List of The Cosby Show episodes

Clair is furious when Theo brings home a report card with 4 D's. He tells Cliff that he has no intention of going to college, as he feels that he is destined to be a "regular person." Cliff uses Monopoly money to teach him about the economic realities that many blue-collar workers must face. He assures Theo that he only wants him to try his best. Cliff is alarmed to meet Denise's latest beau, a former merchant marine who once spent time in a Turkish prison.

When Rudy's pet goldfish Lamont dies, Cliff tries to bring the family together for a funeral in the bathroom. The festivities end when Rudy gets bored and leaves to watch TV.

Theo wants to impress a girl by wearing an expensive shirt by designer Gordon Gartrelle. Since Cliff and Clair will not pay for it, Denise offers to make a copy of the shirt for him.

Cliff's father, Russell, pays a visit and begins questioning Cliff about the kids' college choices. He asks Denise about Hillman, his and Cliff's alma mater. Denise is dead-set against it at first, until Russell tells her that he males outnumber the females there.

While Clair cares for a friend's baby, she begins to consider having another. Cliff desperately tries to talk her out of it, claiming that babies are "false advertising." Clair's mother, Carrie, then reminds her that the older you are when you have kids, the older you'll be if they end up having to come back and live at home.

Vanessa plays the clarinet in the school's orchestra. Though she tries her best and practices daily, she simply cannot play the instrument. She plays an embarrassing solo at the school concert, but her parents support her anyway.

Sondra, the eldest Huxtable child makes her first appearance when she visits home for Thanksgiving. She plans on going to Paris for the summer, and hopes that her parents will support the decision.

Theo gets hs ear pierced to impress a girl, but Denise thinks it might be infected. She is correct, and Theo must go to Cliff. Cliff hopes that Grandpa Huxtable will punish Theo, but the old man instead relates the story of how Cliff tried to slick back his hair to impress Clair, but ended up burning it off! Russell brags, and Anna reminds him of the time that he had a tattoo of her name placed on his chest, but ended up with a huge scar on his chest when he tried to remove it after Anna found out he was actually trying to impress another girl!

Cliff is set to receive an important award, but a woman goes into labor right before the ceremony. Theo delivers his speech for him.

Cliff tries to impress Denise's friends by teaching them how to jitterbug. Some of Clair's friends also show off their dance moves. Soon, the house is full of dancers.

Clair discovers a marijuana joint in one of Theo's school books. She and Cliff confront him about it, and accept his explanation another boy slipped it in. Theo confronts the boy and brings him home to confess in order to remove any uncertainly from his parents about his telling the truth. Theo and the boy actually start to become friends.

Vanessa is placed in an advanced science class. She creates a model of the solar system, but learns that she will have to work harder than ever if she hopes to succeed.

A mechanic tries to cheat Sondra, prompting Clair to come in to help. Cliff and Clair also pretend to hit on each other in court.

Guest stars: David Smyrl as the man in court, Shawn Elliott as Mr. Wilson, Alan North as Judge

Cliff's college track coach contacts him and asks to run in a charity event between Hillman and its rival, Norton College. Heathcliff "Combustible Huxtable" trains, but soon learns that he is not the runner he was all those years ago.

Rudy invites all her friends over for a slumber party. It's Cliff job to watch over them, and he demonstrates some unique games to wrangle the youngsters. In the end, Russell drops by and demonstrates the perfect way to deal with kids -- bribe them!

Guest stars: First appearance of Peter Costa as Peter, the Huxtables' neighbor, Earle Hyman as Russell, Alicia Keys (billed under her given name of Alicia Cook)

Cliff, Clair, and the Huxtable clan volunteer at a local community center. There, a battered boy tries to find help, and the owner Tony Castillo does his best to lend assistance.

Guest stars: Alexis Cruz as Enrique Tarron, Ada Maris as Selena Cruz, Angela Bassett as Mrs. Mitchell, Lisa Mordente as Expectant Mother #1

Cliff is turning 48, and as usual, he is trying to find out what his birthday present is ahead of time. Clair, with the help of the kids, orchestrates a huge trick. Cliff is fooled, and doesn't find about that his birthday surprise is a visit from Lena Horne.

For Russell and Anna's 49th wedding anniversary, the family commissions a portrait of the couple as newlyweds, and offers them a cruise to Europe. Later in the evening, the whole family performs Ray Charles "Night Time Is the Right Time", with Theo, Rudy, and Cliff each lip-synching a solo.

Sondra breaks up with her boyfriend Elvin and is depressed, taking it out on the family. Cliff and Clair aren't exactly unhappy; they find Elvin rather annoying. Later, he appears at the house with flowers and tries to apologize. While there, he offers some of his sexist rhetoric to Clair, who quickly becomes annoyed.

