Changes, part 1

"Changes, part 1" is the seventeenth episode in the second season of Punky Brewster.

Summary
After fire trucks race down the street outside his apartment building, Henry gets a phone call that his photography studio is on fire. As Punky and Henry arrive to see the studio destroyed, a fireman tells Henry that a short circuit in the building's aging wiring was the probable cause of the fire. The studio served as Henry's only source of income, and he starts worrying greatly about his ability to pay the bills. He ends up collapsing and is taken to Cook County Hospital, where he is diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer. While Betty and Cherie help Punky pack to stay with them during Henry's time in the hospital, Department of Children and Family Services case worker Simon P. Chillings (Timothy Stack) drops by and informs Punky that Henry wants to adopt her. She is excited about the news, but when she reveals that Henry is in the hospital and that his photography studio burned down, Chillings starts questioning whether Henry is fit to become her foster father. Chillings visits Henry in the hospital, and after confirming his financial state and health, Chillings decides to remove Punky from Henry's custody. Unaware of the talk Henry and Chillings just had, an overjoyed Punky enters Henry's hospital room, thinking that he has already adopted her.

Trivia

 * This is the first & only 5 part episode arc in the series.

Cast

 * Soleil Moon Frye as Punky Brewster
 * Cherie Johnson as Cherie Johnson
 * George Gaynes as Henry Warnimont
 * Susie Garrett as Betty Johnson
 * T. K. Carter as Mike Fulton
 * Ami Foster as Margaux Kramer
 * Casey Ellison as Allen Anderson
 * Sandy as Brandon "the Wonder Dog"
 * Timothy Stack as Simon P. Chillings