A few questions about the show.... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

WaterLoo · 07-26-2008, 12:05 PM

Let me start off by saying I am new here. Hello! And I happen to be a really big fan of "The Facts of Life" and wish the rest of the show would be released on DVD. I love all the characters, including the ones from the first season, which I haven't really watched up until I bought the DVD's.
Anyway, there are some things about this show that kind of boggled me that I never really noticed before but seeing it now as an adult (mostly through youtube, Joost, VidiLife and - of course - the DVDs) I have a few questions to ask regarding this show.

First off...I know this show was set in a boarding school, but during the first season, why did only the main characters hang out in the main hall of the dorms? If I remember correctly, there was quite a number of students at Eastland.

Secondly, where exactly was the school cafeteria located? (You'll have to forgive me...I've never been to a boarding school.)
During the first season, Tootie was always wearing skates...did she ever take them off? Like to ascend and descend from the stairs?

In a few episodes, the girls would have family members staying at Eastland. Most notably, Blair's mom and her cousin Geri. When Geri visited those few times, where did she stay? In one of the dorm rooms? I don't think there was enough room for her in the girls' makeshift room in the storage closet. Then when Blair's mother came to visit, they at one point showed her resting in a bedroom. Was that located in the dorm, or at a hotel? If she was at a hotel, then how did Blair get there?

In the girls' "room" in Eastland, did anyone else notice that the one window didn't have any curtains, or blinds on it? So, were the girls on full display while getting dressed/undressed?

Even though I loved all of the seasons, was it really ethical (or even legal) to allow a group of teenage girls, two of whom were in college and the other two still in high school, to live next to a gourmet food store with the former headmistress of their school, not to mention all the hours they had to put in? It was bad enough that they had to work in the school cafeteria all those years, even with all the amount of schoolwork they had, but now they were working in a food shop. Firstly, wouldn't their parents have a problem with this? Second of all, even though the two older girls were 18, they were all still really, really young and needed to have time to do their homework and to relax and be kids.

Finally, after Over Our Heads was finally closed down in the final season, what was in there now? Was it now just a big empty room with a house attached to it? Or, did they decide to turn it into a den, or expand the kitchen?

Even with the few minor details, I still love this show.

Jude The Obscure · 07-26-2008, 06:38 PM

Welcome!

lots of questions..

Over Our Heads was closed to make proper bedrooms for Andy and Pippa, although I don't think we ever saw the final results.

As for the work hours, I don't think Edna's Edibles was open very long past 5pm. The girls just put in a couple of hours on weekdays and prolly a little more on Saturdays.

WaterLoo · 07-26-2008, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jude86

Welcome!

lots of questions..

Over Our Heads was closed to make proper bedrooms for Andy and Pippa, although I don't think we ever saw the final results.

As for the work hours, I don't think Edna's Edibles was open very long past 5pm. The girls just put in a couple of hours on weekdays and prolly a little more on Saturdays.

Sorry for all the questions. It feels like ages since I've seen episodes and I only started watching them on youtube and a few other sites and the first three DVD's, so there were a few things I always wondered on.

painmakeyourway · 07-26-2008, 06:43 PM

wow that's a lot of questions...and I don't know the answers to any of them except the one about Tootie's skates

As far as I know, she never took them off that first season, and I think there's even an episode where you see here on a staircase, but I'm not sure.
you may already know this, but she was a 10-year-old playing a 12-year-old (someone correct me if those ages are wrong) and the producers of the show thought she was too short, so they put her on those skates. I always thought it was a dumb idea, but w/e...

welcome to the boards!

Nat's #1 Fan · 07-26-2008, 10:23 PM

Welcome WaterLoo

. You have some really good questions but I can't answer them all, except for the one about Tootie's skates (she never took them off, even to go down the stairs) and quite possibly the one about where the relatives stayed when they came to the school (perhaps they slept on the couch in the lounge or something).
It's been quite a few years since I watched the last season of the show (I think I only saw the whole season once when it was on N@N) so when during that time did they close down the shop? I don't remember when that happened. I know they wanted to make bedrooms for Andy and Pippa but I had no clue that they closed the store to do it.

LoveMrsG · 07-27-2008, 01:27 AM

Welcome, Waterloo!

I'm new here too.

I can't answer all the questions either, but I'll take a stab at where the girls' relatives stayed whenever they spent the night at Eastland. You guys remember when Nat's grandmother spent the night? Mrs. G. set up a cot or portable bed or something in her room and let Nat and her grandmother have her room for the night while she slept in the girls' room. I always sort of assumed Mrs. G. always did that whenever somebody stayed over, like Cousin Geri or whoever.

