Picket Fences: 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 Picket Fences 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
A Change of Season
Sep 22, 1995
Kimberly surprises her parents with her plans to attend medical school out of state. Carter Pike's house catches fire after he had taken some sedatives, leaving Jill Brock to suspe
Reap the Whirlwind
Sep 29, 1995
The Wambaughs have an argument on their 50th anniversary as a tornado threatens the town. Jimmy and Jill worry about Kimberly who is away at college. Meanwhile, Carter meets an int
Pal Joey
Oct 6, 1995
A former talk show host, Dr. Joanna "Joey" Diamond (Amy Aquino) joins Jill's medical practice. Kenny begins using a dating service.
Bloodbrothers
Oct 13, 1995
District Attorney John Littleton's convict brother escapes from prison and makes his way to Rome.
Dog Eat Dog
Oct 20, 1995
Maxine is in trouble after she shoots a man wearing a bratwurst costume. Meanwhile, Jill assumes Kimberly is pregnant when she learns her daughter saw Dr. Joey and concealed the of
Heart of Saturday Night
Oct 27, 1995
It is Saturday night in Rome, and the townspeople are looking at various ways to spend the evening. Matthew cruises the town with his friends. Jimmy and Jill make an attempt at rom
Down the Tubes
Nov 3, 1995
Jill considers tubal ligation. Brock must dance the polka with the Mayor for charity. Haunted by the death of his brother, Littleton returns to Chicago.
This Little Piggy
Dec 8, 1995
Kimberly is arrested for protesting pig-wrestling at the town fair.
Witness for the Prosecution
Dec 15, 1995
During a celebration welcoming the Pope to town, someone opens fire, and a man is killed. The victim's gay lover says the man committed suicide, but the Pope says he saw the whole
Dem Bones
Jan 5, 1996
The skeleton of a Nazi sympathizer is found and suspicion falls on Jacob Levine, the son of a Jewish butcher who was persecuted by the dead man. Wambaugh rises to Levine's defense
Bloodlines
Jan 12, 1996
Matthew is deeply depressed after a friend commits suicide and Jimmy takes him on a trip in order to help him overcome his grief.
Snow Exit
Jan 19, 1996
A blizzard hits town, stranding Jill and Kimberly in a bar where Lydia is making her singing debut. Likewise, Jimmy is snowed in at the sheriff's office and is the only person avai
My Romance
Jan 26, 1996
After being struck by a falling power line, Carter sees his deceased grandfather Bob while he is clinically dead for three minutes. This experience causes him to reevaluate his rel
The Z Files
Feb 9, 1996
Zack inserts his teacher's face in a pornographic video and his friend uploads it to the Internet. Maxine meets an online friend in person.
Bottled
Feb 16, 1996
Jill's emotions take control as the family celebrates Zack's 13th birthday.
Dante's Inferno
Apr 22, 1996
Maxine Stuart meets with opposition when she fills in as mayor and enacts some unpopular policies and changes. Shock jock Chuck Dante adds fuel to the fire on his radio show. The s
Bye-Bye, Bey-Bey
Apr 24, 1996
It is the christening of Mayor Bey's baby, Michael, but the Rome residents are flabbergasted when Laurie announces that she had the baby for her brother Jerry and his lover Gordy,
Three Weddings and a Meltdown
Apr 24, 1996
Carter inadvertently proposes to Sue after she gets her wires crossed. Nevertheless, he is a man of his word and they announce their engagement to the people of Rome. Their sudden
Winner Takes All
Jun 5, 1996
Jill fills in as the school's interim basketball coach when the regular coach collapses during a game. Under pressure from the parents, she becomes obsessed with winning, leading Z
Forget Selma
Jun 12, 1996
When Wambaugh learns that Miriam has a new man in her life, he suspects that the man must have an ulterior motive.
To Forgive Is Divine
Jun 19, 1996
When an Amish girl is raped, she refuses to testify against her rapist due to her religious beliefs. The rapist goes free and rapes another girl whose outraged family sue the Amish
Liver Let Die
Jun 26, 1996
Jimmy learns he might have a cancerous growth on his liver. At the same time, he investigates the murder of a homeless man found behind Reverend Novotny's church. The murder suspec