Diff'rent Strokes - "Bicycle Man" episode

[MC Paul Barman]

Sitcoms in the 80s and early 90s would have their 'Very Special' episodes where the show would take on a serious topic. Usually these would come across as downright stupid (the Caffeine Pins episode of Saved by the Bell for one). But the "Bicycle Man" episode from Diff'rent Strokes was downright creepy.

The episode starts off normal enough by very special episode standards: a warning to viewers that the topic is unsettling (adults with sexual interest in minors).

But sprinkled through the 2 part episode are so many sexual innuendos casually dropped all over the place. They're not being placed there to highlight the seriousness of the topic... they're randomly stated by almost every character in the show.

Worse though is the laugh track.... it sounds like a normal laugh track for the most part. One weird thing is that the laugh track is even used while the Bicycle Man (Mr. Horton) is talking about or showing sexually themed things to the kids. The other really f'd up thing is how intense (almost maniacal) and childish sounding the laugh track becomes when the kids are looking at this stuff. Around 16:44 and 37:17 in the video are a couple of good examples.

 

[BisexualMMA]

What might be right for you, might not be right for some...

And seriously, who would have ever predicted that Conrad Bain would be the last one standing.

Also, the episode is creepy as fuck, but the writing and acting for all this guy's grooming are actually very good for an early 80s sitcom. It was pretty bold to address this kind of stuff in such an innocent time.

 

[TidWell]

Man i remember that episode, they had some weird serious episodes on those sitcoms, like all in the family

 

[SoberAwakening]

What's weird is that Todd Bridges later talked about being sexually abused by his agent I think when he was a kid, and it was all over getting him a bike I think.

 

[ToxicShocker]

Was it a nice bike?

 

[Deleted member 220895]

Those laughs... what the fuck?

 

[dawnignited]

Has this been popping up on the YT sidebar for everyone? I started noticing it about a week ago.

And yeah, that episode is as hard to watch as I expected it to be. Creepy-ass laugh track.

 

[TidWell]

Its sad seeing Dana Plato, I used to have the biggest crush on her as a kid, she died a tragic death, Child actors wind up screwed up. Look at that Bella Thorne, went from a good southern Christian girl and good friend of sage northcutt but is now a bisexual, green haired, pierced nippled slutty feminist brainwashed by the hollywood machine.

They use and abuse and spit you out. A lot of females are trendy and stupid though, they are gullible and the top consumer who follow, they are like packs you tell them everyone is doing it and they do it.

Plato got pregnant and married at 20 years old during different strokes and they let her go, Its sad man, her only son died as well in 2010 he committed suicide by self inflected gun shot.

 

[Seano]

Arnold left Dudley there.

 

[TidWell]

When he asked them to take off their shirts, you gotta be one fucked up person to be sexually attracted to kids.

Even when I was a kid I only found voluptuous mature women in their 30s hot

 

[BisexualMMA]

Those laughs... what the fuck?

 

[Thai Domi]

I remember the episode where a kid had a seizure in front of Arnold freaked me out.