The BEST episodes of Life Goes On
Every episode of Life Goes On ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Life Goes On!
Meet the Thatchers, Drew, Libby, Becca, and Corky. Corky suffers from Down Syndrome. The show dealt with many issues. Some of which included drinking, sex, and HIV in the third season when Becca started dating a man that was HIV positive. Drew also had a daughter from a previous marriage, whose name was Paige.
#1 - Corky and the Dolphins
Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/23/1990
While in Hawaii, Corky goes dolphin-riding and Becca falls for a surfer. (Part 2 of 2)
#2 - Ordinary Heroes
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/3/1989
A frustrated Drew decides to quit his construction job and go into the restaurant business; and he joins Libby in counseling a couple whose newborn daughter has Down's Syndrome. As it turns out in the end, the guy who owns the restaurant doesn't sell the restaurant to Drew because Corky has Down's. Also, we learn that the cook at his restaurant makes the best french fries.
#3 - Arthur
Season 2 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/7/1991
Corky befriends an older man with Down Syndrome who leads a kind of life that Corky would like to lead.
#5 - Halloween
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/28/1990
Halloween scares up a bad time for all: Libby and Drew at Jerry's big party, Corky at the school masquerade, and Becca who is home alone. The horror movies she's watching start to get to her. The lights go out, an intruder breaks in- it turns out to be Tyler. Confusion abounds.
Watch Now:Amazon#6 - Becca and the Band
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/7/1990
Rona and Tyler break up because Rona lied to him and went to a frat party. Becca becomes manager of Tyler's band and sets up a gig for them at the opening of the new mall with the prerequisite that there has to be a female singer in the band. Tyler asks Becca nad she agrees. At the last minute she backs out and asks a friend to do it and Tyler ends up leaving with Becca's friend, leaving the Bec depressed. Also, Libby is offered a chance to leave the restaurant and return to her old high-pressure, but higher-paying job.
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV#7 - The Visitor
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/30/1990
Libby discovers she's expecting again, and the family fears the consequences of a pregnancy at her age.
#9 - Save the Last Dance for Me
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/15/1990
Becca's aged dance teacher (Viveca Lindfors) must enter a nursing home.
#10 - Becca and the Underground Newspaper
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 4/1/1990
As a reporter for an underground newspaper, Becca zealously pens an expose of the school janitor's criminal past for the that's the truth- but not the whole truth. The janitor's name was Kominsky. He had a minor criminal infraction years ago when he broke into a house to steal money to feed himself and his wife. Becca reports on this, but never interviews Kominsky for his side of the story. The scandel breaks, and Becca realizes the irresponsibility of her actions ( although she was pushed into it by the pretentios paper editor, who also asked her out on a date). She apologizes to Kominsky and publishes a retraction in the legit school paper. Kominsky gets a job at the Grill.
#11 - Pig o' My Heart
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 3/25/1990
Drew finally gets a chance to own his own restaurant, but it's Corky who brings home the bacon: a huge runaway porker that hogs Corky's affections. Corkt adopted it to fill the void of Paige's leaving ( so this must be when Monique Lanier left the show). How Drew got the restaurant bears discussion. In ""Ordinary Heros"", he tried to but it, but when the brother's who owned it discovered that Corky had Down's, one of them got cold feet about what that would do for business. Then the writers decided instead on the fact that Drew can't get the loan approved to buy the place. When the owner of the pig ( which Corky named ""Jeffrey"", even though it was a girl) finally is reunited with the animal, he mentions something about liking restaurants but having no time to run them. Drew sees his shot and goes for it-- cut to the Grand Opening of the Glen Brook Grill, with cameos by all the friends of the family from previous episodes.
Watch Now:Amazon#12 - It Ain't All It's Cracked up to Be
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 3/4/1990
Becca enters a Miss Teen contest and finds out that she is sharing a room with none other than Rona Lieberman. Scholarship money is at stake in this pageant. Becca gets know Rona a little better after Rona's mother shows up at the pageant drunk and makes a fool of Rona during her piano performance. Drew has problems with the new neighbors because their son has a band and plays loud music. Corky tries out for chorus but doesn't make it because he can't sing. Later the neighbor boy gives Corky his old set of drums and Corky seems to be quite talented at playing them. Drew and the neighbors make peace.
#13 - The Return of Uncle Richard
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 2/4/1990
Drew's younger brother Richard, a lovable family black sheep, breezes in at a time when Corky is beginning to wonder who'll look after him when his parents die. Drew and Richard don't get along, but needless to say, the kids love him. The culmination of Drew's mending relationship with Richard comes when Libby and Drew entrust the care of Corky to Richard if something were to happen to them.
#14 - Corky's Crush
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/14/1990
Becca and Corky (in the same class somehow) do a classroom exercise in which paired students must pretend to be married for a week to investigate issues of marriage and family life. Becca is first paired with Lester Fishbein, then switches to Tyler. Neither works out terribly well. Corky, on the other hand, is paired with the new girl (Shannon Dougherty of 90210), upon whom he develops a crush. She only has eyes for the ubiquitous Russo, though, and Corky has to make peace with only being a friend. Meanwhile, Libby's parents hole up at the Thatchers' to continue their love feud. There's a great scene in which Sal Giordano encourages Corky that the right girl is out there.