There's one question down anyway!

Maybe....

I don't know. You guys may have different opinions/ideas. That's just mine.

LoveMrsG · 07-27-2008, 01:29 AM

And, oh yeah with Blair's mom staying over, if you're talking about the episode where Blair's mom had a lump in her breast, I was pretty sure she was staying in hotel and Blair either drove over to see her or took a cab.

pfeifferobsessed · 07-27-2008, 05:08 AM

welcome! as for your questions...

the main cast of the first season hung out in their dorm...the main room was the living room of that building...meaning there were multiple dorm buildings...i dont know how many...i dont think its ever said!

the cafeteria in seasons 2-4 was located in a different building than the dorms! as for season 1 it was a different cafeteria, but i think that was just incontinuity or there could have been multiple cafeterias...and their dorm did have a kitchen!

as for tooties skates, i dont think she ever takes them off during the first season...i think you see her putting them on in an ep...but she even wears them while walking up/down stairs!

i always figured cousin geri slept on a cot in mrs. g's room, but she also could have slept on the couch...as for monica, she stayed in a hotel...as for blair getting there, she could drive as this point...possibly taking mrs. g's car or, less-believably, a bus!

the window...at some points did have a small curtain-like thing on it! also, if they were standing in front of blairs bed, they couldnt be seen through the window anyways!

the girls wanted to work in edna edibles...they didnt work long hours...and they chose to live there! as for working in the cafeteria, they had to work to pay two different debts...and their parents approved of it! oh, and mrs. g wasnt the headmistress...she was the housemother (season 1) and then the school dietician (season 2-4)!

they all decided it was best for them to close over our heads cause all the girls had very busy schedules and they turned that space into two bedrooms...one for andy and one for pippa...these new rooms were never seen on the show!

hope that helped!

Natalie1969 · 03-12-2010, 05:25 PM

Apparently their parents approved of Nat and Tootie living over Edna's Edibles. The girls seemed to have plenty of time for fun.

07-26-2008, 06:43 PM	#4
painmakeyourway Daydream Believer Forum Regular Join Date: May 20, 2008 Location: Facts of Life Land Posts: 577	wow that's a lot of questions...and I don't know the answers to any of them except the one about Tootie's skates As far as I know, she never took them off that first season, and I think there's even an episode where you see here on a staircase, but I'm not sure. you may already know this, but she was a 10-year-old playing a 12-year-old (someone correct me if those ages are wrong) and the producers of the show thought she was too short, so they put her on those skates. I always thought it was a dumb idea, but w/e... welcome to the boards!
	__________________ Jo Polniaczek's philosophy on how to get guys: Step 1: If you like a guy, grab him and tell him he drives you out of your tree. Step 2: Just call and tell him, 'Hey Al, you dance with me in the contest or you'll never dance again.' Pretty effective, hey?

07-27-2008, 01:27 AM	#6
LoveMrsG Future Emmy-Winning Writer Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 27, 2008 Location: In Mrs. G.'s mind: "Hmm, maybe I didn't know as much as I thought!" Posts: 783	Welcome, Waterloo! I'm new here too. I can't answer all the questions either, but I'll take a stab at where the girls' relatives stayed whenever they spent the night at Eastland. You guys remember when Nat's grandmother spent the night? Mrs. G. set up a cot or portable bed or something in her room and let Nat and her grandmother have her room for the night while she slept in the girls' room. I always sort of assumed Mrs. G. always did that whenever somebody stayed over, like Cousin Geri or whoever. There's one question down anyway! Maybe.... I don't know. You guys may have different opinions/ideas. That's just mine.
	__________________ Mrs. Garrett: "Get the h*ll out of here or I'll beat you with my frying pan!"

