Here is a review of "The First Time" episode.
https://theveryspecialblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/11/the-facts-of-life-the-first-time/

It's pretty funny. There is a spot where the writer refers to Jo with a masculine pronoun ("Natalie comes home at 5 am and wakes up Tootie to tell her she lost her virginity. Then at breakfast she tries to tell Jo, but the two kids who live with him (why??) keep barging into the room and she can’t finish the story.").

I always thought Snake was more of Jo's type of man than Natalie. They had odd parings in the 9th season. But this was the 80s and the coke was probably flowing in the writers room. Plus why was it such a big deal for Natalie to loose her virginity when it wasn't a big deal when Nancy O. got pregnant a year earlier?

Very Special Blog definitely has some excellent FOL recaps.

That was the WORST review i ever read, and the fact that the writer said: THE HOUSE IS ACTUALLY A LOT MORE PLEASANT WITHOUT BLAIR makes me hate the writer even more!!!! (how dare she/he comment something like that, when it's more than obvious BLAIR was the heart of the show after MRS G left?????)

And not only that: the way he/she writes is very cynical lol!!!

A BIG SLAP for these writer boohoo!!!!

That was the WORST review i ever read, and the fact that the writer said: THE HOUSE IS ACTUALLY A LOT MORE PLEASANT WITHOUT BLAIR makes me hate the writer even more!!!! (how dare she/he comment something like that, when it's more than obvious BLAIR was the heart of the show after MRS G left?????)

And not only that: the way he/she writes is very cynical lol!!!

A BIG SLAP for these writer boohoo!!!!

But she was talking Season Nine Blair. That's not even the real Blair. That's Pod Blair™.

But she was talking Season Nine Blair. That's not even the real Blair. That's Pod Blair™.




If we're going to start speaking about PODS, then in that case i have to say that ALL of them were pods: you have TOOTIE, who all she does is talk about JEFF, then you have JO dressing and acting weird, NATALIE is still behaving like her old self, BLAIR misbehave in some episodes, but she usually mends in the end, so i wouldn't necessarily call her one.

:ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo::ufo:

I think the writing in the last 2 seasons was horrible. It reminds me of a common school experience known as a group project. I get the impression that 3 or 4 persons wrote a separate part of the episode and then they meet for 10 minutes to try to create sloppy transitions to tie the parts of the episode together. It seems like they didn't give a darn how characters interacted with each other.

The episode was awkward and bad. I just watched it. It's hilarious how this aired in 1988 and there's a disclaimer that this episode is not safe for children. Yet they had freakin' children in the episode. WTF. They acted like they couldn't talk about the subject around children, either? Are they naive? They're teenagers and know about sex. It's like the girls were living at a convent or something in this episode and couldn't even utter the word virginity. Everyone had shock and awe on their faces like Natalie just committed a crime. Jo has seen some pretty rough stuff in the Bronx, yet now, she can't even fathom someone having sex before marriage. Really? Yeah, this is pod Jo for sure. Natalie is in her early 20's at this point. This shouldn't be shocking. What's shocking is that she chose Snake to do it with, who doesn't have the maturity to even handle a relationship to be begin with, as evidenced as his brush off in this episode. Lisa didn't miss much. I'd want to be written out too, not because of the subject matter, but because it was so poorly written.

I think the writing in the last 2 seasons was horrible.
It reminds me of a common school experience known as a group project. I get the impression that 3 or 4 persons wrote a separate part of the episode and then they meet for 10 minutes to try to create sloppy transitions to tie the parts of the episode together. It seems like they didn't give a darn how characters interacted with each other.

I don't think the first half (or so) of Season 8 was horrible. The second half of Season 8, and much of Season 9, was bad. Quite bad. Although I like the finale, going back to Eastland. It feels like a return to the show's roots.

By this time, it felt as though continuity and good writing had gone out the window. Once Beverly Ann adopted Andy in the second half of Season 8, because he had no family (even though he had a grandmother and two parents earlier in the season), I felt like the show jumped the shark. It's like the writers weren't paying attention to what they themselves had written just episodes earlier. They had to know where the season was leading, right? But it's like they did not even compare notes. Not even for 10 minutes.

