Girlfriends

On Joan’s last day in New Orleans volunteering helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina, she meets Aaron (Richard T. Jones), a fellow volunteer who asks her out. When Joan arrives in L.A. she is determined to repair her relationship with Maya, Lynn, and most importantly Toni. Maya and Darnell return home from Florida where Darnell was working for NASCAR and find out that Lynn has moved in to their house. Meanwhile, William starts to regret his marriage proposal to Monica.

Joan returns to work at the J-Spot only to find that William has put Monica in charge of managing the bar to get her out of his hair. When Joan confronts William about Monica’s new position, he reveals that he has made a mistake proposing to Monica but can’t tell her. Meanwhile, Maya pressures Darnell to have another baby.

Joan starts to realize that Maya’s house has become the hang-out spot and that she is longer the center of the friendship. Later, Joan’s doctor tells her that her cholesterol is too high, so she decides to have personal training sessions at her house and invites Maya and Lynn to join in. Maya gets upset and feels that Joan is trying to make her house the hang-out spot once again and Lynn gets caught in the middle.

In trying to seriously pursue her music career, Lynn informs the girls that she is performing at a local club during "open mic" night. While waiting at the club Lynn meets a record executive who offers to help her with her career, but she turns him down when she realizes he wants sex in return. While waiting for her chance to perform, Lynn falls asleep and misses her turn on stage. Lynn decides to take the executive up on his offer, but is embarrassed the next day when he ignores her. Meanwhile Joan and William discover a large amount of money is missing from the J-Spot.

Joan learns that Maya and Lynn did not tell her about a recent outing they had with Toni, who was in town for a brief visit. Joan explains to them that there is no need to keep things secret from her because she is over the whole Toni issue. Later, when Joan insists on bringing Monica into the circle of friends Maya and Lynn accuse her of using Monica as a substitute for Toni, Meanwhile, Maya asks for William’s advice on phone sex after Darnell falls asleep during one of her monologues.

Maya discovers Jabari (Kendre Berry) has been skipping school and has plagiarized a major writing assignment. When Lynn suggests that Jabari may be "acting out" because of his new suburban environment, Maya disagrees and insists that she is giving him a better life. Later, Jabari gets arrested and Maya must get to the bottom of what is bothering him.

When Joan complains about the dating scene and her social life, Maya challenges her to empower herself, accept her singleness and go out to a trendy restaurant alone. Meanwhile, William must figure out how to keep Monica from learning he was once married to Lynn.

Joan and Maya discover that Lynn is singing for money on the street and at a Karaoke bar. They try to suggesting other ways to help launch her music career, but Lynn tells them to stop meddling. Later, Lynn receives several calls from Big Boi of Outkast who wants to work with her after listening to her demo, but Lynn assumes it is Maya and Joan playing a joke on her. Meanwhile, Monica becomes jealous of William and Joan’s playful relationship.

Maya begins to struggle with the responsibilities of homeownership and taking care of Jabari while Darnell is in Florida working for NASCAR. During a phone conversation, Maya and Darnell end up in a fight and Maya becomes hysterical when she can’t reach him after a crash in his NASCAR pit. Meanwhile Lynn and guest star Big Boi clash while collaborating on their music, and William and Monica struggle to put together a seating chart for their wedding.

Aaron (Richard T. Jones), the man Joan flirted with in New Orleans, comes home to California and starts dating her, and Joan is so amazed at how well things are going that she anticipates something going wrong. Meanwhile, Maya and Darnell try to keep up with their neighbors and their holiday decorating.

Lynn is crushed when she receives a call from Big Boi (guest starring as himself) saying that he is at a creative crossroads with the record company and he won’t be able to use her music. Lynn is devastated by the news and begins to consider leaving Los Angeles, Meanwhile, after leaving NASCAR, Darnell must go back to work at the garage but is humiliated consistently by the new owner.