When friend Suzanne accompanies Denise to observe the Huxtables' normal behavior, a smitten Theo behaves far from normal.

Vanessa has a crush on one Robert Forman, who comes to her Halloween party. Daydreaming about her love, she drops an entire tray of glasses and embarrasses herself in front of the guests.

Denise wants to buy a car. She plans to use her savings to do so, but Cliff and Clair quickly point out flaws in her plan. The answer to everyone's problems comes from friend Mr. Lucas, who has an old car he is willing to sell. Denise proves herself a good driver, and the car is hers.

Clair's sister Sarah gets engaged.

Denise asks Cliff to talk to her friend, who has a medical problem. Cliff diagnoses the girl as having a mild bladder infection but learns that she was wary of telling her parents for fear she was pregnant. Cliff and Clair decide to show the kids that they can tell them anything, but the children quickly point out that their parents will just get angry. Cliff admits that anger is part of problems, but tells the children that no matter what, they will be loved.

Guest star: Stacey Dash as Michelle, Denise's friend

Clair bids on a painting by her great-uncle that her grandmother had once owned. Attempting to win her favor, Elvin tries to bake her a cake but fails miserably; he then gets advice from Cliff on how to pass himself off as a good cook.

Guest star: John L. Marion, head of Sotheby's, the prestigious New York auction house, as the auctioneer.

Vanessa steals a sweater from Denise. The two soon begin to fight. In the end, Rudy choice of television viewing, the "I Have A Dream" speech, reminds the whole family of what a real problem is.

Theo and his friend Cockroach scheme to pass a test on William's Shakespeare's "Macbeth", which neither one has read. They instead rent a record album of the play, which comes with its own consequences, but their savior comes in the form of Cleveland Notes (a reference to CliffsNotes).

Peter goes to the dentist but has Rudy come along for moral support so Peter won't be afraid of the dentist anymore.

Guest Star: Danny Kaye

Russell plays in a tribute with the band he played in years ago.

Stevie Wonder invites the Huxtables to a recording session after his limo collides with Denise's car. Wonder performs "I Just Called to Say I Love You" with Clair and the family.

Theo's math teacher has a baby and Cockroach shows a different side.

After Theo claims that he'll have no problem making it in the "real world", the Huxtables convert their house in the "Real World Apartments" and teach him a lesson about the real world; needing employment and references to get an apartment, income to get a bank loan, having to pay for his meals, etc.

Cliff plays pinochle with his father, a former teacher, and a friend. Theo buys a cheap ring for his girlfriend Tanya.

In a charity run, Cliff races at the Penn Relays with "Tailwind" Turner, but his time in the lead is about to be cut short. Notes: Portions were filmed at the Penn Relays, held in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field.

It is Russell and Anna's 50th wedding anniversary, so the Huxtables perform James Brown's "I got the Feelin'."

Theo writes a report on the March on Washington. But gets a poor grade and is asked to redo his project. Much to his surprise he learns more about the march from his family than he did from books. Meanwhile, Vanessa is worried about asking a boy to the turn-around dance.

Theo and Cockroach decide they want to learn to fly, but Cliff doesn't want to waste his money on another dream of his son's. Meanwhile, Rudy comes home with a new friend apparently named "Bud."

Vanessa invites the captains of her school's pep squad to her house, but after she tells them how much Clair spent on a painting, the girls at school begin to call Vanessa a stuck-up rich girl. Meanwhile, Rudy asks Theo to teach her how to play checkers, and Cliff pays a visit to the local electronics store just for a new remote, or so Clair thinks.

Denise's college career starts with a D, but Denise is to scared to show her parents. Clair needs to rest in bed because of a pinched nerve. Rudy portrays "the wind" in a school play.

Guest star: Rosalind Cash as Dr. Hughes

Cliff buys a new car. Rudy cuts some animal pictures out of Cliff's expensive books for school.

Guest stars: Gilbert Gottfried and Sinbad

Denise has a blind date, but is really scared. So she asks Theo to grade him for her!!!! But this soon leads to a big hilarious mix up.

Cliff is called to the hospital for 3 simultaneous deliveries.

Rudy gets hurt from Theo's rough games. Rudy cries, and Theo gets punished. Clair goes to a doctor and gets the same advice that Cliff gave her. Cliff learns that the woman who cleans up the Doctor's Lounge at the hospital.

Absent: Sabrina Le Beauf as Sondra Huxtable and Lisa Bonet as Denise Huxtable.

Denise holds a bridal shower for her pregnant and bribe-to-be friend Veronica but finds out some disturbing information. Absent: Sabrina Le Beauf as Sondra Huxtable.

Cliff's 50th birthday has all kinds of surprises.

Cliff's navy friend comes to visit. Cockroach shaves his head to be in a rock video.

The Huxtable family goes to Hillman College to attend a ceremony in honor of its president's retirement.

