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Blair Warner: Brilliantly Spoiled

sev

By sev
in The Facts Of Life [V]

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sev

sev

As a kid I identified with Jo, later I began to really appreciate Blair. Despite the snobby conceited façade, the character is absolutely witty. And sweet.

Lisa Whelchel's personal ideologies might be questionable, but she was brilliant in the role and especially capable of nailing the physical scenes: like wrestling with Jo's hand and falling under the table in "3,2,1", the Helen of Troy entrances in "Dear Apple", the around-the-world Yoyo take off (forgot the ep), etc.  

Besides, I consider Jo and Blair to be a package deal.

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SnarkySheep

SnarkySheep

I think TPTB did a solid job with Blair's character...it would have been way too easy to make her one-dimensional in her spoiled rich girl-ness. But aside from the sweet moments where you saw that Blair honestly did care about others, you also saw her vulnerable side. You could see that in many ways, she had had a miserable childhood, with absentee parents and remarriages left and right, and basically being bought off to forgive it all. Who would want to live that way?

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discorules

discorules

I was a big Blair fan. I knew Lisa (and Julie Piekarski) from the new Mickey Mouse Club (1977). I enjoyed watching her on Survivor. I don't always agree with her religious beliefs but I truly believe she's sincere.

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KFC

KFC

I just watched "Peekskill Law" on YT, and one of the commenters astutely said how the storyline was a predecessor to "Legally Blonde," and the episode would have made a better premise for a spinoff instead of the ill-conceived "Blair takes over Eastland" finale. 

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PRgal

PRgal

I watched reruns on and off on syndication back in the 80s when it aired on local channels in the afternoon.  Did we ever know if Blair was an Eastland legacy (i.e. her mom and perhaps grandmother attended)?  Or is she supposed to be "new money?"  She seems to act more "new money" than old line?  Don't really remember as I haven't seen the show in years.

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MarkHB

MarkHB

I'm also quite sure that few, if any, TV writers actually have a good idea as to what real "old money" people are actually like, since how many of us ever get to even meet them, much less actually know them?

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psychoticstate

psychoticstate

14 hours ago, Pdxblonde said:

Wasn't there a library or wing named after Blair's grandfather? So I'm going to assume she's a legacy 

Yes.  I think that was the episode where she found out her grandfather was a racist. 

I also think a season one episode talked about how Blair's mother had attended Eastland. 

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CeeBeeGee

CeeBeeGee

On 7/1/2016 at 11:16 AM, MarkHB said:

I'm also quite sure that few, if any, TV writers actually have a good idea as to what real "old money" people are actually like, since how many of us ever get to even meet them, much less actually know them?

Blair was always my favorite, and I felt that the writers really liked her (or at least Lisa) and worked hard to give her depth. One of my very favorite Blair eps was early in the second season, the Cotillion episode where Blair brings in her childhood friend Harrison who is lately from a Swiss boarding school (clearly Le Rosey)  and he seemingly takes a shine to Jo and asks her to "the Cotillion" at the local club instead of Blair who had expected to be asked. It's such a clever episode because Jo dresses up as Blair as it were (in this hideously early '80s Gunne Sax-looking dress that was nevertheless the height of WASPy fashion back then ;) and Blair, stuck back in the dorm and sulking, ends up dressing up as Jo, trying on her "look" with the leather jacket and the cap. And Jo comes back somewhat disheveled, telling Mrs. G that Harrison had all along planned to have sex (or something) with Jo, instead of an actual dance. 

What I love about the last 10 minutes of the episode (in addition to Blair's sticking up for Jo--the show was so awesome about showing the girls' support for each other even when they don't even like each other that much, as at this point Blair and Jo do not) is that weirdly subtextual conversation between Harrison and Blair, where he tells her "if I'd wanted to go to the dance, I'd have you on my arm. What I was looking for was a little...putting action on the 9th green." And she says "and you figured she would...let you play through." I loved this because '80s comedies tended to be VERY on the nose, every other episode was Very Special. But this conversation--that was as close to the way WASPs talked as I'd ever heard on TV. Subtextual. Coded. Things are understood, they don't have to be spelled out. Loved it. Also loved it when, after Blair yells at him and has to be restrained from punching him out, Harrison literally runs away...while saying over his shoulder "say hello to your mother for me!" Also very WASPy!

