Runaway

This is one of my favorite FOL episodes. Something that I wasalways curious about, though, was at the beginning Mrs. Garrett is taking Jo, Blair and Natalie to the train station because obviously it was far enough from Eastland they had to be driven there (even in the following episode 'New York, New York' Mrs. G drives Jo and Blair to the train station), but then Tootie gets to the station without a car or Mrs. Garrett taking her there. I know, it's crazy, but it's something that always bugged me. I keep thinking "How did Tootie get to the train station to make it to New York?"

This also reminds me of the Duke Ellington Broadway play 'Sophisticated Ladies' that the gang are going to see until they were unable to get tickets. Unlike 'Dreamgirls' you never here much about SL now.

Like others have mentioned I was surprised they left the teen prostitute Kristy behind knowing what her fate would likely be. I guess due to time restraints they couldn't drag the storyline out to rescue Kristy, but it was a sad ending.

Would just like to say that I agree with the reviewer who pointed out that the actress who played Kristy did wonderfully well. While watching, I recalled that I had read somewhere that an episode concerning Tootie getting involved with a seedy element caused a bit of a ruckus. Well, this is one of my favorites, made so by the absolutely perfect choice of Tammy Lauren as Kristy. A hauntingly sad portrayal in an eye-opening episode that should have been shown in schools around the world!

Startlingly well-acted and -written episode from the classic era of Very Special Episodes. Tammy Lauren is extremely good as the young prostitute who innocently befriends Tootie (run away from Eastland for the day but now on her own since her wallet's been stolen) and is then forced by her pimp to "recruit" Tootie. Her dilemma is written on her face--her genuine liking for Tootie against her fear of the consequences if she doesn't cooperate ("you have to get me off the hook with Mike...he gets so mad..."). The supporting cast is similarly excellent, including Darrell Fetty as the laconic, menacing Mike, and Linda Darlow as the waitress who witnesses what's happening and finally, almost against her will, warns Tootie just in time. The episode is nicely underwritten and, most unusually for a VSE, has no upbeat ending or PSA. Instead, as Tootie is leaving to go back to Eastland with Mrs. Garrett, she stops and the two girls regard each other silently. Tootie, and the audience, know exactly what Kristy is going back to--an atypically bleak, unsentimental episode ending for this series.

My one problem with this episode is that Mrs. Garrett and the girls failed to give us a happy ending by rescuing the teen prostitute. The abrupt ending with the series regulars walking away from a horrible situation after rescuing Tootie from a similar fate was good but it left me and possibly other viewers pondering But what about that other girl?