Guest stars: Joe Seneca and Gloria Foster

The newlywed Sondra and Elvin return from their honeymoon with shocking news for Cliff and Clair: They want to abandon their dreams of being lawyer and doctor and open an outdoorsman's "wilderness store."

Theo and Cockroach come home unusually late from a track meet, and they both deny anything out of the ordinary happened. Theo continuously lies about what happened, especially after a call from his principal comes while he's not home. A suspicious Clair, attorney at law, holds a mock trial against Theo and Cockroach in order to get to the bottom of what happened.

While setting up the house as a "haunted house" for Halloween, Cliff discovers he lost a power drill that his neighbor loaned for him.

Theo must-read Julius Caesar for school but complains that it is boring. Russell and his friends read scenes from the play aloud, and Theo is enthralled. Later, the men read from a different work of literature a story Rudy wrote!

Guest stars: Lisa Bonet, Christopher Plummer, Roscoe Lee Browne

Rudy goes to an older widowed lady's house each afternoon to have tea and play cards, but notices that she refuses to take her daily medication for diabetes. She tells Cliff, who devises a plan to try to convince her that she needs meds to live.

Theo and Vanessa lose track of Rudy in a mall while Clair enters a squash exhibition.

Guest stars: Louis Nye as a rival entrant

Theo and Cockroach have tickets to appear on television on the dance show "Dance Mania", but are told that only one of them can enter the studio during the filming because of fire laws. Theo miscalculates by offering to let Cockroach go in (thinking he'll refuse) and gets angry when Cockroach takes him up on the offer.

Vaudeville is shown to Rudy and her friends, who are unimpressed.

Clair drags Cliff to her book club meeting, and he's the lone male there. Much to Cliff's surprise, Cliff knows quite a bit about the book in question! Meanwhile, the kids attempt a sleepover at Sondra and Elvin's run-down studio apartment but are overwhelmed by the noise and lack of utilities.

Rudy has to play the violin in music class at school but gets jealous because she thinks her classmates' instruments are more fun.

Cliff and a friend play pétanque.

A friend of Clair's has marital problems; Cliff takes a "mini vacation" in the house as Theo, Rudy, and Vanessa try to stamp each other with riddles.

Theo, Danny, and Smitty go to great lengths to impress their dates for the senior prom but fail disastrously; Cliff and Clair relive their own prom.

Cliff follows up his "lost weekend" food binge with a day of emergency fasting for his annual blood test and physical. Despite his yeoman performance on the treadmill, the results indicate that his overindulgence in hoagies, chocolate soda and strawberry cheesecake must cease. Meanwhile, Denise is not fazed in the least by her firing from the record company. She picks herself up, dusts herself off, orders a large cheese pie – and then gets hired on as a waitress in the pizza parlor.

Vanessa falls victim to a rumor circulating around school that her boyfriend Roy has broken off their romance. Rudy offers Vanessa some sisterly advice: be really tough, remember that the woman is the boss and do not forget to tell him off! As her anxiety builds and her confidence deteriorates, Vanessa becomes increasingly clumsy, much to the chagrin of everyone in her path. Meanwhile, Denise's prospective employer, a photojournalist who is preparing a book on the pygmy tribes, persuades Cliff and Clair to allow Denise to accompany her to Africa.

Bedlam erupts in the Huxtable kitchen when Sondra goes into labor. In his confusion, Elvin drives off to the hospital without her. When he and Sondra drive to the Hospital, Sondra is forced to drive the car. Everyone gathers in the hospital waiting room to hear the surprise news – Sondra has delivered twins! Named Winnie and Nelson. Also, Elvin will be going back to medical school. Meanwhile, on the Huxtable's residence, Theo has second thoughts about his girlfriend, Justine, when he meets Julia, the beautiful co-ed who is dating his friend Howard. When Cliff and Clair returned home, she is trying to figure out what a "Grandma" is. Also, they enjoy the Spaghetti and meatballs, cooked by Theo and Howard.

Clair hopes an exercise instructor, known as "The Bonecrusher", will help her fit into her new evening gown. Clair throws herself into the workouts, but her efforts are undermined by a mischievous Cliff. It seems he is so upset that she has not told him about her plan to lose five pounds in a week that he will pull every underhanded trick in his book to "test" her willpower – including the ultimate temptation: guacamole and corn chips.

Babymania grips the Huxtable household, with Elvin videotaping every waking moment of his children's lives. It turns out that Elvin can't stop to shoot a video. When Russell shows up with eight tickets to a Michael Jackson concert, Sondra convinces the paranoid papa that it is okay to leave the twins with "strangers" like Clair and Cliff for a few hours. Clair gets called away suddenly on a case, leaving Cliff to act as sole baby-sitter. Eventually, caring for two infants takes its toll, and Clair returns to find three slumbering cherubs in the living room.

