Episode
Living Single: A Raze in Harlem
Overview
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
Details
- Series
- Living Single
- Season
- Season 3
- Episode
- Episode 21
- Air date
- 1996-03-07
- Runtime
- 30 min
Episode context
A Raze in Harlem is Episode 21 in Season 3 of Living Single. It aired on 1996-03-07. The runtime is 30 min.
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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 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.""
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More episodes from this season
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 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.
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
Episode 24: Kiss of the Spider Man
Max defends Jackson Turner, an environmentalist accused of murdering a CEO. He insists he was on a plane at the time the crime was committed, and Max locates a stewardess who remembers his snoring. Max and Jackson begin falling for each other. After he is cleared, they go to his cabin for the weekend. Max learns that the CEO died from the venom of a rare poisonous spider; Jackson could have killed him without being present. She jumps out the window, but later returns with Overton to confront Jackson. He insists he is innocent, and notices that a spider is missing. They realize that his assistant, Peignor, had access to the spiders. Synclaire, Regine and Kyle arrive to check on Max and Overton. Peignor emerges from the bathroom with a gun. Kyle and Overton jump him, but break the spiders' case. When Peignor tries to grab the gun, Max tosses a spider at him. Kyle and Overton carry him to the clinic. Max apologizes to Jackson, but decides he isn't right for her after he asks her to help t
Episode 17: Wake Up to the Break-Up
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
Episode 25: Whatever Happened to Baby Sister?
Khadijah's estranged father asks her to keep an eye on her spoiled half-sister, Stephanie, while she is in town for a track meet. Khadijah asks Ivan to take her out and keep her out of trouble, but she slips away at a party and gets really drunk. She has a terrible hangover the morning of the finals. Khadijah forces her to get in the blocks, but she has to quit the race to go throw up. Khadijah can't understand why Stephanie would throw her opportunity away, but Stephanie explains that she is tired of being touted as a future Olympian; she would rather be a regular college student. Khadijah doesn't sympathize, pointing out that Stephanie at least has a father to pressure her. She is surprised to learn that their father always holds up Khadijah as a role model to her sister. Regine suspects that Max penned a letter to a magazine expressing concern about her habit of pushing men away (one in particular). She and Kyle pester Max about this, but she steadfastly denies it. Overton, however,
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 26: Compromising Positions
Laverne is very impressed with Keith at their first meeting, but things take a turn for the worse when Ms. Hunter catches Keith and Regine in a romantic interlude on the roof a few days later. (Max, who observed the entire encounter from her apartment, documents it for the neighborhood newsletter.) Regine cannot get her mother to speak to her, so she comes down to her favorite bingo parlor with Khadijah to confront her. Laverne explains that Regine's behavior reminds her of the time that Regine was conceived in the bleachers during a Mets game. Regine assures her that she has control of her life, and there is no reason to worry. When one of Laverne's bingo cards is a winner, she and her daughter celebrate with a shopping spree. Overton decides to pop the question to Synclaire. He spots the perfect ring, but must negotiate with the eccentric old man who presently owns it.
Tag: Overton and Ray take a ""chopper"" ride.
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 27: The Engagement (1)
While buying a hot dog in the park, Synclaire meets Robert De Niro, who offers her the part of a waitress in his new movie. Overton tries to plan the perfect evening in the hopes of proposing to Synclaire, but virtually everything goes wrong. Synclaire cannot make their dinner because she has been called to the set. She eventually shows up, but they have to flee when the houseboat restaurant has plumbing problems. Their hansom cab breaks down in Central Park, and Overton gets mugged. Despite Synclaire's pleas, he unhitches the horse and mounts it in the hopes of chasing the man down and getting the ring back. An alternative rock group slaps Khadijah with a multi-million dollar lawsuit after Russell writes a review accusing it of ripping off Barry Manilow's ""Mandy."" When Regine tries to console Russell, he kisses her, and she takes a very long time to shove him away. Regine's women's group persuades Max to run for alderwoman. Regine appoints herself Max's campaign manager, but objects t