mar 25, 2002 · 60 min
When Lily's brother Aaron expresses a desire to move out on his own with a young woman who is also mentally disabled, she finds it emotionally impossible to let him go.
Experience Is the Teacher
Apr 1, 2002 · 60 min
The prospect that Grace may be romantically involved with her creative-writing teacher troubles Lily, infuriates Jake, and imperils the career of the instructor.
Losing You
Apr 8, 2002 · 60 min
Just when Lily thinks life can't get any more complicated, her mother begins to show early signs of Alzheimer's disease.
Chance of a Lifetime
Apr 15, 2002 · 60 min
Rick and Lily face more life-altering decisions when he is offered a major architectural position in Australia and she is offered a chance to take her Chicago-based radio show into