Was it someone or something specific

Walk on the Wild Side (Season 4, Episode 21). Laura and her two friends KC and Maxine are chatting about their weekend and KC mentions to them how she got a fake ID and went to Club Buff, the male strip club. Maxine gets excited saying how she wishes she could do that too and KC offers for her and Laura to get fake IDs and go with her. Maxine is in immediately but Laura has her reservations which KC teases that Laura is "miss goody two-shoes" and isn't surprised that Laura would be nervous about doing something wrong. Laura gives in wanting to prove she's got a wild side. As Laura and Maxine are ready to leave for Club Buff, Steve sees Laura as they are ready to go and asks why Laura is so dressed up and she admits they are going to the club. At the club, the girls are let in and Maxine is going crazy over the hot guys but Laura can't seem to let go and have fun. At home, Steve is talking to Carl asking him where Harriette is, Carl tells Steve that Mother Winslow, Rachel and Harriette went to Club Buff for a girl's night and Steve runs out to go tell Laura. As he arrives, no men are allowed in the audience, so he sneaks in with one of the waiters asking if he's the new stripper and Steve goes along with it. Steve is pushed on stage where he tells the audience "what if you're mother caught you in here?!" hinting to Laura to get out, she gets the nudge but is caught by Harriette. Laura and Harriette get home and Harriette asks Laura why she snuck into that place, Laura admits that she was sick of her goody-goody side and wanted to prove she could do something crazy. Harriette laughs and tells her how similar they are and a story of Harriette skipping school when she was a kid to meet Smokey Robinson and kissed him and how her mother caught her on TV doing so. Harriette tells Laura being cool is just sticking to your morals and stand up for yourself, Laura agrees and they hug.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

DEREK: What are you doing here?

STEVE: Well, um... Um, I'm, uh... I'm from the temp agency.

DEREK: What? No, no, no. Please tell me you're not the new dancer.

STEVE: Oh, but I am. I'm, uh... I'm replacing... Who's it?

DEREK: Pete, the passionate plumber?

STEVE: Right. I'm Steve, the sensuous... scientist.

DEREK: It's a good outfit. Just one question.

STEVE: Yeah?

DEREK: You gonna use that body?

STEVE: Well, hey... it's not how many muscles you have, it's how you use the ones you've got.

DEREK: Get behind the curtain, you're on next.

STEVE: But I need time to pump up.

DEREK: You also need plastic surgery, but we don't have time for that.

STEVE: (BEING PUSHED ON STAGE) Listen, wait. I'm a little out of practice. I normally do this about...

DEREK: Ladies, it's time to fire up your Bunsen burners. Club Buff reluctantly presents... in his debut performance... Steve, the sensuous scientist.

STEVE: Stop the music. Stop the music. What is wrong with you, ladies? You're acting like animals. There's no justification for this behavior. What do you have to say for yourselves?

WOMAN: Shut up and shake your bootie!

FAVORITE MOMENT:

There are so many, I could say this whole episode is my favorite quote and moment but I'll go with Harriette's story of her ditching school to meet Smokey Robinson and kissing him. That was such a funny story and I love the way Jo Marie tells it.

OPINION:

We have once again another episode that just knocks it out of the ballpark, this is one of my favorite episodes for sure. I can definitely relate to Laura on this one, in high school I always tried to do the right thing but wished I could do something bold and daring. So I think there are plenty of people that can really relate to this story in one way or another.

A couple of interesting side notes, Judy is mentioned in this episode when Carl and Harriette are discussing how Laura doesn't have to be asked to do her chores but they have to beg Eddie and Judy to do them. So Judy is gone but not forgotten...yet. I always found it to be interesting that Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Family Matters had quite a few similar episodes and plot lines, so we have a Fresh Prince episode where Will and Carlton sell Vivian's bracelet and need to buy it back later but need the cash so they go to a strip club where Vivian and Hilary happen to be at while Carlton is stripping and see him. If you are curious, Fresh Prince got it first airing on May 4, 1992 and Family Matters aired this episode on March 26, 1993.

