Tread Perilously

Tread Perilously's month of backdoor pilots turns the spotlight on, arguably, the most successful backdoor pilot ever made: an episode of Diff'rent Strokes called "The Girls School." When the dorm mother at Eastlake quits over an argument with the headmaster, Mrs. Garrett volunteers to help Kimberly make costumes for the upcoming play. Once at the school, Mrs. Garrett meets some of Kimberly's classmates who live at the dorm, including Blair Warner, Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey, Nancy Olson, and Molly Parker. If this sounds like an episode of The Facts of Life, that's because it is. The first episode, to be precise, even if it's not quite right. Paul Pakler joins Erik and Justin for another Facts of Life discussion. The trio marvel at the choice to spin Mrs. Garrett off after just 20 episodes of Diff'rent Strokes. Justin and Paul also break down just how uncomfortable the premise of Diff'rent Strokes really is ... and that's before Erik reiterates that they will never talk about that one two-parter. The off-screen