Judging Amy
A family drama focused on three generations of women living together in Hartford, Connecticut.
Genre: Drama
Cast:Amy Brenneman , Tyne Daly , Karle Warren , Richard T. Jones , Jessica Tuck , Marcus Giamatti , Jillian Armenante , Timothy Omundson , Dan Futterman , Kevin Rahm , Adrian Pasdar , Inny Clemons , Cheech Marin , Kristin Lehman , Reed Diamond , Sarah Danielle Madison , Sara Mornell , Richard Crenna
S1.E1 ∙ Pilot
Ten years after her marriage to New Yorker Michael Cassidy, corporate lawyer Amy Gray is separated, living back in Connecticut at her mother Maxine Gray's with pre-teen daughter Lauren, who misses daddy. Amy starts sitting in as a novice judge in the Hartford County Superior Court family law division. She soon feels out of her depth, professionally, and accepts advice from her mother, officially retired after 28 years as social worker but 'counseling' full time, while resenting being mothered. Also living at home is Amy's sensitive brother, unemployed literature graduate Vincent Gray.
S1.E2 ∙ Short Calendar
Amy is thrown into the dog-eat-dog world of the short calendar, with some 54 cases, and decisions must be made quickly. She is called to an ER, where a doctor wants to terminate medication being given to a critically ill infant. Lauren is having troubles at school, and Amy has a confrontation with Lauren's new teacher. Adding to Amy's troubles, Maxine decides to return to work.
S1.E3 ∙ Trial by Jury
Ma finally admits the car she inherited from dad has had its time, but allows Peter to talk her out of settling for one that she and Vincent agreed on. Amy dumps her daughter's sleepover guests on ma, who shamelessly passes the kids on to Vincent. He takes this as proof that she never took his writing ambition seriously. Filling in for a sick judge, Amy presides over her first-ever, civilian jury trial, about minor Josh Spellman, who shot his girlfriend, Janette Harper, with his parents' gun, for which they may have to pay damages if held negligent.
S1.E4 ∙ Victim Soul
In the hardware-store Vincent meets a woman, painter Chris Osborne, who offers him a date and to pay him for publicity copy-writing. Vincent isn't even put off when he meets her teenage daughter, Lori. The presiding judge dumps a dangerous case on Amy: Thomas Bell, a 10 year comatose boy, supposed to work wonders and suffering stigmata in his grandmother's care, who, according to the physician suffers under abusive attention. However the case is decided by an unexpected maneuver beyond Amy's control.
S1.E5 ∙ Last Tango in Hartford
A death threat, coupled with Maxine's disapproval, puts a crimp in Amy's blossoming relationship with Tracy; Vincent begins to feel like he is Chris's pet project; Maxine rekindles an old friendship; Amy officiates at Donna's wedding to a convict; Maxine helps a second-generation foster teenager keep her infant son out of the system.
S1.E6 ∙ Witch Hunt
Vincent's former professor and fan, Barnett, puts him in touch with literary agent Hilary Baker, someone Vincent considers pure evil since their youth, and indeed she changes the rules during the game. Amy judges the case of a father who demands custody of the 8 year old son he left, many years back, in the mother's custody. He claims she's a wicked witch, actually of the Wiccan variety; but she is scorned by an official Wicca interests organization. Lauren refuses to participate in Halloween after listening to scary stories told by a schoolboy, yet Amy defends (in the PTA) the ghost, witch and similar traditions against 'politically correct' censorship.
S1.E7 ∙ An Impartial Bias
Vincent accepts an English writing teaching position for the income, but doubts if it fits his vocation as an author. He wonders what made his dad - whom he lost very young- work in the insurance field, as brother Peter now does enthusiastically, despite their father's acceptance for medical school. Maxine fights a deaf supervisor's claim to end the guardianship of big brother Paul Dexter, who alas never learned sign language, over young Kevin, who refuses to learn any more after systematic peer abuse at school, neglected by DCS till then. Amy hears a claim by an old black grandmother for custody over her 2 year-old grandson Eryk, who is in foster care with the devoted white Chase couple, which adopted his older sister.
S1.E8 ∙ Near Death Experience
Vincent intervenes when a woman is attacked outside the grocery store and is shot, within an inch of permanent disaster, yet refuses to be mothered. With some difficulty he picks the shooter from a line-up, who will also be charged for a previous murder. Amy grants divorced Jewish father Voci to have his son circumcised but considers the mother's breast-feeding to ridiculous to rule on. Maxine finds otherwise fine parents believe in abduction by aliens.
S1.E9 ∙ The Persistence of Tectonics
Maxine refuses to cook for Thanksgiving the 40th year in a row and is most skeptic when Amy announces she'll cook instead to give Lauren a good first one in Hatford, when her dad Michael Cassidy is visiting; they agree to formalize their divorce. Vincent tries to avoid his ex-agent and scorned seducer Hilary Baker at the publisher's party, only to find she viciously set up gay fellow author Justin Hopkins, an instant friend, as his 'mate'. Amy has to stand in for a judge on 'family emergency' and is ruthless on model students Nathan Larsen and Jonathan Wanderley from good homes, who tortured the neighbors' cats to death for having the police break up their loud nightly frat party. A couple's adoption can't be finalized because the previously unknown biological father turns up and objects.
S1.E10 ∙ Crowded House
Vincent finally has a perspective: publisher Algonquin wants to publish his short stories, if he can add a 'killer story' to bind the collection, in only four days. He retracts his first attempt, being to personal, containing his brother Peter's marital infertility-drama causing the wife Gillian to take 'a break' living with Maxine, who bullies young colleague Phil(ip), who can't help the workload either. Amy is pissed-off another medical excuse allows a judge to dump on her a teacher-stabbing by an abused foster child with 19 personalities, ably prosecuted by attorney Weims.
S1.E11 ∙ Presumed Innocent
Sparks fly between Amy and Stuart; he appeals her decision, then later asks her for a date. Maxine places a gifted, chronic run-away teenager. Donna moves into Vincent's apartment. Amy presides over a Munchausen by Proxy syndrome case.
S1.E12 ∙ Spoil the Child
Amy orders an attorney to leave criminal court case to attend her triple juvenile case. Despite his initial indignation, the judge supports an offer made to her to transfer to the criminal justice, which would be for at least a year, but dose she want cases 'when it's already too late'? Dr. Brent Reynolds is charged for taking the belt to his self-admittedly willful son Seth's backside a few times a week. Vincent counsels Donna Kozlowski about disappointing conjugal visits.
