RIP Zsa Zsa - a requiem recap (Episode 2-13 "Bought and Sold")

Zsa Zsa Gabor was a woman known for her beauty and glamour. She wore loads of makeup and diamonds and furs and all sorts of things of which I heartily disapprove. Yet there was always something adorable and relatable about her, which seems weird as I'm writing it, but that's how it feels. And, of course, she appeared in a Facts episode, one which, I realized on the day of her death, is a critique of her own lifestyle and a very underrated episode.

This is the one where Blair decides to become a makeup salesperson. God, multi-level marketing is such an 80s thing; there was even a Sweet Valley High book that has a subplot where Jessica sells shampoo and soap.

Our first important introduction of the episode is to Natalie, who says she doesn't mind polishing silverware because her "social life is about as exciting as a Gomer Pyle rerun [laugh track]." It's been a couple of episodes since she got a reputation for being easy and had a date every night, so the timing is about right for her to be ready to get out again.

Recap episiode 2-4 "Who am I?" or: Did you know Tootie is black?

Regular readers of this blog know that I constantly give props to the show for its progressive addressing of a number of controversial topics, while still recognizing when it is a product of its time and duly criticizing the damaging institutions it entrenched. There is also a third category of Facts of Life episodes: where the show's heart is in the right place and the message is a good one, but the execution is so ham-fisted that it's hard to watch it without chuckling a little bit, even as you feel guilty for chuckling about a really good effort in a time when not a lot of popular culture was making this effort. This episode is the epitome of that phenomenon.

At least that's how I feel. Perhaps I should get on with the recap and let you decide what you think.

This is the episode where Tootie deals with an identity crisis, which is a product of being one of very few black girls at Eastland and the only black girl in her circle of friends.

We open with Natalie and Tootie entering the dining room as Tootie tries to heckle Natalie into calling the boy she likes and inviting him to be her partner in Eastland's dance contest. They're interrupted by the entry of a delivery boy we've never seen before. 

Recap episode 5-20 "Dream Marriage" or marriage critique

Last week I wrote about the two weddings that took place on Facts, Mrs. Garrett's almost-wedding, plus a bonus sneak peek into mine. I was remiss in not including Jo's almost-wedding, that to Enrique in episode 8-8. Enrique was an undocumented immigrant whom Jo was going to marry to keep in the country.

So, Jo was almost married once (twice if you count the "Teenage Marriage" episodes) and married on the show. Mrs. Garrett was almost-married once and married on the show. Tootie was engaged at the end of the series to pretty much the only guy she ever dated during the run of the series. Natalie ain't the marrying kind, but she was the first to lose her virginity (to be linked when I write that recap). That leaves Blair.

Blair dated a lot; she's often reduced to the title of "the slutty one," even though I'm pretty sure Natalie dated more (but those are topics for other columns). The point is, Blair "Harvest Queen three years in a row" was the only one to not be engaged, married, or deflowered during the course of the series. And I bet this episode is why.

We open with Blair looking very Cinderella-y.

David Bowie's Wontons - A note of thanks

"David Bowie has died."

Silence. Then my husband: "Did you hear that?"

I'd heard it, but I hadn't understood. I'd just opened my eyes; the alarm had gone off at 7:45 and those were literally (and I do mean literally) the first words I heard. Was it real? It couldn't be. But he'd heard it too, and NPR isn't given to broadcasting hoaxes.

We lay in the bed for a few minutes not saying anything. I heard my phone signal a text.

"David Bowie may he rest in peace. Died last night of cancer. Sorry. Love, Mom."

We had an appointment in town at 9:00 so after I made breakfast I got dressed in black pants, a black long-sleeved shirt and a black Bowie tank top. Life without Bowie had begun.

There are so many things to say about Bowie, and so many reasons he was such an important part of my life. I've spent much of this week thinking about that.

"I feel like a member of your family died. So I'm sending condolences. Sorry man. I cannot think of David Bowie without thinking of you!" -Melissa, friend since 1987

Recap episode 1-2 "Like Mother Like Daughter" or: Thank Goodness for Marj Dusay

I've been working on a post tracking the decor of the girls' bedroom at Eastland in seasons two through four. It's fun (and remarkably consistent!), but it does take a while. Realizing that I've been grossly derelict in updating this blog for the past couple of weeks however (studying for the bar exam does take up a significant amount of time, it turns out), I've decided to keep working on that post on the side, but give you some more content in the mean time.

Facts was never afraid to handle serious issues, and in season one, every single one of its scant 13 episodes dealt with a serious issue of the time. In this episode, the second ever of the series, we deal with Blair's consternation at being the daughter of a great big slut.

The word "slut" is loaded and inappropriate, and I use it here not to give it validity, but as a historical artifact. I frequently mention that as progressive as I think the show often was, it is a product of its time, and there is no doubt that in 1979 the label would have been stuck on Blair's mother immediately. And I found myself buying some of the things they were trying to sell me, and it made me uncomfortable. Some parts of this episode are just dreadful, but it raises some interesting questions about the picture they paint of Monica Warner and how we are supposed to react to it.