I suspect there was much chaos behind the scenes. In the mid-1980s, the Coca-cola Bottling Company couldn't even improve on their Coke formula, let alone run a film and television production company. Nancy and Mindy wanted out, and Kim was already attending Pepperdine University. Charlotte had exited Stage Left. The only thing holding the show together was Pod Blair, dozens of cans of AquaNet, and a kangaroo named Pippa.

The episode was awkward and bad. I just watched it. It's hilarious how this aired in 1988 and there's a disclaimer that this episode is not safe for children. Yet they had freakin' children in the episode. WTF.

Good point.

Somewhat relatedly: We've seen the studio audience ticket stubs for FOL, and they read "No children under 14." Or maybe 16. Considering Kim's age during the first five years of the show, and considering Mackenzie's and Mindy's ages at their start, this seems quite puzzling.


They acted like they couldn't talk about the subject around children, either? Are they naive? They're teenagers and know about sex. It's like the girls were living at a convent or something in this episode and couldn't even utter the word virginity. Everyone had shock and awe on their faces like Natalie just committed a crime.


I really feel as though this was a by-product of the Reagan Administration and how conservative American politics had become. The Moral Majority was at the peak of its power. Conservatives had convinced a good portion of the American population that "greed is good", but that drugs are bad and "just say no", and that abstinence was the only way to prevent pregnancy.

It was a really f***** up era.

Unlike in 1979, when the show started, conservatives were in charge of the country. Nancy Reagan was even doing appearances on Norman Lear shows, promoting her "just say no" campaign, so it's clear the Reagan Administration was clearly exerting some kind of influence in the television industry. Nancy McKeon and Michael J Fox had their photos taken with the First Family, at the White House.

The show became... corporate. Norman Lear sold out to the highest bidder, and what that highest bidder (Coke) wanted was a wildly successful show with very little controversy. Sure, it could be salacious... but without meaning. So the characters clutched their pearls when Natalie finally "had the sex".


Jo has seen some pretty rough stuff in the Bronx, yet now, she can't even fathom someone having sex before marriage. Really? Yeah, this is pod Jo for sure.

I couldn't agree more.

Natalie is in her early 20's at this point. This shouldn't be shocking.


What's shocking is that it took them nine seasons for it to happen. It sure didn't seem like it would take that long, based on the 1979-1981 episodes! :lol:

Good point.

Somewhat relatedly: We've seen the studio audience ticket stubs for FOL, and they read "No children under 14." Or maybe 16. Considering Kim's age during the first five years of the show, and considering Mackenzie's and Mindy's ages at their start, this seems quite puzzling.




I really feel as though this was a by-product of the Reagan Administration and how conservative American politics had become. The Moral Majority was at the peak of its power. Conservatives had convinced a good portion of the American population that "greed is good", but that drugs are bad and "just say no", and that abstinence was the only way to prevent pregnancy.

It was a really f***** up era.

Unlike in 1979, when the show started, conservatives were in charge of the country. Nancy Reagan was even doing appearances on Norman Lear shows, promoting her "just say no" campaign, so it's clear the Reagan Administration was clearly exerting some kind of influence in the television industry. Nancy McKeon and Michael J Fox had their photos taken with the First Family, at the White House.

The show became... corporate. Norman Lear sold out to the highest bidder, and what that highest bidder (Coke) wanted was a wildly successful show with very little controversy. Sure, it could be salacious... but without meaning. So the characters clutched their pearls when Natalie finally "had the sex".



I couldn't agree more.




What's shocking is that it took them nine seasons for it to happen. It sure didn't seem like it would take that long, based on the 1979-1981 episodes! :lol:

The show definitely was quite different in it's early seasons. The word "virgins" was mentioned by Natalie in the very first episode, you had the Facts of Love episode. Blair was Experimental Blair the first season who chastised Sue Ann and her traditional values,

The show definitely was quite different in it's early seasons. The word "virgins" was mentioned by Natalie in the very first episode, you had the Facts of Love episode. Blair was Experimental Blair the first season who chastised Sue Ann and her traditional values,

Not just "The Facts of Love", but many other episodes talked frankly about sex and sexual topics. "Teenage Marriage", "Pretty Babies", and "Runaway" come to mind. These girls were confronted with sex topics during the 1979-1982 period, but we're supposed to believe that almost a decade later, they're all still virgins, and advising Natalie to remain virginal.

One thing I always liked about FOL was how the show depicted the girls as close to their real ages. Unlike other shows, where the "kids" were years older (I'm thinking of Arvid from Head of the Class, who was 33 when the show ended, and "still in high school", but "Dennis Blunden" from HotC wasn't much better: he was 25 by the end), FOL was consistent with the fact they wanted to depict girls close to their real ages.

There was a period where the producers wanted the girls, then still in high school, or even junior high (for Tootie), to be written as if they were 22. This makes it all the more shocking and awkward that when the girls legitimately are around age 22, the producers wanted to depict them as still-virginal, and even had the girls advising their close friends to remain virginal. But 90% of Americans lose their virginity by age 22 (https://www.good.is/Health/chart-lost-virginity). The FOL girls were in the minority.

The show had regressed when it came to frank discussions of sex and sexuality. It was a far cry from the very first episode, when we learn that one of the girls might be a lesbian.

Not just "The Facts of Love", but many other episodes talked frankly about sex and sexual topics. "Teenage Marriage", "Pretty Babies", and "Runaway" come to mind. These girls were confronted with sex topics during the 1979-1982 period, but we're supposed to believe that almost a decade later, they're all still virgins, and advising Natalie to remain virginal.

One thing I always liked about FOL was how the show depicted the girls as close to their real ages. Unlike other shows, where the "kids" were years older (I'm thinking of Arvid from Head of the Class, who was 33 when the show ended, and "still in high school", but "Dennis Blunden" from HotC wasn't much better: he was 25 by the end), FOL was consistent with the fact they wanted to depict girls close to their real ages.

There was a period where the producers wanted the girls, then still in high school, or even junior high (for Tootie), to be written as if they were 22. This makes it all the more shocking and awkward that when the girls legitimately are around age 22, the producers wanted to depict them as still-virginal, and even had the girls advising their close friends to remain virginal. But 90% of Americans lose their virginity by age 22 (https://www.good.is/Health/chart-lost-virginity). The FOL girls were in the minority.

The show had regressed when it came to frank discussions of sex and sexuality. It was a far cry from the very first episode, when we learn that one of the girls might be a lesbian.

Michael J. Fox was one of the actors who could pull it off playing someone younger than his actual age. Not just on Family Ties, but all those 80s movies of his.

Natalie was not the first of the Core 8 to lose her virginity. How did they thing Nancy O. got pregnant just a year earlier? Emasculate Conception?

Michael J. Fox was one of the actors who could pull it off playing someone younger than his actual age. Not just on Family Ties, but all those 80s movies of his.

Well, there's a huge difference between being 19 and being 33, when portraying a high school student.


Natalie was not the first of the Core 8 to lose her virginity. How did they thing Nancy O. got pregnant just a year earlier? Emasculate Conception?

But I think everyone realized they were talking about the Core Four, not the Amazing Eight.

I strongly suspect Nancy and Roger "got serious" long before Season 8: by that point, they had been a steady couple for seven years. Even Nancy's father couldn't have kept them apart that long.

I ABSOLUTELY agree with all of you!!!!

I was actually watching 'The first time' episode just today, and i was getting really irritated at how much of a Pod JO was acting: she really is a far cry from the 'tough Bronx' girl she once was, and to be honest the more i think about it, the more i conclude that there is no point at all for her to be in the later seasons!
There was actually no point for her to be in this episode at all, and especially not without BLAIR! (she seemed kind of lonely without her rival).

And yes Retro, the good thing about season 9 was the final 2 episodes: having BLAIR trying to save 'Eastland' and seeing some of the old school was like going back to the roots!!!!

The one good thing i really like about season 9 is having CASEY as a boyfriend for BLAIR: those 2 are so unlike they match perfectly! (it's totally opposite attracts lol!).

I ABSOLUTELY agree with all of you!!!!

