Written by Patrick Harsburgh
Directed by Rob Bowman
Airdate: May 10, 1987
Guest Stars: Lezlie Dean (Jane Kinney); Winifred Freedman (Margie)
Hoffs goes undercover at a Catholic Girls School to investigate a recent string of arsons. The episode culminates with the Prom, allowing the entire Jump Street Unit to take part in the festivities.
The episode begins during Sex Ed class at the school; rebel student Jane Kinney slipped in a porno VHS instead of the educational video getting her into trouble. Jane gets disciplined for the prank and is also a suspect for the arsons, meanwhile her friend Margie struggles socially.
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| Classroom Prank |
In the secondary story, Penhall has struggles with his dating life. He picks up a woman, who leads him outside and he gets mugged by her boyfriend. Meanwhile, we learn Hanson loves to go bowling!
There's a few more fire incidents at the school, all leading to the prom night when the entire crew is assigned to attend to snag the culprit. Jenko is amused at everyone's prom wear - Ioki is the Japanese Elvis, Penhall looks liked a pimp, and Hanson the butler. It's hard to tell if they are dressed for a prom or Halloween.
The episode ends on a WTF moment, with Margie being revealed as the arsonist when, in a meltdown, she sets the gym on fire. We never ger a motive - other than socially awkward people are prone to such things? Everyone eventually snaps at Catholic school? Alas, all is well, the entire crew heads to the bowling alley after the dreary prom night. After all, who gets to relive their prom? Well, teachers who chaperone I suppose.
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| Jenko's Final Appearance |
Sadly, this episode would be the final appearance by Frederic Forrest as Jenko, who left the show to continue his film career. His roles in Francis Ford Coppola films like The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, and One from the Heart are all legendary. It's tempting to imagine how the show might've evolved if Forrest had stayed (his casting was a major reason Depp joined the cast). I liked the vibe of Jenko, especially his irreverent attitude, but his informal approach could sometimes work against the more serious tone the series would take.
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