7th Heaven

Eric is distressed by the fact that his daughter Mary has opted to postpone college in favor of a little soul searching and the glory of minimum wage. Mary decides to buy a car. Annie leaves Eric with a handful at home so she can complete her teaching degree. Meanwhile, Simon attempts to fit in with the treacherous terrain of high school, and Lucy looks forward to ruling the school as a senior. Lucy can't wait to start a relationship with Andrew Nayloss, but he has not come back from summer vacation yet. Meanwhile, Matt's on-again-off-again relationship with Heather threatens to be off-again—permanently. Matt considers the pre-med track at college and Ruthie learns that she will have to spend another year with her despised third grade teacher, Ms. Riddle.

Matt blames his first-ever bad grade, for the crucial course organic chemistry, on everyone and collect excuses to delay studying rather then seek help. Simon is desperately lonely again after Jim's ma absurdly blamed him, but finds unhoped popularity when helping Lucy campaign for ball queen. Eric worries more about a surprise visit then the obvious reason, another attempt to make Mary see sense now she's behind with her car insurance payments.

Responsibilities fly out the window when Eric and Annie enjoy separate nights out on Friday. Although the reverend can't find anyone to hang out with him, so he calls a bewildered Matt. Annie is conferring with a professor. Mary strays even further away from her parent's image of her when she is tempted to drink and smoke one night after work. Also, Mary makes friends with married co-workers Frankie and Johnny with questionable morals while working the late shift. Matt blows Simon's chance at a big date with an older woman when Matt is distracted by a close encounter of the female kind and forgets to pick up Simon. Also, Lucy gets a taste of the not-so-glamorous side of parenting when her and a classmate take care of an egg.

Exasperation reaches an all-time high in the Camden household, as Eric and Annie helplessly watch Mary and her worrisome friends continue to head down the path of destruction and into the hands of the law. When Frankie expresses interest in signing up for college classes, Mary starts checking out Lucy's early application packets. Meanwhile, Simon has a hot date, and Lucy gets a weird proposition from a classmate. Lastly, Ruthie discovers the manipulative fun of keeping a diary.

Tensions run high as a doubtful Julie lets Mary babysit Erica, only if Mary has no visitors. But when Frankie comes by and begs Mary to take care of her baby Mercy, Mary can't resist helping her. Then, Mary is then caught with an open bottle of beer while babysitting. Meanwhile, Lucy volunteers to supervise Ruthie's sleep over, and to watch the twins. Simon is on a quest to change his image, and does this by piercing his ear. Matt pursues a woman who wants nothing to do with him. Also, Eric and Annie clash with Mary's disreputable friends.

Irresponsible 'adult' Mary fails to realize how deep she's sinking, but both parents and siblings piece together from various sources she's about to hit rock-bottom and wants to help, but how? Eric can barely keep Annie from intervening directly before they know everything. As even Simon is near-broke and Matt can't keep up pretending he's a lawyer, the kids decide to 'borrow' enough from the twins' full piggy-banks to advance her all due debts. But creditors seeing cash convince her to 'refinance' over longer, which means even more interest.

The monthly day when the twins' piggybacks are enriched with §10 is ahead, so the siblings fear the game is up unless Mary manages to repay the 'loan', but now her debt is reshuffled she idly spends her days in the movie theatre. So the Camden parents soon learn the dreadful truth they already dreaded. After pondering how to help her, a family intervention proving she's still in haughty denial, the last resort is packing her off to Buffalo, to be taken in hand by the Colonel.

Simon lets his mate Luke set them up with the Murphy twins, who fall for his cool 'bad boy' image by association with Mary, but the vixens make the knaves join them in shoplifting and other mischief. Matt falls in love at first sight with a girl in a wedding dress, actually model Julie. Only Mike teaches Lucy how to handle gossip. Annie seeks comfort with a friend, positive thinking guru Robin, who turns out rather negative.

There is cause for alarm when the Camdens disapprove of Simon's new friends, one of whom insults Annie and Lucy with his chauvinistic remarks. Norton, the kid that Simon befriends, is a fan of violent rap whose negative attitude towards women seems to be influenced by misogynist lyrics. At the same time, Eric and Annie confront Simon about his new-found interest in rap music and somewhat misogynist attitude towards women. Heather reconnects with Matt, but Matt is unsure of her intentions. He then finds out that she is dating someone else again!