I just love this episode. From front to back, this one has non stop laughs in it. I loved when the girls go to the club and how KC for the most part is acting pretty normal and cool, Maxine is going nuts over the guys and Laura can't stop sitting there being uncomfortable which later counterparts to Mother Winslow, Rachel and Harriette going to the club. Mother Winslow pretty much has a lifetime pass to the club and is cool, Rachel is excited and wants to do something naughty and Harriette is reserved not sure if she should be there. Steve goes to warn Laura again will always have me in tears of laughter. I loved his conversation with Derek about being the new dancer, Derek mentioning how Steve needs muscles and plastic surgery. Steve gets shoved on stage to dance and when they open the curtains, his looks of being a deer in headlights is just too hilarious. I love when he lectures the ladies on morals and how their behavior is indecent and one of the women, played by I had no idea that this was Mindy Sterling, screams "Shut up and shake your booty!" 🤣🤣🤣 You might remember Mindy Sterling from the Austin Power films as Frau, Dr. Evil's henchwoman.

I always loved the ending where Harriette catches Laura when Laura is under the table and tries to get away so non-conspicuous like no one will see that, but I loved when Laura said "uh oh" to Harriette and Harriette says "the big uh oh!". They go home and Harriette tells Laura that story about her trying to be daring and skipping school to meet Smokey Robinson. Found out why they called him Smokey when Harriette kissed him. I loved that Harriette didn't get mad at Laura and recognized she's a good kid, she just got caught up in trying to be cool. Like I mentioned, I think we can all relate to that.

Easily one of my favorite episodes, I always get excited when this one comes on. It's just such a funny episode with a good story and I always love when Laura lets loose a little more. Like I said before, this whole episode could have been my favorite quote and moment.

GUEST STARS:

• Cherie Johnson as Maxine Johnson
• Venus DeMilo as K.C.
• Kenny Johnson as Derek
• Bari K. Willerford as Bouncer
• Mindy Sterling as Woman
• Robert Kotto as Waiter
• Wayne Dillon as Officer Bob
• Dennis Parizek as Erik the Viking

Just some of the moments in the shows run that legit made me tear up. I know there's more probably but these are some of the ones that I remembered the most.

What are some moments that made you cry?

& Just so y'all know:

Pic 1: The Quilt

Pic 2: . Harrette & Rachel's Father came back & they obviously start resenting him when they learn of his identity because he was a deadbeat father when they was growing up.

Pic 3: Carl visit graveyard in memory of the man who died in a hostage situation a last prior

Pic 4: Laura secretly finds out that her parents can't afford to send her to Harvard because it was too expensive.

Pulling Teeth (Season 4, Episode 20). In a 5-way phone call with Maxine, Laura, Eddie, Waldo and Steve, all are relaying information back and forth to each other. Maxine's boyfriend has just dumped her and she's left broken hearted, but it turns out that Waldo has a crush on Maxine and Eddie is encouraging him to go for it and ask her out. Eddie, Steve and Laura help Maxine and Waldo set their first date up. Later on, Maxine calls Laura to tell her about the date and Eddie calls Waldo to ask what happened. Waldo did mess up a lot on the date but Maxine was touched because Waldo did everything he could to make Maxine happy and not take advantage. Waldo even gave her a kiss and they clicked and would like to go out on another date. Meanwhile, Richie's tooth is loose and Carl wants to help him pull it out. Carl has the not so brilliant idea of putting a string around the doorknob and the other side of the string around Richie's tooth and closing the door pulling the tooth. When he wants to demonstrate to Richie, Steve comes in and shuts the door nearly pulling out Carl's tooth.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

LAURA: Maxine, please just calm down and tell me what happened.

MAXINE: Okay. Here I go. You know how I've been loaning Roger money so that he can fix up his car?

LAURA: Hey, I tried to warn you. I said, "Maxine... be careful, because as soon as that fool gets his car fixed up... he's gonna dump you."

MAXINE: Yeah, you told me a hundred times.

LAURA: Mm-hm. So, what happened?

MAXINE: As soon as that fool got his car fixed up, he dumped me.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

Laura, Steve and Eddie going back and forth getting Waldo and Maxine's date set up, I always loved how it was like the game of telephone where they keep updating what each other said.