Clair's television career gets off to a rousing start when she is invited to be a guest panelist on a Sunday morning current events talk show. She is a big hit with the producers, but cannot stand the three insufferable chauvinists on the panel with her. Meanwhile, poor Cliff is suffering prewithdrawal pains; Clair has purchased a beautiful new sofa for the living room and his favorite old sofa and chair are to be banished from the house. In a moving finale, Cliff bids a sentimental farewell to his "old friends".

Cliff and Clair take a well-earned break from kids and chores, depositing Rudy at Grandma's, dropping Vanessa at a friend's house and heading for the Poconos. That leaves Theo alone in the house for the weekend. When his friends hear about it, they organized a party. But, somehow, the "intimate gathering" of close friends turns into an open house for hundreds, most of them strangers. The house is soon trashed, leaving Theo to face the wrath of Cliff, who wonders why there is "no place in America to get rid of your kid".

Cliff tracks down the only living relative of his unmarried patient, who is about to deliver her first child. Her grandfather, a 67-year-old former boxer named Ray Palomino is reluctant to get involved because he is afraid that his secret of being illiterate will be discovered. But thanks to an emotional delivery room meeting with his lovely granddaughter, some prodding from Cliff and a waiting room encounter with a retired English teacher who offers to coach him, the ex-fighter vows to make a "comeback".

Time marches on, but some things never change. Cliff rents his favorite children's movies for Rudy's party, but Rudy prefers more contemporary titles. Rudy patiently explains the facts of life, "It's a New Age. Dad – get with it!" and asks for permission to go to bed when she feels like it, instead of at 9:30. Crafty Cliff agrees, knowing full well that Rudy's enthusiasm for staying awake all night will wane in a week. She actually lasts four days, but not without first seeing (and borrowing hard-boiled dialogue from) every late night 1930s gangster movie on the tube.

Theo wants the freedom to date other women, but when his girlfriend Justine shows up at the college hangout with another guy, Theo's attitude turns her off. He tries turning to a voodoo expert, Dr. Lotus, for help in removing Scott from the picture, but he cannot afford the doctor's hefty fee. When Theo asks Dad for the money, Cliff has a much better (and cheaper) idea. He applies an old (and unbelievably messy) Huxtable family concoction to Theo's hands and face that is guaranteed to get Justine back – and teach Theo a valuable lesson.

Cliff proudly introduces Elvin and Theo to his former basketball coach. The boys ask the coach why Cliff is so "sour on basketball." The coach is intrigued, but Cliff will not tell him – until Clair pulls out a videotape of his last "game." This charity game at the hospital between a team of male doctors and a team of female lab technicians shows Cliff at his winded, flat-footed worst on the court and at his most underhanded and devious between whistles. Nancy Lieberman heads the women's team, while Walt Hazzard, Dave DeBusschere and Senator Bill Bradley lead the men. Also, Rudy and Vanessa admire an athletic Cliff in an old photo album and Cliff and Clair reminisce about his "glory days".

When Rudy interferes with Theo and Justine's chocolate mousse-making in the kitchen, Theo complains to Cliff that they are constantly being interrupted and are never alone. Cliff suggests that Theo take Justine to a long foreign film with subtitles if he really wants to be alone with her. When they cannot find one, Justine decides to work to pick up extra money and Theo agrees to help a beautiful drama student rehearse a play. But he gets carried away during a love scene and Justine breaks off their romance. Cliff advises Theo to beg, plead and then "go to the next level" if he wants to get her back. But even Theo's howling like a dog and groveling at her feet fails to change Justine's mind.

Guest Star: Tichina Arnold

The kids launch Clair's 46th birthday with a candle in her morning grapefruit and a litany of references to how good she "still" looks. Cliff continues the assault with a description of how 50 is "right around the corner" and with a big sign that wishes her an (oops) "Happy 64th Birthday." Plácido Domingo provides one bright spot as he sings Bésame Mucho to her, but later, she must sit through an irreverent serenade from Cliff and a family "tribute" called When Mom Was My Age. The final indignity: Cliff tempts her to abandon her diet for not one but three calorie-laden whipped cream cakes. Overwhelmed at last, Clair plunges hungrily into one of the cakes – without a fork!

When Theo's friend Denny finds an expensive watch on the street, Theo and the gang suggest he give it to Jade, his new high-class girlfriend, to impress her. It works like a charm until the police show up and reveal that the watch was stolen days earlier. When Jade refuses to give up this "symbol of Denny's love," the police haul her into the station for questioning. Denny is forced to admit that he found the watch and Jade dumps him so Denny, Theo and the gang find themselves dateless on Saturday night. They take refuge in the Huxtable basement, pretending to be having a good time without their women, until Cliff's rambling non-sequiturs finally drive them out into the night.

