Episode
Living Single: Wake Up to the Break-Up
Overview
A cable repairwoman flirts with Kyle and asks him to visit a museum. Max pushes him to go out with her, claiming that they are not in an exclusive relationship. Although the woman turns out to be an airhead, Kyle stresses that he is tired of being involved with a woman who refuses to respect him or show him any affection. He breaks up with Max. Regine takes her friends to a Brian McKnight concert after getting free tickets from a co-worker. Kyle and Max get thrown out after they get into a shouting match and nearly come to blows. In the security offices, they look back on their relationship. Max claims that she only cares about food, shelter, her career and good sex. Kyle tries to offer her a ride home, but she refuses to give in. Russell learns that he is to be deported back to Jamaica. He enlists the help of the Flavor staff, who can save him by proving that he is an essential employee. Their pathetic display fails to fool the INS officer, but Synclaire comes to the rescue by claimin
Details
- Series
- Living Single
- Season
- Season 3
- Episode
- Episode 17
- Air date
- 1996-02-01
- Runtime
- 30 min
Episode context
Wake Up to the Break-Up is Episode 17 in Season 3 of Living Single. It aired on 1996-02-01. The runtime is 30 min.
Previous / Next
Episode 16: Likes Father, Likes Son
While at the TV station to visit her boyfriend, simple-minded weatherman Cole Front, Regine makes a date with a handsome older man named Warner Devant. When she later learns that Warner is Cole's father, she continues to see both men (she considers it a challenge); but has difficulty keeping track of their birthdays and likes and dislikes. The men eventually figure out what is going on, and show up at her door to confront her. Regine apologizes for the deception, and Cole orders her to choose between them. She picks Warner, causing Cole to have an on-air breakdown. Meanwhile, Overton, Max and Khadijah drive Kyle crazy when they invest money with his firm. He finally resigns as their broker, prompting one of his colleagues to thank him for the ""suckers.""
Tag: Cole loses it on the air.
Music: ""Theme from Sanford and Son,"" hummed by T.C. Carson
Episode 18: Tibby or Not Tibby
Overton receives an unexpected visit from his beloved Uncle Tibby. He is not impressed with Synclaire, as he believes she is trying to ""get her hooks"" into Overton. He urges Overton to dump her immediately. Synclaire overhears this, and is deeply hurt. Overton assures her that he is not swayed by his uncle's opinion, and offers to prepare a special dinner to get Tibby to warm up to Synclaire. When Tibby continues to criticize her, Overton orders him to leave. He explains that he cannot go home, as his wife threw him out for offering his brutally honest opinion about her children's choir. He apologizes to Synclaire, and admits that the fact that she reminds him of his wife may have been to blame for his attitude. Overton and Synclaire urge him to call his wife and patch things up. Kyle reluctantly gives Max the expensive bracelet (engraved with the message, ""To Max, Always on my mind. Kyle"") he purchased before their break-up. She pawns it to buy fake crocodile skin boots, and taunts hi
More episodes from this season
Episode 15: Scoop Dreams
Ivan is injured while riding his bike across the ice at Rockefeller Center to make a rush delivery for Flavor, and loses his job. Synclaire encourages Khadijah to give him a job, but she is frightened by his devotion to her. After learning that Ivan is a top journalism student, she hires him as a copy aide. Khadijah grows tired of Ivan's ridiculous story ideas, so she sends him to a celebrity hairdressing convention. He returns with a tape recording that suggests that Rev. Jesse Jackson has accepted a cabinet position. Having earlier been scooped by the competition on a music industry shake-up, Khadijah decides to run the story without verification. She is humiliated to discover that Rev. Jackson was discussing the renovation of his home, and is forced to pull all the issues from the shelves. A distraught Ivan is ready to give up journalism, but Khadijah takes the blame. She explains that--while Ivan is too raw to know any better--she has years of experience, and should not have ignore
Episode 19: Shrink to Fit
Khadijah takes a second job as a night security guard at an old-folks home to pay for improvements in Flavor, which faces stiff competition from a copycat magazine called Savor. These worries are compounded when she learns that Scooter is dating another woman. Khadijah develops insomnia, and behaves extremely erratically. She follows her mother's advice and begins seeing a psychiatrist, Dr. Bryce. She shows up at the office in a wig because she fears that her friends would treat her like a mental patient if they knew about her session (which proves to be true). Dr. Bryce notes that Khadijah seems to put everyone else's needs ahead of her own, and believes that she is suffering from a mild form of depression. Even when Savor flops, Khadijah's mood does not improve. She admits that she has begun to think about all she has sacrificed for her magazine, and wonders if it is worth it. She agrees to continue to see Dr. Bryce, but the doctor first instructs her to take a one-week vacation. Syn
Episode 14: I'm Ready for My Close-Up
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
Episode 20: Dear John
Max and Khadijah grow weary of Regine's spineless boyfriend, John, so they joke about sending him a letter from Regine asking him to set her free. Max follows through with the plan, and Regine is devastated when John breaks up with her. Max and Khadijah go to John's house to explain the joke and ask him to take Regine back. They also suggest that he stand up for himself occasionally, rather than letting Regine walk all over him. Before John can come to the apartment to make up with Regine, she brings home her new boyfriend Keith, an artist who was painting a mural at the television studio. John arrives with flowers to tell Regine that their relationship is over, and begins pursuing Max. (He believes she sent the letter because she wanted him for herself.) Kyle's new girlfriend, Kimberly, begins coming on to Overton every time they are left alone together. Kyle refuses to believe this, but Kimberly freely admits to it when he confronts her on the roof. Kyle orders her to leave, and a be