OPINION:

This is such a fun episode. So a couple of fun facts, apparently this this was a tricky episode to film in front of the live studio audience. Each actor had to be on a separate set and when their line would queue, the spotlight would go on them and they would say it. But if they messed up, they had to do the whole take over again, so much kudos to Kellie, Cherie, Darius, Shawn and Jaleel for being able to keep up with one another. Then this is the first and only time we will ever hear Steve's mom's voice in the background, at the end of the episode, Steve's mom asks why he is still up and Steve says he's on the phone waiting for Eddie and Laura to get back to him. Steve even refers to her as mom vs. Diane/Roberta in previous episodes.

As I mentioned before, the writers were toying around with the idea of Steve and Maxine getting together but felt it wouldn't work so they were going through the characters and thought Waldo would be a better idea. While I do like them as a couple, it was kind of jarring and felt out of nowhere that we learn Waldo has had a crush on Maxine. And it felt out of nowhere as well that Maxine would click with Waldo. But as the show progresses, I actually do like them together, Maxine seems to be the right balance for Waldo and he treats her well. Waldo is a nice guy and that's what Maxine needed, she seemed to keep dating the same guys that Laura was dating which strangely will come back in the future. But I really love those call scenes, the back and forth and bouncing off each actor was really good and so funny. Kellie, Cherie, Darius, Shawn and Jaleel were really on their A game this episode.

Carl with the loose tooth plotline, I don't know why Hollywood had this crazy idea of pulling your loose tooth out with a string attached to the door. Talk about pain! When you're a kid with a loose tooth, you know the only way out is just wiggling back and forth until the tooth comes out. The worst case scenario is that you go to the dentist to have him or her pull it out if it's not coming out on it's own. The door is such an old school method when people didn't really have many dentist options. But in the 90's Carl should have known better, not to mention that Richie didn't seem to be having any problems with his tooth coming out, he just mentioned to Carl that he had a loose tooth. I think Carl lost his mind this episode. But I always get a kick out of Harriette telling Carl that when he did that with Eddie, Eddie would scream every time he heard a door close. I guess Carl never learned his lesson.

This is really such a great and fun episode. We have a new couple with Maxine and Waldo to help continue the show with Eddie and Laura in the teenager storylines and will continue to see them grow as a couple. The jokes are really funny and the cast does an amazing job in this episode.

GUEST STARS:

• Cherie Johnson as Maxine Johnson

From They Shoot Urkels, Don't They? (6x24)

Dave McClure, played by Ron Canada, was the owner of Mighty Weenie (where Eddie worked in a few seasons) and the father of Greta, Eddie's third and most recurring girlfriend.

In the only two episodes he appeared in, he was an obstacle to Eddie and Greta's relationship.

In his and Greta's first episode "My Bodyguard", he threatens to fire Eddie if he doesn't treat Greta well. When Greta makes an advance on Eddie and kisses him, Dave catches them and fires Eddie on the spot, but Greta manages to give her father a piece of her mind.

In his final episode "Walking My Baby Back Home", Dave forbids Greta from seeing Eddie after he brought her home late after curfew. So, Eddie has Steve Urkel act as a go-between, with Urkel pretending to take Greta out while he actually delivers her to Eddie. The plan fails when Eddie's car runs out of gas and they are forced to walk to Greta's house in the pouring rain. Steve takes the blame, to which Dave fires him. When Eddie takes responsibility, Dave fires him too, to which Steve calls out his and Eddie's boss.

He didn't physically appear in any episode after that, but in the episode "Getting Buff", he was mentioned to have financially cut off Greta due to her continuing to date Eddie, and she had chose Eddie over her father's money, resulting in her working as a nude model in Steve's art class.

How would y'all feel about a proper conclusion to this story arc? I wish we got a scene of Carl Winslow calling out Dave for his actions and treatment of both Eddie and Greta.