S1.E13 ∙ Zero to Sixty
Michael's insistence upon joint custody of Lauren after Amy requests an increase in child support payments dooms the divorce mediation process; Maxine wants nothing to do with any celebration of her 60th birthday; Amy must decide whether a college senior should be charged as an adult for a fatal hit-and-run accident that occurred when he was 15; Michael's attempt to win Vincent over to his side in the custody battle ends badly; Amy hears a father's petition which contests the divorce agreement requiring him to pay for his daughter's college education; Maxine deals with combative divorced parents who cannot seem to manage a peaceful exchange of their three small children.
S1.E14 ∙ Shaken, Not Stirred
Amy must decide if a young boy accused of shaking his infant sister to death is guilty of murder; Maxine fights to keep a 10-year-old girl away from her abusive stepfather; Vincent struggles with the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder; Amy finds herself in a sticky situation when she accepts a date with the father of one of Lauren's classmates, and then learns that he is a child advocacy attorney scheduled to appear in her court; Vincent gets better acquainted with Lisa.
S1.E15 ∙ Culture Clash
The Gray family is excited now Vincent's first book is suddenly in the stores, but he worries about any bad criticism he might get, especially in the New York Times, as the negative comments would break his career rather then launch it. Amy tries a case where a German-descended father's anti-German wife, who calls him a Nazi, drove him to flee with their children to Germany, and a claim by an accused woman to have been asked to satisfy a judge 'orally' in chambers. Meanwhile Maxine has to put up Peter's rather arrogant prospective adoption child's pregnant mother.
S1.E16 ∙ The Wee Hours
Vincent has writer's block, even Donna's poem seems more inspired, so he postulates for another reporter cadetship. Amy looses control emotionally during a custody trial, while unable to discipline Lauren, and even dreams of kissing her clerk. Maxine finds out the root is missing a man and diagnoses a sleepwalking youngest boy in a family of five as victim of torturous tickling.
S1.E17 ∙ Drawing the Line
Vincent is now a Hartford Examiner reporter, but objects to a sensationalist assignment to cover a case about a house-father killed while committing a crime cross-dressed; Maxine knew him and scolds all modern journalism. Amy can't handle Lauren making friends with her ex's new partner, who allows the girl to pierce her ears. Amy accepted a class in Yale law school but doesn't keep her promises in class and rants about family law being the noblest, most demanding branch and court job. Maxine finds re-offending problem boy Joe Broussard is abused by reputable child psychologist Dr. Amanda Kubiak.
S1.E18 ∙ Human Touch
A man with obsessive-compulsive disorder tries to regain custody of his daughter. At work, Maxine finds out a coworker is embezzling money.
S1.E19 ∙ The Out-of-Towners
Heeding the request of counsel to deliver one of her "rants" at a sentencing hearing, Amy lectures a young drug dealer whose mother has made tremendous sacrifices to provide him with a better life; much to Peter's dismay, Maxine accepts a date from an attractive man she meets at the diner; Amy travels with Bruce to a small town to hear a case centered on the misdiagnosis and over-medication of its teenage boys; as her abductor's case comes to trial, Lisa and Vincent argue when her fears for the possibility of acquittal, and thus her safety, increase; pending the outcome of an investigation, Susie is back at work after a one-week paid suspension and, over Maxine's objections, sets in motion a chain of events which eventually leads to the death of a young mother; Amy and Bruce have divergent reactions when confronted with intolerance during their trip; Maxine unsuccessfully tries to resign, and ends up being blackmailed into accepting the position of DCF supervisor until a replacement for Susie can be found.
S1.E20 ∙ The God Thing
At the trial, Liz twists the truth to get 'just' revenge and blames honest lover Vincent for 'not supporting' her - they break up. Amy is ruthless on two otherwise upright students from fine homes who claim the rape-drug Rohypnol they gave a girl was an ill-considered 'experiment'. Maxine has a millionaire courter, Jared Duff, who made a fortune inventing a search engine, and doubts whether to stay on in charge of child welfare.
S1.E21 ∙ Gray vs. Gray
Maxine gets a new supervisor at DCF.; Donna becomes stressed when Oscar's attorneys petition to have his conviction reversed; Amy and Maxine are at odds over having Maxine's terminally ill client testify in a case Amy is hearing; Vincent counsels Donna against telling Oscar about her attraction to other men, and reassures her that her feelings are normal.
S1.E22 ∙ Not with a Whimper
After going on the date from hell with a Yale professor, Amy has one last fling with Michael the day their divorce becomes final; Maxine returns a stowaway boy to his mother; when Donna and Vincent persuade a reluctant Evie to deliver her baby in the hospital instead of at home, she insists they, instead of Gillian and Peter, act as her birthing coaches; Amy assigns a unique condition of probation to a bright and feisty teenager; Maxine fears that she has contracted Alzheimer's disease after suffering cognitive lapses, and is relieved to discover that it is only a concussion sustained when she bumped her head on a piece of furniture; Evie's son is born, surprising the family with his interracial heritage.
S1.E23 ∙ Blast from the Past
Accusations of misconduct are filed against Amy and Bruce. Maxine meets Jarod"s son, who suspects her motives. Donna learns she is pregnant. An unstable man (who went to school with Vincent) reacts violently to Amy's ruling about his sons.
S2.E1 ∙ Zero Tolerance
The Gray family copes with the aftermath of a deadly explosion that involved Vincent.
S2.E2 ∙ You're Not the Boss of Me
Maxine goes overboard in mothering Vincent after he's released from the hospital and moves back into her house to recuperate; Amy sentences a teenager accused of bullying small children; Donna uncovers incriminating information about Ian; Lauren's soccer coach turns out to be an old friend of Amy's; after the police reach a dead end in a child molestation accusation, Maxine stumbles upon the ammunition needed to reopen the case; Lauren lays a guilt trip on Amy about her being a work-outside-the-home mother; Amy demands a written apology after the investigation about her relationship with Bruce is dropped for insufficient evidence; when Gillian and Amy disagree about babysitters, Peter disagrees with his wife's plans to quit her job; after presiding over the case of a teenager whose infant son died after she left him on the steps of a church, Amy goes ballistic when a father at one of the soccer games becomes verbally abusive; Amy gets Bruce transferred back to her court, and is shocked by his reaction to the move.
S2.E3 ∙ Instincts
Vincent returns to work; Gillian nervously agrees to allow Donna to babysit for Ned so that she and Peter can have a romantic wedding anniversary celebration; Amy takes an instant dislike to Lolly's husband when she accepts an invitation to dinner; after Russell's mother begs him to recall her son's last moments, Vincent pores over the police tapes, struggling to remember; Amy decides the fate of a teenager found guilty of accidentally killing a classmate; Maxine incurs Sean's displeasure when she hands out a condom during the birth control class she volunteers to teach on her own time; Amy is distraught when she realizes that she was greatly mistaken in dismissing a stalking claim as frivolous.
