Welcome Back, Kotter: What Goes Up

Welcome Back, Kotter: What Goes Up
ABC
February 9, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This was written by four writers-- Neil Rosen and George Tricker (who co-wrote two earlier episodes), George Arthur Bloom (this is his fifth), and producer Nick Arnold (this is his last WBK script)-- and it's definitely a Very Special Episode.  Not that that's a bad thing, and I do appreciate the underused Hilton-Jacobs getting to show his acting chops, but it does illustrate the perils of the sitcom format.  Problems are solved in twenty minutes or less (subtracting commercials and credits), but drug addiction isn't something that can be solved that quickly.  Note that this is a rare non-Christmas show which features snow.  I see it as symbolic, not of cocaine (Freddie's on pills) but of freezing out friends.