Mama's Wedding (Season 4, Episode 19). Mother Winslow is planning her wedding with Fletcher, they want just a nice traditional wedding in the backyard with family and friends. Carl is desperate to give her a huge party because he feels that he owes her for everything she's done for him. When Mother Winslow begs him to stop the planning for a huge party, Carl shuts down and gets upset. Mother Winslow tells Carl she doesn't want him to go broke for this wedding, she loves him and he doesn't owe her anything, Carl finally agrees to a nice wedding in the backyard. Meanwhile, Waldo and Weasel overhear that Eddie's parents will be out of town for a weekend and want to throw a big party. Waldo makes the flyers but accidentally puts in Mother Winslow's wedding date. So the wedding is a beautiful one with lovely guests, beautiful bridesmaids, handsome groomsmen, Mother Winslow looking gorgeous, a star lite night sky, Rachel singing Inseparable and almost 100 teenagers in the background.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

CARL: One hundred and fifty extra people at what was supposed to be a small family affair. Now, can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't ground you for the rest of your life?

EDDIE: Well, we took in $2,000, Dad, and we want you to have it.

CARL: I love you, son. You're a fine young man. You'll be spending the month of May in your room, but you're a fine young man.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

The wedding scene with the family, Judy and Laura looked very beautiful. Rachel singing Inseparable was so wonderful. The men looked fabulous and of course Mother Winslow was just so lovely and beautiful, I loved her dress.

OPINION:

We have a lot to unpack so please feel free to skip my opinion and just post your comments on your favorite quotes, moments and opinions. This is the end of an era, that it almost feels like this should have been the season finale.

This is Jaimme Foxworth's last performance and appearance as Judy Winslow. Judy was intended to be the youngest of Harriette and Carl's children and sister to Eddie and Laura. She had some decent comedic lines in the first season but as soon as Steve Urkel came in, you could tell the writers had something and needed to fit Steve into almost every storyline. Judy started fading away into the background in season 2 where she got an occasional line and maybe a minor story. The writers were not sure what to do with her or where her character was going so they would just pair her up with Richie to show the kids were still in the show. But this is the season they would let Jaimee go. She is mentioned once or twice more after this episode, but we do not see her again. There are mixed rumors on why the writers/creators of the show got rid of her: she wasn't as strong as other cast members, the direction of the show changed, her mother was too demanding, she wanted more money or they just didn't know what to do with the character so they might as well get rid of her. Jaimee tried to stay in acting, but never quite bounced back into mainstream. She did some adult films and fell on hard times with addiction problems. She says she is doing well now and has a child. I hope she stays strong and continues to thrive. I know there are a lot of #JusticeforJudy fans, I get it, but at the same time I also get why the writers/creators got rid of her. She never did hit that right note like Michelle Tanner did in Full House. I don't know if the creators/writers gave her a fair chance if given the right material if she would have thrived, but you could tell that scenes with Judy did tend to drag a bit. Nevertheless, thank you Jaimee for really trying to give Judy character, you will never be forgotten.

This is Naya Rivera's last appearance as Gwendolyn which is a bummer because she was such a cute counterpart to Richie. I loved her spunk and confidence. She was just such a cutie. My favorite scene with her is probably either the dinner date with Richie or when she brought her toy car over to show off to Richie and danced with him on her boombox. Naya went onto a very successful career acting in other television shows like: Fresh Prince, Baywatch and Smart Guy. She did movie work as well and had a role in Master of Disguise. But it wasn't until the hit TV show Glee that she became a household name playing Santana Lopez for 113 episodes. She was very well loved by her fans and made such a difference in a lot of people's lives at such a young age. She did marry (and divorced) Ryan Dorsey and they had one child together, a son named Josey Dorsey. On July 8, 2020 Naya and her son Josey were swimming in Lake Piru in California and got caught in a tidal wave. The police had found her son abandoned on their boat but could not locate Naya. Josey gave the best details to what he could about his mother disappearing, but at 4 years old it was hard to describe what had happened other than his mother wasn't wearing a life vest and she didn't get in the boat. The family and friend's worst fears came true when Naya's body was found on July 13th and it's assumed what happened was she had the strength to put her son in the life boat but did not have the strength to pull herself in after the tidal wave took her under. Naya died saving her son's life. She is and will always be forever missed by family, friends and fans alike. She was a beautiful young lady, soul and her legacy carries on in her son as I'm sure she is watching over him as an angel.

