We Have to Go Back: *That* Episode of Punky Brewster

Let's relive some childhood trauma together.

Hi hi.

Welcome to a very special edition of the newest WHN franchise, We Have To Go Back. Previously, we traveled to 1998 and New York mag’s legendary “Power Girls” cover story.

Today, we find ourselves in early 1986 when an episode of television that low-key defined a micro-generation of kids first aired. That’s right, we’re digging into the January 19, 1986 ep of our beloved Punky Brewster entitled, “Cherie Lifesaver”—or as most of us refer to it, the one with Cherie in the abandoned refrigerator. But, like, props to writers for that pun of a title on around 24ish minutes of TV that none of us will ever forget. I think about this ep ALL THE TIME.

Would it surprise you if I told you that something even more traumatic for Gen X¹ happened on our TVs not long after this aired? Because I had absolutely forgotten that the date of the Challenger explosion was basically a week later, on January 28. I mean, I could write 30 essays on how much that fucked us all up forever.

Hey, let’s wheel this TV into the elementary school (for me) classroom/auditorium/gym to watch the teacher and the other cool astronauts go up in space after months of national hype. Explosion. Oh no oh no oh no oh no. Confusion. Horrifed and shocked grownups. TV wheeled back out. Then, just go about your day, young people. Don’t mind everyone crying.

We didn’t, uh, talk things like this out so much in those days. Nobody was really checking in on how that made us feel. (WE FELT VERY BAD AND SCARED AND CONFUSED AND SAD!!!!! I still spontaneously and openly weep when I see coverage of that day. Trauma response much?)

What a fucking month for all of us. Yet another reason it’s hilarious to me when millennials and Gen Z think they own tough things and trauma in the world and their childhoods and young adulthoods.

But let’s not dwell on that and get back to our girl, Punk.