I was actually watching 'The first time' episode just today, and i was getting really irritated at how much of a Pod JO was acting: she really is a far cry from the 'tough Bronx' girl she once was, and to be honest the more i think about it, the more i conclude that there is no point at all for her to be in the later seasons!
There was actually no point for her to be in this episode at all, and especially not without BLAIR! (she seemed kind of lonely without her rival).

And yes Retro, the good thing about season 9 was the final 2 episodes: having BLAIR trying to save 'Eastland' and seeing some of the old school was like going back to the roots!!!!

The one good thing i really like about season 9 is having CASEY as a boyfriend for BLAIR: those 2 are so unlike they match perfectly! (it's totally opposite attracts lol!).

Nancy M. wanting out of the show may explain why Jo became a pod.

I ABSOLUTELY agree with all of you!!!!

I was actually watching 'The first time' episode just today, and i was getting really irritated at how much of a Pod JO was acting: she really is a far cry from the 'tough Bronx' girl she once was, and to be honest the more i think about it, the more i conclude that there is no point at all for her to be in the later seasons!
There was actually no point for her to be in this episode at all, and especially not without BLAIR! (she seemed kind of lonely without her rival).

Yeah, the Real Jo would have said, "Who cares what other people think? Screw them! You're an adult and adults can make their own decisions. End of story!" *slams door shut*


And yes Retro, the good thing about season 9 was the final 2 episodes: having BLAIR trying to save 'Eastland' and seeing some of the old school was like going back to the roots!!!!


I have a soft spot in my heart for those final two episodes. Eastland forever! :heart::heart::heart::heart:

Nancy M. wanting out of the show may explain why Jo became a pod.



You're making a good point actually: CHARLOTTE did become a POD during her last season, and we all know it was because she wanted to leave the show.
JO probably was fed up too, and the result was that she became a POD!

:wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard::wizard:

Yeah, I suspect if you want out, you're going to read your lines so you can get out of there as quickly as possible.

Yeah, the Real Jo would have said, "Who cares what other people think? Screw them! You're an adult and adults can make their own decisions. End of story!" *slams door shut*



I have a soft spot in my heart for those final two episodes. Eastland forever! :heart::heart::heart::heart:



It's actually refreshing to see someone agreeing with me about those final 2 episodes (most people hate seeing BLAIR become the new headmistress): i also loved the 'heart to heart' talk BLAIR has with the troubled student (JULIETTE LEWIS) and how she does everything in order to save her beloved school.....

:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:

It's actually refreshing to see someone agreeing with me about those final 2 episodes (most people hate seeing BLAIR become the new headmistress)

Oh, yeah. It feels as though the show has come full circle: in May 1979, Mrs. Garrett comes to Eastland School just to help out with a school play, and ends up staying at Eastland for the next four and a half years. While there that first day, she runs into a rebellious girl named Blair who smokes and acts like a snob. Gradually, Mrs. Garrett turns Blair around, making her into a good, decent person... who, nine years later, returns to Eastland to pay it forward herself.

The Blair/Mrs. Garrett love story is a powerful one. With love, all things are possible.

Oh, yeah. It feels as though the show has come full circle: in May 1979, Mrs. Garrett comes to Eastland School just to help out with a school play, and ends up staying at Eastland for the next four and a half years. While there that first day, she runs into a rebellious girl named Blair who smokes and acts like a snob. Gradually, Mrs. Garrett turns Blair around, making her into a good, decent person... who, nine years later, returns to Eastland to pay it forward herself.

The Blair/Mrs. Garrett love story is a powerful one. With love, all things are possible.



Wow that was very powerful writing Retro and so true!!!!

I always felt that in the end, BLAIR is the one who in a way shows how much influence MRS G had on her, and how much she'd learned from her mentor: in a way she becomes the new MRS G (or at least that's where the show was heading, had there been a season 10) when she tries to bond and guide the new troubled girl (JULIETTE LEWIS) and i am sure that given the chance, she would have made a great headmistress!!!!

Thank you for those words Retro: you've made my day!

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Wow that was very powerful writing Retro and so true!!!!