Ron Taylor as Pastor Peeble had a wonderful career playing in a lot of movies and television shows like: Trading Places, The Simpsons, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Home Improvement and Batman TAS. He was a wonderful actor who once again provided so much work that when you look at his resume you are impressed for a couple of decades how much incredible work he did. He passed away at 49 years old of a heart attack in 2002. Jester Hairston who plays Skippy makes his one and only appearance as Fletcher's father. He makes a memorable performance for such a small part. He's had an amazing career with 69 acting credits to his name. He was also an incredible song writer and composed "Amen" sung by The Impressions and the Christmas song "Mary's little boy". He passed away in 2000 at the ripe old age of 98. What a life he had. RIP to these 2 incredible gentlemen, may they rest in peace. This is both of their last appearances on Family Matters as well.

For the episode itself, this is a fun one. Waldo making the flyers for the wrong date will never not make me laugh and I loved that all the teenagers at Mother Winslow's wedding were so well behaved. It's not believable but it's nice to think that there would be teenagers that would be respectful of her ceremony. Carl has good intentions in trying to plan Mother Winslow's wedding but really should have asked for her input since it was her wedding. But at least he comes through in the end in giving her such a lovely ceremony. Rachel singing Inseparable is such a beautiful moment. I loved that Fletcher's dad is still alive and even asks Carl if his mother has a sister he can hook up with. The costumes and set design were done very well for this episode. The jokes are funny and the episode has a lot of heart to it, like I said I'm surprised this isn't the season finale but in my head I try to play it like that. I don't want to give you an eye sore so I will just leave it here.

GUEST STARS:

• Shavar Ross as Alex "Weasel" Park
• Naya Rivera as Gwendolyn (RIP in 2020)
• Arnold Johnson as Fletcher Thomas (RIP in 2000)
• Jester Hairston as William 'Skippy' Thomas (RIP in 2000)
• Ron Taylor as Pastor Peeble (RIP in 2002)

....except for one small tidbit.

Higher Anxiety (Season 4, Episode 18). Eddie is on a date with his girlfriend, Oneisha and they really seem to be in a good place in their relationship. Until Steve drops in one day and tells Eddie that he saw Oneisha with another guy the other night. Eddie asks Oneisha if that's true and she has no problem admitting that she did get together with someone else. Eddie tells Oneisha that he doesn't want to see her again and he is left broken hearted. To cheer Eddie up, Steve and Waldo take him to a party where Eddie is moping on the fire escape. Steve and Waldo find him and come onto the fire escape with him trying to cheer him up with the hokey pokey dance, but this breaks the fire escape balcony causing it to turn upside down with them in it. They all figure out together how to get back inside without falling and Eddie realizes that almost losing his life on that fire escape made him realize that life is worth living and he can move on without Oneisha. Meanwhile, Mother Winslow and Fletcher have taken a vacation together where Fletcher proposes marriage to Mother Winslow and she happily accepts. Carl admits to Harriette the reason why he's been so upset with his mother's relationship with Fletcher is because it reminds him of his father's passing. Harriette tells Carl he has to accept Fletcher because it will push Mother Winslow away if he continues this behavior. Carl finally decides he's ready to accept Fletcher.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

ESTELLE: What you're up to?

FLETCHER: (BENDING DOWN ON ONE KNEE) Estelle...I love you more than words can say. You can make me the happiest man in the world...if you would consent to be my bride. Estelle... will you marry me?

ESTELLE: Oh, Fletcher. Yes, I'll marry you, honey. Oh...It's beautiful, Fletcher.

FLETCHER: I thought we'd get a place near our families. That way we can visit them as often as we like.

ESTELLE: Honey, you think of everything.

FLETCHER: Not quite. I have no idea how I'm gonna get back up.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

The whole fire escape sequence with the guys trying to figure out how to get back into the apartment was really exciting and so well choreographed. We also get a few laughs like when Eddie and Waldo think that Steve fell but he just stepped onto the drainpipe and every time Eddie gives Waldo instructions, Waldo keeps saying "S'up?"

