Season 9 (1997/98)
- Michelle Thomas is absent for 13 episodes.
- Orlando Brown is absent for 9 episodes.
- Jo Marie Payton is absent for 4 episodes before leaving the cast in "Deck the Malls".
- Darius McCrary is absent for 3 episodes.
- Judyann Elder is absent for 1 episode after joining the cast in "Crazy for You: Part 1".
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 194 | 1 | "Out With the Old" | Joel Zwick | David W. Duclon & Gary Menteer | September 19, 1997 | 466451 |
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Urkel decides that he needs to give himself a whole new look, somewhat similar to alter ego Stefan Urquelle, in order to win Laura's heart. The makeover comes just in time for Laura's charity auction, where bachelors' kisses are auctioned. Eddie makes $5,000 because of Myrtle's bids. When nobody bids on the nerd, Laura, reluctantly, makes the one and only bid on Steve's kisses. This ending foreshadows the changing relationship between Steve and Laura as Laura seems to enjoy the kiss much more than she expected. Meanwhile, Carl gets upset when he learns Harriette is making more money than him after a promotion, so Carl takes a second job to become the breadwinner again. Note: This was the first episode to air on CBS. |
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| 195 | 2 | "They Shoot Ducks, Don't They?" | Joel Zwick | Jim Geoghan | September 26, 1997 | 466452 |
| Carl and his boss, Commissioner Geiss go out for a day of duck hunting. Urkel tags along with them, with comedic results and Urkel won't let Carl or Geiss kill the ducks. Meanwhile, Laura "borrows" her mom's diamond earrings for a night at the Sizzle Club, yet comes home shocked to find out that one of the earrings is missing. | ||||||
| 196 | 3 | "Dumb Belle of the Ball" | Joel Zwick | Fred Fox, Jr. | October 3, 1997 | 466453 |
| Ending up in the hospital after saving Eddie from getting hit by an oncoming car, Myrtle is thrilled when Eddie promises to take her to the Biloxi Debutante Ball, and teaching the others, including Big Daddy why Myrtle deserves to be there. Meanwhile, Laura upsets Carl when she goes out to the Sizzle Club in a thin, tight dress after promising to change into anything that was less revealing. | ||||||
| 197 | 4 | "Drinking and Jiving" | Joel Zwick | Gary M. Goodrich | October 10, 1997 | 466454 |
| Laura and Maxine go to a fraternity party and Laura ditches her goody-two-shoes reputation by having her first beer, along with her second and third. Urkel arrives to stop this nonsense and gets a drunken Laura home. There, she gives Steve a huge kiss. In the morning, Urkel mentions to Laura about her kiss, yet she claims that she doesn't remember, or does she? Meanwhile, Carl and Harriette have separate wedding anniversary plans and both tell Eddie about their plans. Then, once they both find out about each other's plans, they start to fight, forcing one of them to reconsider their plans. Eddie tells them to compromise instead of fighting with one another | ||||||
| 198 | 5 | "Who's Afraid of the Big Black Book?" | Joel Zwick | Stephen Langford & Laura M. Stein | October 17, 1997 | 466455 |
| Eddie and Laura play a series of "get even" tricks on each other. Eddie invites Laura's ex, Rick, over on a night she wants to spend with Stefan, but the suave Urkel easily gets rid of his tormentor. An angry Laura decides to get even by tricking Urkel into inviting Eddie's ex-girlfriends to a surprise birthday party. Infuirated, Urkel and Greta sets them straight by making Eddie and Laura realize that their immature tricks are just that. Meanwhile, Carl is upset that Commissioner Geiss passed him over for a promotion to captain, choosing his son instead (despite the fact Carl is more qualified). Carl proves to the commissioner his worth when he is able to defuse a potentially deadly gangfight, and the son also informs his father that he needs more time before he's ready to be a captain, allowing Carl to gain the position. | ||||||
| 199 | 6 | "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Read" | Joel Zwick | Timothy Stack | October 24, 1997 | 466457 |
| While testing an invention to improve memory in a school-funded laboratory, Urkel gains the ability to read minds, but soon gives up his newfound powers when the Winslows feel their privacy has been invaded (But not before hearing that as of late, Laura has been attracted to him). Meanwhile, Carl fills in as a Head Scoutmaster to Richie, 3J and their fellow Junior Woodsmen. | ||||||
| 200 | 7 | "Stevil II: This Time He's Not Alone" | Richard Correll | Jim Geoghan | October 31, 1997 | 466456 |
| The follow-up to last season's Halloween episode "Stevil", an evil ventriloquist dummy that looks just like Steve. In this episode, Stevil is accompanied by Carlsbad, an equally evil dummy that looks like Carl. | ||||||
| 201 | 8 | "Trading Places" | John Tracy | Fred Fox, Jr. | November 7, 1997 | 466458 |
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Stefan, wondering if Laura had developed some loving feelings for Urkel, swaps identities with Steve to find out. Meanwhile, Eddie shoots a class-project video about Carl and what he does as an officer for the Chicago Police Department. Note: Jaleel White plays the dual role of Steve pretending to be Stefan, as well as Stefan pretending to be Steve. |
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| 202 | 9 | "A Pain in Harassment" | Joel Zwick | Beverly D. Hunter & Meg DeLoatch | November 14, 1997 | 466459 |
