A mysterious aspiring photographer named Jo Reynolds moves into the building. She responds coldly to the other residents' attempts to make nice, although she develops an instant attraction to Jake. She strikes up a friendship with Alison when they take out their romantic frustration on a washing machine. Jo explains that she left New York to escape from her marriage. The women continue to bond, and hustle some guys in a pool game at Shooters. Jo flirts shamelessly with Jake after he comes up to her apartment in a towel to remind her about the hot water shortage. Michael and Jane begin spending time with a respected pediatrician and his wife. Jane suspects that the woman is being abused, but Michael doesn't believe it because her husband is so good with his patients. Jane is certain that something is wrong, and pleads with Liz to seek help. Liz goes to the Mancinis after being beaten, and decides to leave Scott. Michael plans to report Scott to their boss, but convinces him to do

The episode was rated 6.82 from 11 votes.

After a chance meeting in the street, Alison becomes romantically involved with environmentalist Keith Gray. She is stunned to learn that he is married, but finds it difficult to break off the relationship after he vows to leave his wife for her. Billy is saddled with bad credit because he has yet to pay off a college loan that he didn't even need. Jane is determined to work off the weight from her pregnancy. She realizes that she is trying too hard to forget the miscarriage.

The episode was rated 6.82 from 11 votes.

Jake asks Alison to help him study for his G.E.D., but requests that she keep the matter a secret. The building is filled with gossip after Alison is seen sneaking out of Jake's apartment after an all-night study session. Billy and Sandy become jealous. Jake and Alison share a kiss, but decide to just remain friends. When Rhonda meets up with an old friend from her dancing days, she is haunted by memories of the injury she faked to avoid an audition. After Rhonda learns that a spot has opened in her friend's dance troupe, she is determined to redeem herself. She nails the audition, but decides that she's happy with her current life.

The episode was rated 6.87 from 15 votes.

Billy is depressed when the Melrose Times folds. He asks Alison to accompany him on a visit to his parents' house, then pleads with her to pose as his girlfriend. Billy tries to convince his parents that he is on the verge of becoming a successful writer, but is roped into helping run his father's furniture store because of a deal the two once made. He quits in a huff after his father questions his sales techniques, and later asks his dad to let him live his own life. Sandy gets a swelled head after landing a part in a horror movie, and ends up moving out. She comes down to earth after the director tries to insert nudity into one of her scenes. Michael injures himself at the apartment. He and Jane discuss their excitement and anxiety about the upcoming birth of their baby.

The episode was rated 6.92 from 12 votes.

Alison continues to see Keith, despite the misgivings of her friends and the fact that her erratic behavior has put her job in jeopardy. Billy confronts Keith about his treatment of Alison. Matt is the victim of an attack outside a nightclub. When an officer from the hate crimes unit comes to the halfway house, Matt's supervisor is stunned to learn that Matt is gay. He quickly devises a reason to fire him. Jake and Rhonda convince Matt to seek legal recourse. A customer at Shooters asks Sandy to audition for a soap opera. She wins the role and moves to New York.

The episode was rated 6.92 from 13 votes.

Jane learns that she is pregnant, but doesn't tell Michael because he hadn't seemed thrilled by the prospect of having kids. She tries to get an abortion secretly, but changes her mind. Michael is furious at Jane for keeping him in the dark, until the joy over their child brings them back together. Billy is given a column in the neighborhood newspaper. He can't come up with a topic because his life is boring. Hoping to alleviate this problem, he convinces Jake and Matt to go bungee-jumping with him. After he is unable to go through with the jump, Billy writes a column about ""wimping out.""

The episode was rated 6.95 from 19 votes.

Billy gets a job as a cab driver. He makes a connection with a passenger, and they quickly begin dating. Alison is put off by the speed of the couple's courtship, and grows tired of Marcy's constant presence in the apartment. Billy, Michael and Jane all accuse her of jealousy, but she denies it. Billy soon has second thoughts about his relationship when Marcy tells his friends intimate details about their sex life, and quickly declares her love for him. Billy tries to avoid her, but Jake advises him to confront Marcy to break things off in person. Jake is arrested following a scuffle at the unemployment office, and is less than grateful when Kelly bails him out. Jane worries about the status of her marriage when Michael is unable to recall the specific moment he fell in love with her.

The episode was rated 6.96 from 25 votes.

Jo and Jake try to overcome their unhappy memories of Christmas; Michael is depressed when he and Kimberly cannot save a young gunshot victim, but his spirits are revived after delivering a baby; Jake and Jo observe that the necklace Billy plans to give Alison for Christmas is more than a ""friendship"" present.

The episode was rated 7.00 from 10 votes.