Maya fears that Jabari is growing up too fast after she and Darnell witness an interaction between him and a young girl. Meanwhile, Joan is uncomfortable using the bathroom at Aaron’s (guest star Richard T. Jones) house because she wants to maintain a sense of mystery in their new relationship, and Monica and William seek out advice from Lynn on how to spice up their sex life.

When Lynn meets Eldon Perry (guest star Kadeem Hardison, Car’ynn Sims), an attractive guy at a club where she is singing, but she becomes conflicted about dating him when she discovers he is a Baptist minister. Meanwhile, Joan tries to convince Maya to call a truce with Monica and be friends.

During an evening out, Maya and Darnell befriend Alicia (guest star China Shavers) and Ray (guest star Carl Anthony Payne II), a new couple living in their neighborhood. When Maya witness an intense moment between the couple, she suspects that Ray is abusing Alicia. Darnell accuses Maya of being dramatic until he hears a fight coming from the couple’s home. Meanwhile Joan is disappointed when she finds out her new boyfriend Aaron (guest star Richard T. Jones) does not believe in celebrating Valentine’s Day.

William and Monica’s wedded bliss comes to a halt when William has too much to drink at their wedding reception and reveals that he had doubts about marrying her. Humiliated by William’s comments, Monica wonders if she should end the marriage. Meanwhile, Maya is annoyed with Darnell when she discovers he knew about William’s doubts and didn’t share the information with her.

After Aaron (guest star Richard T. Jones) and Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross) experience an uncomfortable moment when they run into one of Aaron’s ex-girlfriends, they decide to discuss their past relationships with one another to avoid future awkward moments. However, when Aaron introduces Joan to one of his good friends, Keith Atwood (guest star Troy Winbush), Joan realizes they once had a brief affair, but she failed to share this with Aaron because Keith was married at the time. Meanwhile, Darnell (Khalil Kain) helps William (Reggie Hayes) cope after losing Monica (Keesha Sharp).

Lynn continues to work at the church with Eldon (guest star Kadeem Hardison) and the children’s choir, even though they have decided to end their short affair. Later, Joan and Maya get Lynn to admit she still has feelings for Eldon and is secretly hoping he will change his mind and give in to their physical attraction. But, Lynn is shocked when she learns Eldon has begun dating a member of the church who shares his beliefs in abstaining from pre-marital sex. Meanwhile, William decides to give the girls the silent treatment as punishment for interfering in his relationship with Monica, but is upset when they don’t even notice he isn’t speaking to them.

Worried about William’s state after his breakup with Monica, Maya, Joan and Lynn go to Chicago to persuade Monica to get back together with William. When they arrive, they soon discover that Monica has been cut off from her family fortune, so Joan offers Monica a job at the J-Spot. Later, Williams is thrilled that Monica is back until she demands half of what he earned while they were together. (Jonelle Allen guest stars).

Tired of all the inconveniences of living in the suburbs, Darnell suggests to Maya they should move back to the city, but Maya disagrees and does not want to give up her new home. When Joan and Lynn pressure Maya for the real reason she is opposed to moving, Maya reveals that she is pregnant. Meanwhile, Monica learns how to adjust to life without the help of her family’s wealth.

When Lynn’s new boyfriend Eldon (Kadeem Hardison), finds himself at odds with the church members over his choice of having Lynn as a girlfriend, he is faced with a tough decision. Meanwhile, Joan pressures Aaron (Richard T. Jones) into buying a house, which leads to their first big fight. Later, Maya and Darnell resort to unconventional ways to sell their house.

In the seventh-season finale, Joan unexpectedly proposes to Aaron (guest star Richard T. Jones), but when he stumbles on his response, Joan decides the relationship is over and walks away. Meanwhile Maya and Darnell find their dream house, but when Darnell gets a chance to buy the garage, he must decide which purchase to make.

Later, Joan runs into her old boyfriend Brock (guest star Malik Yoba), who tells her he made a mistake by letting her go and announces his intention to marry her now. Joan agrees to go away with Brock for a weekend in Catalina, but Maya and Lynn decide it’s time to intervene.