Favorite Different World Episode

DELTAQTE · #1 05-20-2002, 02:38 AM

It seems like we are all moving to fav D.W. episodes on the Cosby thread, so I started this thread.

Ok here are a few things you can touch on:

FAV D.W. CHARACTER
LEAST FAVORITE D.W. CHARACTER
FAVORITE EPISODE
LEAST FAVORITE
Annnddddd the all important....

WHEN D.W. JUMPED THE SHARK !

In case some of you don't know what jumping the shark is, it's when a show takes a turn for the worse and you know it's about to go downhill.

fav character
Kimberly Reese! She was oh so put together and she wanted to be a doctor. She was Whitley's sane friend and always gave good advice, and I remember when she cut her hair short, EVERYBODY wanted that cut. It was even featured in Ebony.

least favorite
Maggie Lauten

Marisa Tormei played her and she SO did not fit in with the show. I was glad she was kicked off after one season.

fav episode
Lawd Lawd I have so many. but I have to say when Dwanye stopped Whitley from marrying the congressman. When he was talking and saying how much he loved her, I was like "now that's what I call loving your woman!".

least favorite

all the episodes where Dwanye was seeing Kinu, finally Whitley realized she loved him and he's seeing homechick. I didn't like her because of that.

jumped the shark
When Dwanye and Whitley got married, they should of broken up a few more times

In case you have no idea who some of the characters or episodes are, go to this link:
http://www.tvtome.com/servlets/ShowM...et/showid-500/

CrimsonTide4 · #2 05-20-2002, 06:21 AM

Thanks for starting this. I was wondering when folks would start it. I will be back with mine because I needs to "thank" for a bit.

Favorite Character
I can't name just one. I think the ensemble cast was just my favorite in total.

Least Favorite Character
Charmaine -- her voice man
Kinu -- she was c*ck blocking
Matthew -- Freddie's Cousin who was just annoying
Terrance

FAVORITE EPISODE
The Wedding -- Go 'head Dewayne

/Ron making his PINA COOOOOOOOLADAS

with breast milk.
The Ep where Gina was being beat by her boyfriend who later played "REGGIE" on 4 Your Love.
The Ep where Tisha Campbell had AIDS.
The ep where they were pledging.
The ep where Whitley called the Montel Williams show to talk about her marriage.
The ep where they had the Aunt Jemimas.
The 2PAC episode.
and many more

Least Favorite Episode
When I discovered that Jaleesa had married Colonel Taylor -- WTF were they thinking?

The "Denise" Years. My God she was a confused person.

Jumped the Shark
I hated the marriage of Jaleesa and Colonel Taylor more than Dewayne and Whitley.

kiml122 · #3 05-20-2002, 10:50 AM

Fav Character

Kimberly Reese (remember when she was singing in Ron's band and how the guy use to introduce her...Kimberleeeeeey Reese.

Least Fav Character
Denise

Fav Episode
Damn I have tons
Bryon/Whitley/Dwayne's wedding

Gina and ole boy from For your Love (when he was beating her)
The ep with Billy Dee Wms (when the new crew) Lena, Gina, Charmaine and the 2 guys (can't think of their names) were living off campus at Billy D's house.

The final ep when Dwayne and Whit moved to Japan and Whit found out she was pregnant

The ep when Dwayne and Whit were engaged and their momma's got into a fight at the engagment party.

When Walter and Jaleesa went on their first date...( I still see Walter dancing fast to the slow song)

These are just a few.

Least Fav episode
Pick anyone with Denise.

