Family Ties - Season 7 (1988)

Lauren is upset over the lack of communication and emotional sharing between herself and Alex. She suggests that they see a therapist to discover the cause of their problem.

After jogging with Elyse, Steven feels chest pains. He is taken to the hospital, and they find out he had a heart attack. While there, the family meets relatives of patients who suffered heart attacks, while facing the issue of mortality.

Steven has an operation to clear a valve after his heart attack. As they wait and worry, Elyse and the kids remember life with Steven. They take comfort talking and sharing with other people, while their concerns over the future deepen.

Family and friends continue their vigil while Steven has his operation. The operation is a success, and home they go. But Steven has to adjust to restrictions in food and activity, while the family treats him as an elderly invalid.

Mallory and Skippy attend Career Day at Grant College. Skippy finds out he has no aptitude for any skill or job. He decides to join the Army. Skippy takes to Basic Training in usual form. Also, the family continues to treat Steven gently.

Jennifer is starting to see Josh, whose older brother Jeff used to date Mallory. Mallory remembers all the hurt feelings from when Jeff dumped her, and she urges Jennifer to stop seeing Josh.

Andy celebrates his 7th birthday, and Alex tells him to just look for cash and not read the cards. Nick is reunited with his dog from when he lived at home. But after he runs in the street and is hit by a car, Nick faces difficult choices.

Steven struggles for an idea for his next documentary. When Andy has his new friends visit, the Keatons find out they are from the retirement home, and Steven sees this as his idea. When Joseph proposes to Eva, his son protests.

With Alex looking for a job, his friend Paul recommends him to join his financial firm. Alex is offered the position, but finds out that Paul has been fired, and his new job is as his replacement. Alex feels conflicted about the situation.

Mallory has a new passion - massage. Also, Elyse finds out the first building she designed is slated to be torn down and the space used for a mall. Elyse and the family fight city hall to keep the building from being destroyed.

Skippy has trouble meeting girls, so Lauren decides to be a matchmaker. As they work together, he falls in love with her. Jennifer gets her learner's permit; Steven and Elyse compete to show who is the better driving instructor.

Mallory is ready to buy a car from Nick's father, but she needs a co-signer on the loan. Steven refuses to do it because Mallory wants to drive on a cross-country trip with Nick, so he turns to Nick's father for support in his decision.

The 10-year-old papergirl has a crush on Alex, and he cannot escape her. Jennifer and Simon work together at a fast food place for a school project on teens in the workplace, but he's so smitten by Jennifer that he can't focus on work.

At Elyse's suggestion, Steven's black coworker Gus and his family move in across the street, but are met with resistance. After their family is threatened, the Keatons try to reason with neighbors and have Gus stay.

The Keatons try to persuade friend Gus and his family not to move, despite neighbors who object to a black family moving in. But when their house is vandalized, it's hard to convince them to stay, as the Keatons help to clean the house.

Alex's girlfriend Lauren is attending a conference for a few weeks, and he is conducting an economics class at Leland College to finish his degree. A music student in the class needs tutoring, and she and Alex find a mutual attraction.

Lauren returns from her conference, and Alex confesses he is interested in Marty more than he should be, forcing him to choose between the two women. As he graduates from college, Alex must makes decisions about his life and future.

Jennifer's science class is studying ecology, and saving the environment becomes an obsession for her. She wants to change everything the family does, but gets depressed about the future. Steven and Elyse have her talk to a counselor.

Andy has to make a time capsule for a school project, and everyone contributes something unique to the box. As items go in the box, the family reminisces about the item and their lives at those times.

While helping Andy make his time capsule for school, Nick, Alex and Skippy recall pivotal moments from their past - especially their romantic endeavors.

Nick needs somewhere to stay while his apartment is painted, and the Keatons take him in for the week. Steven, on vacation, warily monitors Nick and Mallory, but his longstanding distant attitude towards Nick leads to a confrontation, and a reevaluation of his opinion of Nick. Elyse resists having Alex do the family's taxes, not wanting to exploit what she regards as unfair loopholes - but how long can she hold out?

As Alex packs his belongings for a move to New York, each family member has a chance to say goodbye. Nick and Skippy show up to help Alex pack, and his ex-girlfriend Lauren brings a gift.