Seasons & episodes

Tom and Merle warn Texas away from a vulnerable Mary. Tom refuses to sign the Guardian Party's petition to put Merle on the next election ballot. Merle takes Mary for a ride on his "white horse". Dr. Mattick pays a house call to examine Wild Child and theorizes he was raised by Bigfoot. Tom tries to convince Charlie that the GGG is responsible for violence and murder. After Charlie expresses concern that Tom can't take much more, Texas reveals that a new cop has been hired to take special care of Tom. Tom is subsequently stunned by the arrival of Sgt. Dennis Foley.

Tom warns Dennis away from Mary, but Dennis insists he has no intention of seeing her. Charlie, Mac, and George ponder a temporary insanity plea for Tom. Merle's anxious to talk about his plans to run for president in 1980, but Wanda's preoccupied with Tom's murder rap. George's suggestion that Tom needs a psychiatrist before an attorney leads Mary to a painful realization.

Vernon persuades the GGG men to hire Nat Dearborn to defend Tom, but Texas would rather shoot him. Dennis makes an official visit to the Haggers house after a neighbor's complaint about Wild Child. Mary goes to see Tom in jail and realizes that it's just like breakfast at their kitchen table. Loretta broaches the subject of Dennis with Mary but is interrupted by Vernon, who tells her that Nat Dearborn has accepted Tom's case.

After Martha refuses to reconcile with George, Cathy moves back home. Mary comes up with a plan to reunite her parents and narrowly misses meeting Dennis in the Shumway kitchen. Cathy arrives home and has words with Dennis. George prevents Cathy from telling Mary about Dennis, and later, Cathy still can't shatter Mary's dream family. George goes to the Capri looking spiffy for Martha. Mac visits Martha, spoiling Cathy and George's plans.

Merle wants money from the Guardian Party for his presidential campaign, and Vernon suggests he persuade Mary to accept cheaper Nat Dearborn as Tom's attorney. Wanda brings Mary dinner and wonders what Merle's agenda is when he shows up at Mary's. Tom warns Dennis away from Mary again. Wanda visits Tom and reassures him that Dennis is in Mary's past. Texas tempts Tom off the wagon before his visit with the psychiatrist. As Reverend Buryfield begins Wild Child's baptism, Loretta realizes he needs a proper name.

Social worker Ms. Finken gives Charlie and Loretta an ultimatum about Wild Child. Texas taunts a hungover Tom into a violent rage just as Dr. Williams arrives to examine him. Tom describes recent bizarre events in his life, leading Dr. Williams to decide he's paranoid. Mary's friends and family treat her to an evening at the Capri, where she and Dennis come face to face once again.

Mary and Dennis share a very public reunion at the Capri. Loretta asks Wanda if Merle can change the law requiring Wild Child to attend school, and Wanda suggests she spank him. Vernon tells Texas that Dr. Williams' report found Tom insane. A disheveled Nat arrives and vows to defend Tom as best he can. Mary rejects Tom's attempt at lovemaking in his cell, and he accuses her of wanting Dennis instead.

Mac wants to reap the golden harvest with Martha and vows to win her from George. Heather's hostile toward Mary and reminds her that she can't ever replace Tom. Dennis calls to tell Mary that Tom had a peaceful night in jail. Mary realizes she never gave Merle an answer to his job offer. George writes a love letter to Martha, but Cathy warns him it's not enough because Martha and Mac are getting serious.

Mary and Grandpa Larkin discuss Heather's disrespectful attitude. Martha asks Mary if she and Mac can use Mary's house for their trysts. Wanda wonders why Merle isn't doing more to help free Tom. After learning that the GGG is paying Nat, Tom orders him out of the cell. Texas gives Tom a noose. Merle is jealous after finding Dennis visiting Mary in her kitchen.

George chooses a new path in life as an inventor. Loretta and Charlie ponder names for Wild Child, and Mary suggests Johnny Doe. Nat reassures Mary that he thinks Tom can't be proven guilty of murder. Texas accidentally turns the Capri into a drive-in lounge. Wanda visits Tom in jail, and her comfort turns to passion.

After Wild Child runs into the street and is nearly hit by a car, Ms. Finken isn't sure he's safe with Charlie and Loretta. Vernon and Texas promise Tom that Mary and Heather will be in danger if he implicates them in the murder. The courtroom is left stunned when Tom takes the witness stand and makes a shocking declaration.

Mary's in shock after Tom's statement to the court, and Dennis promises to be there any time she needs him. Loretta and Charlie worry about a homesick Johnny Doe. Before his transfer to the county jail, Tom warns Mary about Texas and Vernon. Friends, family, and enemies congregate in Tom's cell to say goodbye. A surprise witness steps forward with new information that may clear Tom of murder.

The surprise witness reveals what really happened the night of the fire, leading to an explosive end of the GGG. A freed Tom avoids making love with Mary, opting for a night out with George and Charlie at the Capri. Mary invites Dennis in for a Pepsi. Merle and Wanda agree that they're a match made in heaven and celebrate by taking a match to the infamous diary. Tom returns to his old ways with several rounds of beer.