During his surprise birthday party, Jake receives an unexpected visit from his mother. Her constant drinking and carousing creates friction in their already-strained relationship. Although Sandy suggests that he be more understanding, Jake throws his mother out. He is too hurt by her mistakes of the past to have her in his present life. He later goes to see her off and wish her well. Billy is the victim of a car-jacking after dropping off a passenger in South Central, and begins to display signs of racial prejudice. Rhonda is furious. She talks with Matt and says that her reaction is partially the result of disappointment in herself; she has become so intent on living her life color blind that she has turned her back on her culture. Billy and Jake conduct a stake-out that leads to the arrest of the culprit. Rhonda takes Billy back to South Central to educate him about the area's people. Jane and Michael quarrel after he behaves insensitively during a parenting class. She believes

The episode was rated 7.07 from 15 votes.

Jake fears that Kelly will be hurt if they continue their relationship. He sets up a fake date with a friend and rubs it in Kelly's face to trick her into breaking up with him. Jane is depressed when Michael must work instead of spending a romantic evening with her. Jane loses her wedding ring during a girls' night out with Rhonda. Billy completes his first screenplay, but Alison is decidedly less than impressed.

The episode was rated 7.10 from 21 votes.

Amanda, Billy and Alison spend the weekend at a lakeside cabin. Alison is concerned by Billy and Amanda's obvious attraction. She asks Billy not to date Amanda, as a break-up could hurt Alison's career. They decide to see each other behind her back, but Amanda later comes clean. Alison becomes angry with Billy for sharing her concerns with Amanda. She grows lonely and tries unsuccessfully to call Keith. Jake and Jo have a romantic evening and consummate their relationship. After spending the weekend together, they avoid one another because they are worried about the direction of the relationship. They agree to just relax and take things as they come. Matt is caught in the middle of Rhonda and Terrence's romantic problems. The couple gets back together, but decides to take it slow.

The episode was rated 7.40 from 10 votes.

Billy's father dies of a heart attack. Amanda tries to exploit Billy's vulnerable state to seduce him, and then shows up at the funeral in an attempt to score points with her ex. Alison flies back from Seattle to comfort Billy. Billy feels that he let his father down, and decides to take over the furniture store. His mother says that she has sold the store to the employees, and that she wants Billy to use his writing gifts. She gives Billy a letter in which his father expressed his pride in him. Billy drives Alison to the airport, but she decides to move back to Los Angeles. Michael tries to convince Kimberly to move in with Billy, but she declines. She explains that seeing the death of his father reminded her of how much involvement she would have in his life if they were roommates. Michael lies about going to the hospital and instead helps Kimberly with a plumbing problem. She offers him dinner and tries to come on to him, but he resists. Billy's family tragedy prompts Matt to

The episode was rated 7.82 from 11 votes.

One of Billy's co-workers discovers that he lied on his résumé, and reports him to Nancy. Nancy assures Billy that she hired him for his talent, and gives him a writing assignment. After he does a great job with an article about a dog wedding, she promotes him to staff writer. Amanda continues to give Alison a hard time at the office, so Alison retaliates by erasing Amanda's messages to Billy. Amanda crashes a celebration dinner for Billy and lets him know that she has been calling. Alison takes Billy out to lunch and grows concerned by the amount of personal attention Nancy is showing him. She warns that Nancy may be attracted to Billy, but he takes offense to this. Alison makes a special dinner for Billy and apologizes, but he ignores her and goes back to the office. Nancy makes a pass at him, and takes away his promotion after he turns her down. He threatens to quit, but his lecture inspires her to apologize and restore him to staff writer. Michael grows more concerned by his attraction to Kimberly. She confesses her love to him, and they kiss in the hospital parking lot. Michael gives Jane the cold shoulder, and later goes to Kimberly's place and begins an affair with her. Matt gets a date with a lawyer, but the man turns out to be an egomaniac who only cares about material items. Rhonda annoys Matt by pushing him to give the guy another chance. He says that the fact that he is gay doesn't mean he has to settle for just anyone.

The episode was rated 8.00 from 10 votes.

The apartment building goes up for sale. Lucy resigns from D&D, and tells Amanda and Alison that promotions may be in their future. Amanda asks Alison to keep her pregnancy under wraps, but Alison lets it slip while out drinking with a colleague to make Billy jealous. Amanda denies the man's allegations. She later suffers a miscarriage while working late with Alison. Billy and Amanda grow closer as he consoles her, and he is torn between the two women. An unidentified individual begins harassing Alison. Keith returns to Los Angeles, completely obsessed with Alison. Michael and Jane rekindle their romance during a weekend getaway. Jo tries to dodge Jake's discussions of commitment. She is arrested for carrying a concealed weapon while working on a photo essay about the homeless. Jake is enraged to learn that she went back on her promise to get rid of the gun. Rhonda proposes to Terrence. Keith stakes out Alison's apartment, and attacks Billy from behind with a tire iron. While Billy is

The episode was rated 8.09 from 11 votes.

Billy and Alison's new relationship is torn apart when Amanda discovers that she is pregnant with his child. She insists that he is not obligated to take care of her, but he feels that he must take responsibility for his child. Michael breaks off his affair with Kimberly, and enlists Alison's help to arrange a meeting with Jane. He begs Jane to give him another chance, and she agrees to attend couples' therapy. Jo's nights out partying with Karen come to an end after she makes passes at both Jake and Jo.

The episode was rated 8.18 from 11 votes.