07-26-2008, 12:05 PM	#1
WaterLoo Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 26, 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 86	A few questions about the show.... Let me start off by saying I am new here. Hello! And I happen to be a really big fan of "The Facts of Life" and wish the rest of the show would be released on DVD. I love all the characters, including the ones from the first season, which I haven't really watched up until I bought the DVD's. Anyway, there are some things about this show that kind of boggled me that I never really noticed before but seeing it now as an adult (mostly through youtube, Joost, VidiLife and - of course - the DVDs) I have a few questions to ask regarding this show. First off...I know this show was set in a boarding school, but during the first season, why did only the main characters hang out in the main hall of the dorms? If I remember correctly, there was quite a number of students at Eastland. Secondly, where exactly was the school cafeteria located? (You'll have to forgive me...I've never been to a boarding school.) During the first season, Tootie was always wearing skates...did she ever take them off? Like to ascend and descend from the stairs? In a few episodes, the girls would have family members staying at Eastland. Most notably, Blair's mom and her cousin Geri. When Geri visited those few times, where did she stay? In one of the dorm rooms? I don't think there was enough room for her in the girls' makeshift room in the storage closet. Then when Blair's mother came to visit, they at one point showed her resting in a bedroom. Was that located in the dorm, or at a hotel? If she was at a hotel, then how did Blair get there? In the girls' "room" in Eastland, did anyone else notice that the one window didn't have any curtains, or blinds on it? So, were the girls on full display while getting dressed/undressed? Even though I loved all of the seasons, was it really ethical (or even legal) to allow a group of teenage girls, two of whom were in college and the other two still in high school, to live next to a gourmet food store with the former headmistress of their school, not to mention all the hours they had to put in? It was bad enough that they had to work in the school cafeteria all those years, even with all the amount of schoolwork they had, but now they were working in a food shop. Firstly, wouldn't their parents have a problem with this? Second of all, even though the two older girls were 18, they were all still really, really young and needed to have time to do their homework and to relax and be kids. Finally, after Over Our Heads was finally closed down in the final season, what was in there now? Was it now just a big empty room with a house attached to it? Or, did they decide to turn it into a den, or expand the kitchen? Even with the few minor details, I still love this show.

07-26-2008, 06:38 PM	#2
Jude The Obscure Retired Eternal Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Dec 10, 2006 Posts: 7,520	Welcome! lots of questions.. Over Our Heads was closed to make proper bedrooms for Andy and Pippa, although I don't think we ever saw the final results. As for the work hours, I don't think Edna's Edibles was open very long past 5pm. The girls just put in a couple of hours on weekdays and prolly a little more on Saturdays.

07-26-2008, 10:23 PM	#5
Nat's #1 Fan Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 25, 2008 Location: Whiting, IN Posts: 215	Welcome WaterLoo . You have some really good questions but I can't answer them all, except for the one about Tootie's skates (she never took them off, even to go down the stairs) and quite possibly the one about where the relatives stayed when they came to the school (perhaps they slept on the couch in the lounge or something). It's been quite a few years since I watched the last season of the show (I think I only saw the whole season once when it was on N@N) so when during that time did they close down the shop? I don't remember when that happened. I know they wanted to make bedrooms for Andy and Pippa but I had no clue that they closed the store to do it.

07-27-2008, 01:29 AM	#7
LoveMrsG Future Emmy-Winning Writer Forum Regular Join Date: Jun 27, 2008 Location: In Mrs. G.'s mind: "Hmm, maybe I didn't know as much as I thought!" Posts: 783	And, oh yeah with Blair's mom staying over, if you're talking about the episode where Blair's mom had a lump in her breast, I was pretty sure she was staying in hotel and Blair either drove over to see her or took a cab.

07-27-2008, 05:08 AM	#8
pfeifferobsessed Member Forum Regular Join Date: Feb 24, 2008 Location: Oh, how I wish I lived in Peekskill Posts: 684	welcome! as for your questions... the main cast of the first season hung out in their dorm...the main room was the living room of that building...meaning there were multiple dorm buildings...i dont know how many...i dont think its ever said! the cafeteria in seasons 2-4 was located in a different building than the dorms! as for season 1 it was a different cafeteria, but i think that was just incontinuity or there could have been multiple cafeterias...and their dorm did have a kitchen! as for tooties skates, i dont think she ever takes them off during the first season...i think you see her putting them on in an ep...but she even wears them while walking up/down stairs! i always figured cousin geri slept on a cot in mrs. g's room, but she also could have slept on the couch...as for monica, she stayed in a hotel...as for blair getting there, she could drive as this point...possibly taking mrs. g's car or, less-believably, a bus! the window...at some points did have a small curtain-like thing on it! also, if they were standing in front of blairs bed, they couldnt be seen through the window anyways! the girls wanted to work in edna edibles...they didnt work long hours...and they chose to live there! as for working in the cafeteria, they had to work to pay two different debts...and their parents approved of it! oh, and mrs. g wasnt the headmistress...she was the housemother (season 1) and then the school dietician (season 2-4)! they all decided it was best for them to close over our heads cause all the girls had very busy schedules and they turned that space into two bedrooms...one for andy and one for pippa...these new rooms were never seen on the show! hope that helped!

03-12-2010, 05:25 PM	#9
Natalie1969 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 11, 2009 Location: MD Posts: 187	Apparently their parents approved of Nat and Tootie living over Edna's Edibles. The girls seemed to have plenty of time for fun.