SEASON 1
Created by William Cosby Jr. Ed.D.
Theme music written by Stu Gardner, Bill Cosby, and Dawnn Lewis, and performed by Phoebe Snow
This series is a spinoff of “The Cosby Show”
- 001. Reconcilable Differences – 9/24/1987
- New York-born Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) has finished her first year at Virginia’s Hillman College, and is moving from the Freshman dorm into the nicer Gilbert Hall dorm. Meandering around the lobby is self-proclaimed ladies’ man Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), who is purporting to be part of the Dorm Orientation Committee in order to secure dates, until he is thrown out by the dorm director Stevie Rallen (Loretta Devine). She runs into her acquaintance, the rich and snobby Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy), who tells her that the roommate to whom she’s been assigned is a 26-year old divorcee named Jaleesa Vinson (Dawnn Lewis). When Denise meets her, she seems to say all of the wrong things about Jaleesa’s situation. It is also obvious that she is very organized, while Denise tends to be a slob. Denise quickly begins to feel that they won’t be a good match and tries to convince Stevie to give her another roommate. The only available roommate is Whitley, so she convinces Denise to try to put some good energy out there and get along. However, when Jaleesa realizes that Denise went behind her back, she becomes even angrier, so Denise decides to move in with Whitley. This quickly goes sour as well when Whitley is particular about everything in the room, and then attempts to steal a guy named Chip St. Charles (Don Reed) who they meet at the local hangout The Pit. When Whitley insists on playing the sound of crickets on her stereo all night, Denise goes to the lobby to sleep. Jalessa finds her there, and the two reconcile with each admitting that they could have tried harder. Amir Jamal Williams is Stevie’s little boy J.T. Adrienne Kapuki Jones makes her first of 22 uncredited appearance as the Double Dutch Girl. NOTE: This episode was filmed after the second episode – the original pilot – in order to add some further background to the characters. 1/23/21
- 002. Pilot – 10/1/1987
- Denise delivers the rent check for herself and for Jaleesa, to whom she owed money, but hands it off to Stevie after the time it was due. This irritates Stevie, who also delivers her the news that she and Jaleesa are getting a new roommate from Minnesota named Maggie Lauten (Marisa Tomei). To Denise’s surprise, this doesn’t seem to bother Jaleesa too much, but once she meets her, Jalessa is a bit taken aback that she seems to share Denise’s decorating taste when it comes to an antler lamp. She is also super talkative and requires that someone tell her to stop when she starts to drone on. Denise later finds out that her check has bounced for both her and Jaleesa’s rent, and if they don’t come up with the money, they’ll be kicked out. Denise calls home to Brooklyn and speaks to her father Cliff (Bill Cosby) but decides not to ask him for the money. She also comes clean to Jaleesa, who calls her irresponsible and immature. Maggie suggests that she talk to the Dean of Student Affairs, Dean Harris (Ted Ross), so Denise goes to see him in his class. He advises she ask her parents for the money, but when she says she wants to solve the problem on her own, he gets her a job in the Hillman Cafeteria, where she will work under Jaleesa, and also gets a $200 advance. She phones home to tell her father that she resolved the problem and tells Jaleesa she got the money. Although she hopes for an apology from Jaleesa for yelling at her, she refuses to give one. Maggie gives an apology on her behalf, and the goes off on a tangent, to which Denise has to tell her to stop talking. Keshia Knight Pulliam appears as Denise’s sister Rudy. Todd Hollowell is Dean Harris’s student Mr. Cooper. 1/24/21
- 003. Porky de Bergerac – 10/15/1987
- Denise wants to ask out a boy from her Biology class named Michael Oku (Reggie Johnson) but is too scared to make the first move even though Jaleesa tries to talk her into taking the risk. Meanwhile Whitley is running unopposed for dorm monitor, and Denise and Maggie desperately don’t want to see her get it. They try to talk Jaleesa into running, but she doesn’t think she’ll win. Denise reminds her of the advice she gave to her about Michael, and when Whitley scoffs at the notion of Jaleesa running against her, Jaleesa decides to go for it. She gives a rousing campaign speech, with practical ideas for solving the issues, including how to make sure shower time is reasonable, how to prevent gossip behind other’s backs, and requiring that any girl caught leaving food out, which is causing an ant problem, will have to wear a fake pig snout for the day. Jaleesa wins the most votes and becomes dorm monitor. Denise is inspired enough to call Michael up and ask him to a wine and cheese party. When he accepts, in her excitement she leaves her pizza box in the lounge area. Whitley finds it and demands that Jaleesa enforce the pig snout rule. Denise pleads with her to not make her wear it, but Jaleesa wants to make sure she treats everyone equally. Accepting her fate, Denise tries to cancel the date with Michael but is unable to get hold of him. Michael shows up to pick up Denise, and she tries to deny her identity. Maggie too has been forced to wear a snout, and they try to tell him they’re wearing them for an assignment. Finally, Denise reveals her true identity and tells him the truth about why they’re wearing them. Michael borrows Maggie’s snout, and they both wear them to the party, where they are a big hit together. Bee-Be Smith is Gloria. Kim Wayans is Alison. 3/27/21
