Episode #208 "Dating Games"

Ruth's niece, Shelly, is getting married and Griffin is gloating that he has a date for the engagement party and Erica doesn't. Ruth knows her sister, Debra, is going to be smug about the fact that Shelly is getting married before Erica. Debra is always smug because her family is much better off financially than the Lucases. Debra tells Ruth she is sure that Erica is in great pain because her younger cousin is getting married while she doesn't even have a boyfriend. Ruth tells Hilton that Debra introduced Shelly to her fiancé, and maybe it's their responsibility to find a man for Erica. Hilton meets a young man, Thomas, at a department store and invites him to the party as Erica's date. Ruth has also been on the lookout and invites Philip, the son of her friend Sarah, to the party as a date for Erica too. At the party Hilton tries to hide Thomas' identity from Ruth but he gets busted. Ruth admits that she meddled too, but she's expecting Philip to be successful because he's a church-going young man from a fine family. Philip shows up dressed extremely flamboyantly and Erica is not interested in the least. But later she encounters Thomas, and it's instant chemistry. Meanwhile, much to Debra's dismay, Shelly falls for Philip and calls her wedding off.