S2.E4 ∙ Convictions
Amy contends with a high profile attorney who attempts to bully her during a paternity case; Maxine struggles over mending fences with a neighbor; Vincent's near-death experience gives him a sense of fearlessness that gets him into trouble with Len; Peter questions his ability to raise a biracial child after he ignores a colleague's racist remarks; Maxine continues her investigation into sexual abuse at a preschool; Amy and Lolly take a self-defense course together.
S2.E5 ∙ Unnecessary Roughness
After losing it, Maxine has to take an anger management class. Amy is working on a case where a teenager had mutilated another player during a hockey game.
S2.E6 ∙ The Burden of Perspective
Amy finds out that her ex husband is getting remarried, and Maxine and Jared decide to cool it down.
S2.E8 ∙ Waterworld
Donna experiences Braxton Hicks contractions and Maxine makes a discovery about their dog, Socrates.
S2.E9 ∙ The Undertow
Amy is asking other judges to help her with much delayed adoptions. Maxine gets great support for her future home for victims of child abuse.
S2.E10 ∙ Adoption Day
Maxine has to deal with children's adoptions. Among them, a young boy who refuses the adoption, sure that his mother will come back.
S2.E11 ∙ The Claw Is Our Master
Amy judges a case involving an HIV positive mother who wants to avoid screening her baby and to continue breast feeding her. She tries to decide between two interested men, and also tries very hard to get a new family dog.
S2.E12 ∙ 8 1/2 Narrow
Amy hears the case of a teenager protesting against discrimination by his school. Her friend's husband tries to kiss her after giving her a pair of shoes and she has to decide whether to be honest about this.
S2.E13 ∙ The Beginning, the End and the Murky Middle
Amy presides over the case of a boy who shot and killed his sister without apparent remorse. She and Tom plan to tell their children they're dating. Peter and Gillian plan a christening for Ned.
S2.E14 ∙ One for the Road
Amy hears the case of a pregnant woman living in a group of people who believe that medical treatment is against the will of God. After a terrible shock, Peter gets a DUI and Gillian tells Maxine and Amy that she thinks he is an alcoholic.
S2.E15 ∙ The Treachery of Compromise
Representing the governor, Stuart Collins offers Amy a chance to apply for an appellate court appointment if she'll rule against two women who both want to be named as the mother on their baby's birth certificate; Maxine's friend Vivian gets to see social work in action when her girls-day-out with Maxine gets derailed by a struggling and overworked farmer who believes that his kids should be at home working on the family dairy farm rather than at school; a mourning Gillian finds solace from an online support group when Peter offers her none; Vincent becomes concerned about his finances when he learns that Carole has quite a nest egg; Amy apologizes to Rob, and they reconcile.
S2.E16 ∙ Everybody Falls Down
Amy must decide whether to terminate the parental rights of a couple convicted of child abuse; Maxine's disrespect rubs a building inspector the wrong way, endangering the scheduled opening for Sanctuary House and thus the federal funds needed for its operation; Amy grapples with her jealousy over Lauren's attachment to Katie; Donna decides to divorce Oscar; Bruce and his sister Winnie quarrel over where their mother should live.
S2.E17 ∙ Romeo and Juliet Must Die - Well, Maybe Just Juliet
Amy hears a manslaughter case involving a 15-year-old boy who's into goth and accused of luring a girl into a mutual suicide pact; Maxine investigates allegations that a boy is being neglected by his mother; Gillian meets a man she's been corresponding with via the Internet.
S2.E18 ∙ The Unforgiven
Maxine contemplates ending her relationship with Jared after meeting his son again, while Amy oversees a case involving a mother who wants to deny visitation rights to her daughter's grandparents; Vincent's decision to quit his job to write a novel unsettles Carole.
S2.E19 ∙ Between the Wanting and the Getting
Jonathan Ashworth joins the Sanctuary House team and manages to ruffle everyone's feathers; Amy tries unsuccessfully to displace some doubts about her relationship with Rob onto Maxine, but is finally forced to confront reality; Bruce quarrels with Winnie over their mother's move; Maxine is displeased at the methods Jonathan uses to engineer the arrest and conviction of the Roseland pedophile; Amy hears the case of a boy with gender identity disorder whose parents are charged with educational neglect for keeping him out of school after he's harassed by his classmates.
S2.E20 ∙ Grounded
Felled by the flu, Amy collapses in court, but not before presiding over a custody hearing for a cow; long-buried feelings erupt between Gillian and Peter when Evie offers to return Ned; Amy's caseload has more of an effect on her temporary replacement than he expected; after Sean grounds her to desk duty for taking wannabee gangbangers on an unauthorized field trip to the local I.C.U. which draws outcries from their parents, Maxine decides not to ask him for a few days off to accompany Jared on a business trip to China; Carole accepts a job offer in San Francisco and asks Vincent to come with her; Sean supports Maxine when Jared's plane is reported missing; the Gray family rejoices when both Ned and Jared are returned to them safely.
S2.E21 ∙ Redheaded Stepchild
Amy gets an offer to be in a TV debate, while Maxine investigates a case of familial child abuse she finds particularly distressing.
S2.E22 ∙ Hold on Tight
Amy judges the case of a wife who repeatedly accuses her husband of mistreating their daughter without proof, which comes to an unexpected and tragic conclusion. Vincent and Carole continue to discuss moving to San Francisco.
S3.E1 ∙ The Last Word
Amy judges the case of a teenager accused of arson, who is rumored to be the son of a mafia captain. Maxine tries to support a couple whose young adopted daughter shows signs of significant emotional disturbance from previous abuse.
S3.E2 ∙ Off the Grid
Maxine disappears suddenly, prompting Vincent and Sean to worry.
S3.E3 ∙ Darkness for Light
Maxine makes a great effort to track down the former dog of a little girl who has had a series of awful experiences. Amy presides of the case of a teenager illegally playing the stock market, and another who is the head of a school gang.
S3.E4 ∙ The Right Thing to Do
Maxine ruffles feathers at Sanctuary House, and is offered a difficult choice by Jared. Amy presides over a case involving conjoined twins, and Carole makes it hard for Vincent to support her after she hears some bad news.
S3.E5 ∙ Look Closer
Amy hears the case of a high school gang leader charged with torturing an undercover police officer and a teenage girl involved in day-trading fraud; Maxine searches for the dog of an abused little girl.
S3.E6 ∙ The Unbearable Lightness of Being Family
Gillian is planning a surprice wedding and farewell party for Vincent, but Carole is facing major cancer surgery. Vincent and Amy are still not on speaking terms. Maxine is back at her old job and interferes in the usual way with the work of the other social workers.
