MovieChat Forums > The Facts of Life (1979) Discussion > Who is your least favorite character of ...

Who is your least favorite character of the main cast?

posted 9 years ago by english3101972
48 replies | jump to latest

I grew up watching this show and have a few seasons on dvd. I have been watching the severely edited episodes on Logo channel recently and have been wondering...who is your least favorite character? Any season, regular or guest character. Mine is without a doubt Tootie. She was just plain irritating. She whined, was rude, selfish, and in my opinion usually a very bad friend. She was worse than Blair times ten in most episodes who at least had a heart and got better as she grew up. Most of my least favorite episodes center around Tootie as well...when she goes bat sh!@ crazy about Jermaine Jackson is just awful, when she loses her hearing she is so nasty and ignorant and when her brother drives drunk she's over the top stupid. The one later episode that sticks out is when Stacie Q returns as Cinnamon and she is so nasty because she is jealous of her success.

[–] anon-14 9 years ago

Mrs. Garrett. I think she was supposed to be this hip, with it woman, but she was just downright odd, IMO. And she's got a RN degree and is also a dietician but is working as a housemother to the girls? And before that as a housekeeper? I've always thought her storyline/background is a bit strange.

[–] english3101972 9 years ago

And if I remember correctly wasn't she supposedly in the Peace Corp? I thought they mentioned it when she married that guy later in the show and they went away with the Peace Corp. She hadn't ever mentioned that one before. I definitely agree with you about her back story.

[–] ItsEddieHaskellBeyotch 9 years ago

Edna got busted for dealing primo booger sugar in the 1960s.

When theres no more room in Hollywood, remakes shall walk the Earth.

[–] english3101972 9 years ago

I just saw the one when Blair's mom goes into labor and they say nothing about Edna being a nurse...instead they just say something like you lived on a far so what do we do?? UMMMM she was a nurse so why did they take this part out of her back story??

[–] radrobd 9 years ago

I believe the only time they mentioned she was a nurse was the episode where she taught sex ed. It was convenient for the story. They wanted Edna to teach sex ed, but it wouldn't make sense that a "housemother" would be the ones teaching the girls "the facts of life."

[–] pioneergrrrl (2408) 2 years ago

lol but then again they do take her to a hospital and the retired nurse does defer to the people who have kept up their credentials and training.

[–] Caramel_1234 8 years ago

Her being odd was part of the reason why i liked her, lol.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2408) 3 years ago

Remember though we meet Mrs. Garrett was first working as a housekeeper in the late 1970's after she had two boys already fully grown....so this means she was pregnant with them much earlier when sex and pregnancy discrimination were very much legal in America.

Housekeeping might have been the remaining jobs she may have been able to obtain while trying to take care of her boys when child care was hard to get.

And her ex-husband had a serious gambling problem which we did learn in an episode of this series. We don't know what kind of debts he created/left them with. or even what type of problems he got into with the law as a result.

We're trying to say this is 'odd' in the 21st century...which yes it would be. Pregnant women have many more options and protections. But in her generation (she was born in the 1930's or earlier!) it would have been very much acceptable to fire her the moment her bump became 'noticeable'. Kimberly and her classmates were born in the 60's so they also had grown up just when these rules and customs were changing.

Edna also had different legal status as a single mother including what jobs she could take and not be discriminated against. Phillip Drumond WAS the boss of his own home and Eastland was a private school. So both places of employment hired Edna regardless of her background.

Edna later found out she wanted to (for a while anyways) own her own shop. All of these places could make up their own rules of employment (Edna's Edibles had only 6 people counting Andy). They were not subject to non-discrimination laws.

[–] maggiebret 9 years ago

Yeah Tootie was the worst. All of the episodes you brought up, she was annoying in. She also irritated me when she invited all those people to Natalie's grandmother's condo destroying the place. And when she was high and mighty with the lady who left her son alone. Ok, volunteer to watch him but don't try to lecture someone when you don't their circumstances. Yeah the lady was wrong for leaving her kid alone but mind your own business kid.