Theo wants to go to Egypt for an archaeological dig, so he brings the hosting professor to dinner to help convince his parents to spend $1,500.

Denise surprises Cliff and Clair by returning home a week early from Africa. But even more surprising – she brings with her a new husband, naval officer Martin Kendall, and his 3-year-old daughter, Olivia. In typical Denise style, she not only neglected to tell her parents about her marriage, she never even told them about Martin's existence! And it does not take Cliff long to figure out where the newlyweds will be living until Martin's naval housing is approved – the Huxtable Inn, of course.

Cliff's story about how he and his roommates cleaned their floors in college inspires Theo and his buddies to strap soapy sponges to their butts and slide across the kitchen floor. Unfortunately, their landlord (who lives directly beneath them) is not amused by their ingenuity – he is too busy cleaning up the water damage! Theo and his friends are evicted, spurring Cliff into immediate action to have them reinstated (lest Theo be forced to return to the Huxtable's already overflowing abode).

Vanessa and her girlfriends are asking for trouble when they play the alphabet game with a bottle of bourbon. Vanessa chug-a-lugs her way to a miserable night of sickness and through a nasty hangover the next day. But Cliff and Clair decide to hammer the lesson home even further. They devise an alphabet game of their own that includes Rudy, four shot glasses, a bottle of booze (really tea) and a confused and extremely reluctant Vanessa.

Even after raising three daughters, Cliff's in over his head when Rudy reports her first "boy trouble." Clarence, the boy she likes, likes her. But his friends taunt him about it, so he treats Rudy badly to quiet them. Clarence and Rudy's relationship quickly deteriorates from a love match to teasing, name-calling and a knock-down, drag-out fight. Cliff tries to give Rudy his facts-of-life speech (the one about boys being like helicopters and girls being like geraniums). But at the school dance, the wise Mrs. McGee pairs Rudy and Clarence and they mend fences all on their own.

Guest star: Elaine Stritch

Cliff's ingestion of a sausage hero immediately before bedtime brings on a dream in which spores contaminate the U.S. water supply (except in New Jersey) and impregnate thousands of men, including Cliff, Elvin and Martin. Theo, the only unwed mother-to-be, soon joins them. They commiserate and console each other, but their solace is short-lived. Contractions send them all to the hospital and into the most bizarre delivery room.

Cliff's late-night eating habits finally bite back, with a vengeance! His nightmare is filled with such Muppet characters as overstuffed talking sandwiches, back-talking refrigerator denizens and a bloodthirsty mob of creatures in the operating theater of Cliff's hospital. It seems that Cliff is scheduled to perform a delicate operation for their viewing pleasure, but he somehow winds up on the table as the patient, before waking up safe and sound in his own bed.

Guest stars: The Muppets, performed by Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Kevin Clash, Fran Brill, voice-over by Cliff's friend Jeffery Engels (Wallace Shawn)

Phylicia Rashād, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Lisa Bonet, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam and Raven-Symoné host this special episode featuring bloopers from the past five seasons.

Theo and Justine take a big step without telling either set of parents, and it all comes out, literally, in the wash. When Cliff finds Justine's undergarments in Theo's wash load, Theo comes clean and admits that he and Justine have been living together ever since her roommate moved out. When Cliff and Clair refuse to support him unless he returns to his own apartment, Theo takes a bold and defiant stand. But level-headed Justine brings reality back into focus for Theo, and together they make a wise decision for their future.

Vanessa and her girlfriends display extraordinarily bad judgment when they lie and deceive their way into borrowing a car belonging to one of the girls' brothers and making a trip to Baltimore to see a rock concert behind their parents' backs. The journey is disastrous: the car is stolen at a stop in Wilmington, Delaware and later found completely stripped by the local police, a con artist cheats them out of their concert tickets shortly after they make it to the concert by bus, and a pickpocket takes all their travel money just before they finally decide to go home. The girls are only saved by running into a friend of another one of the girls' brothers who provides them with bus fare. Back at home, the girls' deception is gradually unravelled: the Huxtables see news reports of a dangerous fire near the one friend's house where the girls claimed they would be staying for the evening (with the friend's grandmother revealing that she's the only one home) and that the concert is in Baltimore, and learn of the stolen car and the girls' failure to report it from the mother of the girl whose brother owned it, who was notified by the Wilmington police. In the end, all the girls' misfortunes pale in comparison to the reception that awaits Vanessa upon her return home – Hurricane Clair strikes with all the fury of a mother enraged, telling her daughter that she may never be trusted again and sending her to bed with a severe pending punishment. Meanwhile, Olivia tries to impress Cliff with some jokes.

