The Facts of Life (1979)
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979, to May 7, 1988, making it the longest running sitcom of the 1980s. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focuses on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, an all-female boarding school in Peekskill, New York.
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Episode 1 - Growing Pains
Release Date: 1981-10-28When Blair, Natalie and Jo tease Tootie for being the youngest, she feels left out. This leads her to experiment with alcohol by downing an entire bottle of wine.
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Episode 2 - Fear Strikes Back
Release Date: 1981-11-04Natalie conjures up a fear of going outside after she is attacked while coming home from a party
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Episode 3 - A Baby in the House
Release Date: 1981-11-11An ex-Eastlander, Alison makes a visit to Eastland to see old friends, Blair, Natalie and Tootie. Coming back brings back memories of when life was a lot simpler, since now she is married and has a baby daughter, Emily. When Alison leaves, however, she forgets to take along one important thing, Emily.
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Episode 4 - A Friend in Deed
Release Date: 1981-11-18Blair's mother is scheduled to have plastic surgery but calls it off to make a visit to Eastland to see her daughter. However, a mistaken phone call leads Blair to discover the truth, her mother may have breast cancer.
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Episode 5 - Front Page
Release Date: 1981-11-25Burned by her journalism teacher's scathing criticism, Jo turns out a front-page story linking him to a drug bust.
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Episode 6 - Give and Take
Release Date: 1981-12-02Mrs. Garrett learns that the company that she worked for, for years has gone bankrupt thus canceling her pension fund. This prompts her to get a second job, one that pays more that the job at Eastland. She ultimately begins thinking of quitting her job as school dietician.
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Episode 7 - Sweet Sorrow
Release Date: 1981-12-09When her ex-fiancee, Eddie, arrives in town for a visit, Jo learns that she's growing apart from him when she finds herself attracted to the man who's playing her husband in a simulated marriage project for a class.
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Episode 8 - From Russia with Love
Release Date: 1981-12-16Natalie's planning a weekend of romance with her boyfriend, but when her Grandma Mona drops in unexpectedly, her romantic intentions are postponed.
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Episode 9 - Dear Me
Release Date: 1981-12-23The girls are all excited about a big camp-out due to the fact that it will give them a chance to be with their beaus. However, Tootie is anything but happy and tries to wriggle her way out of going, by writing love letters from an imaginary boyfriend, in order to avoid the boy Blair is trying to fix her up with.
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Episode 10 - Cousin Geri Returns
Release Date: 1981-12-30Blair's cousin, Geri, makes another visit to Peekskill and Blair sets her up with her teacher, but later Blair feels that Geri is headed for a romantic fall.
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Episode 11 - Legacy
Release Date: 1982-01-06Blair is thrilled that her name is going to be part of Eastland, since a large amount of money from her grandfather's estate is being donated for the building of a new library. However, while doing a story on him for the newspaper, Natalie uncovers a shocking truth, Blair's grandfather was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
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Episode 12 - Green-Eyed Monster
Release Date: 1982-01-13Natalie wants the lead in the play, South Pacific, and she won't let anyone stand in her way of getting it. However, when Tootie is practically forced to audition and gets the lead, heaven help Tootie because Natalie is after revenge.
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Episode 13 - The Americanization of Miko
Release Date: 1982-01-20The new Japanese student, Miko, is excited about being the newest student at Eastland as well as being in America. However, her strict father doesn't think Eastland is a good influence especially since she snuck out to see a rock concert and borrowed Jo's bike causing $400 in damage.
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Episode 14 - The Marriage Brokers
Release Date: 1982-01-27A visitor from Mrs. Garrett's past comes to Eastland and immediately appears to sweep Mrs. Garrett off her feet. It's apparent Mrs. Garrett and this mystery man are more than friends when Tootie catches them kissing and Blair becomes determind to discover just how serious this relationship is.
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Episode 15 - Starstruck
Release Date: 1982-02-03Tootie is the president of the Jermaine Jackson fan club and her duties as president interfere with a promise to Jo. Later, she wins free tickets to one of his concerts and is determind to go, even if she has to hitchhike.
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Episode 16 - The Four Musketeers
Release Date: 1982-02-10Constant squabbling between the girls prompt Mrs. Garrett to announce that the debt for wrecking the van has been paid off and they are all now free to move out and live in the dorms. However, the girls soon realize the living above the cafeteria is something they do not want to change.
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Episode 17 - The Affair
Release Date: 1982-02-17Mrs. Garrett and the girls visit New York and have lunch in a Italian restaurant where Natalie discovers something she never expected, her father romancing someone other than her mother. This prompts Natalie to debate whether or not to confront her father, out of fear of a divorce between her parents.
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Episode 18 - Runaway
Release Date: 1982-02-24Jo, Natalie and Blair are going to New York to see a Broadway play and a left out Tootie sneaks out to meet them in front of the theatre without Mrs. Garrett's knowledge. However, when Tootie doesn't find the girls she stops in a coffee shop across the street unaware she's about to get a dose of the downside of New York life.
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Episode 19 - New York, New York
Release Date: 1982-03-03Both Blair and Jo head to New York to meet two old friends. Blair discovers her old friend, Dina, is the same old snob she's always been and Jo discovers her friend, Jesse, is the same old prejudiced bully she's always been. Blair and Jo soon realize their friendship is much more meaningful.
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Episode 20 - Kids Can Be Cruel
Release Date: 1982-03-17Natalie has a big crush on Tim and has filled Blair's slambook with words of praise. However, in Blair's slambook instead of signing your name you sign a number, Natalie's number is 10. When Blair tells Tim who number 10 belongs to, Natalie is furious and wants revenge no matter who she hurts in the process.
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Episode 21 - Mind Your Own Business
Release Date: 1982-03-24Wanting to give Natalie a gift for helping her with her chemistry, Blair takes a peek in Natalie's diary to see if she could get an idea on what to get. However, gifts are the last thing on Blair's mind when she discovers that Natalie thinks she's an egotistical witch.
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Episode 22 - The Academy
Release Date: 1982-03-31A friend of Jo's, Buzz, who attends a military academy, needs her to fix him up with a wealthy socialite, since he made a bet with some of his buddies. So Jo fixes him up with Blair who thinks he dates wealthy women including Gloria Vanderbilt's daughter.
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Episode 23 - Jo's Cousin
Release Date: 1982-04-14Jo's cousin, a 14 year old tomboy, who is lovesick, calls for her help.
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Episode 24 - Read No Evil
Release Date: 1982-05-05Jo stands up for her rights. She protests that books which are believed to have a bad influence on people are being banned.