Despite the disapproval from the rest of the family and his own hesitations, Eric invites Mary's ex-boyfriend Robbie Palmer to stay with them for a night after learning that he's homeless. Matt also shows up unexpectedly after being kicked out of his apartment by John, who needs quality time with his girlfriend. Meanwhile, Mary calls home again and hears Robbie's voice on the other end, and assumes he's dating Lucy now. Also, John proposes to his girlfriend Priscilla in front of Matt.

A month has passed since Eric invited Mary's ex-boyfriend to stay with them until he got on his feet. Robbie happily continues to act as a member of the household, and it's driving Annie crazy. Robbie is Eric's latest project, Ruthie's new best friend, recipient of Simon's financial advice, and according to Mary, Lucy's boyfriend. He's even cooking and folding laundry (the wrong way!). Frustrated and emotionally strained, Annie starts to think nobody needs a mother anymore. Matt also feels unneeded by the family due to Robbie, and pays an unexpected visit to Heather and her new boyfriend.

Robbie is threatened with eviction by Eric for apparently keeping secrets about Mary. The home buzzes with rumors and secret talk, but in the end it's all just an elaborate surprise party for Eric's birthday. Johhny dropped his baby at the Camden's door after Frankie enraged him and left completely. Mike trusts Lucy enough to mind his ma one evening, but she confides in Lucy she wants Mike to sell the house, put her in a home and resume his life.

Robbie is not amused by week-long roommate Matt's jealous whining, but still helps him make up with John, who lacked the courage to tell Priscilla her 'Japanese' room remodeling disgusts both guys. Mike decides after a kiss without chemistry to trade in Lucy for Elaina Casey, while matching Lucy with Mike's friend Jeremy. Simon and Robbie prevent suddenly jealous Lucy's reactions spoiling the whole partner-switch, which thus ends well.

Robbie admits to the Camden tribe, but only after long guessing and the facts, that his Valentine's date was with Cheryl again, but it actually provides closure, for he still wants Mary. Jeremy impresses Lucy with a fancy dinner and more, regardless of her exes popping up everywhere. The other siblings miss out on dates, but still dislike the twins' birthday party, the childishness of which finally gets through to the parents.

An item found in a lost wallet starts speculations whether it's Simon's or Robbie's and how to make sure it doesn't mean their dates go too far. None of the siblings gives Mary the triumphant welcome she hoped for at her first weekend visit, so Robbie is scolded for not wildly kissing her.

Robbie's father Ed Palmer, a deadbeat who left the boys very young, turns up and slickly gets free board, next convinces his boy to move out and rent a room together. Eric perseveres to make Robbie realize he can't waste his future on a super-dad that never existed, as his very imperfect mother always claimed. Simon's social life clashes badly with parental essay standard demands. Matt is furious to find Ruthie lied to use him in willful disobedience. Lucy hangs out with classmate Ashley's 'cool' mother Serena, only to find a 'regular' mother is better.

Matt is terrified when summoned stat for a psychological session, standard for med students. After an unsatisfactory attempt to be 'coached' by therapy-experienced Mike, Matt lands with Doc, who turns out to be fraud and yet a godsend. Simon wants to break up with older, yet immature Sasha, but lets various advice how to go easy on her complicate things for him. Eric confronts a rather blunt hospital doctor about what to tell terminal patients like Harold Mann about their life expectancy and why.

Robbie is told last, despite Camden's advice for her to be open, that Mary has bumped into her ex Wilson, who does a course in Buffalo, and agreed to a dinner at his place. Robbie is doubly vexed as he immediately calls her after meeting a lookalike, Marie, also a basketball player, whom he asked over to get hold of her study notes. Matt meets and dates Cheryl before he realizes she's Robbie's ex. Mary also bumps into Lucy's Jeremy.

Annie discovers that the particularly flirtatious mother of one of Lucy's friends, Serena is seeing Eric for therapy sessions. Annie strongly requests that he refers her to someone else. Annie then has to deal with the guilt over her jealousy-induced interference between the two. Also, Simon is mortified when word gets around school over the fact that he's a virgin. Annie had shared the details of Simon's sexual inexperience with his ex-girlfriend's (Sasha) mother, Rita. Meanwhile, Matt struggles about telling Robbie he's interested with his ex-girlfriend, Cheryl. Lastly, Robbie is also hiding a secret from Matt that involves his ex-girlfriend Heather.

At first, Annie is devastated when she finds out her father secretly had a daughter out of wedlock. Eventually, she comes to accept her new half-sister.