When Cynthia discovers her parents (guest stars Starletta Dupois and Bill Cobbs) are having marriage problems, it forces her to confront problems in her own marriage.

When Maxine brings her sister (guest star Aurora Perrineau) to meet the Carmichaels, Bobby reveals that they've previously met under unexpected circumstances forcing an exploration on judgment, hypocrisy and what it means to be family.

When Bobby suffers an on-the-job injury that spurs him to want to go to college, Maxine defends his decision to the disapproving Carmichaels but struggles herself once he declares what career he'd like to pursue.