Jay Leno stops by the Waterfront Bar while in town visiting his cousin Mary; Munch and Bayliss don't want to bother him. A new year starts out with a clean board and Brodie begins his work taping with the detectives. A sniper takes the city hostage, threatening to and executing people every 8 hours. The sniper uses Hangman as a way to leave clues for the detectives. Bayliss is the primary and his back is giving him trouble as he worries about surgery his doctor wants him to have. To combat the pain, he keeps taking muscle relaxants. A suspect is found and cornered and he shoots himself before they can take him into custody. Russert gets demoted when Barnfather doesn't like the way she handled the investigation.
A gang member at school harasses Earvin, and threatens him with a gun.
Carl backpedals on his refusal to teach Urkel to ride a bike when it seems that the clumsy kid might wreck his new car.
When Mr. Feeny gives Amy and Alan the key to his cabin in the Poconos so they can have a romantic getaway, Shawn and Cory steal the key, and use it to have a ski weekend. Meanwhile, Eric, Frankie and Joey play the longest game of pool ever played.
The skeleton of a Nazi sympathizer is found and suspicion falls on Jacob Levine, the son of a Jewish butcher who was persecuted by the dead man. Wambaugh rises to Levine's defense only to find himself facing an unexpected prosecuting attorney — his son David, from whom he has been estranged for many years.
On the run from Arak's forces, the trio finds a young boy named Doogie, who lives in an old tower. Ramirez notices Leonardo da Vinci's invention there. Doogie asks them to wait for his grandfather, but Kortan and Arak show up instead.
Be sure to get this straight: spiders are not insects, they’re arachnids. Spiders have eight legs, and insects have only six. Spiders have two body parts, a head and an abdomen, while insects have three body parts, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. Insects have antennae, and spiders do not. Some insects sting. All spiders have fangs and venom. There are almost certainly a few spiders in the room with you right now.
A man wrongfully convicted of murder takes Dr. Sloan hostage. Dr. Sloan hears his story and works to prove the man's innocence. Jesse works feverishly to rescue Mark.
After being freed, a policeman's murderer is killed--and the cop's partner is under investigation. Meanwhile, the murderer's girlfriend plots revenge on the gang leader who ordered the officer's death.
Shep and Raul bring a dozen malnourished and abandoned children into the ER, keeping everyone very busy. Shep has a run-in with Malik and Benton when he makes an off-handed racially insensitive remark. Carter's high from the admission of Mrs. Rubadoux to the study ends when she shows no signs of recovery. Jeanie and Carol clash when Jeanie receives a poor evaluation. Al asks Jeanie to give him another chance. Mark is served with divorce papers.
Del's unexpectedly generous Christmas gift - a pair of ugly but valuable earrings - makes Caroline question his intentions. Richard paints a commissioned nude portrait of a beautiful woman (Udenio) who has a well-connected husband - well -connected in ""the Family,"" according to a frightened Remo. And Annie can't remember her New Year's Eve party at which she met a man who has since telephoned her to confirm their date.
After Regine brags about her influence on Palo Alto, Synclaire drops by the set unexpectedly in the hopes that Regine can help her land a part. Regine is humiliated when none of the actors are aware of her existence, and the director refers to her as ""the odor-eater girl."" Regine apologizes for lying; but explains that, although her work is not glamorous, she thoroughly enjoys it. Synclaire agrees to keep her true status a secret. When one of the extras gets fired, Regine slips Synclaire into a scene as the Grim Reaper. Meanwhile, Khadijah asks Max to pen a column about the legal profession for Flavor. Max objects when Khadijah edits the article, prompting Khadijah to note that Max cannot deal with criticism. It is only Overton's editing skills that stave off a feud. Tag: Synclaire's appearance on Palo Alto
Motorcycle racing in Osaka, Japan, puts a man's life in danger when he tries to wed a girl from a traditional Japanese family.
Monica gets back together with Fun Bobby. Joey lands a role of a neurosurgeon on Days of Our Lives. And Rachel, dating a guy named Russ, can't see his uncanny resemblance to Ross.
George's parents meet Susan's; Elaine fears her enthusiasm may have scared off the musician she's dating; Kramer drives a hansom cab, but feeds his steed bad fuel.
The Biker Mice have been mysteriously transported to Plutark with a bunch of scrap metal from a local junkyard. This turns out to be a good thing for Limburger and he uses it to give himself a shot at being elected High Chairman.
After hiring a criminally insane employee, Drew has to fire him without creating any bad blood--or losing any good blood.
Merlyn borrow's an unborn child's spirit and reappears as Halle. Both Lucas and Caleb realize what has happened, and while Lucas tries to keep Merlyn in his world, Caleb knows she must return the spirit to the baby before it's too late.