Jump the Shark
Definitely Jaleesa and Col. Taylor getting married. That whole thing was just plain goofy.

nikki25 · #4 05-20-2002, 04:09 PM

My, my, my...I loved A Different World. Here are my favorites:

Favorite Character

Whitley Gilbert: I liked the evolution of her character. It seemed as if she was one that really benefited from the exposure that Hillman College afforded her. When she came to Hillman, she was a self-centered snob from an affluent Virginia family. Because of her peers and experiences (the Apartheid protest, Kim's pregnancy, Resident Director, and her ups and downs of dating and relating), she became a well-rounded and sincere person. Her world was different after her four years of Hillman..and was forever shocked when Dwayne proposed to her right in the middle of her wedding to the Senator (to a man played by Joe Morton--that's one talented actor--I've long felt that all of his movies were excellent depictions of the strength of Black men)

Least Favorite Character

Denise Huxtable. She seemed so boring and non-descript to me. I believed that the show picked up once she left. I also believe that the show picked up once Debbie Allen assumed the production responsibilities of the show.

Other characters that I didn't like:

*Kinu (because she was just in the way)
*Matthew (it was a poor attempt to racially integrate the show)

Favorite Episode

Dwayne and Whitley's wedding. Here's my favorite scene: Whitley is having visions of Dwayne everywhere and then Dwayne gets up, walks down the aisle and held his peace no longer...he asks Whitley to marry him. Whitley's mom, played by the quintessential Diahann Carroll says to Dwayne: "Die, just die!"

Another favorite episode was when Ron and Dwayne were pledging and Dwayne makes a conscious decision to do what he thought was best for him. I loved the clever nature of the part when the lady pledgees are asked to "knock down that door" and Kim knocks down the door. She used her mind.

I liked the episode when Walter and Jaleesa are dating and Jaleesa disquises her voice to Walter. On an outing later in that episode, Walter sings with full Reggae adornments: "Jaleesa is Sheila, Sheila is Jaleesa..." It always made me laugh.

Another one is when Kim recites Nikki Giovanni's "Ego Tripping". I hadn't heard that poem before. Now, it is a part of my recitation reportoire.

Any of the episodes where Patti LaBelle and Diahann Carroll appeared on together. They were hilarious!

Another good episode is when Jaleesa and Walter decide to not get married, but Whitley and Dwayne kiss.

Another episode that I loved is when Dwayne defends his decision to attend and stay at Hillman to his childhood friend who attends Penn. It told of his conscious decision to attend an HBCU!

I have others...more to come.

Least Favorite Episode The first season really wasn't good.
Once Debbie Allen got on the scene and Denise was gone, things started looking up!

Jump the Shark: Never happened for me. I liked almost all the shows post-Denise.

ClassyLady · #5 05-20-2002, 08:09 PM

QTE, girl, this is right up my alley. I watch Different World about three times a day. Well, actually, once a day now because I've started working.

Favorite Character

Definitely Whitley Gilbert. Some people didn't like her personality or her voice, but I loved it. She was the funniest one and she stole the show. You have to admit it, the show wouldn't have been half as successful as it was if it wasn't for Whitley.

Least Favorite Character

Shazza, Freddie's boyfriend. He was always talking that old "new age" stuff and he wasn't even practicing what he preached.

Favorite Episode(s)

the one where Ron was pledging
the one when Whitley was working at the International House of Flapjacks
the one when Whitley called Montel
the one when Gina called Charmaine a "digit ho" because "she'd do anything for a math problem"
the one when Jaleesa called Sinbad pretending to be "Sheila" and he and a few other boys dressed up singing "Jaleesa is Sheila"
the one when Debbie Allen was Whitley's shrink "Relax, Relate Release"
the one about stepping when Lena did "L to the E to the N to the A, step off you ain't gettin no play"

Least Favorite Episode

All the ones with Denise, Millie, and Maggie

Jumped the Shark

When Jaleesa and Col. Taylor got married and when Freddie and Ron started sneaking around.

Virtual Violet · #6 05-20-2002, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Favorite Episode

Dwayne and Whitley's wedding. Here's my favorite scene: Whitley is having visions of Dwayne everywhere and then Dwayne gets up, walks down the aisle and held his peace no longer...he asks Whitley to marry him. Whitley's mom, played by the quintessential Diahann Carroll says to Dwayne: "Die, just die!"