S3.E7 ∙ Imbroglio
Maxine investigates the case of a girl who is hospitalized after taking drugs to cope with the pressure her father places her under; Amy is interested in Bruce's friend.
S3.E8 ∙ Rights of Passage
Amy and Maxine are surprised when their estranged relative visits; Amy oversees a case involving a young Indian accused of killing a zoo's yak during a rite of passage ceremony.
S3.E9 ∙ Surprised by Gravity
Amy wonders what she could have done to ensure the safety of three young men after she assigns them to community service and they are killed by a drunken driver.
S3.E10 ∙ Beating the Bounds
Judge Keeler observes Amy in the courtroom as she oversees two difficult cases, one involving a teen who wants to be emancipated from his comatose father.
S3.E11 ∙ Crime & Puzzlement
Amy is suddenly served with impeachment papers after her suspicions regarding Judge Keeler's alleged corruption are confirmed
S3.E12 ∙ Who Shot Dick?
Amy is threatened in the parking garage after she vows to fight Judge Keeler and her impeachment; Maxine's estranged brother arrives to bail out his son.
S3.E13 ∙ The Cook of the Money Pot
Amy becomes infuriated after Lauren walks in on Kyle having sex in the Gray home, triggering a push for him to find a new place to live
S3.E14 ∙ The Extinction of the Dinosaurs
Judge Krumble invites Amy to join him for dinner, but Amy is unsure whether it's business or a date; Maxine takes in a gay teen
S3.E15 ∙ Can They Do That with Vegetables?
Amy must determine if a woman who graphically recounts her sexual exploits to her children is a fit mother
S3.E16 ∙ Women in Cacti with a Curled Up Rat
Amy goes ballistic when her ex-husband plans a birthday extravaganza for Lauren and her friends, making her look bad; the judge hears a custody case in which neither parent wants a 16-year-old girl.
S3.E17 ∙ Not Stumbling, But Dancing
Amy presides over the case of a high-school boy who was beaten up trying to protect a pretty girl from her boyfriend in a joke gone awry.
S3.E18 ∙ The Justice League of America
Directed by Martha Mitchell and written by Hart Hanson
S3.E19 ∙ Men Aren't Monsters
Amy considers getting a home security system after the Gray home is ransacked in an act of vandalism, Amy being the apparent target. Directed by Richard Gershman and written by Stephen Neigher
S3.E20 ∙ The Bottle Show
Andrea breaks up with Bruce when an incident prompts her ex-husband to threaten removing their daughter from her home.
S3.E21 ∙ Tidal Wave
Overworked Maxine collapses from exhaustion and must be hospitalised, and Amy hears a case involving two Orthodox Jews who smuggled diamonds into the country from Israel.
S3.E22 ∙ Boston Terriers from France
Fuelled by an argument over Maxine's health, Amy makes a life-altering decision about her family's future.
S3.E24 ∙ Come Back Soon
Amy faces losing two people she holds dear as Michael seeks full custody of Lauren and Bruce pleads no contest on his aggravated-assault charge. Meanwhile, Maxine has an embarrassing run-in with Jared Duff (Richard Crenna); and Donna has difficulty hiding her dislike for Amy's temporary CSO.
S4.E1 ∙ Lost in the System
Amy and Michael agree to work out Lauren's custody with a mediator; Maxine and Kimberly clash over a child lost in the system; Jared returns from China to get an answer from Maxine; Lauren fears that their apartment is haunted and Amy begins to agree with her; appearing before Amy in court as the caseworker for a teen-aged mother, Maxine gives an impassioned plea which provides Amy with food for thought about not only the girl, but Amy's relationships with Maxine and Lauren; Bruce runs into Amy and spurns her offer of friendship, but later relents most emphatically.
S4.E2 ∙ Thursday's Child
Amy discovers that the man the police have in custody may not be her stalker after all; Maxine refuses to give up on a client who may be the victim of police brutality; after Bruce denies having romantic feelings for Amy and they agree that confusion and alcohol led to their embrace, they decide to be friends who don't kiss; Kyle applies for a residency and is confronted by his sponsor for not working his program; a persistent attorney paves the way for Bruce to regain his court position; Amy must decide if a mentally handicapped teenager is competent to make her own reproductive choices.
S4.E3 ∙ Every Stranger's Face I See
As Amy decides the fate of a ten year old boy who was kidnapped by his adoptive parents when they lost custody to his birth mother, she finds an answer to some of her own family's pressing concerns; Bruce is back at work as Amy's C.S.O. and is completing his community service at a soup kitchen; Amy gets the silent treatment from Lauren when she won't let her become a cheerleader, but both sides are forced to relent when Gillian unwittingly spills the beans about her own and Amy's cheer leading pasts; Maxine's refusal to sell her house to buyers she doesn't like leaves Peter feeling angry and unappreciated, so she hatches a plan that heals both him and a badly abused client; at the behest of his sponsor, Kyle applies to every residency program in the area, and Amy agrees to write him a letter of recommendation; Maxine finally finds the perfect buyer for her house.
S4.E4 ∙ The Frozen Zone
Amy presides over the custody hearing of a boy whose mother died in the collapse of the World Trade Center; an old friend offers Kyle a job with a pharmaceutical company, and Maxine counter offers with the job of heading the Center; Amy re-landscapes her new home and accidentally throws out Ethel, the antique heirloom rosebush Maxine's grandmother brought over from Ireland in 1889; after initially spurning her offer, Bruce agrees to speak at Zola's press conference for convicted felons; and Maxine helps Sean over some rough spots as Eric's foster father.
S4.E5 ∙ Cause for Alarm
Amy must decide whether a teenager is responsible for the death of an infant she was babysitting; Maxine investigates an abuse case at the home of a disabled veteran and his adopted granddaughter; Kyle is torn between keeping his lucrative job as a pharmaceutical rep or accepting a residency at a low-ranked hospital; Amy has an alarm system installed in the house as her stalker escalates his harassment; Maxine and Peter are at odds after Maxine attributes Peter's promotion within the ranks of a Revolutionary War reenactment group to the publicity surrounding her engagement to Jared.
S4.E6 ∙ Roses and Truth
Amy must decide if a student raped his teacher or was seduced by her; Kyle is unhappy about his non-medical duties at St. Michael's; Maxine tries to locate the mother of an abandoned newborn; after Jason menaces Amy while she's driving Lauren and Eric home, Bruce suggests getting a restraining order; fearing the worst about her health, Gillian gets the diagnosis she's dreamed of for years.
