Guest
Punky’s feeling a little depressed because Mike has assigned she and her classmates to each work on their family tree. It’s making Punky want her mother Susan back in her life. When Mike has a talk with Punky in the tree house, Mike tells Punky something surprising: Mike was born on November 23, 1955, and his mother gave him up for adoption when he was just a few days old, and he was never adopted, so he grew up in Fenster Hall. That inspires Punky and Mike to help each other search for their mothers. After six weeks of searching, Henry finally gets a lead on Mike’s it leads him right to the phone number of Mike’s mother Lois Collins (Janet MacLachlan), who is less than thrilled. Punky gets herself into a position to figure out more from Lois, finding out that she was 16 years old when Mike was born. Years after Lois gave Mike up, she moved on to have another family. Punky makes a plea for Mike based on her own experiences, and while Lois doesn’t take it well at first, Mike soon gets a visit to his classroom for a joyful reunion with Lois. The fact that Mike has been happily united with Lois delights Punky, who feels thankful that Henry found her and took her in after her mother Susan abandoned her a year ago. (Note: In the opening of the episode, Punky encounters a teacher, played by Peyton B. Rutledge, while running down the stairs. She is the real-life Penelope “Punky“ Brewster, whom then-NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff had a crush on as a child. He had her tracked down and gotten legal permission to use her name, then she was given a cameo appearance and royalties.)