Any of the episodes where Patti LaBelle and Diahann Carroll appeared on together. They were hilarious!

more to come.

OMG, that is SO TRUE.....Diahann and Patti were hilarious!! Especially when Patti kept telling Dwayne to get with Kim because "she's gonna be a doctor and has all those pretty white teeth"

Second favorite episode:

When Kenu and Dwayne were having a romantic dinner and Whitley showed up dressed as the maid!!

Princess314 · #7 05-20-2002, 09:27 PM

There are way too many fav episodes of D.W., but the wedding episode is definetly #1 (Baby Please!.....I Do!!!!!) I always get chills on that scene. But my least fav was the LA Riots and the whole Denise era was annoying. I know she was the whole purpose of the show, but did they have to focus on her that much! I was glad when she left.
I can't wait for a reunion, hopefully it will be actual show, I want to see what Dewayne and Whitley's child looks like.

DELTAQTE · #8 05-20-2002, 09:37 PM

did you guys look on that link and see some of the shows that never aired? There were a few that I would have REALLY wanted to see!

QTE

Princess314 · #9 05-20-2002, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DELTAQTE
did you guys look on that link and see some of the shows that never aired? There were a few that I would have REALLY wanted to see!

QTE

They must mean, never originally aired, because all those episodes they listed as unaired, I've seen.

MeezDiscreet · #10 05-20-2002, 10:42 PM

i kind of like the denise-era. i think they reflected the college career of a lot of people that i know. i know people who went to college without a clue. i know people who struggled to find themselves in college. i thought it was pretty real.

my favorite characters are whitley and kim. whitley for all the reasons previously stated by nikki25. kim because she was so together. she reminds me of me at times. i was always the one who came to college with my mind set on what i was majoring in, what i wanted to do when i got out of school, etc. i also liked lena and latrell (was that his name? he was roommates with the Christian that dated lena in the latter episodes)

my least favorite character was terrance. he was quite annoying his first season. i also didn't like col. taylor's daughter that dated dewayne. i believe her name was suzzanne. she just had an attitude about her that was never quite justified on the show.

i have a list of favorite episodes...
- when ron was pledging
- when kim was pledging
- when gina was having the domestic violence issues
- when freddy got drunk
- when denise and whitley were in that play together and were fighting over their co-star
- whitley's 21st birthday
- when kris kross were on the show
- when whitley started teaching
- the "mamie" episode
- when lena horne was on the show
- when dewayne and ron fought the white guys (the false accounts of what happened and that guy in the costume were hilarious)
- when they were auditioning for gladys knight
- the step competition between dorms
- when they were trying to raise money for the youth center
and my all-time favorite is the episode where tupac was on there! i l-o-v-e- that episode!!

my least favorite episodes:
-when they did that dream sequence and i think it was freddy that was president, ron was the first husband and charmaine was ross perot
- part 1 of the l.a. riots

i have to agree with a lot of people. the show went down after dewayne and whitley married. what's funny is that the ep where they married is one of my favs though

DramaQueen42401 · #11 05-20-2002, 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MeezDiscreet
i also liked lena and latrell (was that his name? he was roommates with the Christian that dated lena in the latter episodes)

His name was Tyrell.

My favorite character was Mr. Gaines, he was my homeboy. Especially on that episode when they sang the ghetto 12 days of Christmas, lol.

My least favorite was Mille, can we say IGG-nant? I also didn't like the character that Leroy from Last Dragon played. He was such a dogg, but oh, so cuuuuuute

. Kenu was a waste of script page. Gina's abusive boyfriend was a punk too.

My favorite episode...hmmmmm
When Dwayne and Ron fought the white dudes at the football game
When Gina's man was beating her
The Tupac episode
Dwyane and Whitley's wedding had me crying
Any episode when Dwayne let Whitley know she wasn't Queen Elizabeth

My least favorite...I have to admit, the show wasnt reallt hilarious until Denise left and the other characters came in.

