Season 8

19 EPISODES • 1985

Season 8 of Diff'rent Strokes was released on September 27 and consists of 19 episodes.

Episodes

1: Sam's Missing (1)

Sep 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.

2: Sam's Missing (2)

Sep 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.

3: Bully for Arnold

Oct 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.

4: Love on the Run

Oct 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.

5: Willis Goes to College

Oct 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.

6: Arnold's Job

Oct 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.

7: A Tale of Two Teachers

Nov 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.

8: So You Want to Be a Rock Star

Nov 15, 1985

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

9: Speak No Evil

Nov 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.

10: Arnold's Bad Rep

Dec 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.

11: It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To

Dec 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.

12: Arnold's Initiation

Jan 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.

13: Bulimia

Jan 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.

14: Sam's Big Brother

Jan 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.

15: Arnold's Tangled Web

Jan 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.

16: Lifestyles of the Poor and Unknown

Feb 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.

17: The Big Bribe

Feb 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.

18: The Photo Club

Feb 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.

19: The Front Page

Mar 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.

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