| Harriette and her co-workers get a new boss Mr. Benner (Mark Linn-Baker) who uses verbal abuse to try to make his employees perform better. Soon, she confronts him and tells him unless he treats her and the other co-workers better, she quits. This causes Mr. Ferguson to take immediate action and fires Benner for his abuse. Harriette is soon rehired and has a VP/Head of Sales job. Meanwhile, Urkel wins a chance to win $1 million by making a half-court shot during the halftime portion of an Los Angeles Clippers game. Steve does win the $1 million only to lose nearly all of it when he throws the ball up in celebration and inadvertently destroys the scoreboard. | ||||||
| 203 | 10 | "Original Gangsta Dawg" | John Tracy | Meg DeLoatch | December 5, 1997 | 466460 |
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O.G.D. (Urkel's hip-hop cousin from Detroit, Michigan) has an unwelcome visit to the Winslow household while Steve is away visiting his uncle. Little does O.G.D. know is that he'll need the Winslows' help on evading a titanic thug (known as Fresh Squeeze), to whom he owes $4,000. Note: Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott makes a cameo appearance in this episode performing "Sock It 2 Me" from the album Supa Dupa Fly at a club featuring Da Brat. Jaleel White played a triple role as Steve Urkel, cousin O.G.D, and Stefan. |
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| 204 | 11 | "Deck the Malls" | Gary Menteer | Stephen Langford | December 19, 1997 | 466461 |
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During the Christmas season, the Winslows and Urkel get jobs at the mall. Steve becomes a gift-wrapper with Myra, Carl becomes a department store Santa Claus and Laura becomes an elf. Meanwhile, Richie finds out that his mom, Rachel, is unable to come home for the holidays – or is she? Note: This episode marks the final appearances of Jo Marie Payton, Telma Hopkins, Bryton McClure and Rosetta LeNoire. Payton's role of Harriette Winslow was assumed by Judyann Elder thereafter, while the characters of Rachel Crawford (Hopkins), Richie Crawford (McClure) and Mother Winslow (LeNoire) were quietly dropped. This is the first time where all of the Winslow family cast members (save for Jaimee Foxworth) are together. |
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| 205 | 12 | "Grill of My Dreams" | Gary Menteer | Michael Dawson & Ron Geiger | January 9, 1998 | 466462 |
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In an effort to decrease his clumsiness, Urkel gets a job at Tanaka Gardens (a Japanese restaurant) as a master teppanyaki chef. His training is put to the test when Laura and Maxine drop by for a visit. Meanwhile, while Commissioner Geiss is away on a second honeymoon, Carl must watch his pet parrot, Andre. However, when Andre starts to repeatedly say "Geiss is an idiot," Carl must try to make the parrot stop saying that phrase before Geiss comes home. Guest Star: Pat Morita as Mr. Tanaka |
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| 206 | 13 | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | Richard Correll | Gary M. Goodrich | January 16, 1998 | 466463 |
| Urkel decides to end his relationship with Myra when he becomes aware that she hated his makeover and wanted him to go back to the sexy nerd she loves. He becomes surprised at dinner that she breaks up with him first. However, Steve is unaware that it was just Myra's futile attempt to try to keep the relationship going by trying to get him to renounce his love for Laura. Meanwhile, with mediocre grades in college, Eddie decides to drop out and become a police officer like his dad. | ||||||
| 207 | 14 | "Crazy For You (Part 1)" | Richard Correll | Jim Geoghan | January 23, 1998 | 466464 |
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Myra begins her attack on the Steve Urkel-Laura Winslow relationship with the help of her "Stevie-Glasses-Cam" (placed on Steve's glasses unbeknownst to him) and enlists the help of Stefan Urquelle to try to spoil an upcoming Saturday night date. However, Stefan soon feels guilty about the whole thing and stops after realizing how insane Myra really is. Meanwhile, Carl tries to show a trigger-happy Eddie a lesson in good judgment during police training. Note: The role of Harriette Winslow is now played by Judyann Elder. |
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| 208 | 15 | "Crazier For You (Part 2)" | Richard Correll | Fred Fox, Jr. | January 30, 1998 | 466465 |
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Urkel finds out that Myra has been using his glasses to spy on him and knows that she's really "snapped her cap" when she dresses like Laura and interrupts their romantic evening. Meanwhile, Harriette finds out that her engagement ring was originally intended for another woman that Carl used to date. Note: This is the final time Michelle Thomas appears as Myra until the series finale. Also, with this episode, CBS decided to cancel Family Matters. The series was then put in a five-month hiatus, returning to burn off episodes beginning June 5, 1998. |
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| 209 | 16 | "Whose Man Is It Anyway?" | Richard Correll | Meg DeLoatch | June 5, 1998 | 466466 |
| Myrtle is willing to fight for her man, Eddie, so she decides to challenge Greta to a boxing match. Meanwhile, 3J begins asking questions about his biological mother, prompting Carl and Harriette to track the woman down. | ||||||