[–] AdrianLePier 9 years ago

Tootie was the most inconsistent, and may have been technically "the worst," but I liked her. Of all the characters on the show, I think she was the most influenced by the actresses personality and whatever phase she was in at the moment. Like for example, during the first two seasons Tootie had a very spitfire, almost brash, attitude...then she became really hokie/corny around season 3...then around season 6/7 she becomes sort of "average"...then during the final two seasons she becomes self-righteous, posturing and acts much older than her age. When they had their 2001 reunion movie, Tootie wasn't at all like she was during the series -- now she came off more like Kim Field's other character Regine on Living Single.

So, again, I think whatever personality stage KF was in at that moment directly influenced Tootie's character.

[–] english3101972 9 years ago

It's funny that you just posted this because as I am on the last days of surgery recovery I am sitting here watching BIO channel and Kim Fields is the story. I absolutely agree with everything you just said. She always seemed sweet in real life and grounded because of her mom (just my guess). I also think parts of it had to do with them always giving these girls crap about their weight and every day teenage struggles. I grew up watching this show and still love the wholesome ways of it as a woman only a few years younger than Kim herself.

[–] Caramel_1234 8 years ago

Like for example, during the first two seasons Tootie had a very spitfire, almost brash, attitude...then she became really hokie/corny around season 3...

She's my favorite character but Yea I noticed that as well.

[–] tooclosetothetv 9 years ago

Aw, I liked Tootie. She was holding at down as one of the few black girls at Eastland. She and Natalie had great chemistry.

Sometimes I'm laughing at her rather than with her, but I'm still laughing. Come on, her in a chokehold in the Jermaine episode? Classic.

I guess I loved all the surviving girls. I'd have to go back to season one and cite annoying preachy Molly, followed by codependent bore Nancy.

[–] maggiebret 9 years ago

I liked Tootie's sassy attitude in the first few seasons. Season 4 she became whiney and annoying. I liked her better in the later seasons

[–] angel1008 9 years ago

Tootie, without a doubt. Sometimes I liked her, but for the most part she annoyed me. When the girls left her out of their party, and she got drunk, she was so whiny in that episode. And her overacting in the Jermaine episode was just too much. For the most part, I like all the girls and their chemistry with each other. It worked much better after Jo came on.

[–] steveprice148 9 years ago

Tootie by far was annoying and too over-emotive which only brought an air of whiney unbelievability to the part. She toned it down some in later eps but for those few years in her pubescent years were extremely annoying

[–] jddonigan-668-303295 9 years ago

I liked all of them actually. BUT....is it only me or did Tootie yell all her lines? Everything she said sounded over the top loud.

[–] english3101972 9 years ago

No, I think you are correct. Especially when she was in one of her 'I need bitch-slapped' rants.

[–] blondee661 9 years ago

For me it varies between Tootie and Jo. Tootie was always whiny and self righteous and Jo was just plain cranky all the time. Last night I watched the episode where Tootie's mom comes to visit and she was just plain nasty to her Mom. Sometimes I tend to skip a lot of the episodes that are centered around these characters.

[–] english3101972 9 years ago

I always skip the episodes when Tootie can't hear and the Jermaine Jackson episode when her whining is over the top.

[–] b73142 9 years ago

I'm with you, blondee661. At first it was Jo and then when the years went by it became Tootie. One episode that bothers me is when Natalie becomes a freshman at was it Langley(sorry I forgot their college name) and Tootie doesn't want to be seen with her b/c she's an underclassmen. I found that weird b/c as Natalie pointed out she was older than Tootie. She seemed to act and think that she was older than what she was.

[–] IcedChai3 9 years ago

I loved all of the characters, but Jo could be too judgmental at times.

[–] pioneergrrrl (2408) 5 years ago

They really did not do much with tootie....maybe it was her age...being younger than the others.

Although the ep I saw I don't usually remember.....she tries to join up with the gang in NYC and instead unwittingly spends time with a child prostitute. Tootie figures out something is not right and avoids being sucked in. Pretty edgy for them.

And then Blair dumps half the jar of mayo to make Tuna Salad?? I'm no genius in the kitchen but even I know it's just two spoons. But to her credit she is sincerely upset when a former friend is more spoiled than she is.