The Best Episodes of Frontline Season 5

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

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   #1 - The Real Stuff

   S5:E11/27/1987

   One year after the Challenger disaster, Frontline examined the all-too-human side of the space program as seen through the eyes of the astronauts and engineers responsible for making it work. Correspondent James Reston tells the inside story of a program plagued by problems and politics.

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2. 

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   #2 - The Earthquake Is Coming

   S5:E22/3/1987

   Frontline examines the startling implications of what will happen when the big earthquake hits California, detailing the awesome effects as systems rupture and the entire nation's economy, industries, and national security are jeopardized.

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3. 

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   #3 - Stopping Drugs (1)

   S5:E32/10/1987

   A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 1 examines the personal struggles of addicts trying to kick the habit and the effectiveness of drug treatment programs. Part 2 journeys into America’s schools to find out if drugs are really a major problem and if anti-drug efforts are working.

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4. 

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   #4 - Stopping Drugs (2)

   S5:E42/17/1987

   A two-part special examining efforts to stamp out drugs. Part 1 examines the personal struggles of addicts trying to kick the habit and the effectiveness of drug treatment programs. Part 2 journeys into America’s schools to find out if drugs are really a major problem and if anti-drug efforts are working.

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5. 

   7.6/10(12 votes)

   #5 - The Nazi Connection

   S5:E52/24/1987

   German scientists were responsible for putting the first American on the moon. Now, 15 years later, government investigators are asking whether some of them were also responsible for Nazi war crimes. Frontline examines their war records and the role of American officials who decided to bring them to the United States.

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6. 

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   #6 - Desperately Seeking Baby

   S5:E63/3/1987

   Two million American couples desperately want babies and can’t have them. They are turning to private adoption deals brokered by lawyers and counselors. Sometimes they get a new baby and a happy home; sometimes their hearts are broken. Frontline looks at a system filled with ambiguity and heartbreak.

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7. 

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   #7 - Street Cop

   S5:E73/31/1987

   Frontline takes a gritty look at street cops. In Boston’s busiest, most violent police district, they confront the never-ending calls for help and the never-ending chase after drugs.

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8. 

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   #8 - The Secret File

   S5:E84/14/1987

   How could an ordinary citizen be considered a national security risk? Penn Kimball, a university professor, former New York Times editor, Rhodes scholar, and Eagle Scout, was stunned to discover that for 30 years, government files existed declaring him as a disloyal American. As he tries to clear his name, Frontline examines the government decision to gather information on American citizens.

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9. 

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   #9 - War on Nicaragua

   S5:E94/21/1987

   As the Iran-contra scandal was still unfolding, Frontline correspondent William Greider revealed how the US began supporting the contras in Nicaragua and why our involvement there continues. The program is a meticulous reconstruction of US policy toward Nicaragua, and an investigation into how US foreign policy is made.

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10. 

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    #10 - The Bombing of West Philly

    S5:E105/5/1987

    ‘I could hear the bullets all around me, hitting all around the house. I was forced back by gunfire,’ says Ramona Africa, the only adult survivor of MOVE, a small, violent, urban cult. Years of tension ended May 13, 1985, when police bombed Africa’s house. The surrounding neighborhood burned out of control, leaving 250 homeless. Frontline correspondent Leon Dash examines why the bombing really happened.

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11. 

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    #11 - In Search of the Marcos Millions

    S5:E115/26/1987

    The day Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos fled the Philippines in 1986, they left with $8.9 million in jewelry, cash, and bonds. But the Philippine government claims they took much more, plundering the wealth of the nation, stashing it in fake companies and secret bank accounts. Frontline tracked hundreds of millions of dollars of the Marcos money and asked whether the Philippine government will ever get it back.

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12. 

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    #12 - Israel: the Price of Victory

    S5:E126/2/1987

    The Six Day War was a decisive victory for Israel. But many Israelis feel that something has gone wrong. On the war’s twentieth anniversary, Frontline finds a nation struggling with its image and its role as a democracy and reveals what has happened to the dream.

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13. 

    8.2/10(57 votes)

    #13 - Death of a Porn Queen

    S5:E136/9/1987

    She was from Minnesota. Young, pretty, and fresh. She went to Hollywood in search of a dream and found herself in X-rated movies, on drugs, and estranged from her family and friends. Correspondent Al Austin retraces her story, discovering why after two years as a porn queen, she took her own life.

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14. 

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    #14 - Keeping the Faith

    S5:E146/16/1987

    The black church was once the soul of its community. It was a rallying point and a force for change. Now, as the black middle class grows and the church evolves, correspondent Roger Wilkins asks whom does it serve and to what end?

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15. 

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    #15 - The Politics of Greed

    S5:E156/23/1987

    As corruption scandals rock New York City, the careers of dozens of high officials are being destroyed. Frontline takes an inside look at the seamy side of urban politics and asks whether this is any way to run a government.

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