Tear Jerker / Good Times

• The 2-part episode "The Gang": In part 1, J.J. becomes a member of the Satan's Knights, a gang who happens to be in the middle of a gang war with another group, The Warlords. The Satan's Knights escort a scared J.J. to a meeting place where the two groups are about to meet. But things take a bad turn when they run into James and Florida and an argument ends with J.J. accidentally getting shot! It's hard for a parent to see their child get seriously hurt. Thankfully in part 2, it turned out to be only a flesh wound.
• In "The Big Move" James lands a new job working for his Uncle's garage in Mississippi. However, before the rest of the family could join them, he dies in a car accident. The Family was having a going away party when they receive the news via telegram.
  Florida: We regret to inform you, that your husband, James Evans was....killed in an automo...
  • The expressions on their children's faces are a mixture of sadness, shock, and utter confusion given how suddenly this news has been thrown at them. Michael’s reaction is the most devastating. He immediately starts crying in Florida's arms.
  • The ending to part 2, where Florida finally realizes that James isn't coming back....
  Florida: Damn, Damn, DAMN!!!
  • What makes it worse about all this is Florida had spent the entire episode trying not to fall apart in front of her children and everyone else during the party because she didn't want to look weak in front of everyone, refusing to believe that James was gone and never opening his eyes again. Florida lost the one person that kept her stable, someone who was her entire world, and he was taken away from her and her family. The children are confused and hurt as to why she isn't crying when it's very normal to do so during grief, and not understanding why Florida's putting on a front and bottling up her grief when she's truly heartbroken about James's death. Thelma and especially Michael actually seem miffed about Florida's festive attitude, while J.J. is understanding but still worried. Florida finally lets it all go at the very end, and that looked extremely difficult for Florida to keep it together until the end.
• Season 3's "J.J.'s Fiancée" leaves the fate of, well, J.J.'s fiancée, Diana (who is revealed to be a heroin addict, unknown to J.J.), to the imagination of the viewer when she fails to answer his calling for her during the closing scene. ^note (J.J. had given Diana Thelma's purse by mistake, and it (of course) did not contain the drugs or other things needed to get her quick high. She realizes the mistake and, coming down from her high, panics and becomes sick, going into the bathroom of their hotel. While he has James, Florida and Diana's parents on the phone, he calls for her, but she fails to answer; when he investigates, what he sees makes him literally look like he has seen a ghost ... did she climb out the bathroom window so she could find a quick high, or did she die in any number of possible ways (pass out from the drugs, committed suicide)?
• The ending of the season 6 episode "Stomach Mumps." After Florida and Willona have a fight about Willona not telling Penny the truth about what’s happened to one of Penny’s classmates (she’s gotten pregnant, Willona has said that she’s got “stomach mumps”, and that she shouldn’t go near her because it’s contagious), Penny walks in… In tears, and with her clothes ripped up, as she reveals that Tina’s brother sexually assaulted her (she thankfully ran away before he could do anything else). Both Florida and Willona are horrified, and Florida once again states that despite Willona’s insistence that she’s too little, Penny is a growing young woman who needs to learn about these kinds of things so this doesn’t happen again.
• Penny's mother Lynetta is shown multiple times to abuse her daughter brutally. In one such infamous scene, she burns her daughter with a clothing iron for being late. Willona states to Lynetta in her final appearance how Penny is still traumatized by the abuse.