So this is my long-winded way of saying I don't know of they really got Old Money right (they were all over the place with Blair, the thing with the library and the grandfather was old money but her insecurity around Princess Alexandra seemed very out of character) but someone on the writing staff had been around WASPs.

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ivygirl

ivygirl

I wouldn't be surprised if some or many of the FOL writers went to Ivy League schools -- I'll have to dig deeper than a cursory glance at IMDB to check that theory out.

I *did* see that Paul Haggis wrote some episodes! Lots of quality people on this show.

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methodwriter85

methodwriter85

I watched that clip of Double Standard and thought, "Wow, Harrison is like a dead-ringer for dreamy Disney boy Ross Lynch."

My favorite "Poor Little Rich" Blair moment is when Blair confronts her father about his tax-evading schemes involving her. After Blair realizes that her father can't change who he is, she looks at her check and tells Jo that it's her father.

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Tenarife60

Tenarife60

Her character was the only one who was the most unbelievable once they got older.  Today I was watching 'Working It Out' where Blair is staying out all night, going out with a different man each time.  Mrs. Garrett warns her about not staying out because it's a 'school night.'  Yet Blair was 20 years old and had millions of dollars, so it never made any sense why she was still living there under Mrs. G's rules.  It was more believable Jo was there because she was attending college and working part-time at Edna's Edibles, and Natalie and Tootie were still in high school, but this rich girl still living with all of them was so far-fetched.  I never bought that.

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GHScorpiosRule

GHScorpiosRule

7 minutes ago, Tenarife60 said:

Her character was the only one who was the most unbelievable once they got older.  Today I was watching 'Working It Out' where Blair is staying out all night, going out with a different man each time.  Mrs. Garrett warns her about not staying out because it's a 'school night.'  Yet Blair was 20 years old and had millions of dollars, so it never made any sense why she was still living there under Mrs. G's rules.  It was more believable Jo was there because she was attending college and working part-time at Edna's Edibles, and Natalie and Tootie were still in high school, but this rich girl still living with all of them was so far-fetched.  I never bought that.

She stayed there because she wanted to be with not only Mrs. Garrett, but Jo, Natalie and Tootie. Remember, she was living in the dorms when Jo lost her scholarship, and when Mrs. Garrett told Jo she had a room for her above the shop, Natalie and Tootie decided they wanted to live there as well.

Blair felt left out, and decided she wanted to live there as well. That was just the premise of the show.

What I found incredibly unbelievable was Blair dressing up as if she were going to a cocktail party/or a job in a corporate office; or as someone else mentioned in one of the other threads: like someone who was 40 years old. At least when attending Eastland, she had the uniform. But I can't recall her ever dressing casually when attending Langley, or even Law School. Dressed to the Nines and in heels.

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psychoticstate

psychoticstate

On ‎3‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 3:36 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

She stayed there because she wanted to be with not only Mrs. Garrett, but Jo, Natalie and Tootie. Remember, she was living in the dorms when Jo lost her scholarship, and when Mrs. Garrett told Jo she had a room for her above the shop, Natalie and Tootie decided they wanted to live there as well.

Blair felt left out, and decided she wanted to live there as well. That was just the premise of the show.

What I found incredibly unbelievable was Blair dressing up as if she were going to a cocktail party/or a job in a corporate office; or as someone else mentioned in one of the other threads: like someone who was 40 years old. At least when attending Eastland, she had the uniform. But I can't recall her ever dressing casually when attending Langley, or even Law School. Dressed to the Nines and in heels.

I can overlook the practicalities of the living situation.  I mean, in the real world would the Ramseys and Greens let Tootie and Natalie move off-campus?  At least the writers had Blair move into the dorms, temporarily.

80s fashions were crazy.  The high necked blouses and dresses were everywhere.  It even continued into the 90s - - I remember the female characters on Beverly Hills, 90210 attending college classes in little suits.  What a change to go from that to today, where people go to the airport and in grocery stores dressed in their pajamas.

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