I never felt that the show was going down hill, but I liked when they brought in the new generation of college students after everyone had become graduates.

nyhune · #12 05-21-2002, 09:04 AM

My Favorite Character: Kim Reese and Whitley Gilbert... I agree that Whitley's charachter evolved from a stuck up whiner into a down to earth woman who stuck by her man( even wearing that damn pink blouse to work everyday because they were broke) lol..

Least Favorite Character: Denise Huxtable and Marissa Tomei(sp?).. Denise just got on my motherflippin nerves.. and the other chick was there to serve what purpose?

Favorite episode: The best was Dwayne & Whitley's wedding.. that episode still makes me teary eyed.. They have one hour reruns in the morning here in Richmond, I will be late for work to watch that episode again, lol..Another good one was when Kim had to get over the "aunt Jemima" complex.. that was very personal and special to me as a dark skin woman.. Another was when Jada's Character broke down Shakespeare for her English teacher.. and last is when Kim was pledging Whitley's sorority..o.k. one more.. when Whitley was teaching and brought the little girl, Deshawn home with her and Kim and Whitley wanted to beat the chile..

Least favorite episode: I just didn't like anything with Denise in it and when Jada lied about her dad being in the military so she could win the scholarship $.. I just didn't feel that episode..

Jumped the Shark: Col. Taylor's and Jaleesa's whole wedding and pregnancy episodes.. Jaleesa's clothes were tacky, she was very whiny.. and I just wasn't feeling those episodes...

Ms. Jay · #13 05-21-2002, 10:39 AM

I loved A Different World. I'm hoping with the Cosby Show Reunion thing, that DW will do one too!

Fav Character: Whitley, but after Denise left. Before then she got on my last nerves!!

Least Fav: Denise

Fav Episode: When Dwayne, Ron, Whitley, Kim, Ernest, and Freddie went to that beach house for the week and the drug dealers where after Dwayne and Ron. Later Julian showed up.

Jumped the Shark: Never for me

Kimmie1913 · #14 05-21-2002, 11:25 AM

I LOVED DW!

My favorite Characters were also Whitley and Kim. Whitley because she made the show and was hilarious to me. Also her evolution was well done. Kim because she is a Kim

and she was so together. Most times when the use the name Kim in movies and tv she is a cheerleader or a secretary or the other woman or a bimbo but not Kim Reese. She did us all proud!

Least fav- Denise, Terrance, Maggie.

Fav episodes- Theere were so many. Definitely the wedding episode. I made my family spend the night in Ithaca before driving homw from college that year so I would not miss it. The dorm step off (ABCDEFG Gilbert Hall's the one for me...) Wen Rona dn Dwayne were pledging, when Kim was pledging, GIna's Boyfriend beating her, the Aunt Jemima one where they did my FAVORITE poem Ego Tripping by Soror Nikki GIovanni (my favorite poet) ...the list goes on and on.

Least fav- anything with Denise. I am so glad it survived that season and became a show worth watching!

nikki1920 · #15 05-22-2002, 12:10 PM

*waving to all the Sisterfriends*
My favorite shows:
Dwayne/Whitley/Byron triangle
Ron and his Pina Coooooladas
Any one with Mrs. Wayne and Mrs. Gilbert
The pledging episode
The one when Freddie came back to campus after she decided she wanted to be a lawyer
When Dwayne saved Freddie from Garth (the date raper ball player)
"Jaleesa is Sheila, Sheila is Jaleesa"
The one when Vanessa came to visit
Relax, relate, release (I still use that today!)
My FAVORITE show, though is the Piccolo episode. (Yum, Tupac!)

I liked DW because it showed what college life was like as a freshman to a senior and beyond. I liked all the characters because I knew someone in school who was just like Kim, Ron, Dwayne, Whitley, Millie, Terrance, Gina, Lena, Charmaine, Freddie, etc.

We need a show like that on TV nowadays. I'd love to have those episodes on tape and show them to my daughter when she gets ready to go to school.