| 210 | 17 | "Polkapalooza" | Joel Zwick | Stephen Langford & Saundra Stein-Langford |
June 12, 1998 | 466467 |
| Laura has never been a fan of polka music; she finally decides she has nothing to lose and decides to accompany Urkel to a polka jamboree. But instead of being bored and annoyed by the larger-than-life festival-goers, she actually has a great time and finally realizes that, after all these years, Urkel may indeed be the guy she was looking for all along. While the two are dancing to some slow, more romantic tunes, she finally tells him "I love you too" after one more of his love "confessions". Meanwhile, Eddie gets a room at an apartment building and even allows Carl to come see him anytime. Little does Eddie know is that he'll regret those words when he tries to have some alone time with Greta. | ||||||
| 211 | 18 | "Throw Steve from the Train" | Joel Zwick | Michael Dawson & Ron Geiger | June 19, 1998 | 466468 |
| Carl fumes about not accepting a promotion five years ago that would have transferred him to Washington, D.C. While boarding a train to travel to the nation's capital for a seminar, luggage boy Urkel accidentally stows away. The usual antics result, but the nerd helps Carl realize that "the road not taken" was perhaps the right decision after all. Meanwhile, Laura becomes suspicious about Maxine's new boyfriend D'Andre (Kristoff St. John), especially after he asks her to deliver a package for him and Eddie helps her prove it. | ||||||
| 212 | 19 | "Don't Make Me Over" | Joel Zwick | Beverly D. Hunter & Meg DeLoatch | June 26, 1998 | 466469 |
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Myrtle, making her last push for Eddie, enlists Laura and Maxine to make her over head to toe. But Eddie, firmly in love with Greta, still is not impressed, so Myrtle decides to pursue someone else, which makes Eddie realize he'll somewhat miss her annoying attempts to win him, and asks her what is he supposed to do now that she's leaving for good; to this Myrtle replies with a famous movie quote from "Gone With the Wind" – "Frankly Dear, I don't give a damn". Meanwhile, Carl doesn't want Harriette to worry about his beautiful new masseuse, so he fibs about her appearance, claiming the masseuse is a "big, beefy sistea". Note: This episode marks the final appearances of Myrtle Urkel and Cherie Johnson as Maxine Johnson. |
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| 213 | 20 | "Pop Goes the Question" | Joel Zwick | David W. Duclon & Gary Menteer | July 3, 1998 | 466470 |
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Carl tells a fellow police officer about Laura's engagement. Both Steve and Stefan propose to Laura. Her past adventures with both the nerd and the one-time "man of her dreams" are replayed through flashbacks (Steve in "Marriage 101," and Stefan in "We're Going to Disney World"). Laura is conflicted between the two, and when Steve feels Stefan is better, he plans to move to Russia to be with his parents, but Laura stops Urkel when she realizes she couldn't live without him, and tearfully accepts his marriage proposal, saying that she is sure that he is the one for her, a promise which the two seal with a kiss. Note: This episode marks the final appearance of Stefan Urquelle. This is also the only other episode when Steve calls Carl "Mr. Winslow" ("Laura's First Date" was the first episode). He does this when he asks Carl for his permission to propose to Laura. Goof: The ring Steve proposes to Laura with is said by Steve to be the same he gives to Laura at the time they were matched for a marriage project in the episode "Marriage 101" but Carl had bought it from Steve to give to Harriette at the end of "Marriage 101". It is possible he bought it back as a way to get his knowledge of the proposal and his blessing, but Steve mentions that he had kept the ring throughout the years. |
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| 214 | 21 | "Lost in Space (Part 1)" | Joel Zwick | Gary M. Goodrich & Timothy Stack |
July 10, 1998 | 466471 |
| After NASA buys the patent to one of Urkel's inventions, he's sent into space with a pair of astronauts to test it out. However, Steve's invention unintentionally causes a nearby satellite to crash into the space shuttle, and before long he sends himself hurtling through outer space. Meanwhile, Harriette (worried for the well-being of rookie officer Eddie) demands to have him assigned to giving out tickets for parking meter violations. | ||||||
| 215 | 22 | "Lost in Space (Part 2)" | Joel Zwick | Gary M. Goodrich & Timothy Stack |
July 17, 1998 | 466472 |
| NASA struggles to recover its astronauts and save Urkel's life. However, all ends well, and Steve returns to Earth a national hero. Meanwhile, while on meter duty, Eddie finds himself in the middle of a shootout. Eddie survives thanks to the lucky bullet-proof vest that Carl gave him. During that time Carl and Eddie helps Harriette realize that the job is dangerous and needs to support them no matter what. Steve sees Laura at the end of the episode and says "You get more beautiful every time I see you." Laura then says she will kiss him only on one condition, Steve will have to promise to "never go into outer space again." Steve replies with "Only when we kiss, Laura Lee, only when we kiss" and they do, with a final applause from the audience. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Family Matters Episodes
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