MyEpisodeCalendar.com - A Year in the Life Episode Summaries

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First Aired: September 16th, 1987

Status: Ended

Genre: Drama

Network: NBC

Summary: Following the success of the three-part miniseries of the same name, the drama series follows the daily lives of Seattle's Gardner family. Joe Gardner is the owner of a successful plastics business and the father of four adult children. The Gardner family includes twice-divorced daughter Anne, who returns home with her two teenaged children; daughter Lindley and husband Jim, parents of a newborn baby daughter; black sheep son Jack; and conservative youngest son Sam, newly married to free-spirited Kay.

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Episode Statistics:

# of Episodes: 22

# of Episodes I watched: 0

# of Episodes I haven't watched: 22

Last Episode I watched: -

A Year in the Life (1987) Main Page

Episode Summaries

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Season 1

Episode 1: Don't I Know You From Somewhere?

Air Date: September 16th, 1987

Summary: As her divorce proceedings draw near, Anne accepts a date with a co-worker. Lindley and Jim consider candidates for a full-time babysitter. Joe loses a valued employee.

Episode 2: Things You Should Know Before and After

Air Date: September 23rd, 1987

Summary: Sunny is embarrassed about her lack of experience with boys. Joe and a neighbor have an unneighborly exchange over the Gardners' dog. Jack awaits news from the Seattle police academy.

Episode 3: What Do You Think Love Is?

Air Date: September 30th, 1987

Summary: A baby-naming ceremony for Ruthie causes dissension. Lindley seems overwhelmed by the commitment to Judaism. A fishing trip causes friction between Jack and David. Sam is in Kay's doghouse after inviting his father to dinner.

Episode 4: What Do People Do All Day?

Air Date: October 7th, 1987

Summary: Joe assembles his family after mustering the courage to propose to Alice. Anne is a bundle of nerves while teaching Sunny to drive. Kay is pressured into taking her co-worker's advice before meeting with a potential buyer.

Episode 5: Dixie Chicken

Air Date: October 14th, 1987

Summary: Anne's college boyfriend reenters her life. Guilt takes its toll on working mother Lindley. Sam asks for Joe's assistance in a scheme to help Kay "sell" herself in her real-estate job.

Episode 6: Acts of Faith

Air Date: October 28th, 1987

Summary: Joe believes David's social studies teacher has gone overboard to instill a fear of nuclear disaster in his students. Sam thinks his new mother-in-law is an aging hippie and fears Kay could follow in her footsteps. Lindley invents an infant walker.

Episode 7: E.M. 7 Grizzlies Minus 3 1/2 for a Nickel

Air Date: November 4th, 1987

Summary: Jim's flimflam artist father visits, bringing back feelings of embarrassment and resentment for Jim. David is humiliated by a school bully. Jack paints a house for a bickering couple.

Episode 8: In Dreams Begin Responsibilities

Air Date: November 18th, 1987

Summary: Tempers flare during tryouts for a football team that Jack is coaching. A lonely Anne gives in to temptation on a business trip. Joe is reluctant with being selected as treasurer by a ladies' garden club.

Episode 9: So Much Water, So Close to Home

Air Date: November 25th, 1987

Summary: Sunny becomes a vegetarian after a visit to a turkey farm. Anne and Sam are stuck in Spokane after a storm and struggle to get back home. A blackout forces the Gardners to improvise on cooking their Thanksgiving bird. Jack spends an empty holiday with a new friend.

Episode 10: I Think You Know Something I Don't Know

Air Date: December 2nd, 1987

Summary: Lindley and Jim's efforts to market the baby walker meet with stumbling blocks. Joe is protective of David after a vagrant attacks the boy. Kay feels remorseful after selling a dilapidated home. Sam tires of constant surprises.

Episode 11: While Someone Else is Eating or Opening a Window

Air Date: December 16th, 1987

Summary: Sunny's behavior around the house annoys Joe. Billy Putzi becomes a disruptive force in the Eisenberg home. Kay's classes begin to dominate her life, much to Sam's dismay.

Episode 12: The Little Disturbance of Man

Air Date: January 6th, 1988

Summary: Marketing plans for Jim and Lindley's baby walker take a new turn, with the help of Billy. Anne fails to give up smoking. Sam considers cheating on Kay.

Episode 13: Sometimes It's Hard to Remember

Air Date: January 13rd, 1988

Summary: Jack encounters racism on the job. Joe vows to beat an arrogant neighbor in a tennis match. Anne stands up Lindley.

Episode 14: At the Last Moment, Enormous Changes

Air Date: January 20th, 1988

Summary: Joe agonizes over a sudden decrease in company profits. Sunny agonizes over a good friend's hostility. Car troubles get the best of Kay.

Episode 15: Goodbye to All That

Air Date: February 3rd, 1988

Summary: Jack may have discovered "the real thing" when he and his wife receive $1000 in prize money. Joe longs to mend his relationship with Alice. David admires a fellow worker at the bowling alley.

Episode 16: The Go-Between

Air Date: February 10th, 1988

Summary: Sunny realizes the consequences of her actions too late when she asks a friend to flirt with David. Joe's erratic behavior has the kids worried, but he thinks the truth would leave them more troubled.

Episode 17: Fathers and Other Strangers

Air Date: February 17th, 1988

Summary: David tries to be civil around his visiting father. Anne reflects on the bitterness of her first divorce. Joe attends an old Navy buddy's funeral. Kay serves as a juror.

Episode 18: Common Ground

Air Date: March 9th, 1988

Summary: A strike breaks out at Joe's ailing plastics plant. David's school play causes stress for Anne and David. Kay gets her hopes up over the perfect house, assuming Joe will co-sign.

Episode 19: Glory Days

Air Date: March 16th, 1988

Summary: A friend's death causes Jim to worry about his own mortality. A fallen chandelier prompts Joe and Anne to redecorate, An old flame appears at Jack's high-school reunion.

Episode 20: The Politics of Being

Air Date: March 23rd, 1988

Summary: Anne risks being fired when she stands her ground before an important ad presentation. Joe's quick thinking in an emergency brings fleeting fame. Lindley can't forgive Jim for an accident involving Ruthie.

Episode 21: Peter Creek Road

Air Date: April 6th, 1988

Summary: Sunny accepts a date with a boy, unaware of the effect it has on his former girlfriend. Joe's plans for a nostalgic journey are derailed on a train trip to Chicago. Jim decides to build a new TV stand.

Episode 22: Love Mother

Air Date: April 13rd, 1988

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