LIFE GOES ON: LIFE GOES ON (AND ON AND ON) {SERIES FINALE} (TV)
Summary
The final episode in this dramatic series about the challenges facing the Thacher family -- parents Drew and Libby, their daughter Becca, their son Corky, who has Down's Syndrome, and Drew's daughter Paige. In this episode, an older Becca tells the story of her earlier life, recounting the day when she returns home after spring break in her senior year of college, revealing to her parents that she is engaged. The story then jumps back four years to “the worst week of her life” at the end of her high school career when Jesse breaks up with her, saying that he needs “time to think” about everything he has been through. Elsewhere, Corky frets over whether the school board will allow him to graduate with the rest of his class and alongside Becca despite his poor grades in the mainstream classes. Paige continues work on restoring the house with Artie, only to learn that the owner has no money to pay them and that the bank will be foreclosing on the house soon. She suggests that she and Artie buy the house, finish renovating it and then sell it for a profit, and he reluctantly agrees. At school, Becca tells Goodman about her breakup with Jesse, and she tells her it was for the best. Ray seems pleased at the news and manages to invite himself over to “study” with Becca, saying he is falling behind. Four years later, her stunned parents ask to meet her fiancé—who turns out to be Jesse. Libby and Drew ask where he has been for the past four years, having thought that he had perhaps died, and he says that he was traveling through Europe. They seem less than pleased at the news of their engagement, but Becca is determined, saying that they do not want to lose each other again.
In the past, Mrs. Kneffer arrives at the home and explains that Corky cannot graduate with the rest of his class, which breaks his heart. Becca attempts to tutor Ray, but he admits that he is not there to study and makes a move on her, suggesting that she could love him if he too had a fatal disease, and she coldly sends him away. Paige admits that she is “already attached” to the house and does not want to sell it, and Artie says that it was “meant for” them and proposes to her, which shocks her. She declines, and he apologizes for the awkwardness. Becca admits that she was “consumed” with her own problems at the time, including just missing out on becoming valedictorian. She runs into Jesse at school and they sign one another’s yearbooks, avoiding the subject of their breakup. Paige, though nervous about the details of the contract, signs the papers to put the house up for sale, admitting that it is hard to move on. Corky broods over missing out on graduation, telling Amanda about how he dreamed of walking with his class and receiving his diploma. At the ceremony, the students are stunned to learn that Ray is valedictorian, having earned a 4.0 grade point average, and he gives a speech about tough good-byes. Becca is acknowledged as an elite Circle Society scholar, and later, at home, Corky is presented with an honorary graduation of his own, in which he receives a diploma and his family praises his accomplishments. He cleans out his locker at school, vowing to return and graduate properly.
Artie summons Paige to celebrate the sale of the house, and reveals that they are in fact the new owners. He promises that she can live there and that they can split the money with “no strings” attached to their relationship, and she agrees. Becca and Jesse find one another again and admit that they miss one another, but he says that their lives are going in “different directions,” and though she offers to accompany him to Europe, she realizes that they must say good-bye despite their feelings for each other. She pursues him when he leaves, but finds only his empty apartment. In the future, however, they are finally married in front of their family and friends, and she later suggests that they have a child together. He refuses, saying that the risks are too great, and says that she will have babies with someone else after his death. He asks that she tell her future children about him and remember their relationship, and it is revealed that she has been recounting their love story to her young son, Jesse, as she tucks him in for the night, saying that he was a kind-hearted man "like Daddy." Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: May 23, 1993 Sunday 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:31182
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Families; Down's syndrome
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1989-1993
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Ball Park hot dogs
- TV - Commercials - Big Red chewing gum
- TV - Commercials - Discover credit cards
- TV - Commercials - Johnson's baby shampoo
- TV - Commercials - KFC restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Little Caesars pizza restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Lucky stores
- TV - Commercials - Maybelline Revitalizing makeup
- TV - Commercials - McDonald's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Pacific Bell telephone company
- TV - Commercials - Royal Caribbean cruise line
- TV - Commercials - Spirit soaps
- TV - Commercials - Thompson's Water Seal paint waterproofing formula
- TV - Commercials - Tic-Tac breath mints
- TV - Commercials - Tylenol pain relievers
- TV - Commercials - Wal-Mart stores
- TV - Promos - "America's Funniest Home Videos"
- TV - Promos - "Full House"
- TV - Promos - "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper"
- TV - Promos - "Liz and Larry" Eyewitness news special
- TV - Promos - "Roseanne"
- TV - Promos - Daytime Emmy Awards
- TV - Promos - The American Television Awards
CREDITS
- Michael Braverman … Executive Producer, Created by
- R.W. Goodwin … Co-Executive Producer
- Michael Nankin … Co-Executive Producer
- Phillips Wylly, Sr. … Supervising Producer
- Lorenzo DeStefano … Producer
- Thania St. John … Producer
- Toni Graphia … Co-Producer
- Bruce Ettinger … Co-Producer
- E.F. Wallengren … Writer
- Michael Lange … Director
- William Olvis … Music by
- Craig Safan … Theme Music by
- Bill Smitrovich … Cast, Andrew 'Drew' Thacher
- Patti LuPone … Cast, Elizabeth 'Libby' Thacher
- Chris Burke … Cast, Charles 'Corky' Thacher
- Kellie Martin … Cast, Rebecca 'Becca' Thacher
- Tracey Needham … Cast, Paige Thacher
- Chad Lowe … Cast, Jesse McKenna
- Troy Evans … Cast, Artie
- Andrea Friedman … Cast, Amanda
- Gloria Gifford … Cast, Mrs. Kneffer
- Michael Goorjian … Cast, Ray Nelson
- Kiersten Warren … Cast, Goodman
- John Ingle … Cast, Father Holquin
- Leslie Ishii … Cast, Samantha
- Jonathan Gibby … Cast, Jess
- Spencer Klein … Cast, Nick at 6
- Kevin Graves … Cast, Baby Nick
- Christopher Graves … Cast, Baby Nick