Denise applies to a local college, only to be told that her Hillman credits will not be accepted. She will have to enter as a freshman and need a tutor. She bemoans the fact that they will not give her credit for her "life experiences" – such as marriage and living at home with her parents. Always on the lookout for a shortcut to success, Denise is enthused when she hears Olivia's teacher using rap music to teach the children to count. But she is deflated again when she volunteers to become the teacher's apprentice and is turned down because she is without a college degree.

Guest stars: Max Roach and Suzzanne Douglass

Olivia cannot understand why she must go to church when God obviously wants her to go to the zoo with her friend. But after spending some time with Cliff's visiting great aunt Gramtee (Minnie Gentry), Olivia decides that she would rather take part in the family's togetherness in church the next day. Mavis Staples leads the choir and church in a rousing song.

Cliff and Clair look forward to reclaiming the house as another school year begins. Cliff pushes Vanessa out the door on her way to college, then rushes Rudy off to school. But Rudy's afraid that her prepubescent body will not measure up with the other sixth-graders. As Denise voices fears that Olivia's first day of pre-school will be traumatic, Olivia blithely announces "point me in the direction of that school and I'm outta here!" Finally, Cliff and Clair's peaceful afternoon is shattered when a weary Theo returns from his whirlwind, 17-day European tour to literally kiss their living room floor.

Theo's plan to hire a stripper for brother-in-law Martin's belated bachelor party sets off sparks in the Huxtable house and ignites a full-blown battle of the sexes. While the men consider the striptease "traditional," the women call it "archaic, demeaning and stupid." Even Grandma and Grandpa Huxtable get caught in the crossfire. But by the time the battle wanes and the smoke clears, its participants are lovey-dovey again. Is it the influence of reason or, as Cliff claims, the secret ingredient in his barbecue sauce?

Clair's teenage cousin Pam Tucker moves into the Huxtable home, triggering a period of adjustment for all concerned. Although she appreciates the upscale surroundings, Cliff and Clair's rules cramp her style. Weeknight parties are out, and Pam has already accepted an invitation from her boyfriend Slide. She is sorely tempted to defy the Huxtables' curfew, willing to let the punishment fit the crime. However, while testing the waters, she begins to appreciate the value of the curfew and the wisdom of its enforcers.

Pam's boyfriend Slide wants to take their relationship to "the next level" but Pam has reservations. Cliff and Clair's advice strengthens Pam's resolve to take things at her own speed. But caught between his "homies" and his hormones, Slide keeps pressing until Pam explodes in indignation. Still, she does not want to lose him to another girl. Meanwhile, Olivia introduces the family to Dwayne, an invisible Saint Bernard who becomes a most convenient scapegoat for all of Olivia's naughty escapades. Pam thinks she may be in love. And Slide's invitation for them to "get busy" is looking more and more acceptable. Clair tells Pam about an over-eager young suitor named Cliff who learned to respect teenage Clair's decision about the time and the place for intimacy. The little story gently reminds Pam that "if the man is good, he will wait." On the invisible dog front, the havoc wrought by Dwayne the Saint Bernard can no longer be overlooked. In fact, Cliff tells Olivia, Dwayne is now blaming Olivia for the mess!

Having broken up with Slide, Pam sets her sights on Aaron, a new student whose brains, compassion and integrity are all top of the class. Meanwhile, Alfred, a nervous expectant father turns to Cliff for tips on how to play basketball with his future son. Alfred also gets some insights from Theo on how boys view their fathers when it comes to sports. And both Alfred and Cliff get an enlightening lesson from their wives. Finally, Olivia announces her intention of becoming a doctor as well as a professional football player.

Bring on the hoagies, orange sodas and potato chips – it is playoff time. But Sondra upsets Elvin's football-watching plans by promising their help in moving two friends to a new apartment. Afraid he will miss the entire game, Elvin enlists the aid of "his brothers" Theo and Martin to hurry things along. In the day's most exciting match-up, Sondra and Nancy defend against the moving team's sneaky maneuvers and sloppy execution. In other football news, Clair demonstrates some impressive baton-twirling moves, while Olivia sticks to her original plan to become "Dr. Crusher, Middle Linebacker".

Theo is just one good grade away from the Dean's List. Fortified with devil's-food donuts and chocolate milk, he is determined to cram for tomorrow's Economics final. That is, until he lifts his head from the book in the college cafe and locks eyes with the girl of his dreams. A serious Economics recession begins; Theo escorts Cheryl to a party instead of hitting the books. Yet even while close dancing, his mind wanders to current indicators and the Gross National Product. Luckily, Cheryl's a girl who can add things up; she encourages him to go home and finish studying.

Theo helps Pam improve her grades – so much so that she starts thinking about college. Unfortunately, her Ivy League dreams are dashed by the nightmare of how much it will cost to get there. Her classmates are no help either – jealous of her improving grades, undermine her growing confidence. At home, Olivia announces her intention to become President, certain that the highest office in the land will give her the power to create her own flag, eat turkey stuffed with french fries and stay up "real, real late".

