The BEST episodes of Diff'rent Strokes season 3
Every episode of Diff'rent Strokes season 3, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Diff'rent Strokes season 3!
Two orphaned brothers, Arnold & Willis Jackson, are adopted by wealthy Manhattan widower Phillip Drummond when their mother (Drummond's maid) passes away. Along with Drummond's daughter Kimberly & housekeeper Mrs. Garrett, this family sitcom covers topics such as wealth- & racial- inequality. This was Gary Coleman's breakout role as short but sassy Arnold, whose catchphrase "What'choo talkin' 'bout?" became a national trend.
#1 - Count Your Blessings
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 1/7/1981
Arnold tries a regimen of stretching exercises and a change of diet to speed his growth, but Drummond finds he must go to a very special source to get the boy to accept that he will never be tall.
#2 - Football Father
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 12/17/1980
After Arnold fails to measure up to the demands of the basketball, baseball and volleyball teams, Drummond convinces the boy to try football on for size and then pays the coach a clandestine visit to ensure Arnold a place on the team.
#3 - The Loan
Season 3 - Episode 11 - Aired 1/14/1981
Arnold learns the true value of a dollar when Drummond turns down his request to lend $4,000 to the apartment building doorman anxious to take part in an attractive business deal.
#4 - The Bank Job (1)
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 11/12/1980
Willis accompanies Arnold as he sets out to withdraw some money from his bank account to pay for his first "real" date, but two bank robbers force a change of plans when they attempt their own, very large withdrawal, in the first episode of a special two-part story.
#5 - Where There's Hope
Season 3 - Episode 16 - Aired 3/4/1981
Arnold's tenth birthday party means a lot to him, but for some reason it means a whole lot more to the one person he's determined won't be invited -- a pesky young lady who always tries just too hard to be friends.
#6 - Substitute Mother
Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/26/1980
Arnold falls head-over-heels for a temporary housekeeper and embarks on a romantic scheme he hopes will make her a permanent member of the Drummond household.
#7 - First Love
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/31/1980
Drummond orders Willis to spend more time with his studies and less time with his "first love," but Willis and Arnold concoct a plan they're sure will fulfill the wishes of both father and son.
#8 - The Older Man
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/25/1981
Through Blair's makeup artistry, 15-year-old Kimberly discovers she can pass for 20, but when she accepts a date with a 25-year-old and the passes start flying, she finds there may be more to being older than looking it.
#9 - Drummond's Fair Lady
Season 3 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/18/1981
Drummond runs into some stiff competition to the candidate he's chosen to head a new division of his company -- his board members think the attractive young executive's sex disqualifies her -- and his family thinks he's being used.
#10 - Small Claims Court
Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 11/19/1980
Arnold has his day in court when an unfortunate "train" of events puts him at odds with a less than understanding merchant.
#11 - Roots
Season 3 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/21/1981
Willis and Arnold turn the Drummond household upside down as they try to prove to their old Harlem neighbors -- and themselves -- that they haven't lost tough with their cultural roots.
#12 - Little Mother
Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 12/10/1980
Kimberly's efforts to help a pregnant girl friend, have Willis and Arnold convinced the Kimberly's the one expecting.
#13 - The Ancestors
Season 3 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/25/1981
Drummond and his sister Sophia inherit a prime piece of land in Harlem from a long lost ancestor, but their plan to dedicate it to a cultural center in his name could spell disaster if the truth of their ancestor's life gets out.
#14 - The Bus
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/4/1981
Arnold's excitement at being one of a small group of students in an exchange program with an all-white school is turned to fear by a threatening phone call from a zealous busing opponent.
#15 - The Accident (1)
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/3/1980
The festive family celebration of Drummond's 50th birthday suddenly becomes a disaster after a drunk driver puts Drummond in the hospital, unconscious, his life hanging in the balance, in the first episode of a special two-part story.
#16 - The Athlete
Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/13/1981
The coach of the city's top high school baseball team is after Willis and is prepared to do anything to make it possible for Willis to attend his school.
#17 - The Magician (a.k.a.) It's Magic
Season 3 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/11/1981
Arnold's "famous" magic disappearing act, designed to impress a magazine reporter and special guest star Dallas Cowboys' defensive end Ed "Too Tall" Jones, leaves him dangerously high and dry, with no place to go but down -- about 30 stories.
#18 - The Bank Job (2)
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 11/12/1980
Drummond offers himself and his company airplane as hostages to protect Arnold and Willis, but his sons' future hangs in the balance when the robbers announce their own very different choice of hostages, in the conclusion of a special two-part story.
#19 - Junk Food Junkie (a.k.a.) Junk Food
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/28/1981
Arnold's poor dental checkup and a visit by Drummond's health-conscious sister, Sophia, launches Drummond on a campaign to have "junk" food machines banned from Arnold's school, even though Arnold's drive for his class' presidency may depend on keeping the machines in place.
#20 - The Accident (2)
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 12/3/1980
When Drummond finally comes to, he is suffering from amnesia and unless he can regain his memory, he may lose not only his business, but also custody of Arnold, Willis and Kimberly.
#21 - Room for One More
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/6/1981
Dudley, fearing his foster father's lost job means he's headed back to the orphanage, cons Arnold into getting Drummond to consider adopting him into their family.
#22 - Almost American
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/1/1981
Arnold's dejection at being grounded for a "D" on a history test turns to inspiration after an immigrant studying for naturalization introduces him to another perspective on America.