Episode 13: Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow... Dammit
Overton invites everyone to spend Christmas at the Canadian cabin his family frequented during his childhood. He is disgusted to find that the area is now a tourist attraction, complete with an amusement park. He has several run-ins with an overzealous Mountie (who cites him for fishing without a license and trying to chop down a protected tree), and Synclaire accidentally turns his Santa suit pink in the wash. Khadijah challenges Kyle and Max to be civil to one another throughout the trip, but all bets are off when she shows him up by buying him a laser disc player after they'd agreed to a twenty-dollar spending limit on gifts. Regine dumps her date when he assumes she will be sleeping with him, then accidentally reveals that he is about to be fired from the soap opera. Regine is not pleased when Khadijah cheers him up and helps him get home. Synclaire tells Overton that what made the Christmases of his youth special was the presence of loved ones, not the cabin. The others, including
Episode 21: A Raze in Harlem
Kyle is devastated to learn that an historic jazz club, the Showboat, is to be demolished. All his friends chip in with his campaign to save the club. Kyle fantasizes about the club's heyday, with all of the characters assuming other roles. Kyle is a busboy with a dream of singing on stage; Max is Big Max, the sexist club owner who constantly comes on to him; Khadijah is Kay, the club's singer; Regine is Zelda Fitzsimmons, a diva who seems to be missing a few marbles; Synclaire is Claire, a no-nonsense bible thumper; and Overton is Hooch Jones, the moonshiner who wins her heart when she learns he is funding orphanage repairs. Big Max fires Kyle for refusing to sleep with her, but is forced to let him take the stage when Kay quits to pursue a film career. Before he can sing his first note, the police raid the club. After all efforts to save the Showboat prove fruitless, Kyle heads down to the club to say goodbye. He bribes the construction crew into allowing him a few moments alone. He
Episode 12: The Following Is a Sponsored Program
A discouraged Synclaire is unsure about auditioning for an infomercial for a dashboard grill, but Max encourages her to follow her acting aspirations. Regine volunteers Max to drive Synclaire to the audition in order to keep her from hanging around the apartment on her day off. Max confronts the director when he dismisses Synclaire without allowing her to say her lines. He is so impressed by Max's spunk that he gives her the part. Synclaire accuses Max of robbing her of her dream, and begins to lose faith in their friendship. When Synclaire tries to walk off the set during the taping, Max calls her up to the stage as a skeptical customer. They pull off the performance beautifully, but are fired because the director feels there is no place for spontaneity in an infomercial. Synclaire thanks Max for restoring her belief in her acting ability. Overton is wracked with guilt when he continually dreams about the R&B group TLC after falling asleep during its videos.
Tag: Synclaire threatens T
Episode 22: Woman to Woman
Max's college roommate, Shayla, comes to town for her wedding. Max is stunned to learn that Shayla's intended, Chris, is a woman. She is hurt that Shayla failed to disclose the fact that she is gay, particularly when she discovers that Khadijah had known the truth since college. Max behaves rudely at the bridal shower, prompting Shayla to confront her in the kitchen. When Max demands to know why she was shut out, Shayla confesses that she was in love with Max. Max announces that she will not attend the wedding, as she feels that their entire frienship was a lie. Khadijah disagrees, pointing out that Shayla hid her true feelings because she was afraid of losing Max's friendship. Max tracks Shayla down at the beauty parlor to apologize. Although she admits that she might have initially overreacted to the news, she wishes that Shayla had given her a chance to rise to the occasion. Meanwhile, Kyle refers Overton to his tailor, but soon fears that Overton has stolen his fashion ""look.""
Tag:
Episode 11: Mommy Not Dearest
Max's mother, Nina, comes to town to accept an award. Max is confused when her mother insists on staying at her apartment and trying to bond with her, as they never had a particularly close relationship. When her mother decides to reveal that she once had an affair, Max can take no more. She explains that she has always been grateful to her mother for giving her the space she needed to become her own person; things cannot change completely overnight. Nina shows up at the courtroom to console Max after she loses a case, and they decide to build their relationship slowly. Kyle is perplexed as to why Nina has not even been told of his existence. Khadijah finds actor Dean Cain's wallet in a cab, and learns that he will not work until he has retrieved the lucky receipt from the breakfast he ate the day he auditioned for Lois and Clark. She refuses to return the wallet to anyone but Cain himself.
Tag: Dean Cain finds that Burt Ward is a little out of touch with reality.
Episode 23: Glass Ceiling
Kyle receives a promotion, but becomes extremely disenchanted after realizing that he is no longer allowed any contact with clients; the entire job consists of attending meeting after meeting. When Kyle is asked to speak before a church youth group, a young man who has followed his career closely suggests that he use his creativity to make his job more interesting. Kyle proposes an intermediary position, in which he would be involved in middle management, yet still work with clients. He must take a pay cut, but feels it is worth it. Meanwhile, Max tests Regine's claim that she doesn't mind when Keith paints portraits of nude models by volunteering to pose. Regine finally admits her jealousy, and Keith agrees to work with her to put her mind at ease.
Tag: Rev. Taylor tries to sneak out of Overton's lecture while kids sleep.