In the Season 4 premiere, the ladies learn the identity of the baby who was left on their doorstep. Meanwhile, Melanie gets a job offer from a public-relations firm; and Elka tries to regain the upper hand with Pierre.
Melanie is put in an awkward situation with a coworker by her boss; Joy worries about fitting in at college; Victoria is unnerved by her director's request to change her appearance; Elka keeps a secret.
Joy struggles to fit in at college, but Elka finds her niche with the cool crowd. Meanwhile, Victoria tries to suss out a costar's intentions; and Melanie stumbles into a slippery situation.
Victoria fakes a romance with a costar to make headlines; Joy gets conned by Elka and Mamie into helping their new business venture; Melanie wonders if Alec knows how she feels about him.
Mamie gets flirting lessons from Elka on a trip to the vet; Victoria discusses second chances in life in an interview with her daughter; Joy is smitten with an animal-loving firefighter.
Melanie finds herself tangled up in a love triangle at the office; Joy's firefighter fantasy may be ruined by something she learns about Sean; Victoria's relationship with a movie star makes her feel insecure; Elka and Mamie have a brush with the law.
Wilbur's christening brings Joy's new family members together for the first time, but Owen is encouraged to pretend to be someone else. Meanwhile, Elka displays her artistic side by altering a church fresco; and Melanie is fed up with Victoria's obsession with her boyfriend and costar, Emmet.
Joy gets a job as an extra in Victoria's movie and meets a new love interest; Melanie's plans for a romantic evening go awry; Elka and Mamie aren't good role models for Wilbur.
Victoria has doubts about her relationship with Emmet when Nikki, a woman from his past, shows up. Meanwhile, Melanie and Elka deal with an unwanted house guest. Joy falls for a handsome doctor but he has just one flaw.
Elka becomes Victoria's agent; Melanie sets Joy up on a date with her boyfriend's friend; the women's monthly game night is dominated by gossip and secrets.
At a rustic spa retreat, Joy tests her newfound sleuthing skills on a suspicious Yogi. Victoria learns what it means to be a responsible friend. Mamie confronts Elka about her bossiness. Melanie's fasting causes hallucinations.
Victoria's movie is ending and she's unsure where that leaves her relationship with Emmet. Melanie wonders where her relationship with Alec is going. Joy uncovers something mysterious about Elka during her new internship.
Elka's illegal activities could put her life in danger and present a major dilemma for Joy, Victoria and Melanie when they try to help her out of a sticky situation.
Victoria's sister Bess places a distressing call to the ladies, causing the group to travel to Canoga Falls to visit. Victoria's mother Penny is found in a disturbing condition, suffering from what appears to be memory loss and possibly psychosis. While Victoria and Bess hash out what to do, Penny confides a surprising secret to Elka.
Emmet plans to propose to Victoria, and enlists the rest of the ladies for help in planning the big event. Unfortunately, Emmet and Victoria's nine previous marriages lead to a series of unexpected interruptions. Meanwhile, Alec exhibits some feminine traits, leading Melanie to try and make him feel more manly.
Victoria acts as a spokesmodel and inadvertently commits to a very generous donation on national TV. Joy works with private investigator, Bob, and reunites with hot Brony fireman, Sean.
While Melanie and Alec consider the thought of having a family of their own, Elka has her own idea of how life would have been with children.
Melanie, reeling from her break-up, finds a rebound in alcohol and the unsavory Danny. Victoria hires a shady lawyer to help her jailed fiance while Joy and Elka get competitive in film class. A conflict of interest causes Melanie to juggle two men, including blast from the past: Dr. Everett.
While preparing for a "Hot in Cleveland" show taping, the ladies are surprised by a special guest and begin to reminisce about their favorite moments and bloopers from Season 4.
Lying to Cleveland's top pediatrician leads Joy to host a traditional Indian dinner party. When Victoria's wedding planner arrives, the stage is set for a classic farce - appropriate as Elka auditions for a play.
Melanie gets her dream engagement ring, but not the way she expected, Joy deals with mysterious family issues, and Victoria tests a new product from the Mrs. Ladypants line. Elka and Mamie test jokes for a Senior Center roast.
Victoria contacts her ex-husbands to assess their relationships when she's stuck in the hospital on the day of her bachelorette party. Meanwhile, Joy and Melanie are obsessed with a man in a coma; and Elka and Mamie bring a little bit of Las Vegas to Cleveland.
Elka and Mamie's bowling team gets back together. Meanwhile, Joy dates a professor; Victoria goes out with a director; and Melanie has a fling with a surgeon. Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Harper and Cloris Leachman guest star.
The wedding day for Victoria and an imprisoned Emmet finally arrives, an occasion that brings Joy face-to-face with her son's father for the first time in more than three decades.