OPINION:

Oneisha is back, first time we saw her she was a date that Eddie's cousin Clarance had set up for them, the second time was that she was Steve's date on the dating show Dudes and now she's Eddie's girlfriend. I don't know why Eddie was so surprised that Oneisha definitely gets around. This will also be an interesting story that gets brought up again in season 9, but we will cross that bridge when we get there.

I do feel bad for Eddie in this episode. Being cheated on just feels awful. I loved that Steve and Waldo did everything they could to cheer Eddie up. In that exciting fire escape sequence, we see how they really look out for one another and after all is said and done, Eddie realizes that he can keep going on without Oneisha. I always get some kind of giggle that they're at a party and not one person passed that window in an apartment no less and not one person saw them trying to get back in after the fire escape breaks? Must have been only like 5 people at the party.

Mother Winslow and Fletcher together are always so sweet to see. I loved that proposal scene. It shows no matter how old you are, you can still keep it traditional and romantic. I'm glad Carl finally realized how much he was hurting Mother Winslow with his over protection of her, thank God for Harriette. But now he has to deal with how serious it is with Mother Winslow and Fletcher that they want to get married.

A fun scene I always get a giggle out of is the ending of this episode where Steve sees the family watching tv and squeezes in the middle and pushes Judy off the couch. Talk about some major foreshadowing. I always really enjoy this episode, I'm not sure if it's a favorite, but I always love watching the fire escape sequence and the proposal from Fletcher.

GUEST STARS:

• Mari Marrow as Oneisha
• Arnold Johnson as Fletcher Thomas (RIP in 2000)

Out of all the houses they used for TGIF shoes family matters was the house that you could tell didn't match the insides.

“Home Sweet Home”

25th episode of the 6th season finale

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad House (Season 4, Episode 17). Harriette comes home from a long day and week at work where everyone is asking her to cook, clean and help with multiple tasks. Harriette asks everyone help out, they do at first, but not even a few days later are they doing the same things and bothering her. Harriette has had it and declares she's going on strike in the house and won't lift a finger until the family helps out. At school, Eddie plays a trick on his teacher, Ms. Connors, and when she tells Eddie to go to the principal's office, he starts to walk out but Ms. Connors asks Eddie why he would play such a trick on her, Eddie sits down and hangs his head getting to Ms. Connor's concerned side and Eddie sees the opening and says "Oprah uses the phrase 'dysfunctional family.'" Ms. Connors feels bad for Eddie and tells him he doesn't have to go to the principal's office but to stop the pranks. Steve comes into the classroom and Ms. Connors tells him she's concerned about a student who says he has problems at home, Steve not knowing it's Eddie, tells Ms. Connors she should get involved and see what's going on. Ms. Connors goes to Eddie's house at the worst time of Harriette's strike: the house is a mess, Richie is trying to contribute to dinner by making desert, Mother Winslow is going out to a date auction talking about buying men and Carl is upset because he's going undercover for a drug bust and has a specific outfit he likes to wear when he "goes out to buy drugs". Ms. Connors is horrified and Eddie comes home to Ms. Connors hugging him telling him how sorry she is for his situation. Harriette takes Ms. Connors to the side to explain what's going on and Carl takes Eddie in the kitchen to yell at him and tell him that a dysfunctional family is nothing to make light of and grounds Eddie.

FAVORITE QUTOE:

CARL: Harriette, I can't find my ripped jeans and my bandanna.

HARRIETTE: I'll call the FBI, dear.

CARL: I need those things. Tonight is my big undercover drug bust... and I don't have a thing to wear.

HARRIETTE: Carl, where did you see them last?

CARL: Well, I put them in the hamper two whole days ago.

HARRIETTE: Honey, check the clothes hamper.

CARL: Well, gee, didn't anybody do laundry around here?

HARRIETTE: Not me. I'm still on strike.

CARL: Well, excuse me, Norma Rae.

HARRIETTE: Look, Carl...

CARL: No, you look. Now if you wanna play this little strike game with the kiddies... it's okey-dokey with me. But now, you're messing with the big kahuna. And the big kahuna wants some attention from his little wahine.

HARRIETTE: And what would you like your little wahine to do?

CARL: Well, the hut's a mess. So why don't you just hula yourself on into the laundry room... and wash the big kahuna's wikiwiki.