S4.E7 ∙ Damage Control
Amy hears the case of a young boy charged with obstruction of justice for not revealing the name of the man who took pornographic pictures of him; Maxine contends with a woman who allows her abusive husband to violate a restraining order; Peter and Charles negotiate a prenuptial agreement for their parents; Jason Lobdel eludes Amy's police protection as he continues to stalk her; everyone walks on eggshells as Gillian suffers through ugly hormonal mood swings; Jared gives Maxine the diner; Amy's plan to censure an attorney backfires.
S4.E8 ∙ A Pretty Good Day
Amy's ruling in the case of a teenager who called in a bomb scare to avoid a test is complicated by the arrival of an I.N.S. agent who's ready to deport the boy to Afghanistan, and almost certain death, if he's found guilty; Eric saves Lauren from being kidnapped by Jason; Gillian's raging hormones leave Peter exhausted as she goes into overdrive about the plans for Maxine's wedding; Kimberly blackmails Sean into getting her job back in exchange for helping Maxine find an endangered teenager who's aged out of the system; Kyle defies hospital protocol to give a dying woman her last wish; Eric ends Jason's stalking with tragic finality.
S4.E9 ∙ Boys to Men
Maxine and Jared move up their wedding date, to the consternation of their children; Peter's plans for a classy bachelor party go awry, but the men manage to have a good time at a less highbrow establishment as they convince a greatly under-the-influence Bruce to call Zola and ask her for a date; Maxine's hen party is much more sedate, but Maxine manages to work out an escape plan nonetheless; Amy presides over a hearing to determine if four teenage boys accused of drugging and raping a teenage girl should be tried as adults; after Charles announces that he's quit his job, Jared is forced to return to China and reschedule the wedding, and Amy lets Charles know that it's not in his best interest to interfere with Maxine's happiness; Maxine's efforts to keep Eric's case in juvenile court are successful.
S4.E10 ∙ People of the Lie
Amy must decide if a little girl in the middle of a bitter custody dispute is being molested by her father; doing research for a paper, Donna shadows Maxine during a day in which she deals with the neglected children of a severely depressed mother who refuses treatment; Kyle receives an unwelcome visit from his mother and sister; after employing a private investigator to follow Amy for over a year, Michael sues for full custody of Lauren; the decorator that Amy hires to redo the kitchen disparages Maxine's taste
S4.E11 ∙ Lost and Found
Maxine drives carpool for Amy. Kyle and Dr. Redikker track down an injured man released from the emergency room in grave danger. Sean finds himself drawn to a foster mother.
S4.E13 ∙ The Best Interests of the Child
Amy and Michael continue to hash things out in court about their daughter, Lauren. Kyle gains a new opportunity as well as a new perspective at work. Maxine is presented with a challenge from Eric.
S4.E14 ∙ Wild Card
Maxine and Sean battle a sleazy attorney with a penchant for blackmail when they attempt to remove a child from her negligent parents; Amy presides over the case of a deadbeat dad who is willing to go to extreme measures to avoid paying child support when he learns that his son's paternity may be at issue; Maxine is "filled with existential dread" at the prospect of the wedding ceremony Gillian is planning for her; Kyle experiences a sleepless night discovering why the parents of a handicapped man who appears to be healthy insist that he be hospitalized overnight.
S4.E15 ∙ Maxine Interrupted
Maxine's reunion with Sally Goodwin is bittersweet when Maxine discovers that Sally was sent to investigate complaints filed against her. A father testifies on behalf of his teenage daughter who appears before Amy for conspiring in his attempted murder.
S4.E16 ∙ Sixteen Going on Seventeen
Amy's thrown for a romantic loop when attorney Stuart Collins (Reed Diamond) pops back into her life; Peter and Gillian are shaken by news about their unborn baby's health. Elsewhere, a father (Don McManus) sues for custody of his 14-year-old daughter after learning that her mother let the child drop out of high school to become a sexy pop singer.
S4.E17 ∙ Judging Eric
Eric's trial begins and is presided over by a slightly eccentric and seemingly unsympathetic judge. Meanwhile, a party is planned for to celebrate his 17th birthday.
S4.E18 ∙ Looking for Quarters
Workplace relationships become complicated when Bruce adopts a strictly business attitude with Amy; and Maxine experiences hostility from Sean, who blames her for Eric running away. Also: Kyle approaches his sponsor about pursuing a romance with Heather (Sarah Danielle Madison). In other developments, the teen promoters of an all-night rave stand trial for the ecstasy-related death of a 15-year-old girl.
S4.E19 ∙ Just Say Oops
Activists for the legalization of cannabis are brought to court because their 7-year-old son was caught smoking marijuana at school; and Maxine must decide who's telling the truth when a former cop alleges that his ex is an unfit mother. Elsewhere, Amy accepts a dinner invitation from Stu (Reed Diamond); Lily treats Kyle poorly; and Gillian continues to go overboard with plans for Maxine's wedding.
S4.E20 ∙ Requiem
Stu has convinced Amy to go on a camping trip with him, while Maxine is making plans to bring wedding forward to this weekend at her house. Maxine is devastated when Charles appears at work to tell her Jared has had a heart attack and died. Maxine does not want anyone to comfort her and lashes out at everyone around her. Charles is having trouble getting Jared body returned from China and Peter and Charles fight over how to deal with this. A slightly more composed Maxine takes everyone to the dinner in which she and Jared first met for a highly emotive memorial service.
S4.E21 ∙ Picture of Perfect
Maxine's first day back on the job finds her removing a boy from the custody of his mother, who was one of Maxine's clients for a short time eight years earlier; although Amy is worried about Maxine's bottling up her grief, she becomes unsettled when Kyle tells her that Maxine has been talking to Charles instead of her own children; Kyle does an end-run around Lily to get an indigent patient the reconstructive surgery she desperately needs after an accident; Amy hears the custody case of a teenager whose divorced parents disagree about sending her to a school for overweight children.
S4.E22 ∙ CSO: Hartford
On Take Your Daughter to Work Day, Lauren learns how lucky she is when she spends the afternoon with Maxine, and Rebecca becomes seriously injured after she falls during a seizure; Kyle continues to drink; Stu reassures Amy that she's a permanent part of his life after she fails to make a fabulous first impression during lunch with his opinionated mother; Bruce struggles to get a boy discharged from probation; after begging Lily to rehire Heather, Kyle is shocked when she refuses to return; Heather and Zola let the men in their lives know that they've got romance on their minds.
S4.E23 ∙ Marry, Marry Quite Contrary
Amy must decide if it's in a teenager's best interest to get married; Bruce investigates when he suspects that a teenager's probation violation isn't as innocent as his parole officer claims; Amy struggles with telling Lauren that she's dating Stu; after worrying about Gillian's insistence that the baby's fine, and a girl, Peter decides to let her hold on to her beliefs when he discovers that they're having a boy; Lily considers accepting a job offer in New York; Michael confesses to Amy that he was to blame for their divorce.