I always felt that in the end, BLAIR is the one who in a way shows how much influence MRS G had on her, and how much she'd learned from her mentor: in a way she becomes the new MRS G (or at least that's where the show was heading, had there been a season 10) when she tries to bond and guide the new troubled girl (JULIETTE LEWIS) and i am sure that given the chance, she would have made a great headmistress!!!!

Thank you for those words Retro: you've made my day!

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

Glad to make your day, Valentina!

I think that, given the chance, Blair could have become a great headmistress as well... though I bet it would be a rocky start. Once the kids realized Miss Warner had a heart of gold, they would have rallied to her.

I really feel as though this was a by-product of the Reagan Administration and how conservative American politics had become. The Moral Majority was at the peak of its power. Conservatives had convinced a good portion of the American population that "greed is good", but that drugs are bad and "just say no", and that abstinence was the only way to prevent pregnancy.

It was a really f***** up era.

Unlike in 1979, when the show started, conservatives were in charge of the country. Nancy Reagan was even doing appearances on Norman Lear shows, promoting her "just say no" campaign, so it's clear the Reagan Administration was clearly exerting some kind of influence in the television industry. Nancy McKeon and Michael J Fox had their photos taken with the First Family, at the White House.

The show became... corporate. Norman Lear sold out to the highest bidder, and what that highest bidder (Coke) wanted was a wildly successful show with very little controversy. Sure, it could be salacious... but without meaning. So the characters clutched their pearls when Natalie finally "had the sex".

That makes sense. Who knew that politics could have so much influence over a show? The show really regressed in season 6, it was like the show was in an alternative universe at that point. I'm guessing it had to do with the Coke takeover.

"The First Time" topic should have been covered way earlier than season 9. The show got close to characters losing their virginity up to this point. I'm trying to think times it ALMOST happened. I know they touched on losing virginity once with Blair (season 1), twice with Tootie (season 6 and season 8) and one time with Jo (season 2), and Mindy (season 3, sadly, an attempted rape). Yet, Lisa didn't opt out of ANY of these episodes, but I understand that because she became a devout Christian late in the series.

I have to say that's ironic that Nancy Reagan went on Diff'rent Strokes with "Just Say No" to drugs campaign, yet all of the DS kids suffered or died from an addiction or overdose of drugs. I wonder what happened there. Gary Coleman tried to commit suicide with an overdose, Todd Bridges had a crack cocaine problem, and Dana Plato had a problem abusing cannabis, cocaine, and diazepam at just 14 years old and ultimately died from a prescription pill overdose.

That makes sense. Who knew that politics could have so much influence over a show? The show really regressed in season 6, it was like the show was in an alternative universe at that point. I'm guessing it had to do with the Coke takeover.

The Coke takeover happened over the summer before Season 7, so I definitely blame Coke for what happened in S7. However, we even see that effect of commercialism and... artificiality, I guess is the right term, in S6. There was already somewhat of a movement away from hard-hitting storylines. The US TV industry was moving away from stories that made a difference to stories that just made people laugh.

With some exceptions, I think that was the general trend for several years. FOL became a show highlighting '80s fashion trends. It was still funny, but it was missing its soul. JMHO, as always.


"The First Time" topic should have been covered way earlier than season 9. The show got close to characters losing their virginity up to this point. I'm trying to think times it ALMOST happened. I know they touched on losing virginity once with Blair (season 1), twice with Tootie (season 6 and season 8) and one time with Jo (season 2), and Mindy (season 3, sadly, an attempted rape).

Jo twice in S2: the cotillion episode (where she could have been raped) and the Teenage Marriage episode (where Jo and Eddie check into a seedy motel with the world's dirtiest bedspread). Don't forget Tootie in the Hooker episode.

Yet, Lisa didn't opt out of ANY of these episodes, but I understand that because she became a devout Christian late in the series.

I think she was always devout, but I think she became... devouter. :lol:


I have to say that's ironic that Nancy Reagan went on Diff'rent Strokes with "Just Say No" to drugs campaign, yet all of the DS kids suffered or died from an addiction or overdose of drugs.

Yes. And ironic that the producers picked Dana be the sweet, innocent girl-next-door All-American sweetie-pie, while she was back in the dressing room hopping on adult men's laps while teaching Todd how to snort a line of coke.