Basketball coach Ray Evans (John Ritter) and his wife Alicia (Amy Yasbeck) have devised the perfect game plan for the birth of their first child. Baby book in hand, the over-anxious couple prepares for any contingency. Their practice sessions run like clockwork. But when the first contractions begin, Ray falls apart! Worse, three hours into labor, a stressed-out Alicia turns on him – blaming Ray for "her condition." Crushed, Ray bails out. It takes much coaching from Cliff to get him off the bench and back into the game.

When Cliff and Dr. Harmon ditch their wives to team up for the charity pinochle tournament, the rejected spouses decide to enter the tournament themselves. But when the wives defeat the defending champs, suddenly only Cliff and Jim stand between them and the coveted trophy. Meanwhile, with Rudy as baby-sitter, Olivia whines her way into staying up late and watching a horror movie. But when their overactive imaginations detect monsters in the house, the girls take extreme measures to protect themselves.

With everyone else out of the house, Theo prepares for a romantic evening with his girlfriend, Cheryl. But his plans are thwarted by the Invasion of the Romance Snatchers! First, Denny and his girlfriend Ellen drop by in mid-spat. Then, Cliff and Clair return home, their ski weekend rained out. Grandma and Grandpa Huxtable drop by to borrow a table saw; and Elvin arrives to transport it to their house in his van. By the time Cheryl shows up, Theo's so confused he may need the rest of the evening to figure it all out.

Olivia, in bed with a cold and laryngitis, is miserable because she will not be able to sing at Grandma and Grandpa Huxtable's 55th wedding anniversary. Despite the exotic home remedies suggested by the steady stream of would-be "doctors" in the house, it is Cliff who actually saves the day by finding a way for Olivia to "voice" her feelings at the party. Meanwhile, longtime sweethearts Lance and Charmaine reminisce about the high points of their romance. But their fuzzy memories are no match for Aaron's total recall of even the most obscure events in his and Pam's four-month relationship.

It is bowling-night-as-usual: Cliff's team loses; low bowler buys dinner; that is Cliff. During the post-game Chinese meal, Carleton and Dr. Harmon – two cricket-playing Caribbean natives – must endure a walk down baseball's memory lane led by former baseball greats (Frank Robinson and Joe Black). Revenge is sweet, though, as a late-night game in the middle of the Huxtable living room, separates the cricketeers from the boys of summer.

Everyone tries to keep Cliff from hearing about the 50%-off sale at Jake's, his favorite appliance store. But their efforts are to no avail; Cliff already has set his sights on an electric sander. While at the store, Cliff hears Jake recount the story of the damages he had to pay to Stanley Rappaport, his former friend (and now worst enemy), for a traffic accident. It does not mean much to Cliff until Jake's daughter Cookie introduces Cliff to her fiance, Jonathan Rappaport, and begs Cliff to reconcile Jake with Jonathan's father...Stanley.

Guest stars: Red Buttons, E. G. Marshall and Audrey Landers.

Theo begins his internship in psychology as a counselor at a local community center. His new charges test him immediately. Wise to their tricks because he used to pull them himself, Theo wins a few skirmishes, but then loses his cool. The next day, he is less concerned about his image and more interested in helping his kids. One student, Stanley, reminds him of himself when he was younger: defensive about his messy notebook, sloppy handwriting and slow reading speed. Thus, Theo begins to suspect that Stanley has a learning disability, too.

Guest star: Lynne Thigpen

Vanessa, home from college, announces, "I'm engaged." "To do what?" Cliff asks, dumbstruck. Vanessa then reveals her year-long relationship and six-month engagement to Dabnis, a college maintenance supervisor who is, by his own admission, "knocking on 30." Since Cliff and Clair did not know that Vanessa was even dating anyone, the news is a shock. Cliff and Clair take turns confronting their formerly level-headed daughter. Clair voices concern about how far apart Vanessa and Dabnis are in age, while Cliff questions Vanessa's "back door presentation of both her relationship and her fiance."

Rudy and two girlfriends don makeup and trendy clothes to crash "The Exchange," an "Over 16" dance club in New York City. Cliff and Clair overhear the plan and decide to let them go – with Pam, Lance and Charmaine as secret chaperones. Since the teen club is a big step down for them, the three mature high schoolers are praying that no one recognizes them. A would-be Romeo tries to hit on Rudy and her friends; Lance steers him away without blowing his cover. But when Pam wins a chance to dance with headline rapper J.T. Freeze, she completely loses her cool.

Olivia is upset because Martin is leaving for the Orient. After extracting a promise that he will not leave without saying goodbye, Olivia hides herself in the living room closet, hoping to delay his departure indefinitely. The rest of the family prepares to welcome legendary African singer Miriam Makeba to the Huxtable home. But Ms. Makeba almost gets lost in the shuffle when Martin comes downstairs to leave, Olivia is nowhere to be found and the whole family abandons their honored guest to search for the six-year-old.

