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The Best Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes Season 8

Genres:ComedyFamilyDrama
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Every episode of Diff'rent Strokes Season 8 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Diff'rent Strokes Season 8!

The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a...
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  • The Photo Club
    7.5/10(72)
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    #1 - The Photo Club

    Season 8 Episode 18

    Aired 2/28/1986

    Arnold 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.

    Director: Jeremiah Morris

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Sam's Missing (1)
    7.4/10(94)
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    #2 - Sam's Missing (1)

    Season 8 Episode 1

    Aired 9/27/1985

    A 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.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • The Big Bribe
    7.4/10(68)
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    #3 - The Big Bribe

    Season 8 Episode 17

    Aired 2/21/1986

    A date with a gorgeous girl has Arnold walking on a cloud, until he learns she was bribed by Willis to go out with him.

    Director: Mel Ferber

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Sam's Missing (2)
    7.2/10(84)
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    #4 - Sam's Missing (2)

    Season 8 Episode 2

    Aired 9/27/1985

    The 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.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Arnold's Initiation
    7.1/10(75)
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    #5 - Arnold's Initiation

    Season 8 Episode 12

    Aired 1/10/1986

    Arnold'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.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Bulimia
    7.1/10(70)
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    #6 - Bulimia

    Season 8 Episode 13

    Aired 1/17/1986

    Arnold 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.

    Director: Barbara Schultz

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
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  • Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown
    7.1/10(63)
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    #7 - Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown

    Season 8 Episode 16

    Aired 2/7/1986

    Sam'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.

    Director: Mel Ferber

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Arnold's Job
    7.0/10(71)
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    #8 - Arnold's Job

    Season 8 Episode 6

    Aired 10/25/1985

    Arnold'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.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Arnold's Bad Rep
    7.0/10(64)
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    #9 - Arnold's Bad Rep

    Season 8 Episode 10

    Aired 12/6/1985

    Arnold 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.

    Director: Mel Ferber

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Willis Goes to College
    6.9/10(69)
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    #10 - Willis Goes to College

    Season 8 Episode 5

    Aired 10/18/1985

    Willis 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.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Arnold's Tangled Web
    6.9/10(69)
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    #11 - Arnold's Tangled Web

    Season 8 Episode 15

    Aired 1/31/1986

    To 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.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Love on the Run
    6.8/10(70)
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    #12 - Love on the Run

    Season 8 Episode 4

    Aired 10/11/1985

    Sam 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.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • A Tale of Two Teachers
    6.8/10(69)
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    #13 - A Tale of Two Teachers

    Season 8 Episode 7

    Aired 11/8/1985

    Kareem 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.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Sam's Big Brother
    6.8/10(64)
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    #14 - Sam's Big Brother

    Season 8 Episode 14

    Aired 1/24/1986

    Arnold'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.

    Director: Mel Ferber

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To
    6.7/10(65)
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    #15 - It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To

    Season 8 Episode 11

    Aired 12/13/1985

    Drummond 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.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Bully for Arnold
    6.5/10(69)
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    #16 - Bully for Arnold

    Season 8 Episode 3

    Aired 10/4/1985

    Guarding 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.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • Speak No Evil
    6.5/10(68)
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    #17 - Speak No Evil

    Season 8 Episode 9

    Aired 11/29/1985

    Father 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.

    Director: Gerren Keith, Glenn Padnick

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • So You Want to Be a Rock Star
    6.3/10(74)
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    #18 - So You Want to Be a Rock Star

    Season 8 Episode 8

    Aired 11/15/1985

    A music instructor ""backs up"" Arnold after he claims to be an expert sax player in order to impress a girl.

    Director: Mel Ferber

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0
  • The Front Page
    NaN/10(0)
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    #19 - The Front Page

    Season 8 Episode 19

    Aired 3/7/1986

    Arnold'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.

    Director: Gerren Keith

    Writer: N/A

    Comments

    0

Season 8 Ratings Summary

"The Photo Club" is the best rated episode of "Diff'rent Strokes" season 8. It scored 7.5/10 based on 72 votes. Directed by Jeremiah Morris and written by N/A, it aired on 2/28/1986. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Sam's Missing (1)".