Ep 16. Reese's Friend

Designing Women is a show that aired in the late 80s and early 90s that follows a group of smart and sassy women who work at an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. The show tackles various social and political issues of the time through the lens of these four women.

In season one, episode sixteen, titled Reese's Friend, the ladies of Designing Women find themselves dealing with the aftermath of a lost wedding ring while also navigating some unexpected guests. The episode begins with Suzanne Sugarbaker (played by Delta Burke) frantically searching for her lost wedding ring. She turns the Designing Women office upside down looking for it but comes up empty-handed. Her friends, Mary Jo (played by Annie Potts), Julia (played by Dixie Carter), and Charlene (played by Jean Smart), try to offer support but also can't help but poke fun at Suzanne's expense.

As Suzanne continues to fret over her missing ring, the ladies get a visit from Reese Watson (played by Hal Holbrook), an older gentleman who is a client of the firm. Reese confides in the women that he has made a new friend, James, and he needs their help designing a bachelor pad for him. The women are initially skeptical of Reese's relationship with James – Suzanne even calls it "pathetic" – but they ultimately agree to take on the project.

As the episode progresses, the women work on James' bachelor pad while also entertaining some unexpected guests. First, Julia's ex-husband (played by Richard Gilliland) drops by the office unannounced to tell her that he's getting remarried. The two have a tense conversation that hints at the complexities of their relationship. Later, Suzanne's millionaire ex-boyfriend, Dash Goff (played by Meshach Taylor), shows up unexpectedly at their office – much to Suzanne's delight – and wants to take her out to lunch.

The ladies try to balance their work on James' bachelor pad with the unexpected guests, but things take a turn when they realize that James is actually Reese's imaginary friend. The discovery is made when the ladies go to the address James gave them and it turns out to be an empty lot. Reese admits to the women that James is not a real person but rather a figment of his imagination. The ladies are conflicted about how to handle the situation, but ultimately agree to play along with Reese's delusion in order to spare his feelings.

Throughout the episode, the women's different personalities and worldviews clash but ultimately come together in the end to support each other and their clients. The lost wedding ring subplot resolves itself when the women discover that the ring has been stuck in Suzanne's hair the whole time. The episode ends with the ladies all laughing together over the absurdity of the day.

Overall, Designing Women season one episode sixteen is a quirky and heartfelt installment of the show that showcases the women's various strengths and weaknesses. The guest appearances by Richard Gilliland and Meshach Taylor provide some additional drama and humor, but ultimately the heart of the episode is about the ladies working together to support each other and their clients, no matter how challenging the situation.