An amorous Tom returns from the Capri, but Mary's comment about Dennis spoils the mood. George shows Tom a new invention, and they celebrate with beer for breakfast. Dennis invites Mary to meet his parents. Wanda apologizes to Mary for not clearing Tom sooner. Cathy meets Standing Cow, who has come to die on the sacred ground of the Shumway home.

Heather wants Mary's blood for tests to prove they're not related. Mac surprises Martha with dinner and persuades her to have an affair with him. Heather babysits Johnny Doe and fails to teach him how to get with it. Johnny Doe's tears make Charlie and Loretta realize he may not be happy with them. Mary agrees to meet Dennis and parents at the Capri for cocktails. Cathy drops by the Capri, where two familiar looking widows are in tears. Cathy and Martha aren't talking to each other about Mac, Mary throwing herself at Dennis, and the Jewish Indian dying in the Shumway kitchen.

Grandpa Larkin and Cathy learn more about Standing Cow. Dr. Mattick examines Johnny Doe and theorizes that he'll be utterly miserable for the rest of his life unless he returns to the wild. Wanda suggests Merle revamp his lifestyle image to include fish fries and barbecues, but he counters with an idea to have his mother live with them. Merle phones Miss Adeline and tells her about his presidential campaign. Mary meets Fred and Fiona Foley, Dennis' parents, and wonders why they seem to really like her.

Martha returns to the Shumway home, where George begs her to stay, and Standing Cow lies dying on the kitchen table. Fiona Foley's pleasant visit with Mary is tempered by Mary's obsession with tea bags, Tom's rudeness, and Heather's insistence that Mary isn't her mother. Merle's blunt, rude, abrasive mother Miss Adeline arrives just in time for Merle's TV interview with Jud Thompson.

Tom insists that he and Mary have a "perfect damn marriage" but with "too much damn communication." Miss Mildred, Johnny Doe's teacher, agrees that he should be taught by Dr. Mattick at the zoo. Tom, George, Loretta and Charlie discuss their losses at the Capri, where Tom turns to alcohol for comfort instead of the Lord. Mary's unnerved and Tom speechless when Heather establishes a Dennis Foley fan club and plasters the kitchen with life size posters of his face.

Tom seeks reassurance from Wanda that making love with him was more than a duty for her. Before expiring, Standing Cow predicts Martha's relationship with Mac will bring tragedy to the Shumway family if she stays with him. Loretta and Charlie are forced to let Dr. Mattick continue civilizing Johnny Doe. Mac and the Shumways set a deadline of one week in which to decide whether Mac ends up with Martha, Cathy, or all alone as usual. Dennis attempts to ease the tension between Tom and Mary, and tells Mary that he thinks they're about to start another beautiful friendship together.

Mary seeks George's advice about Tom's drinking. Martha admits she still has feelings for George and is worried about Standing Cow's omen. Johnny Doe speaks his first word, but Loretta fears it might be his last after he apparently eats a bag of moth balls. Mac begs Martha to stay with him, but remembering Standing Cow's warning, she insists on waiting until the last minute to decide. Wanda's Get to Know Your Mayor campaign irritates Merle. Dennis and his parents invite Mary to tea.

Merle and Wanda's live broadcast of At Home With the Jeeters dissolves into a disaster when Mary phones in to discuss Tom not sleeping with her, and a trapped Miss Adeline attempts to break out of her locked bedroom. Dennis reveals his true intentions for Mary to Tom. Tom drinks more and begs Merle to help him save his marriage. Dennis tells Mary about his talk with Tom, and the two kiss passionately in front of Fred and Fiona.

Merle claims he's doing a favor for good friend Tom Hartman when Miss Adeline wonders who he's courting with his gussied up suit and box of chocolates. Mary begins to hear and see Dennis everywhere. Dr. Fermin wonders if Johnny Doe will survive eating mothballs and instructs Charlie and Loretta to pray. Dennis and Merle descend on Mary's kitchen. After Dennis kisses Mary in front of Merle, Merle explains to Mary how to avoid temptation.

Dr. Fermin says Johnny Doe will recover but thinks he might be better off in the wilderness. After Tom gives Mary a dog, Heather tells him that he won't win her away from Dennis with such a pathetic gift. George, Charlie, and Mac gossip about the triangle between Tom, Mary, and Dennis. Later, the three go to Mary's separately to talk sense into her, and they're forced to hide in the Hartman bedroom when Tom comes home.

Cathy confirms Mac's suspicion that she's still angry with him because of their breakup. A major fight erupts between George and Martha when they gather with Mary to meet the Foleys at the Capri. Tom confides to Charlie that he's giving up Mary to make her happy. Mary asks Tom to meet Dennis' parents. Martha fears Standing Cow's prediction of doom is coming to pass.