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Diff'rent Strokes : Season 8
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Air date: 27 Sep '85 - 19 episodesThe series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond and his daughter Kimberly, for whom their deceased mother previously worked. During the first season and first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett.
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List of Episodes (19)
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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1. Sam's Missing (1)
27 Sep '85A family whose little boy died, forces the father to kidnap Sam, who is shopping for some snacks in a grocery store. After the kidnapping, the man threatens to kill Sam's parents if he attempts in any way to escape.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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2. Sam's Missing (2)
27 Sep '85The Drummonds, desperate to get Sam back, go on the news to try and advertise to get Sam back. In the meantime Sam risks everything to tell the Drummonds where he is.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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3. Bully for Arnold
04 Oct '85Guarding the school bully's girlfriend, Ramona, seems like a simple task to Arnold, until his natural Jackson ""charm"" creates some problems, Ramona falls head over heels for him and Herman, the bully, wants to rearrange his face.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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4. Love on the Run
11 Oct '85Sam and Arnold fear that the time their parents are spending apart is a symptom of an ailing marriage and the boys attempt to give them a dose of romance, hoping it will be the cure that will keep them from divorce.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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5. Willis Goes to College
18 Oct '85Willis takes a big step when he leave home for college, but fears his initiation to dorm life is only one of the freshman experiences he may not be ready to handle.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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6. Arnold's Job
25 Oct '85Arnold's dream of becoming an ""overnight"" success as a photo-journalist run headlong into reality when he gets his first job on a local newspaper.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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7. A Tale of Two Teachers
08 Nov '85Kareem Abdul-Jabbar guest stars as a high school English teacher who gives Arnold a ""classic"" punishment for ""goofing off"" in class and the freshman quickly learns his lesson when his penace is teaching ""A Tale of Two Cities"" to his rowdy classmates.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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8. So You Want to Be a Rock Star
15 Nov '85A music instructor ""backs up"" Arnold after he claims to be an expert sax player in order to impress a girl.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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9. Speak No Evil
29 Nov '85Father and son are feuding over First Amendment rights when an outraged Arnold objects to a white supremacy organization speaking at his high school and a discerning Drummond can't support Arnold's fury on the basis of the American right to free speech.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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10. Arnold's Bad Rep
06 Dec '85Arnold succumbs to peer pressure and boasts he went ""all the way"" with his girlfriend, but his lie puts him in a more awkward position once the girl finds out about his claim to fame.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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11. It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To
13 Dec '85Drummond has ""insured"" that Sam will have an unforgettable birthday party by arranging for a local television personality to be the main attraction, until the swash-buckling ""Captain Jack"" steals the show and the birthday boy jumps ship.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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12. Arnold's Initiation
10 Jan '86Arnold's initiation into the ""cool"" club at school jeopardizes his friendship with the mildly-retarded dishwasher at the Hamburger Hangar, after a prank Arnold ""must"" pull causes the man to lose his job.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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13. Bulimia
17 Jan '86Arnold suspects that Kimberly has an eating disorder when his slender sister is secretly gorging himself, but not gaining any weight. Arnold seeks Drummond's help in confronting Kimberly with her problem and the family comes together to help her fight the eating disorder, bulimia.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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14. Sam's Big Brother
24 Jan '86Arnold's preoccupation with girls and school leaves younger brother Sam alone and bored until Willis steps in, takes over as ""big bro"" and causes a row when Arnold decides to fight back for the title.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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15. Arnold's Tangled Web
31 Jan '86To prevent Drummond from seeing his ""F"" in geometry, Arnold arranges to have Drummond's signature forged on his report on his report card, but the scheme backfires when Drummond insists on a personal inspection of Arnold's grades.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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16. Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown
07 Feb '86Sam's contempt for a classmate who incessantly insults and badgers him is pacified when he learns that the boy is an orphan who's jealous of Sam's ""perfect"" family life.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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17. The Big Bribe
21 Feb '86A date with a gorgeous girl has Arnold walking on a cloud, until he learns she was bribed by Willis to go out with him.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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18. The Photo Club
28 Feb '86Arnold is disgruntled over being partnered with archenemy Lisa in photography class but his frustration soars when the two are accidentally locked together in the basement darkroom.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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19. The Front Page
07 Mar '86Arnold's feature story about his high school football team threatens to turn into a controversial expose for the school newspaper when he witnesses team members buying steroids.
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