Every Time I Turn Around

 There's another reboot to watch. This time it was the Punky Brewster one. 

I hoped it would be watchable, but I wasn't expecting a whole lot from it. I was pleansantly surprised, though.

**************SPOILERS AHEAD*************************

Obviously, there are a lot of references to the original series; my favorite is when Cherie's fiancé says to her "You have an irrational fear of refrigerators" and Cherie replies "I have my reasons" because that's a pretty memorable episode. It's also basically an homage to the 80s, and there's as almost as  much cheese as Fuller House served up.

However, as I watched the series (yes I binged it in all of two days)I realized that the series was actually doing a nice service to the original, and also similar types of programs, by making inclusiveness a priority.

For example, Punky's longtime BFF Cherie is gay, and gets engaged to her girlfriend. Cherie confesses that if her grandmother were still alive, she might've have been critical about that idea. Also, when Punky is planning an 80s themed block party and talking about how much fun the decade was, Cherie reminds her how much homophobia existed back then (and obviously, the AIDS epidemic was also raging) and how she is glad we've moved beyond that time.

I was also glad to see how much emphasis on different family make-ups there was. Punky herself was abandoned by her mother as a child, sent to a group home, and was eventually adopted by Henry. Grown up Punky has a daughter, as well as two adopted sons, and fosters another girl. There is family discussion about the difference between foster care and adoption, and Punky reminds her two sons that if they ever become curious about their birth parents, she will support them and help them search. 

That is one aspect that really disappointed me about Fuller House; Stephanie originally says she is not able to have children, and that would have been a great opportunity to have a wonderful story arc about the adoption process, but instead they have Kimmy Gibbler be the surrogate mother (because that leads to more wackiness) and then at the series end Stephanie finds out that she has somehow become pregnant anyways. It all magically worked out with no inconvenience or setbacks or anything! Not only does Punky Brewster give screen time to foster care and adoption, but it also shows us the mixed emotions that come when adopted children make contact with their birth parents (when Punky's mother finds her).

The last thing I feel is worth discussing is Punky's son Daniel is gender non-conforming. He uses his male name and sometimes wears boys' clothing, but he also wears his hair long and paints his nails and wears a sarong at one point. When Punky tries to find the correct terms to describe him, and have a discussion with him (gender fluid, transgender, non-binary, etc) her daughter simply asks "Why do you need to label it?"

I loved Punky Brewster when I was little, and I continued to watch it when it went to reruns. I even read the graphic novel version that came out a few years go, and put it in my library at school.  In fact, I kind of credit this character for influencing my home décor style; I love my house to be colorful and whimsical and a little funky, and I loved the sets on the new series.

It may not been a show that everyone was clambering for a reboot of, but there's more substance there than the trailers let on.

Man, I wish so much that I still had my Punky Brewster sneakers: