Season 5

24 episodes · 5th September 1996

Through the ups and downs of their marriage, Martin and Gina grapple with career demands, new beginnings and their band of quirky friends.

Episodes

Episode 1

Is You Is or Is You Ain't

Gina thinks she might be pregnant and warns Martin to keep quiet. Within an hour, the whole city knows. Pam drops by, and just happens to have a pregnancy test in her purse. After an anxious Martin destroys the test, he has to go out at midnight and get another one. Meanwhile, Tommy and Cole argue over who will be the godfather.

Episode 2

Back in Trouble Again

When Gina learns she is nominated for an advertising award, she asks Martin to attend the awards dinner with her and advises him not to play basketball with the boys because his back has been bothering him. He decides to play anyway and ends up disabled. With the help of Tommy and Cole, Martin goes to a chiropractor who helps him make it to the event in time. But once he's there, the pain really begins to set in.

Episode 3

Sophomore Jinx

After some misadventures with marriage counselors, bad advice from friends fouls things up even more for the constantly quarreling Martin and Gina.

Episode 4

Working Girls

Gina is all ready for an underwear ad presentation until Cole accidentally erases her computer. She goes to Pam for help, but her friend is too busy with a date. Under pressure during her pitch, Gina is incoherent, forcing Pam to step in and save the day. The clients are so impressed that they put Pam in charge, causing Gina to feel betrayed. Pam struggles to pull it off, but in the end she has to rely on Gina to win the account.

Episode 5

Boo's in the House

The prospect of owning a home gets scarier when Martin and Gina buy their ""dream house"" on Halloween, but soon find that the place is a haunted, calamity-filled horror.

Episode 6

Bangin' Hard in the School Yard

When Martin announces on his talk show that any man can beat any woman at anything, especially in sports, Gina and Pam challenge him to a girls-against-guys basketball game. Martin and the guys think it will be easy to beat the girls until they discover the girl's secret weapon: the U.S. women's Olympic gold medal-winning basketball team. The "easy win" quickly turns into a challenging match as the guys begin to understand the girls' point.

Episode 7

The Life You Save...Might Make You Rich

While attending a dinner party at an exclusive restaurant, Martin saves the life of an African prince. The prince rewards Martin with lavish gifts and offers him a large sum of money for Gina's services. Martin agrees to the offer thinking that they will be able to use this royal money for their own little palace. All is well in the Payne kingdom until Martin realizes the Prince wants Gina to be his Princess.

Episode 8

Snow White

When Tommy invites the gang for a ski vacation, they are all in for the ride of their lives. Cole's date Shanise is one ski short of a set; Pam's date Tahiem is one cold headache; and Tommy's date Aquannetta is one big surprise, as she is a white woman. After Martin discovers Tommy has a special announcement to make, he believes that Tommy is going to pop the question. Martin tells the gang and they decipher a plan to put an end to Tommy's engagement to the snow bunny. But after Martin causes everything to snowball, he realizes that the joke is on him.

Episode 9

Come on over to My Place

Cole attempts to entertain a girl at his Mom's house. But Mom shows up and ruins everything. Cole gets his own apartment. But it turns out to be a real dive. Cole and Shanise are happy anyway.

Episode 10

Scrooge

Lessons about the holiday spirit come knocking for Martin through ghosts of the past, present and future. Meanwhile, Jackie Chan pays Sheneneh a visit.

Episode 11

Waiting, Debating and Ovulating

Martin and Gina are planning to have a baby. They plan to have a lunch-time rendezvous to get things going. But a trip to the courthouse with Cole, leads to them finding out that Martin has been ignoring jury duty since 1982. Now, forced to perform his civic duty as a juror, Martin presses for a quick verdict, so he can get home to his ovulating wife.

Episode 12

You Play Too Much

Martin helps a burglar rob his apartment, because he thinks its part of a scheme Pam put together, to get back at him for all his pranks. It's only after he's been robbed, that he realizes the awful truth.

Episode 13

Ain't That About a Ditch

Even though Gina's out of town on business, her mom comes to town for a weekend visit, and wants to spend all her time with Martin, playing boardgames and just getting to know him better. But Martin has plans to hang out with Tommy and Cole at a new club that just opened up. Somehow he has to figure a way to get away from Gina's mom, so he can go out and have a good time.

Episode 14

Goin' Overboard: Part 1

Martin and the gang go on a cruise, which Gina accidentally misses. He later meets a beautiful woman named Ellen who he believes is contemplating suicide. But after a talk with Martin, decides not to kill herself, and begins to develop a romantic interest in him. Tommy and Pam try to just be friends, but their friendship is tested after Tommy meets another beautiful woman. Later that night, stowaway Cole accompanies Pam to the bar, where they begin to drink heavily. The next day Pam wakes up in bed next to Cole and believes that they have slept together. Meanwhile, Martin is awakened by a knock on the door, and finds a half dressed Ellen has come to his stateroom to pay him a visit.

Episode 15

Goin' Overboard: Part 2

Martin and the gang are on a cruise ship with The Love Boat characters. Martin is doomed to finish the trip without Gina, who missed the boat, and is stalked by a suicidal temptress. Tommy thinks that Pam is suddenly interested in Cole, after finding them in bed together.

Episode 16

Power to the People's Court

Tommy must defend himself in court after his minor dent in Sheneneh's car leads to a lawsuit involving an exorbitant sum.

Episode 17

I Martin, Take Thee...Pam?!

Martin takes Pam back to Jamaica where he married Gina when he learns that his marriage to Gina is invalid and that he's actually married to Pam.

Episode 18

Auction

Martin gives his cuckoo clock to Pam, who finds that it makes too much noise, and donates it to a charity auction. Later, Martin & Tommy realize that the clock he gave away might be a very valuable antique, and worth a lot of money. They then begin to come up with ways to get the clock back.

Episode 19

Daddy Dearest

Tommy's ex-marine father, Sgt. Strawn, shows up and tries to make his son a man by showing him up in front of his friends.

Episode 20

Stake-Out

The police want to use Pam's apartment for a stake-out, to keep surveillance on a suspect named Dynamite Willie. Martin comes up with an idea to capture the suspect himself, and cash in on the $100,000 reward.

Episode 21

Goin' for Mine

Pam becomes upset over the fact that she has been recently fired from her former job. Tommy, Cole and Martin stop by Pam's apartment along with their high school buddy Trey Foster who happens to work at a record company called Keep It Real Records as an successful A&R. Trey tells Pam of a job opening for an A&R position. Pam, who has a passion for music, decides to visit Keep It Real Records. While there, she meets Donna, the sassy receptionist, Clyde, the messenger, and Tony the creative director who tries to flirt with Pam. Trey shows up late for work and receives a message from Donna that their boss, CEO Sterling Sweets, wants to see him as soon as possible. Sweets urges Trey to locate new talent or Trey will have to search for new employment. Pam tells Trey that she may be able to help him if he can get her the A&R position. He agrees. Dante, Pam's typist/assistant from work, brings her the rest of her belongings from her old office. Dante begins to play the piano and sings. Pam be

Episode 22

One Flew over the Hoochie's Nest

Pam's twin cousin Tammy escapes from a mental ward and comes to stay at Pam's house, but everyone mistakes her for Pam.

Episode 23

California, Here We Come: Part 1

Martin's talk show is picked up by the network, and is slated to air to a nation-wide audience. The only problem is that if Martin wants the show, he must move to L.A. where the show will be taped. Gina, who also has news of a new job offer prepares to break the news to Martin and the gang.

Episode 24

California, Here We Come: Part 2

Martin and Gina must say good-bye to Detroit and all their friends including Tommy, Pam and Cole. New job offers in Los Angeles for both Martin and Gina, prompt them to move. As they prepare, they gather the gang and recall past good times.