S4.E24 ∙ Shock and Awe
A stressed out public defender goes ballistic in Amy's courtroom; Maxine tries to figure out why a woman who lost her son wants to give up her foster child; Kyle tells Lily how he feels, but it doesn't go as he hoped; Amy is confused about whether or not Stu actually proposed marriage; Gillian goes into labor with unexpected and seemingly tragic results.
S5.E1 ∙ Motion Sickness
When Amy is transferred to criminal court, Bruce stays behind in juvenile court, and she inherits Spencer, an insolent clerk; Lauren has an extremely unhappy first day at junior high, but things brighten up on day two when, much to her mother's dismay, she finds a boyfriend who is a year older; after accepting Stuart's proposal, Amy begins to have nightmares about the wedding; recently unemployed as a result of budget cuts, Donna helps Peter care for his sons while Gillian languishes in a coma; Ellen, D.C.F.'s newest employee, uses her experience as a former foster child to help Maxine deal with a teenager who's run away from her foster home; fed up with his impudence and disloyalty, Amy fires Spencer and hires Donna, who's recently graduated from law school; Amy's predecessor in the criminal division threatens her with retribution after she considers overturning his decision to suppress evidence in a capital murder case; Gillian finally emerges from her coma.
S5.E2 ∙ Going Down
After she's released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, Gillian reveals that she had a near-death experience during Walt's delivery, but can't seem to find anyone who believes her; when Amy claims that she has no time to organize the wedding, Stu volunteers to make all the arrangements; tragedy occurs when Maxine's pleas to the police to publicize the disappearance of a foster child fall on deaf ears; it's apparent that there's no love lost between Stu and David when they end up at the same cocktail party; Kyle and Lily have an intense encounter in a hospital elevator; Amy's frustration with the difference between the criminal and juvenile court systems increases as the Hawkins trial concludes; Kyle is unsuccessful in his attempt to get Lily to change her mind about moving to New York.
S5.E3 ∙ Ex Parte of Five
Maxine and Amy clash with each other after Amy allows a 7-year-old girl to testify in court about her little brother's death; Gillian has a hard time bonding with her newborn baby.
S5.E4 ∙ Tricks of the Trade
Amy precides over the case of a famous football player accused of rape; Maxine helps out a mother whose paranoid theories about the government start to affect her sons; Kyle interviews for a promotion at work and tries to convince the grandmother and mother of a brain-dead boy to donate a kidney to a dying girl.
S5.E5 ∙ The Wrong Man
Maxine has a hard time being happy that Amy is getting married; Amy is concerned when a man accused of attempting to murder a Catholic priest wants to represent himself in court; Peter becomes concerned after Gillian writes her own obituary.
S5.E6 ∙ Into the Fire
During Amy's first capital murder case, ASA David McClaren makes inappropriate comments during his closing statements which forces her to pause the trial; meanwhile, Kyle discovers that his AA sponsor is his new boss.
S5.E7 ∙ Kilt Trip
Two days before her wedding, Amy has to precede over a felony murder case involving a 14-year-old boy who is charged in the shooting death of the son of a police officer; on her big day, she starts to have second thoughts about getting married.
S5.E8 ∙ The Long Goodbye
After returning home from her honeymoon, Amy sees a counselor and decides to go back to juvenile court; Kyle faces a dilemma when he is asked to fire a nurse; meanwhile, Maxine discovers that a teenage Russian orphan is the victim of sexual abuse in her adoptive home.
S5.E9 ∙ Rumspringa
Amy precides over a custody case involving two teenage parents, one of whom is Amish; Maxine discovers that foster girls have been placed into a psychiatric facility due to budget cuts.
S5.E10 ∙ Sex and the Single Mother
Amy presides over the custody case in which a mother thinks that her son is being affected by the behavior of his shock jock father; Maxine decides to become a part-time therapist.
S5.E11 ∙ Christenings
When a young teenager is hospitalized with problems caused by anorexia, Judge Amy must determine if the author of a pro-anorexia web site is to blame. Maxine try's to get the mother of an autistic child to give up a dangerous form of faith healing and return to more conventional therapies.
S5.E12 ∙ Dancing in the Dark
While filling in for a judge in criminal court, Amy finds herself not only working with David McClaren, but a defense attorney who was the best man at her first wedding; Maxine goes out salsa dancing with Ignacio.
S5.E13 ∙ Sins of the Father
A teenage boy hires a man to impersonate his father in order to keep Amy from sending him to live with his mother full-time; Lauren and Peter begin bonding with each other after he moves back into the Gray house; while investigating a child abuse case, Maxine discovers that a grandmother might be partially to blame for her family's cycle of abuse.
S5.E14 ∙ Roadhouse Blues
Amy precedes over the case where she has to decide whether an 11-year-old boy will be safe living with his father, who is in the Witness Protection Program. Maxine suspects that a group of teens have made a suicide pact after the death of a popular classmate.
S5.E15 ∙ Werewolves of Hartford
While hearing the case of a teenage girl charged with destroying the bicycle of her brother's girlfriend, Amy is shocked when it's revealed that the girl is in an incestuous relationship with her brother; Maxine spies on one of her foster parents who is dressed up like a pimp while attending a sex convention at a hotel; Bruce's ex, Mia stays at his place.
S5.E16 ∙ Baggage Claim
Amy has to decide whether or not a 9-year-old boy who is the product of his mother's brutal rape should be placed in the custody of his paternal grandmother; Maxine encourages a young artist to channel his anger more positively and meets Ignacio's ex-wife and kids; Kyle has a hard time being supportive of Heather's pregnancy.
S5.E17 ∙ The Song That Never Ends
Amy presides over the case of a mother seeking custody of her children after completing a welfare-to-work program; Kyle breaks the rules to allow an incarcerated woman see her baby.
S5.E18 ∙ Disposable
Maxine is concerned that a foster mother of hers might be suffering from Alzheimer's disease; Amy hears the case of a teenage girl involved in a prostitution ring at her group home.
S5.E19 ∙ The Quick and the Dead
After hearing new evidence that Danny Hawkins might be innocent, Amy has to decide whether or not to retry his case; Maxine discovers that a foster mother is using her children in nude photography to advance her photography business; Kyle is reassigned to work in the coma ward.