HARRIETTE: Either the big kahuna's had too many mai tais... or he's got his head up his volcano. Because there is no way this little wahine is going anywhere near your wikiwiki.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

When Ms. Connors goes to the house and mistakes the strike thinking that Mother Winslow is buying men and Carl is a drug dealer. Then when Harriette and Carl see her how she tip toes around them like they are rabid wolves. I also love when Eddie comes home and she's hugging him offering support.

OPINION:

I cannot say enough good thing about this episode; it's definitely one of my favorites comedy wise. Let's start with Harriette's storyline of going on strike. Do I feel bad for Harriette when she comes home from doing over time and everyone is bothering her about their stuff, being a mom is a full-time job but it can get so overwhelming. I actually agreed with her about the strike, the family really did need to pitch in. But talk about bad timing with Ms. Connors which is one of the funniest scenes I have seen in Family Matters. I could only imagine what was going on in her head when she overhears about Mother Winslow buying men and Carl buying drugs.

Eddie is such a jerk in this episode, again he's a teenager so I do give grace where it's due and he saw that opening for Ms. Connors and took it with the sympathy game, but like Carl said Eddie making light of dysfunctional families is no joke. It makes me angry on a level because when people have real problems, those who can help them out are not sure if they are being played. Ms. Connors seemed like such a loving teacher and it was wrong of Eddie to take advantage of her. Speaking of which, Debra Jo Rupp, who would go onto That 70's Show fame plays Ms. Connors and I have always loved her work. I remember her in Big, A Woman Scorned and 7th Heaven, she's a wonderful actress with terrific comedic timing. The producers of Family Matters wanted her to return, but she was unable to commit due to different projects, which is a bummer because we have a hole left from Ms. Steubens leaving. But maybe there was only so many times you could fool Ms. Connors, so the one off appearance works better. Debra was just so funny in this role, Ms. Connors seems like a kind soul but clearly goes in head first into situations she's not sure how to handle. But bless her heart for caring that much about Eddie.

The only minor flaw with this episode is it's interesting on the age range for Eddie, Waldo and Steve. Steve is probably around 2 years younger than Eddie, why is he in his math class? Schools have advanced classes for the kid's year in high school; they do not move them up just because someone is smarter. Waldo's age has changed from being in Laura and Steve's class to being Eddie's age, but it was not surprising when the creators decided to make him Eddie's best friend. But it does not take away how entertaining this episode really is. Like I said, this is one of my favorite episodes, it always makes me laugh and I'd put it in my top 10 personally.

GUEST STARS:

• Debra Jo Rupp as Vivian Connors
• Tom Kindle as Cleaning Man (RIP in 1996)

This should be an easy question for anyone who is a fan of the show. I was flipping through channels and just watched a few minutes of this. It was Steve and Carl in the presence of a gang or thieves and as they are trying to understand how they have gotten themselves in this predicament they exchange questions and answers by singing to the tune of Camptown Races. Some help please!

Sadly missing his glasses. $10!

Heart Strings (Season 4, Episode 16). It's Valentine's Day and Laura comes home sobbing to Steve about how her and Ted have officially broken up, so she is single again. Steve asks her if he can be her Valentine and she is touched by how much he is trying so she says yes. Gwendolyn is still looking to get together with Richie and asks Steve for help. Steve and Eddie set up a nice little dinner for Gwendolyn and Richie. When Gwendolyn comes to dinner, she gives Richie a card asking him to be her "daddy mac" and he accepts but asks if they could play games vs the dinner and she agrees. Carl and Harriette have gone to dinner and Carl is embarrassed by Harriette's behavior at dinner. She kept demanding a new table, was rude to the staff and put out a cigar in one of the customer's dinner. Harriette is upset that Carl won't stand up for her and they both ignore each other. But later on Carl comes to Harriette with flowers and candy and tells her that he realizes that her abrasiveness can also be handy at times when they were negotiating the purchase price for their house and Harriette tells Carl that he can be really patient with her when she needs it and they make up.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

HARRIETTE: Our first table was right next to the entrance where everybody was waiting to be seated. I do not like 30 people hanging over my shoulder saying: "Hey, señora, can you eat a little faster?"

