7.6/1090 votes#1 - Growing Pains
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 10/28/1981
When Blair, Natalie and Jo tease Tootie for being the youngest, she feels left out. This leads her to experiment with alcohol by downing an entire bottle of wine.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters
- 7.8/1099 votes
#2 - Fear Strikes Back
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 11/4/1981
Natalie conjures up a fear of going outside after she is attacked while coming home from a party
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.3/1083 votes
#3 - A Baby in the House
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 11/11/1981
An ex-Eastlander, Alison makes a visit to Eastland to see old friends, Blair, Natalie and Tootie. Coming back brings back memories of when life was a lot simpler, since now she is married and has a baby daughter, Emily. When Alison leaves, however, she forgets to take along one important thing, Emily.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.3/1079 votes
#4 - A Friend in Deed
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 11/18/1981
Blair's mother is scheduled to have plastic surgery but calls it off to make a visit to Eastland to see her daughter. However, a mistaken phone call leads Blair to discover the truth, her mother may have breast cancer.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 7.8/1091 votes
#5 - Front Page
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 11/25/1981
Burned by her journalism teacher's scathing criticism, Jo turns out a front-page story linking him to a drug bust.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.6/1074 votes
#6 - Give and Take
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 12/2/1981
Mrs. Garrett learns that the company that she worked for, for years has gone bankrupt thus canceling her pension fund. This prompts her to get a second job, one that pays more that the job at Eastland. She ultimately begins thinking of quitting her job as school dietician.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 7.3/1079 votes
#7 - Sweet Sorrow
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 12/9/1981
When her ex-fiancee, Eddie, arrives in town for a visit, Jo learns that she's growing apart from him when she finds herself attracted to the man who's playing her husband in a simulated marriage project for a class.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 7.7/1086 votes
#8 - From Russia with Love
Season 3 Episode 8 - Aired 12/16/1981
Natalie's planning a weekend of romance with her boyfriend, but when her Grandma Mona drops in unexpectedly, her romantic intentions are postponed.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
- 7.6/1079 votes
#9 - Dear Me
Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 12/23/1981
The girls are all excited about a big camp-out due to the fact that it will give them a chance to be with their beaus. However, Tootie is anything but happy and tries to wriggle her way out of going, by writing love letters from an imaginary boyfriend, in order to avoid the boy Blair is trying to fix her up with.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/1074 votes
#10 - Cousin Geri Returns
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 12/30/1981
Blair's cousin, Geri, makes another visit to Peekskill and Blair sets her up with her teacher, but later Blair feels that Geri is headed for a romantic fall.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/1076 votes
#11 - Legacy
Season 3 Episode 11 - Aired 1/6/1982
Blair is thrilled that her name is going to be part of Eastland, since a large amount of money from her grandfather's estate is being donated for the building of a new library. However, while doing a story on him for the newspaper, Natalie uncovers a shocking truth, Blair's grandfather was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/1077 votes
#12 - Green-Eyed Monster
Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 1/13/1982
Natalie wants the lead in the play, South Pacific, and she won't let anyone stand in her way of getting it. However, when Tootie is practically forced to audition and gets the lead, heaven help Tootie because Natalie is after revenge.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 7.4/1082 votes
#13 - The Americanization of Miko
Season 3 Episode 13 - Aired 1/20/1982
The new Japanese student, Miko, is excited about being the newest student at Eastland as well as being in America. However, her strict father doesn't think Eastland is a good influence especially since she snuck out to see a rock concert and borrowed Jo's bike causing $400 in damage.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.3/1070 votes
#14 - The Marriage Brokers
Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 1/27/1982
A visitor from Mrs. Garrett's past comes to Eastland and immediately appears to sweep Mrs. Garrett off her feet. It's apparent Mrs. Garrett and this mystery man are more than friends when Tootie catches them kissing and Blair becomes determind to discover just how serious this relationship is.
Director: Alejandro Rey
Writer: Mitch Markowitz
- 7.6/10103 votes
#15 - Starstruck
Season 3 Episode 15 - Aired 2/3/1982
Tootie is the president of the Jermaine Jackson fan club and her duties as president interfere with a promise to Jo. Later, she wins free tickets to one of his concerts and is determind to go, even if she has to hitchhike.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/1088 votes
#16 - The Four Musketeers
Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 2/10/1982
Constant squabbling between the girls prompt Mrs. Garrett to announce that the debt for wrecking the van has been paid off and they are all now free to move out and live in the dorms. However, the girls soon realize the living above the cafeteria is something they do not want to change.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1083 votes
#17 - The Affair
Season 3 Episode 17 - Aired 2/17/1982
Mrs. Garrett and the girls visit New York and have lunch in a Italian restaurant where Natalie discovers something she never expected, her father romancing someone other than her mother. This prompts Natalie to debate whether or not to confront her father, out of fear of a divorce between her parents.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/10135 votes
#18 - Runaway
Season 3 Episode 18 - Aired 2/24/1982
Jo, Natalie and Blair are going to New York to see a Broadway play and a left out Tootie sneaks out to meet them in front of the theatre without Mrs. Garrett's knowledge. However, when Tootie doesn't find the girls she stops in a coffee shop across the street unaware she's about to get a dose of the downside of New York life.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1094 votes
#19 - New York, New York
Season 3 Episode 19 - Aired 3/3/1982
Both Blair and Jo head to New York to meet two old friends. Blair discovers her old friend, Dina, is the same old snob she's always been and Jo discovers her friend, Jesse, is the same old prejudiced bully she's always been. Blair and Jo soon realize their friendship is much more meaningful.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Peter Noah
- 8.3/10105 votes
#20 - Kids Can Be Cruel
Season 3 Episode 20 - Aired 3/17/1982
Natalie has a big crush on Tim and has filled Blair's slambook with words of praise. However, in Blair's slambook instead of signing your name you sign a number, Natalie's number is 10. When Blair tells Tim who number 10 belongs to, Natalie is furious and wants revenge no matter who she hurts in the process.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
- 7.8/1072 votes
#21 - Mind Your Own Business
Season 3 Episode 21 - Aired 3/24/1982
Wanting to give Natalie a gift for helping her with her chemistry, Blair takes a peek in Natalie's diary to see if she could get an idea on what to get. However, gifts are the last thing on Blair's mind when she discovers that Natalie thinks she's an egotistical witch.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.2/1093 votes
#22 - The Academy
Season 3 Episode 22 - Aired 3/31/1982
A friend of Jo's, Buzz, who attends a military academy, needs her to fix him up with a wealthy socialite, since he made a bet with some of his buddies. So Jo fixes him up with Blair who thinks he dates wealthy women including Gloria Vanderbilt's daughter.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
- 6.7/1094 votes
#23 - Jo's Cousin
Season 3 Episode 23 - Aired 4/14/1982
Jo's cousin, a 14 year old tomboy, who is lovesick, calls for her help.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 7.7/1070 votes
#24 - Read No Evil
Season 3 Episode 24 - Aired 5/5/1982
Jo stands up for her rights. She protests that books which are believed to have a bad influence on people are being banned.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
The Best Episodes of The Facts of Life Season 3
Every episode of The Facts of Life Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Facts of Life Season 3!
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979, to May 7, 1988, making...
Genres:DramaComedy
Network:NBC
Season 3 Ratings Summary
"Growing Pains" is the best rated episode of "The Facts of Life" season 3. It scored 7.6/10 based on 90 votes. Directed by Asaad Kelada and written by Linda Marsh, Margie Peters, it aired on 10/28/1981. This episode is rated 0.2 points higher than the second-best, "Fear Strikes Back".