S5.E20 ∙ Slade's Chophouse
Amy fusses over Lauren's overnight school field trip to Philadelphia with Victor; Bruce is in for a shock when an old friend comes for a visit; Amy confronts David after Lolly Wetzel repeats Greenwich rumors that connect him with his wife's murder, and he finally tells her the horrifying details of Kelly's death; when Ignacio's pictures get mixed up with another family's at the photo lab, Maxine sets off to investigate if the pictures of a woman with a black eye indicate spousal abuse, and ends up learning more than she wants to about the woman's interests; Amy presides over the pre-trial hearing for a troubled teenager accused of killing her babysitter; against Todd's advice, Kyle takes time off to see if Heather is with her father in Boston, and is stunned when Mr. Labonte tells him that Heather has a troubled past with a history of telling lies, including that he had cancer; when Amy goes to David's office to accompany him on a visit to his therapist, she learns that he has left town with no indication of when, or if, he will return.
S5.E21 ∙ Predictive Neglect
Amy presides over the case of a young girl charged with shoplifting whose attorney is quite well-known; after the death of his father, Kyle begins to rethink his decision to become a doctor; a new "zero tolerance" policy forces Maxine to remove two brothers from the custody of their mother over a spanking.
S5.E22 ∙ My Little Runaway
Amy hears the case of a boy who runs away from home hoping to join the circus as a gymnast; Maxine discovers that a foster girl lied about being sexually assaulted by a homeless man so she wouldn't get in trouble; Lauren's boyfriend, Victor winds up in the hospital after getting hit by a car.
S5.E23 ∙ Sex, Lies and Expedia.com
Unwilling to let a poor client go to extremes to get prompt medical attention for her daughter, Maxine finds a way to get D.C.F. to cover the surgery the girl needs; David declares his love for Amy; Maxine gets shocking news about Ignacio and breaks off their relationship; Amy tragically miscalculates a teenager's propensity for violence; increasingly jealous over Peter's involvement with Shelby, Gillian confronts him about the future of their marriage, and doesn't like the response she gets; with the help of Buck and a little gunfire, Kyle finally finds a career path he can get excited about; the Grays receive a very unexpected, and very welcome, visitor.
S6.E1 ∙ Accountability
With all three of her children living once again under the same roof with her, Maxine finally decides to let them be the grownups that they are (horseplay notwithstanding) and fix their own breakfasts; the ceiling in Amy's courtroom collapses, and she is sentenced to a stint in Accountability court, which she deems a punishment for her ruling in the Casey Ives matter; shortly after his return from New Mexico.
S6.E2 ∙ Lullaby
Vincent's struggles with his latest novel leads him into blowing off his agent, who responds by dropping Vincent and demanding the return of the advance that Vincent's already spent; Maxine receives another award, and uses her acceptance speech to talk about the young boy lost in the system that she and Sean can't seem to locate; Amy's dealings with two troubled teenage girls and their mothers in Accountability court inspires her to change her focus when she returns to Juvenile Court; Maxine tries to avoid removing the children of a overburdened single mother working to overcome anger and abuse issues; David finally feels that he's put his wife's death behind him and can now pursue a relationship with Amy; Ignacio lets Maxine know that he's ready to do whatever it takes to have a future with her; Amy fires Donna to propel her into practicing law; Kyle decides to accompany Heather to Minnesota and take care of their son while she's in rehab.
S6.E3 ∙ Legacy
Asked to help out Vincent with a loan to pay back his canceled contract advance, Peter discloses the family firm is about bankrupt and bitterly regrets having been expected to run it alone. Despite the court's huge backlog, Amy refuses to accept a bargain between lawyers in a juvenile homicide case and finds out a tragic family secret. Lover David tries hard to get sailing phobia-afflicted Amy to enjoy his new yacht. Maxine dates Ignacio, who realizes it's time to divorce Francesca; Donna, whom Amy dropped as clerk, takes a position as a court-appointed minor counsel for the Hartford Youth Advocates, right across the hall from Amy's chambers.
S6.E4 ∙ Consent
Pre-teen Brent Chase is charged with sexually abusing a classmate, but the trial points out both were victims of excessive class peer pressure. The colored bracelets code further triggers Amy's overprotective meddling, despite warnings from Vincent, who grudgingly accepted a menial law firm data job and spills Peter's business failure to his in-living ex Gilian, who proves surprisingly supportive. Sean has to suspend Maxine for contacting a leveled adolescent's unwitting father out of the blue, also causing is mother to be arrested.
S6.E5 ∙ Order and Chaos
Supervisor Sean must suspend Maxine for slapping, in front of a cop, a wicked teen charge for nearly-fatally neglecting her naive senior foster mother's basic needs. Penniless Vincent jumps at the chance to earn $100 as 'driver' to escort to has father's house maternally-abused swell teen jock Robbie, with whom he bonds while working out why the knave, who shows a critical interest in author "Vinnie's" own problems, dreads returning home. Novel juvenile advocate Donna fails to appreciate Amy's coaching of her first case and negotiating with DA Morris Riordan, although it perfectly serves the needs of preteen client Carl Sipple not to be tried as an adult but get juvenile help rather then a jail sentence. David bitterly finds Amy ditched their date to have drinks with her clerk. Summoned to Ned's principal's office, Peter and his ex are pleasantly surprised to hear their son mischief stems for an under-challenged high IQ.
S6.E6 ∙ Catching It Early
Class clown Avi Gould is charged for a laxative prank which accidentally landed a teacher in hospital. Amy stressed over a breast lump examination, but despite excessive nightmares is diagnosed in the clear. Peter Gray and ex Gillian bicker over the suitable education for adoptive son Ned given his high IQ, which wrecked Vincent's one equally bright future. The trace of missing charge Anthony leads Maxine to bug Sean and two former colleagues, their predecessors, including not-amused politician Larry Feiner.
S6.E7 ∙ Early Winter
Maxine's stressing about lost charge Anthony caused her to be hospitalized for a cardiac crisis, but can't stand the family bickering on at her bedside despite Vince's best efforts and soon discharges herself against medical advice. Her kin facing fats and looking for Maxine's things, Peter and Gillian have sex again so he moves back home. Amy learns about her mother, whose ghost Maxine believes to talk too. Clerk and unofficial translator Rob Holbrook proves his value as Amy's new permanent clerk in the case of juvenile robber Marissa Levy, from a wealthy family which expected to settle.
S6.E8 ∙ Conditional Surrender
Vincent takes another job offered by Sean, assisting street worker Louann 'Crystal' Turner, and volunteers as tutor for her academically gifted homeless charge Leon, a cocky ingrate. Fatherless Travis Stewart's devoted but MS-afflicted mother Tina's custody is challenged in favor of a distant aunt. David quit his job and decides to sail to the Antilles, Amy demands an invitation but can't seriously contemplate a long leave. Maxine rejects any convalescence help from Peter and determined Jillian, except a single yoga lesson for show.
