Meanwhile, Florida (Esther Rolle) and the children (BernNadette Stanis, Jimmie Walker, and Ralph Carter) get ahead of themselves and throw a celebration party for James unaware that he was rejected.
J.J. is sure he is bound to make it big when he finds a patron in Leroy Jackson (Ed Cambridge), who begins providing him with all the supplies he needs.
A popular girl wants J.J. to paint her portrait and J.J. mistakenly assumes that they will become more serious when he makes plans to ask her to go steady.
A woman, known in the projects as the "Wiggler" (Betty Bridges), asks J.J. to paint a nude portrait of her as a birthday gift for her husband (Carl Weathers).
This sends shock waves through the Evans household, but things really get touchy when Henrietta shows up at the door, pregnant.
A small-fry extortionist named Eddie (Douglas Grant of The Electric Company) bullies Michael into handing over his lunch and milk money on a daily basis.
While James is out of town, Florida and the children throw a baby shower for a friend, Loretta (Mary Alice).
Cutting classes, getting into fights at school, and low grades are all warning signs that lead Florida to make an appointment to see Michael's teacher.
An elderly man who Michael befriended stops by the Evans' apartment just prior to the New Year's celebration and knowing that he only has a little time left, decides that this would be the best place to die, surrounded by a loving family and friends.
J.J. has been commissioned by a numbers runner, Sweet Daddy Williams (Theodore Wilson), to paint the portrait of his girlfriend, Savannah.
The family is being investigated by the FBI because they are suspected to be security risks due to Michael doing research about and communicating with a Communist country for a term paper.
When James and Florida go out of town for a family wedding, the children are left at home alone and J.J. soon begins acting like a dictator.
While J.J. is in St. Louis at an art show, the Evans family decides to hold a rent party to help out Wanda (Helen Martin), a neighbor in the building, whose electricity has just been turned off.
However, the luck does not last long, as Thelma's friend Edna shows up with her sister, Rozzie, both wielding pistols and demanding the winning money.
When Florida learns that Michael may be performing in a tavern, she hits the roof and storms down there to put a stop to it, thus breaking up the act.
Thelma and her college friends are having a meeting to decide what to do about the school cafeteria, but things come to a head when the African exchange student, Ibe, starts making sexist remarks about "woman's work".
However, the party gets even wilder than they had dreamed of when one of the guests takes an overdose of sleeping pills and J.J. has to keep him from falling asleep to save his life.
When young Penny Gordon follows J.J. home, she tells the Evanses tall tales about her life without mentioning her abusive mother (Chip Fields).
But when Penny changes into a dress, a stunned Willona and Thelma discover the girl's badly bruised back.
J.J., Willona and Michael suspect that Thelma's new boyfriend is married, but find that he is a former bigamist doing time in a halfway house.
When local wino Fishbone (Robert Guillaume) is mistakenly believed to have been killed, he attends his own wake dressed in drag as a mourner.
When Penny steals a necklace from a department store, Willona faces the possibility of losing custody of the girl.
J.J. assumes the role of father figure when Michael starts to slack off, prohibiting his brother from attending an awards dinner.
J.J. is the only witness to a terrible car accident involving a taxi cab and Savannah Morgan, Sweet Daddy Williams' girlfriend.
Willona's latest boyfriend, Jeffrey, has been showering her and Penny with extravagant gifts even though they've only been seeing one another for a couple months.
Keith's search for a job results in strange behavior that everyone plainly points out is not just frustration, but rather a bigger problem.
Florida has a surprise visit from her cousin, Raymond (Calvin Lockhart), who has hit it big and gives each member of the family an expensive gift.
However, Florida is reluctant to accept her gift of an expensive three room apartment, when she learns just how Raymond makes his money.