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Reviews
The Facts of Life: The Beginning of the Beginning (1988)
Ok episodes, weak series finale.
For a long time I really didn't like these episodes as the finale of a landmark 80s sitcom that was on for 9 seasons. It lacks the core 4 as the focus. The core 4 that made this show successful for 9 seasons. The 2 part finale primarily features Blair as it was meant to be a back door pilot for her character. The fact that the episode preceding these 2 is also a back door pilot for the character Natalie prolongs the core 4 absence. (Word is NBC was going to renew for a 10th season of FOL but McKeon & Fields wanted to move on). As a big fan it leaves you feeling a lack of cohesive closure.
If you think about the real world, we don't always get closure. We have close friends in our youth & there comes a time that in order to grow up we move on and away to new things. So while it's realistic in life it's not the tied up in a neat bow kinda tv happy ending with all the girls together for 23 minutes to say goodbye to.
Most bothersome is the actual final scene. It's a group photo missing Natalie & with Jo's husband in it!?! I would have loved an additional episode as the true finale to give us this ending where in the final scene it's the core 4 & they're saying goodbye to each other as Tootie heads to London & Natalie to the big city for good. Jo packing her stuff up after finding her new place. A quick photo (Polaroid) of the core 4, Blair looks at it places it on the table grabs her bag to go to work, door closes room is empty for a beat before a close up shot of the photo. End scene, End series. 💕
The Facts of Life: The Interview Show (1985)
Nice episode but Timeline is off
I had wanted to add this to the goofs but could not locate where to do this. Possible Spoilers ahead.
This episode seems like a filler episode. It's not a bad episode, interesting to get each of the main character's viewpoint on Eastland. In terms of goofs it's about when this episode aired vs when it was produced. Just wanted to list the things that make this so glaring.
- The copyright at the end of the credits dates this episode to 1984 but it aired as the season 6 finale in May 1985.
- The interviewer asks Natalie what the school is like in '1984'.
- During the Tootie interview, it appears like an autumn day, leaves are changing colors.
- Tootie tells the interviewer that she is a 'Junior' and that she will take her 'SATs next Spring'.
- In the previously aired episode Natalie graduates from Eastland & Tootie makes a point of being upset that she is a year behind her. Had it been produced for when it aired she would be a Senior.
- As someone had mentioned in the goofs, Natalie graduated in the previous episode but is shown in her uniform on campus as a student.
- During the interview of Jo her hair is long as it was in the beginning of season 6, rather than shorter as it is in the previously aired episode. Same for Blair.
Again, the episode is different in theme than a normal one but it was still good. Just not sequential to the season. Curious why they aired it much later than they made it.
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)
True Love
This film touched me in so many ways that I cannot begin to praise it. It is about friendship and family. It is about knowing what true love really is, the unconditional love we all search for. I like this film for the way I feel about myself, it helps you think about all of your relationships and why they are so important to you. And it is even a little bit of history, it shows what it was like to live in the South in the early part of this century, and since that century is now almost over, it is cool to reflect upon the beginning of it. Enjoy the movie :-) PS The food isn't bad either!!!!