The series 21 Jump Street covered a lot of ground in the five seasons that it aired. While the gang helped others and themselves, they also faced many challenges and obstacles along the way and dealt with plenty of deep issues in the process. Oftentimes in their cases, the 21 Jump Street members faced bullies, sexual harassment, family problems, protests and more.
Additionally, these deep issues would sometimes hit a chord with the members of Jump Street, such as Judy reliving painful memories of her abortion, Penhall dealing with old wounds inflicted by an awful bully, and Hanson struggling to find answers after a student’s suicide.
When The Gang Talked About Bullies
While undercover trying to get in with a group of smart kids, Penhall finds himself with a bully. In order to maintain his cover, he can’t do anything about it, and it brings back horrible memories of Penhall’s own school days and the bully, Jack, that he had to deal with.
Hanson, Banducci, Booker, and Fuller all recount their own stories of instances in which they were bullied as well. Ultimately, Penhall gets the chance to heal old wounds when he tracks down Jack and sees how he turned out, which makes Penhall feel better.
When Hoffs Had To Deal With Sexual Harassment
Judy falls head over heels in love with Marcus, and finds herself happier than she’s ever been. However, that happiness is crushed when she discovers that he’s actually married, and never told her about it. Now unable to trust him as he lied to her, she immediately breaks things off.
Unfortunately, Marcus isn’t willing to give up on Judy, and takes disastrous measures to try to force her to listen to him and get her back, harassing her in the process. Since he also happens to be auditing the Jump Street program, he manages to put her career in jeopardy as well, forcing her to get evidence against him to save her career and the program, even if it means her personal life will be laid out for all to see.
When A Boy Faked His Own Kidnapping To Get Away From His Parents
A young boy stages his own kidnapping, with help from his grandfather. Why? His parents may not be together anymore, but it hasn’t stopped their incessant feuding, in which their son often gets caught in the middle. The boy had planned to use the ransom money for him and his grandfather to start a new life, but their plans fail when the cops at 21 Jump Street get involved.
His parents ultimately realize just how far they’ve pushed their son, and though it’ll be a road to recovery, the end of the episode holds promise for a better family dynamic for all.
When Hanson Got A Look At Life Behind Bars
Hanson, alongside three other 21 Jump Street team members, goes undercover at a juvenile hall to investigate a death and the presence of drugs.
However, he gets more than he bargained for when Penhall doesn’t stick around due to claustrophobia, and day by day, Hanson is exposed to the harsh realities of life in prison. Hanson’s mental health takes a serious hit as he experiences for himself just what happens to the people he busts, and learns exactly how they feel.
When Hanson And Ioki Went Undercover To Investigate A Rape
Hanson and Ioki are undercover as pledges for a fraternity on a college campus to investigate a rape that had taken place there. While doing so, they’re subjected to all kinds of brutal means of initiation, from humiliating to dangerous. Had it not been for Hanson and Ioki’s intervention, a fellow pledge might have drowned during one such initiation.
Luckily, by the end of the episode, the two manage to bust the man responsible for the assault, and end the brutal tactics the fraternity forces its potential members to endure. Between the assault and the initiations, Hanson and Ioki were faced with more than one serious issue.
When A Teen Faced A Hard Decision Regarding Her Unborn Baby
Clinics designed to help young women with birth control, pregnancy and the like have been under attack lately, and Hoffs and Ioki go undercover, albeit on opposite sides, to investigate. Hoffs befriends a young girl named Rebecca, who is pregnant and struggling to decide what to do. She faces a lot of pressure to keep the baby from her boyfriend Mark, played by Dana Ashbrook of Twin Peaks.
However, she wants to decide for herself, and sadly, that decision is taken away when she’s accidentally caught in an explosion at the clinic after-hours, planted by none other than Mark, and it causes her to lose her baby. Hoffs also relives painful memories from her past when she reveals that she had an abortion and never told her mother.
When Hanson Was Assigned To Protect A Student With AIDS
Initially, Hanson was reluctant to take on the task of protecting a student named Harley, who had been diagnosed with AIDS and whose life was in danger because of the heated protests from parents and students that he not attend school.
Over time, Hanson and Harley bond, with Hanson becoming Harley’s only real friend. Harley reveals the struggles of his disease, including the amount of loneliness he deals with as people are afraid to come near him. Hanson is there when Harley needs him most, and hugs him for a while in reassurance. The episode offered a deep insight into the discrimination that AIDS patients experienced.
When Hanson Crossed Paths With A Sexually Abused Teen
Diane (Sherilyn Fenn of Twin Peaks) is a bright but troubled student. She is desperate to end the sexual abuse that she endures because of her father, who’s also a high-ranking member of the police department, and who has previously ensured that no one finds out about the abuse.
Feeling she has no other option, Diane pleads with Hanson, who’s undercover at her school, to kill her father, and offers to pay him for it. Hanson becomes involved, finding himself in a difficult position as he goes after her father and tries to do what he can to help Diane.
When Racial Tensions Ran High
Hanson and Hoffs have quite an assignment when they go undercover in a high school to help ease the rising racial tensions in “Don’t Stretch the Rainbow”. The school is severely divided, and things get significantly worse when a young Black student is hit by a car. Thinking she was a target for murder, the school is enraged, and the real story comes out to prevent matters from getting worse, as she reveals that it had been a suicide attempt due to her pregnancy. She urges everyone to stop fighting, as she and her boyfriend, who is white, reveal their relationship, the existence of their child, and the fact they plan to be a family.
Their loving relationship manages to de-escalate the situation just in time, showing their fellow students a better way.
When A Student Took Their Own Life
In the Season 2 episode, “Best Years of Your Life”, Hanson and Penhall are investigating a string of burglaries. Later, a student who appeared during one of their stakeouts takes his life. Wondering if he pushed the student over the edge when he talked with him in the cafeteria previously, Hanson feels guilty and tries to get answers where there are none.
Hanson also becomes increasingly frustrated with Penhall, who doesn’t appear to care too much; Penhall has a reason for his behavior, though, and tells Hanson his mother died of suicide years before, leading to an emotional talk between the two. Brad Pitt guest stars as one of the students at the school.
