Silver Spoons - Issues Addressed

Issues Addressed

While largely a comedy, Silver Spoons commonly addressed certain issues that affect people using the "very special episode" format.

• In the Season 1 episode "Mr. T and Me", the issue of school bullies was touched upon when Ricky is being picked on by a bully and Edward decides to hire a bodyguard for Ricky (played by Mr. T).

• In the Season 1 episode "The Great Computer Caper", Ricky and friend Arnold Jackson (Gary Coleman, playing his Diff'rent Strokes character in a crossover episode) hack into a military computer and access the plans for a top-secret fighter jet. They soon learn they might be guilty of treason and attempt to run away from home to avoid punishment.

• In the Season 1 episode "The Best Christmas Ever", homelessness was addressed when Ricky discovered a family living in a cave on his father's estate, featuring future Gimme a Break! and Blossom star Joey Lawrence.

• In the Season 1 episode "The "X" Team", Ricky, Freddy and JT were caught watching an X rated film by Kate in the living room while Edward was asleep, when Kate forced Ricky to tell Edward about watching the film Edward revealed that the reason why he had X rated films on the TV is because the channel came with the cable when he bought the TV and he also mentioned to Ricky that he doesn't want him to watch the adult movies since he was too young for them.

• In the Season 2 episode "Spare the Rod", Ricky discovers that his friend Toby (Meeno Peluce) is being beaten by his father. The end of the episode reveals that the father is also a child abuse victim.

• In the Season 3 episode "Trouble with Words", Alfonso is doing poorly in school, and an Olympic athlete, (Bruce Jenner), who is visiting to check out a new line of athletic equipment using his name to be merchandised by Eddie Toys, helps him by discovering that Alfonso has dyslexia, a condition which causes the mind to retain information differently, and letters are seen in a different way, usually backwards.

• In the Season 3 episode "The Secret Life of Ricky Stratton", Ricky develops a romance with a girl he meets on a computer bulletin board, very much foreshadowing the actual internet dating boom a generation later. However, before the first in-person date occurs, both teens suffer from self esteem issues, and each fears the other won't be attracted to them.

• In the Season 3 episode "The Babysitters", Ricky suspects that a girl he's babysitting was kidnapped by her father. Many missing children cases have involved children being kidnapped by one of their parents or relatives.

• In the two-part Season 4 episode "One for the Road", Ricky attends a party and is pressured into drinking by his friend. He later finds out that his friend has a drinking problem and tries to get him help.

• In the Season 4 episode "Daddy Rick", the subject of teen pregnancy is addressed when Ricky is paired with a girl in a mock marriage project at school and finds out his partner is pregnant, both in the mock marriage project and in real life.