S6.E9 ∙ Silent Era
Vincent extends his 'interim' jobs to helping street workers again, now with a prostitute, but her pimp gets a goon to beat him up. Maxine is so shocked by foster daughter Graciela Reyes's negligence extending to literally standing by as her senior foster nearly wastes away to death, that she slaps her in front of a cop and has to be suspended by Sean indefinitely, which contributes to working up a cardiac crisis. Imp Graciela is most uncooperative and rude on trial for failing to respect her parole terms, yet Amy rules against the state for canceling a program. Sean tracks down Anthony, happily adopted.
S6.E10 ∙ The Long Run
In Amy's juvenile court schoolboy Charley Dane is on trial for stabbing his teacher, who was actually his only true friend who got fired for seeing Charlie after school hours, as a well-meaning substitute for his superficial parents who only wanted a perfect kid to show off... Ma Maxine returns to work, and immediately discovers the baby teenager Zachary Pettit cares for so well is not his kid brother but his own son, abandoned at birth by the teenager mother... Vincent gets emotional and physical bruises when he cares personally for a bright colored drug addict on the street...
S6.E11 ∙ 10,000 Steps
While working at the outreach office for teenage runaways, Vincent uses his flair for writing to encourage a teenage runaway to write a better essay about himself so the runaway will be accepted in a half-way house. Vincent also tries to help Crystal Turner, now back on the streets as a prostitute, but her pimp gets a goon to beat him up. Maxine deals with a case involving a boy who uses his eight year old foster brother as a drug mule but she is suspended indefinitely by Sean after she gets into a physical confrontation with Graciela Reyes. Amy presides over a case involving adoptive parents who want to terminate their custody due to their adopted child's short temper and destructive behavior. Peter fears for his relationship with Gillian when all she wants to do is have sex. Amy and David become engaged.
S6.E12 ∙ You Don't Know Me
Amy has a case concerning a girl with epilepsy with the parents disagreeing about treatment. Vincent and Crystal help a Fanny, a street kid. Maxine involves herself in an assault case with families of different social classes.
S6.E13 ∙ Dream a Little Dream
Before Vincent and Crystal eyes, a homeless teen is murdered by a pimp, which shocks and shakes their confidence, so he must question her relapse into alcohol abuse. When Maxine checks on neighbors suspecting child abuse In a wealthy Romanian expat home, Sean's team and the police dig into a whole system of house boy slavery, while she focuses on reuniting separated brothers Radu and Sorin Parasca. While Davis sacrifices his other dreams to treat pregnant Amy to her ideal house, she mistrusts Carl Hodgson's plea that her son Carl shot her terminally ill father out of compassion, but her brother Daniel Beck demands severity.
S6.E14 ∙ Happy Borthday
Maxine finds jail bird Gary Helms has mixed feelings when his ex wants him to sign over parental rights so her lover Mark can adopt their boys to raise them in Tennessee, and confronts them, so the though junior son can hear from his father playing the street gangster is just dumb, and his firstborn model pupil brother see the caring side of the parent their mother vilified all their lives. Amy keeps working despite warning signs until diagnosed on her 40th birthday the fetus is no longer viable, then keeps away from her loved-ones and lashes out at accidental admirer Jerry Lambert.
S6.E15 ∙ Hard to Get
Vincent and Crystal become lovers, she publicly credits him at an award ceremony with her rehab success. Despite Amy's misbehavior and losing their baby, David arranges to undo the family dream-house buy and still proposes. She risks her reputation pointlessly by imposing herself as character 'witness' to oppose against incorrigible Graciela being tried as an adult, and looses. .
S6.E16 ∙ The Paper War
While attending a bench and bar dinner, Amy gets into a heated argument with the State Attorney and accuses his office of being politically motivated in regard to the juvenile justice system. As a result, Amy's inundated with requests to move cases out of her court, which causes a litigation nightmare that puts Donna's 17-year-old client at risk of being considered AWOL from the Coast Guard. Meanwhile, Maxine and Sean come up with a creative solution to the housing problem of a recently sober mother who is seeking to regain custody of her children.
S6.E17 ∙ The New Normal
Vincent is not amused that Crystal arranged to promote him away to a juvenile institution teaching position, as he wants a relationship. Reza Ajami is on trial for beating fellow Muslim Jusef Said, who bullied him and his 'white' girl friend as Reza refused to join Yusef's radical roots club, and has his own trauma. Ignacio's civilized home dinner for Maxine escalates into 'puberal' lust.
S6.E18 ∙ Sorry I Missed You
Vincent's first experience as writing instructor in juvenile ward is scary, but after finding potential i the prison work shop he thanks Crystal for arranging the job and invites her a home dinner to meet the family. After Maxine's pre-teen ward Joshua runs away from his adoptive mother to a regular foster mother, who intends to bow out heartbroken, a three ways compromise is devised. Peter gets grumpy when questioned about keeping his stuff at home rather then move them back to Gillian's. Amy's biased testimony for Graciela only hurts her case, so the lawyer bans her from court, where the incorrigible brat's insolence contributes to a long jail sentence. Strict Oswell Bray's daughter challenges his custody over her kid sister, assuming without proof she must also be abused.
S6.E19 ∙ Revolutions Per Minute
Teen Eric Oldham, who has a violent bully record, seems likely to be tried as an adult for beating up and abandoning his single mother, but his day in court shows she's the bad example. Peter commits to fully restoring his marriage but hits a confidence problem. Maxine's autistic ward Adam Diehl's separated parents seem unable to care for the out of control boy properly, but working on its bedtime ritual reveals alternative prospects.
S6.E20 ∙ Too Little, Too Late
Maxine is afraid of becoming more than just friends with Ignacio so she introduces her friend Patricia to Ignacio and encourages her to invite him as her escort to a benefit. At the same time as she sets out to prove an arrogant college professor is guilty of spousal abuse. A 15-year-old boy with a criminal record asks Amy to believe that he has turned his life around and that he's innocent of the serious crime he's charged with - attacking an undercover officer who accused him of dealing drugs. Meanwhile, Lauren's participation in a "Meat is Murder" rally gets her suspended from school.
S6.E21 ∙ Getting Out
Vincent's most promising juvenile ward charge Anthony is about to be released and focused on his father, but as turns out in a truly terrifying way. Sean and Maxine pull all stops to get the administration to amply fund a handicapped children foster home family in danger of eviction. Being legally forced to convict incorrigible pre-teen Junior Lopez to years of juvenile correction and two surprise twists in Gracela's case contribute to both Amy an clerk Bruce resigning from court justice.
S6.E22 ∙ My Name Is Amy Gray...
Judge Grays last day on the bench. She is approached to run for senator. Maxine talks with Ignacio. There is bill in the senate to incarcerate 13 year olds as adults. Maxine tries to be a foster mother.
