The fourth season episode "Come Back, Little Arnold" was emblematic of what was wrong with the new and occasional focus on teen issues: In this episode, Arnold becomes an instant alcoholic after taking one sip of whiskey.

Arnold is so painfully shy around his crush, Mary Johnson, that Carvelli offers him some whiskey to help loosen him up. He takes one sip and the next thing you know, he's an obnoxious, drunken ass who becomes somewhat of a bully and has his friends worried about him.

Arnold's alcoholism takes place over a few days. He's forced to confront his problem when, at the prom with Mary, he accidentally punches her (the punch was meant for someone else) and is horrified at what he's done to her.

Overall the episode played out like a "very special episode" that was so heavy-handed and ham fisted that it just came off as a joke. This episode was so bad, they should have aired is as an ABC Afterschool Special (remember those?).

And what's worse is that when Carvelli admits he gave Horshack that first bottle of booze, he's not expelled or even at the least chastised for the part he played in this.

What do y'all think of this one?

They probably didn't write the episode right, but, hey, that was season 4 in a nutshell.