Eager for extra cash, Pam fills in for Cliff's regular assistant. Everything is under control until Mrs. Minifield bypasses the hospital and arrives on Cliff's doorstep with contractions less than four minutes apart. Meanwhile, Kenny shows up to work on a school science project with Rudy and Stanley. Hoping to make Rudy jealous, Kenny has brought along his girlfriend of three days, Deirdre. Rudy sees right through Kenny's plan, and so does Deirdre. She dumps Kenny before the paste is dry on their model. Only then does he realize that he actually likes Deirdre.

Guest star: Ed Lover

Knowing Cliff's penchant for junk food, Clair searches Cliff's favorite hiding places for chips and cookies before she leaves for a business trip. All she finds are fruits, greens and other healthful items. "I've turned over a new leaf," promises Cliff. With the help of every condiment in the refrigerator, the girls manage to make palatable Cliff's dinner of boiled chicken, brown rice and steamed broccoli. Later, Sondra intercepts a late-night delivery of Buffalo chicken wings, pizza and ice cream. "Olivia," Cliff yells upstairs, "That food you ordered is here!" But as Cliff downs his last slice of pizza, Clair calls from Washington.

The boxes are packed, the moving van is loaded, but Cliff still has his doubts. "I've been burned before," he reminds Clair when she reports that Sondra, Elvin and the twins are ready to depart. While Elvin and Sondra supervise the unloading in New Jersey, Winnie and Nelson remain with Cliff, who would rather take a nap than look after the twins. A game of hide-and-seek ensues and Cliff knocks over the grandfather clock, breaking it. By the time Elvin returns, Cliff is not a happy camper. This may not be the best time for Elvin to explain to Cliff that now he and Sondra have moved to New Jersey, Elvin's family needs a second car – Cliff's station wagon.

Preparing for a school project, Olivia seeks out a more reliable source after Cliff tells her a bunch of outrageous stories about himself at age six. Among other things, it seems that Cliff's first bicycle hangs in the Smithsonian next to the Spirit of St. Louis! Olivia brings Russell on as a consultant, who relates some interesting (and true) stories about the young Cliff that even Cliff has forgotten. Meanwhile, Theo's students at the community center thrash out the moral and ethical dilemma presented by their discovery of a monogrammed money clip containing $600 in cash.

Clair hosts a group of Hillman College alumnae who have gathered to plan a testimonial for a much-loved professor. While trying to come up with a way to describe the colorful woman, Clair and her friends reminisce about their fun-filled college days. Meanwhile, Olivia persuades Cliff to get a "beauty makeover" in her new hair salon.

Parenting is the #1 topic of the day around the Huxtable home: Sondra and Elvin want to provide for the twins in their will. After seeing a lawyer to draw up a will, Sondra and Elvin narrow the field of candidates for guardianship of the twins. Will it be Cliff and Clair, or Theo? After Rudy oversteps her bounds and Clair reminds her who's in charge, Rudy turns sullen and surly. Cliff wonders what's bothering Rudy, besides the fact that she is 13 and her parents are always wrong. "It's the whole world", Rudy reveals. "It's everything."

In her annual plea, Clair begs Cliff to just hand over his receipts and let her and the accountant thrash out the tax return. But Cliff wants to stake his claims first – to Elvin, Sondra, the twins, Olivia, and Cousin Pam as Huxtable dependents. Caught without an appropriate gift for Deirdre's birthday, Kenny tells her he has planned a party for her at the Huxtables. When Deirdre realizes the party is just a spur-of-the-moment cover-up, she dumps Kenny forever. Desperate Kenny appeals to Stanley for help. Stanley is highly motivated: unless he can convince Deirdre to take Kenny back, Rudy, Stanley and Kenny could become a threesome again.

Eight years of magic, love and laughter with the Huxtable family come to an end. Cliff's invitation list for Theo's graduation from NYU continues to grow as he invites a host of relatives and friends to celebrate and, despite a scarcity of tickets, he just keeps on inviting people. Theo's protests fall on deaf ears: "If they ask me, they're coming," declares the proud father. Denise calls from Singapore to tell the family that she and Martin are expecting. Vanessa and Dabnis arrive, providing mixed signals to everyone about their current relationship. At the commencement ceremony, Cliff thinks back eight years to the day he used Monopoly money to illustrate the harsh realities of life to then-13-year-old Theo. By the time Cliff emerges from his reverie, Theo is already a graduate. That evening, after the doorbell is finally fixed, Cliff and Clair dance cheek-to-cheek one last time in the Huxtable living room – and then dance off the set into television history. (This episode was immediately followed by a three-minute "thank you" tribute from NBC.)