The Facts of Life - Season 6, Episode 20

Michael Damian gets in one last song

"Gone With the Wind, Part 2"
Original airdate: 2/20/1985

Episode summary: Blair falls in love with a handyman while the rest of the gals enjoy their spring break in Fort Lauderdale.

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Recap: The violent hurricane that was hurtling towards Fort Lauderdale in Part 1 took a merciful shift away from the city and ended up causing only minimal damage. Natalie surveys the post-party mess in her grandmother's condo and wonders how in blazes she's going to explain the damage to all of the old lady's treasured knick-knacks. Jo emerges from the kitchen, still donning her red onesie (!), and assures Natalie that they'll all pitch in to clean things up. She then blushingly says she promised Michael Damian she'd meet up with him at Rock Island later, and Tootie and Natalie are all, "What a coincidence! We're meeting our new Florida beaus there later too!" Natalie notices that Blair is missing and decides to get Ben on the case...but a few minutes later she finds them at his place, sitting together on his couch. Blair sheepishly explains to the gals that she left with Ben last night to escape Morgan, then had a lovely time getting to know him and accepting his complete lack of ambition in life - while demurely refraining from engaging in hanky panky of any kind.

"Absolutely no hanky panky occurred between Ben and I last night."

"We have absolutely no problem believing that."

While cleaning up, Natalie notices that the couch legs are missing. She says she's going to call up Ben to ask him if he could stop by and fix that, but Blair smiles dreamily and tells Natalie that that won't be necessary 'cause she's fairly certain that Ben will be popping by very soon.

Jo says she just learned that Rock Island got flooded after the heavy rain [they're apparently still experiencing], so she and the gals decide to meet up with their beaus at the Red Claw instead. Natalie suggests they jazz up their appearance by tanning under a sun lamp, and Jo's like 'sure, what could possibly go wrong with laying under a hot lamp?' and discreetly takes off her robe so she can discreetly sneak behind the couch and do her tanning off camera. She repeatedly complains that the lamp is extraordinarily hot...but for some reason continues laying under it and hoping for a good outcome.

In the next scene, Jo winces from the pain of charring her skin and snipes at Natalie, who whines that she too is suffering after badly burning her feet. Blair, meanwhile, returns to the condo with a dreamy look on her face and dramatically drops the bombshell that she's in love with Ben and has decided to remain in Florida.

After the commercial break, Blair admits concedes that she’s fallen in love with Ben ridiculously quickly - but nonetheless wants to stay in Florida so she can spend more time getting to know him...by going camping with him in the Everglades, for example. Tootie, Natalie, and Jo (who's now wearing a baggy white onesie), are all, "That's nice, see ya later" and head out to the Red Claw - just as Ben arrives at the condo with his camping gear. Blair scrunches her face confusedly and says she figured they’d rent an RV, but Ben argues that they'd commune better with nature by tenting under the stars. Blair makes an ew face, then decides 'how bad could sleeping outside possibly be?' and gamely agrees to rough it before giving him a big smooch.

Michael Damian, along with the two guys that Natalie and Tootie coupled up with during this two-parter, arrive at the Red Claw. Michael Damian asks Jo to dance - but doesn't wait for her response before he gets jiggy with it and begins flailing his arms about and pivoting his hips in that funny looking way people danced like in the '80s. Jo complains that she's in far too much pain from her sunburn to dance - just as the waitress comes by to bitchily accuse the Facts gals of being underage and therefore banned from ordering alcohol. The gals are all, "OK, chillax" and order non-alcoholic drinks, and Jo promises Michael Damian she'll do her best to stop bitching and moaning about her painful sunburn and make the best of whatever's left of her Florida vacay.
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Ben tells Blair that since meeting her he's been sooooo confused, though in a good way. After agreeing that they've fallen hard for each other, Ben breaks the news that he's accepted a job in Alaska for two years and wants her to join him there [after making an honest woman out of her, I can only assume]. As Blair mulls over the quasi-marriage proposal, Ben makes it clear that he expects her to give up her pampered life of luxury and be content to live on the shitty salary he'll be earning. Blair says she's pretty sure she could adjust to that, as long as they can get right on having a family - ack! Say what?! - and Ben says he might possibly, eventually want a family, but warns that it could be years before he's ready to seriously consider reproducing.

"I want you to come to Alaska with me and live on my meagre salary."

"I'll consider it if I can give birth to a few kids to distract me from the harsh reality of my new life."

​Michael Damian and Natalie's date excuse themselves and hurriedly rush away from the table, and Jo and Natalie wryly remark that that's probably the last they'll ever see of their menfolk.

Blair tells Ben she wants him to be absolutely sure he wants a family...and he strangely back pedals and says that, upon further reflection, he can't bring himself to promise that. Blair chews on that change of heart for a few seconds and sadly says that maybe their timing is wrong, and Ben agrees and says she should probably finish her schooling while he does his Alaska stint. He points out that they can always revisit the possibility of a relationship in two years...though I'm guessing this is the last we'll ever see of Handyman Ben.

Natalie's date returns with a non-alcoholic pitcher of orange juice (her favorite), while Michael Damian declares to Jo that he wants to croon to her while they gently dance. He helps her to her feet and lip syncs one of his grislier slow songs...and the rest of the bargoers look on happily as they too sway and bob their heads to the beat.

During the flight home, for which Jo is donning a baggy yellow onesie, the gals look over the photos they took during this two-parter and agree that Florida was a blast. Blair laments her reluctance at rushing head-first into a marriage with Ben, but Jo assures her she did the sane thing by putting the brakes on that...then applauds Blair for being capable of forging an attraction to a poor guy with honest values. She then moans about how much she misses being sung to, aka the way Michael Damian performed his "hits" while creepishly hovering over her, so Tootie and Natalie lean on either side of her and belt out one of his tunes before dissolving into a fit of giggles.

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