Plot

Season five begins in the aftermath of the car crash, with both sets of parents arriving at the hospital and Dharma just out of surgery. Greg has a few minor cuts, but he's mostly feeling guilty because he was driving.

Just after Greg and Dharma made up, they had a car accident which lands her in hospital. Greg is concerned more with her medical treatment than is she, Dr. Coleman or physiotherapist Nancy, whom she matches with Pete. When the Finkelsteins arrange an alternative 'therapy' with a loon in Santa Fé, that crosses the top surgeon Gower which Greg got to operate on her. Meanwhile jealous Kitty refuses to let the hippie couple take care of Greg and his place.—KGF Vissers

The fifth season begins in the aftermath of last May's car crash, with both sets of parents arriving at the hospital and Dharma (Jenna Elfman) just out of surgery and groggy from anesthesia. While unconscious, Dharma's soul is visited by George (Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman). George says that he was visiting the maternity ward as he is thinking about a reincarnation. George says that the lesson from the accident is that the next time, Dharma should drive.

The car accident has left Dharma with a fractured hip and temporarily using a wheelchair. Greg (Thomas Gibson), who fared better with just a few minor cuts, mostly feels guilt, and tries to maintain a "structured" approach to Dharma's recovery. Dharma has pins in her hips can not be back on her feet till she completes her physical therapy. Greg is hard on the therapists when they don't measure and record Dharma's recovery the right way. The therapist use arbitrary quantification of Dharma's progress and Greg is not pleased about it. Greg wants the therapist to focus on building Dharma's upper body strength as that's what he read in a magazine article. Greg is also consulting doctors from the John Hopkins.

Unfortunately for Dharma, this doesn't allow for skipping physical therapy appointments in favor of wheelchair-tongue-depressor relay races down the hospital halls. Dharma also has a new haircut and is throwing going away parties for hospital staff who found their calling outside of the medical profession. Greg has asked Abby (Mimi Kennedy) and Larry (Alan Rachins) to care for the dogs in his and Dharma's absence and this troubles Kitty. Kitty is worries that Greg considers Larry and Abby to be closer to him than Edward and Kitty. Kitty says that if they don't do something to help the children, this would come back to haunt them.

Kitty makes Edward come with her, as they go over to Dharma's to relieve the Finkelstein. They are glad they wanted to join a protest the depiction of animals in captivity at the zoo. But Kitty (Susan Sullivan) and Edward (Mitchell Ryan) have no clue about taking care of dogs or feeding them their medicines.

For her part, Abby believes that crystals and chants around her daughter's bed might help. Larry calls it a "healing ceremony"; Greg calls it "Voodoo". Dharma requires another surgery which Greg arranges. The doctor said that he was a bit concerned about how the pin was setting after looking at Dharma's X-Rays. He wanted to go back in to realign things. Greg wants the surgery as soon as possible, but Dharma doesn't want it. But Dharma wants to go for Karmic healing & only agrees to ditch it because Greg insists. Greg made arrangements for a specialist to fly in from UCLA to conduct the operation for Dharma. Greg says that Dharma is not the only one going through her pain. It is Greg's pain as well.

Greg realizes after talking to Kitty that both Dharma and Greg have traveled a long way in embracing each other's thinking in the last 4 years. At last moment Greg changes his mind, cancels the surgery & takes Dharma for the Karmic stuff.