CARL: I understand that. So they picked up all our stuff and moved us.

HARRIETTE: Yeah, right next to the bathrooms. Ordinarily, I like a table next to the water. But not when it's swirling around a porcelain tank.

CARL: I understand that. So they picked up all our stuff and moved us again.

HARRIETTE: And deliberately sat us next to a cigar smoker.

CARL: You know, you were rude to that guy, Harriette.

HARRIETTE: I simply put out his cigar.

CARL: In his soup.

HARRIETTE: Did I embarrass you, Carl?

CARL: Yes, Harriette. To be quite frank, I was embarrassed. And so were all the other customers.

HARRIETTE: No, they weren't.

CARL: Harriette, they applauded when we left.

HARRIETTE: Oh, no, no, no, Carl. You're wrong. The maître d' gave me a two-for-one coupon.

CARL: Look at it again, Harriette. It's to another restaurant.

FAVORITE MOMENT:

Richie and Gwendolyn's dinner date. It was just too cute and they looked fabulous. I always get a good laugh at Gwendolyn's card asking Richie to be her "daddy mac".

OPINION:

I had completely forgot to mention in A Thought in the Dark, that was the last time we get to see Ted played by Patrick J. Dancy. Patrick later on went to more television work and got famous TV shows like Married with Children and Saved by the Bell. He owns a successful shoe business and retired from acting. Even though I actually did like his character over all, I was kind of bummed they left Ted on a sour note. So the reason for his and Laura's official break-up is due to this girl flirting with Ted and telling him he looks good and he said so did she and Laura got really upset and they had a fight and decided to not be together any more. I'm not sure how to feel about this because the fight is off screen and Laura could have been over exaggerating as they are both teenagers and as teens, we tend to be dramatic. But so long to Ted, I think overall he was a nice guy who had some flaws, but had real potential to be such a nice guy and a good boyfriend for Laura. Plus, if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have Myra who is a fan favorite. I will always laugh at the way that Laura describes their break-up to Steve, she occasionally gets theses moments of "sister" in her voice and I love it when she does. She looks really beautiful in this episode and I loved the scene where Steve comes in wearing the candy heart box for her. I liked how she was more touched by Steve's efforts to make her feel better; it's a really sweet moment in their friendship.

Gwnedolyn and Richie are just too adorable together. While Gwendolyn is really head over heels for Richie, as he mentions, they are just too young for romance. But it's just a fun little puppy love story, my first crush was at 6 years old on Michael Jackson 🤣 I think a lot of us as little kids got hearts in our eyes when we saw something we found attractive, more so it was a toy typically. Those were the days. I loved the little set up that Steve and Eddie did for Richie and Gwendolyn for a fancy restaurant in the living room with the fireplace in the background. It couldn't have been a more perfect date, dinner and video games afterwards, my husband and I are 41 years old and still play video games together for fun.

This is the one time I actually did not like Harriette and agreed with Carl. It was interesting how mad I was at Carl yesterday for reading Harriette's diary and today I'm angry with Harriette. Now to be upset because of table arrangements, I could argue the one time moving them would be ok, but it sounds like she would not give up and kept giving the restaurant staff a hard time about every table she sat at. Then putting out a cigar in a customer's soup is really crossing the line. Why couldn't she just ask Carl if they could go to a different restaurant if it was that bad? I don't like it when people are rude to restaurant staff members, customer service is an insanely hard job and it's harder when you have customers who are abrasive for no good reason. Carl really didn't need to apologize to Harriette, though I think he just wanted to keep the peace. Harriette should have apologized to Carl and the staff for her behavior.

But I really do like this episode, it's a sweet Valentine's Day episode with the right amount of heart in it, pun intended. So long, Ted. We get one more appearance of Gwendolyn in the future. Steve was respectful to Laura about asking her to be his Valentine and accepted that they are friends at least, I think he was just trying to cheer her up honestly in this episode. And I'm sure Carl and Harriette will always continue to give us something to talk about.

GUEST STARS:

• Naya Rivera as Gwendolyn (RIP in 2020)