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 5-4: "What Price Glory" or Student athlete blog crossover

My husband has gotten used to the phrase, "There's a Facts of Life episode about that." Readers of this blog likely know that in its nine seasons in prime time, Facts covered a wealth of serious and poignant issues, including a number of Very Special Episodes generally of excellent quality.

Earlier this month, the New York Times ran a story on the front page of the Sunday sports section about a particular athlete and program whose academic abuses cost the basketball program their shot at the postseason and may have cost the student his education. 

There's a Facts of Life episode about that.

Jeff was the longest-recurring Facts boyfriend, making appearances in seasons five, six, eight and nine. By the end of the series, Tootie and Jeff were engaged, and other than some rando named "Rudy" who shows up for one episode, Tootie doesn't date anyone else after she meets Jeff.

But do you remember that when they first met, Jeff was illiterate?