I've not done a "Those PSA episodes" segment in some time, wow. I guess this is time to do one and so we head to the 1980's NBC sitcom "Punky Brewster". For the new, "Those PSA Episodes" is a segment where I talk about episodes of shows that are trying to be like public service announcements or are trying to get a message across.
Our Show: Punky Brewster
What is it trying to tell the audience? : Don't do Drugs/ Don't fall into peer pressure with drugs
This episode comes from season 2 it's called Just Say No from the year 1985. The title is going off the famous 1980's to 1990's campaign of the same name. This was from the War on Drugs years that was taking an approach from Nancy Reagan to tell kids "Hey kids, just say no to drugs" It spawned something like Just Say No clubs where kids would be making pacts not to do drugs and say no when someone offered them drugs.
This, of course, being the 1980's meant that they also would go to television for their message. (read: this post isn't going to be about the politics of drugs or if policies worked or not or anything, because no, we are just here to look at media and that's what we'll do.) NBC (see National Broadcasting) series "Diff'rent Strokes" had Nancy Reagan appear to spread her "Just Say No Message".
Now our episode directly. The first half the episode is Punky and her friend Cherie faffing around and meeting these girls who call themselves "The Chicklets". They are dressed like how the 2010's thinks the 80's looks. The girls like that Punky and Cherie have a nice tree house (it is nice) and think to invite them to join the club...and also use the tree house. These being older girls impresses Punky and Cherie and they want to join. There's even a moment where the younger girls dress like the older ones and make their parental figures freak out. Maybe setting up these two won't be of help for the rest of the episode, but thankfully the plot says they have to let the younger girls hang out with the older ones. 
They are a gang , it's a gang episode / Copyright NBC
We don't to get to anything major yet, for entire first half until the last minute. It's kind of easing you into the rest of the episode by making you think this is going to be some silly fun about joining a club with older girls and maybe wearing funny outfits and stuff. Well it's NOT!
Also there's a weird Michael J Fox joke, were young girls concerned about him not being short in the 80's? (80's people send me your answers!) Anyway, uh oh commercial break is coming up what are we going to do to make sure you are staying on and not flipping to ABC to watch whatever the heck ABC was airing? The one girl, Emily, pours open a container of drugs! What drugs? All the drugs!
Eww, I'm not touching that... those are on the ground copyright NBC
More after the jump
Oh, welcome back, uh anyway drugs! I'm not really joking the girl poured out drugs like all of the kinds. Some grass (I hope that's marijuana and not my lawn), uppers, and nose candy, which is cocaine. (Hey 80's people did you call your cocaine, nose candy?) Some writer decided that some 6th grade was just getting cocaine out there, I mean maybe but wow, they went for the hard stuff here. Emily says she gets it from her big brother, which makes more sense but still less.
Punky is like woah, I didn't sign up for this. Cherie stood there like a slug. (I'm making Christmas story references) Punky and Cherie don't want to do drugs. (Drugs, yuuck, points for the reference) There is one girl named Kate who will come into this later too who is like you don't have to make them take the drugs. (More drugs for the rest of us?) I do wonder why Emily is so annoyed they don't want to take the drugs, they weren't stopping them from doing it , they just didn't want to do it.
Emily backs off and decides alright fine, but next time is drugs time! Punky decides to talk to an adult, her teacher named Mike. She wanted an adult who she thought wouldn't be mad at her or yell at her and decided to not ask Henry who did yell at her earlier over clothes so ... good call.
The exchange between Mike and Punky is pretty nice and well done. The episode then turns into a long PSA ad, which I mean oh. So Mike gives Punky a booklet about something called "Just Say No", and the next day, I guess, Punky and Cherie tell Emily No! I'm taking your drugs! (Begone!) It's weird how the episode shows Emily trying to give them drugs compared the first time. First time, dumps those suckers on the floor and says let's have at it, now she's wearing a glove and presenting the marijuana, I think, like it's a un wanted child. Punky pushes her hand aside and says no. It's kind of silly. (This episode was on drugs)
Begone Drug Lord! / Copyright NBC
The chicklets kick Punky and Cherie out of the club, and the girls in turn, kick them out of the tree house. Kate decides that would join the Don't say No club, and the other two chicklets leave. The rest of the episode turns into a montage of Punky and others going around about just say no.
Then it cuts to Cherie and Soleil (the actress that plays Punky) at actual Just say No rallies to fill the end of the episode.
The whole second half of the second half is essentially the plot being put aside for the "Just Say No" campaign. Which is a decision.
Does this episode work as a PSA? Yes. But that's because it is one. The one thing segment is to do is to feature the idea of a television program, episode, or special trying to do a message that was deemed important enough to do a social topic on and make it the plot. This one does two things: it doesn't get into it's point until half way in. That's fine, it can set up stuff, then it uses the 2nd half to do it's wham , but it then just goes with it's upfront message of telling kids that they should just say no to drugs and make sure you get your friends to do so, which is like the idea of positive peer pressure versus the negative one portrayed.
The episode is kind of weak because this is never going to be a good thing for television to show, something in such a simplified way. The peer pressure is kind of weak because it doesn't really seem that Punky cares that much about being part of this group anyway, and the main girl doesn't really seem to do anything but be annoyed and then walk way. It's fine for that, but it does feel like it's under estimating how bad someone might go to get someone else on drugs. The large chunk of the episode turns into some "join us" in Just say No is kind of on the nose and over the top and feels more like a boring ad than doing anything to engage their audience with an interesting story that they might remember better.
I have to bring up the Small Wonder Tabaco episode as a better example, which is weird to say. That does a better job at doing peer pressure, with our characters wanting to chew Tabaco because of the boy saying it's cool. It's gives a more interesting story to hold on to and the ending of giving a kid cancer is odd but you can't say it's not going to hold in your mind, like I can remember the episode and remember that they gave a kid freaking cancer to make a a point.
This wasn't a totally awful episode and really shows peak time capsule 80's , but it's not the best at getting it's message out with out just being a long extended ad for a famous campaign, and doesn't really benefit its audience.
That's it for now , tune in next time when you offer us drugs and we say no, and we keep going back and forth for like 14 hours.
No comments:
Post a Comment