The Final Episode #23: The Facts of Life (1979 - 1988)

 

This show has been on my Facebook group poll posts for what show should I talk about on The Final Episode for like weeks now. Maybe two! Okay that's not much but still it would stay in second or third place for the LONGEST time. So People liked Edna Garrett and the girls. I can see why after seeing these episodes, it's a very likeable and fun 1980s sitcom. Another show I can't wait to jump in and watch more as I've to the best of my knowledge only seen a few episodes all together throughout my life. Wouldn't surprise me if I learned that I watched a ton of this show in like 1993 or something. What I'm saying is expect probably another article discussing something related to this show.

The Facts of Life was a spinoff of Diff'rent Strokes, as the character of Ms. Garett comes from there. It was an incredibly last longing spinoff too as it went on for nine seasons from 1979 to 1988. Nine seasons of goofy 80s greatness! The show took place in a school for girls called Eastland where several girls learn to grow and love and learn. You know it's one of those sappy sitcoms where everyone learns a lesson at the end of the episode. I like learning lessons so I like these sitcoms. In the seventh season Ms. Garrett is replaced by Cloris Leachman. I like Cloris, she was a wild woman. They also brought in Mackenzie Astin and I was going to make a joke about how The Garbage Pail Kids: The Movie was better than Lord of the Rings because I thought he was in both, but it was his brother who was in Lord of the Rings. Anyway The Garbage Pail Kids: The Movie is still better than Lord of the Rings which is something I clearly love and respect.

The Last Episode of The Facts of Life appeared on television screens on May 7th, 1988. It revolved around Blair one of the girls, the rich saucy one buying the Eastland school which is going to be closed. Boy howdy is this episode filled with guest stars. It has the Nun from The Blues Brothers in it (also one of the bad guys in The Naked Gun 33 1/3). You know here from a lot of stuff. She was a tough older lady who was saucy (I like the word saucy) and apparently she was a lesbian. Neat-o. Sadly she passed away in the year 2001. I'm sure I'll mention her again sometime. The episode ALSO has Seth Green who tries to pretend to be a girl to get into the school, which gives Blair the idea to let boys in the school to save it. Seth Green looks like he did in 1988, and that's not as good as say looking like Paul Rudd. I'm saying I don't think Seth Green left puberty. It also has the weirdo teacher Mr. Dewey from Saved by the Bell. Yes, this is what I consider a great star studded finale!

So now that Blair has found a way to save the school by letting boys in. She in the second part of this two parter has to deal with a girl named Terri who wants to get kicked out of school because her parents are divorcing and she feels like she should be there to help them. Blair gives her the classic THIS IS A LESSON EVERYBODY ENDING by saying that she needs to realize that she can't help everyone and sometimes has to help herself, because she'd be fucked seven ways from Sunday if she doesn't get her schooling. Which is not a terrible lesson really. It's fine to try to help people but sometimes something can't be done. 

FINAL VERDICT: Anyway this was a pretty fun little last episode. I laughed several times. I like Blair and I think if a 10th season was gonna happen (they were planning it!) it would probably have taken place in this school, but Tootie and Natalie's actors did not want to join in for season 10 so they scrapped it. Those two and Jo get like 32 seconds of screen time to figure everything up for them so that's not very good, this is a very Blair-esque Final Episode which I feel wasn't really intended as a finale. Despite that this was a still fun time that I recommend people watch.