Recap episode 8-6 "The Little Chill" or Reunions with love...or not

Reunion. Two weeks ago, the Boulder Rugby Football Club held its 50th anniversary reunion celebration. It was a beautiful time, and I left with my legs bruised and my heart full.

In the eighth season of Facts, the girls have a reunion with most of their old season one friends and castmates.

We open to Tootie and Natalie hanging a sign to welcome Sue Ann, Cindy, and Nancy, series regulars back in season one, to Peekskill. Young Andy enthuses that he can't believe he's going to meet cover-girl Cindy Baker. You'll recall that Cindy was very much a tomboy back in the day, so score yet another one for the Facts writers thumbing their noses at stereotypes.

Short Engagements: What do I have in common with Mrs. Garrett and Jo?

According to wedding website The Knot, the average engagement is fourteen months. Tootie was likely engaged for something like that. She got engaged in episode 9-7 and was still engaged, planning her wedding, when the series ended. Victor and I were engaged for two months. There's no right or wrong, of course, but you know which other engagements were short? The other ones on Facts! Casual viewers may not remember that besides Tootie's engagement, there were three weddings planned (and two executed) in the course of the series: two for Mrs. Garrett (one that took) and one for Jo. And then there was mine.

Also starring: the corresponding spouses.

I know. Them's some white-ass muthafuckas.

Couple number one: Edna Garrett and Ted Metcalfe. Wedding scheduled for episode 6-17 "Two Guys from Appleton."

Couple number two: Edna Garrett and Bruce Gaines. Wedding scheduled for episode 8-1 "Out of Peekskill."

Couple number three: Jo Polniaczek and Rick Bonner. Wedding scheduled for episode 9-19 "Till Marriage Do Us Part."

Couple number four: Vikki and Victor. Wedding scheduled for December 31, 2015.

Before I continue, please note that photos from my wedding are courtesy of Elizabeth Livingston and Cindy McElhiney, dear friends who photographed the event.

Background

Edna and Ted

Edna and Ted were high school sweethearts. They had dated for a year and a half when Ted gave Edna his pin and they enjoyed their first kiss. Two and a half years later, they were supposed to go to a dance together. Ted was late because he got held up working at his father's hardware store. (NB:When George Clooney appeared in season eight he also worked at his father's hardware store. This comes from Charlotte Rae's memories of her father's own hardware store.) While she was waiting for Ted to pick her up, a vacuum cleaner salesman came by the door, and she was smitten. So she dumped Ted's ring on his doorstep and never talked to him again.

Recap episode 8-12 "Seven Little Indians" or The Halloween Episode that wasn't (part 2)

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope it's cold and dark and foggy and spooky wherever you are. Remember that if you wear a costume, it's supposed to be scary so that the free-roaming Halloween souls don't inhabit your body.

But first things first. I left you all shivering with antici-pation yesterday in part one of the recap of this episode. Andy was dead, George Clooney was probably dead, and some weird guy who looks like Rod Serling is creeping around saying "Tootie."

WHATEVER WILL BECOME OF THE GIRLS AND BEVERLY ANN?

Recap episode 8-12 "Seven Little Indians" or The Halloween Episode that wasn't (part 1)

I could have sworn that this was a Halloween episode, but it seems to have aired in January of 1987. It certainly fits the spirit, what with the spookiness and the deaths and all.

It's odd that "The Halloween Show" is the only Halloween seasonal they ever did. In season six they had an episode air on Halloween, and it was the "Cruisin'" episode. Maybe "Seven Little Indians" was supposed to be a Halloween episode, but they didn't conceive it until too late in season eight and they couldn't guarantee they'd have another season.

But we open very Halloweeny, with audible rain and thunder, the house dark, and Beverly Ann, who has replaced Mrs. Garrett, sleeping in a chair in front of the fire.

Recap Episode 8-22: "This is Only a Test" or Blair takes the LSAT!

Since my complete series DVDs arrived about a month ago, I've been savoring the opportunity to watch seasons six through nine, to which I haven't had reliable access in over a decade. I still haven't made it all the way to the end of season 9, but the ride has been a real treat.

Earlier this week, as I slowly made my way through season eight, I got to the episode where Blair takes the LSAT. Since I always expected to be in law school someday, I remember paying attention to the episode at the time, but now that I've been there done that, I watch it through a whole new lens.