#15 - Pets, Guys and Videotape
Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/10/1989
Paige goes to work for a veteranarian who is very kind with suffering animals but kind of insufferable with humans. The vet is divorced and has a child. Meanwhile, Becca videotapes a hectic day in the life of her working mother.
#16 - Corky for President
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/24/1989
Corky runs for freshman class president with the help of an unpopular, smart student,Lester Fishbein. He has a crush on Rona and really believes that Rona likes him as well. Rona encourages him to run and Corky doesn't realize she's just joking with him.
#17 - Pilot
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/12/1989
Corky tries to mainstream into the 9th grade, the same grade as Becca. Becca worries that Corky may stop her from getting to the boy she really wants, Tyler Benchfield, a star on the football team. Corky dreams of being King at the homecoming dance with Ron Lieberman. Corky is accused of cheating off Rona's paper but it was exactly the opposite. Tyler introduces the Thatchers to his brother Donny, who also has Down's Syndrome. Doubts arise arise over whether Corky should indeed mainstream as opposed to going into a special-ed program, or a private school (which the Thatcher's can't afford). But at a serious parent-principle meeting, Corky dispels all doubts by reciting ""The Raven"", the famous Edgar Allan Poe poem. Sub-plot: For Libby's 40th birthday, Drew buys her a heart-shaped ring that they can't afford. Paige moves home.
#18 - Life Goes On (and On and On)
Season 4 - Episode 17 - Aired 5/23/1993
The series finale, it leaps 4 years into the future to see Becca and Jesse marry, and 10 years when Becca, now about 27 ( and still played by Kellie Martin) tells her son a story about what happened after graduating from high school. Corky doesn't graduate, but says, ""I'll be back."" Ray was the valedictorian of Becca's class. Jesse leaves for Europe, breaking Becca's heart, but returns four years later. It is not determined whether Becca's son was fathered by Jesse or not, but Becca expresses a desire to have Jesse's baby, saying that new treatments could make it possible. The question of who fathered this child is hard to answer as Becca says the final words of the series: "" I love you, Jesse.""
Watch Now:Amazon#19 - Paige's Date
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/22/1989
Drew sets up Paige with a charmer whose head is in the clouds; unfortunately his sense of responsibility seems to be mired in quicksand.
#20 - Paige's Mom
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/5/1989
Paige's mom comes back. They have a great time, and make plans for a trip to New England. Paige's mom winds up living without Paige. A lot of flashbacks to when Paige's mom, an actress, originally left. Tearful ending with Paige calling Libby mom.
#22 - Consenting Adults
Season 3 - Episode 22 - Aired 5/10/1992
Paige has a great heart-to-heart with Drew about her upcoming marriage with Kenny. Drew takes matters into his own hands and convinces Michael to get Paige. Then behind both their backs, he hires Michale's band to play at the wedding. Paige and Kenny break up at the altar; Paige runs off with Michael instead. Corky proposes to Amanda. Jesse leaves for Arizona with his mom, but later comes back, saying that Becca is his family now.
Watch Now:Amazon#23 - Invasion of the Thacher Snatchers
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/17/1991
Corky imagines that his family is turning into Venusians after seeing a B-movie called ""Body Snatchers From Venus"". At this time, Paige is learning to be a welder (in Corky's nightmare, she builds a spaceship.)Paige and Becca have a falling out over a malfunctioning answering machine ( in his nightmare, this machine is a LONG- distance communicator).Drew is trying to go on a new diet-and-exercise regimen (when he says to a friend that some new exercise machine ""will make you a new man"", Corky freaks). Becca is appling for college ( the Illinois State University representative calls and says he wants to make Becca ""one of us"", which Corky overhears). After noting that Venusians don't like dairy products or other abnt-acidic material, Corky attacks the family with baking soda and milk.
#24 - Confessions
Season 3 - Episode 21 - Aired 5/3/1992
Corky, somehow rendered mute by the accident, does not speak up until Becca bears her soul to him. Then Corky says that Tyler tried to swerve around a boy on a bike. Becca still feels guilty over Tyler's death as she and Jesse place flowers at Tyler's grave. Also, Paige and Michael get locked in a refrigerated room for wedding cake storage ( she was looking for a cake for her and Kenny' wedding.)
#25 - More Than Friends
Season 3 - Episode 20 - Aired 4/26/1992
Drew and Libby leave the kids to watch over the house. Becca and Jesse decide to have a party there. Then Tyler and some college frat buttheads crash it and take over the house. Meanwhile Michael Romanov, a suitor of Paige's ( they met at that Steelworks where Paige learned to weld) crashes a stuffy gathering at the country club where she, Kenny and Kenny's parents are. Becca kicks a drunk Tyler out, saying she cannot be friends with him anymore, and he goes to drive off. Corky tries to stop him from driving drunk, but cannot get him to hand over those car keys, so they drive off together. They crash into a tree, leaving Tyler near death and Corky mute with a broken arm. Paige returns with Kenny from the country club disaster to one at home. Kenny proposes to her, but when she hears the awful noise from the house, she goes in and helps break up the chaos. Drew and Libby return, find one last drunk who tells them where their children are, then go off to the hospital. At the hospital, Pa