8.1/1078 votes#1 - Brave New World (1)
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 9/21/1983
Jo and Blair have a hard time adjusting to college.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 8.2/1073 votes
#2 - Brave New World (2)
Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 9/21/1983
Ms Garret decides to re-open an abandoned department store and turn it into her own.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 7.7/10149 votes
#3 - Gamma Gamma or Bust
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 9/28/1983
Blair is dying to join the sorority that's she pledging and she volunteers Mrs. Garrett to be the caterer for a rush party. However, when Mrs. Garrett begins making Mexican before consulting Blair, who wanted Chinese, Blair fires her without a second thought.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/1096 votes
#4 - Just My Bill
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 10/12/1983
Jo's been dating, Bill, a plain guy who attends the same college as she does, but when she learns that he's a rich kid, Jo becomes resentful and angry that he didn't tell her the whole truth about himself.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/1067 votes
#5 - What Price Glory?
Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 10/19/1983
Tootie's new boyfriend, Jeff, is the star football player on the football team at Eastland. However, she learns a startling secret that he's been keeping, he's illiterate. She now must decide whether or not to encourage his behavior of having other kids do his work for him.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Alan Spencer
- 8.2/10121 votes
#6 - The Halloween Show
Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 10/26/1983
A strange man tells the girls that years ago a murder occurred in the shop. Later, when the girls see Mrs. Garret with a knife they assume that she's possessed by the murderer's spirit and is out to get them.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
- 7.6/10126 votes
#7 - Advance Placement
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 11/2/1983
Natalie is allowed to enroll in a college course at Langley College and she quickly gets an overblown ego which quickly threatens her friendships with Blair, Jo and Tootie. Things get even worse when she learns that if she can keep her grade point average up she will be allowed to graduate early and enroll at Langley in the fall.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 8.1/1081 votes
#8 - I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 11/9/1983
For a birthday surprise, the girls take Mrs. Garrett to a club featuring male exotic dancers, but the one who's in for the real surprise is Blair.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 6.7/1087 votes
#9 - Small but Dangerous
Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 11/16/1983
Streetwise Kelly alleges that the vandalism of Edna's Edibles was the work of a local gang, but Jo decides to investigate.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Andy Borowitz
- 7.8/1085 votes
#10 - Store Games
Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 11/30/1983
Mrs. Garrett is slowly losing business to a competitor, Pete Dawson. However, Natalie, with the help of her computer, breaks into his computer and alters his recipes.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Andy Borowitz
- 7.5/1059 votes
#11 - The Second Time Around
Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 12/14/1983
Jo begins seeing sparks between her divorced parents and immediately hopes they get back together. However, her hopes quickly become dashed when she learns that her father is planning to marry another woman.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 8.3/10114 votes
#12 - The Christmas Show
Season 5 Episode 12 - Aired 12/21/1983
The holidays bring joy to the girls when they all plan on going home for Christmas but when Jo's mother temporarily moves to Miami, Jo is stuck in Peekskill.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
- 7.1/1060 votes
#13 - The Chain Letter
Season 5 Episode 13 - Aired 12/28/1983
While Mrs. Garrett frets over an inspection by the Board of Health, the girls get involved with a chain letter and ignore their responsibilities.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.3/1058 votes
#14 - Next Door
Season 5 Episode 14 - Aired 1/4/1984
A young boy enters Edna's Edibles and Tootie befriends him and learns that he lives next door. She also learns that his mother works all day and leaves him home alone and tells him never to leave their apartment and when a gas leak is detected on the block the young boy won't budge.
Director: Linda Day
Writer: N/A
- 8.3/1088 votes
#15 - Crossing the Line
Season 5 Episode 15 - Aired 1/11/1984
Natalie starts dating a black guy, and Tootie thinks that Natalie hates him because of his color.
Director: Mark W. Travis
Writer: Andy Borowitz
- 7.2/10128 votes
#16 - All or Nothing
Season 5 Episode 16 - Aired 1/18/1984
Newly elected board member Jo tackles the regents of Langley when they vote to cut academic scholarships in favor of a scoreboard nobody wants.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/1063 votes
#17 - A Death in the Family
Season 5 Episode 17 - Aired 2/1/1984
The girls are shaken by the sudden death of Natalie's father and wonder how to ease her pain.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 7.8/1081 votes
#18 - Big Fish/Little Fish
Season 5 Episode 18 - Aired 2/8/1984
Blair is distraught when she discovers that Jo has taken her place in popularity on campus. This leads to an argument between the two that ends with Jo refusing Blair's help for planning a party.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 7.8/10131 votes
#19 - Star at Langley
Season 5 Episode 19 - Aired 2/15/1984
Blair and her boyfriend, Cliff, are serious at least Cliff thinks so but Blair pushes him away. Meanwhile, a movie star, Heather Hunt, is visiting Peekskill and quickly Blair finds herself competing with her for Cliff's attentions.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Andy Borowitz
- 7.4/1055 votes
#20 - Dream Marriage
Season 5 Episode 20 - Aired 2/22/1984
A marriage proposal from Blair's boyfriend prompts her to begin dreaming about the future for herself and her friends.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
- 7.3/1076 votes
#21 - Mother and Daughter
Season 5 Episode 21 - Aired 2/29/1984
Tootie's mother comes to Eastland for a visit, and the fact that Tootie doesn't communicate with her mother becomes apparent. Her mother quickly realizes there are many things she doesn't know about her daughter and wants to have an open relationship with Tootie but will Tootie allow that?
Director: N/A
Writer: Jerry Mayer
- 7.6/1060 votes
#22 - All by Herself
Season 5 Episode 22 - Aired 3/14/1984
Geri is in charge of organizing a charity auction but makes her first mistake by making Blair her assistant. Blair quickly takes over and begins doing things without consulting Geri. Geri in turn fires her and makes her second mistake, not accepting any help from from anyone.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.8/1071 votes
#23 - Seems Like Old Times
Season 5 Episode 23 - Aired 3/21/1984
Jo is surprised when her ex-boyfriend, Eddie, who just got out of the Navy, makes a surprise visit. However, Jo isn't the only one who's in for a surprise when Tootie discovers a shocking secret that Eddie's been keeping.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Linda Marsh
- 7.4/1058 votes
#24 - Joint Custody
Season 5 Episode 24 - Aired 5/2/1984
Mrs. Garrett's son, Raymond stops by Edna's Edibles for a visit and brings along his wife, Doris, whom he has been having marital problems with. This gets Mrs. Garrett and the girls worried about the future of the shop especially since Raymond and Doris have been talking about a divorce.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: N/A
- 7.4/1043 votes
#25 - The Way We Were (1)
Season 5 Episode 25 - Aired 5/9/1984
Another school year has come to an end and all the girls are preparing or their summer vacation. They each reminisce about the last six years they have spent together (via flashbacks). However, leaving one another on good terms is something that may not happen when an accident causes yet another rift between Jo and Blair.
Director: Asaad Kelada
Writer: Jerry Mayer
The Best Episodes of The Facts of Life Season 5
Every episode of The Facts of Life Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Facts of Life Season 5!
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 5 Ratings Summary
"Brave New World (1)" is the best rated episode of "The Facts of Life" season 5. It scored 8.1/10 based on 78 votes. Directed by Asaad Kelada and written by Linda Marsh, it aired on 9/21/1983. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Brave New World (2)".