- 004. Those Who Can’t… Tutor – 10/22/1987
- Maggie is working on an article for the school paper about what the college kids think of dorm rules, including the curfew. Whitley, despite most others’ opinions, think that the curfews are absolutely necessary. Denise isn’t interested in the article because she is upset she got a D on her calculus test. Dwayne offers to tutor her, but she blows him off. Little does she know that he’s actually quite good, and when he shows up to tutor her, they study until 1:30am… well after curfew. Dwayne tries to help her not get caught with a boy in the dorm but sneaking out using the fire escape outside Whitley’s window. To do this, he has to sneak through Whitley’s room while she sleeps. She doesn’t catch him… but Stevie does, when Dwayne drops in front of her window. Whitley has his dorm director Coach Walter Oakes (Sinbad) come get him, and they decide to have a hearing with Dwayne and Whitley present the next night. All his friends, including Walter, think he is a stud for being in Whitley’s room. However, she is beside herself thinking her reputation will suffer and begs Dwayne to clear her name. At the hearing, All Dwayne will say is that he was just passing through Whitley’s room on the way back home from the library. Since Stevie can’t decide who is telling the truth, she suggests taking the conversation to the Dean. Denise then enters and admits that Dwayne was with her, but that they were only studying. Everyone is surprised to hear that Dwayne was tutoring, until she tells them that she got a B+ on her test. Whitley demands an apology in the school paper. Darryl Bell makes his first appearance as Ron Johnson. 3/28/21
- 005. War of the Words – 10/29/1987
- Dwayne has been filling in as the campus DJ, but when the regular DJ Marvin Haven (Damon Wayans) returns after being sick, he wants his job back. Meanwhile, the girls are planning for their their next debate for the Debate Society, being coached by Professor Lawrence (Keenan Ivory Wayans). Dwayne decides to start his own radio show That’s Debatable and broadcast the debates. The night before the debate before Maggie and Whitley are set to debate whether a woman should have a career or a family, with Whitley arguing that women should remain in the house, Maggie’s boyfriend Michael (Dean Howell) comes to see her from Washington D.C. He had been studying to be a lawyer but decides to drop out to get a job with the Pork Board. He also wants Maggie to move in with him and get married. When it comes time for Maggie to present her side of the argument, she can’t do it considering everything going on. Denise has to step in for her and argue that, based on her parents’ experience, both parties need to compromise so they both can have meaningful careers. She helps win the debate, and Maggie runs into the arms of Maggie. After the debate, she barely makes in before curfew, then tells Denise and Jaleesa that she had a great talk with Michael, and they decided there is no reason to rush into anything… and they decided to name their firstborn Denise if it’s a girl, and Jaleesa if it’s a boy. 7/21/21
- 006. Rudy and the Snow Queen – 11/5/1987
- Denise’s father Cliff allows her younger sister Rudy to fly to Virginia to visit with her big sister. Denise is excited to have her there and has plans to visit the Doll Museum and partake in other activities including a fancy tea party. After their first day together, Denise and Rudy realize that it is uncomfortable to sleep in the same bed, so the girls in her room ask if one of them can stay in Whitley’s spare bed. Whitley reluctantly allows Rudy to stay there and begins filling her head with makeup tips, dress fancy, and behave like a lady. She even starts calling her by her more dignified middle name, Lillian. At the tea party, it becomes obvious that Whitley can more successfully get through to Rudy than she can. Denise considers putting a stop to letting Rudy hang around with Whitley, but then decides not to force it. She tells her roommates how upset it has got her. Jaleesa is also upset with her sister Yvette, who was spotted out to eat with Jaleesa’s ex-husband Lamar. She stews about it all day, especially when Yvette won’t answer the phone. She finally gets through and is told by Yvette that her phone was out of order. Yvette is relieved and invites Yvette to come visit her. Afterward, she goes to talk to Whitley about not monopolizing Rudy because Denise is upset. Whitley seems to blow her off, but then tells Rudy the story of the Snow Queen and a pair of sisters. The Snow Queen had charmed the younger sister, and then left the older sister out in the cold. Finally the ice around her ice is melted, and the sisters are reunited. This gets Rudy thinking about Denise, and she returns to her room to spend the rest of the trip with her. Denise thanks Whitley and invites her to go to brunch with them, but Whitley won’t drop her facade and tells her that she neither has the time or the waistline to join them. John Woodard is the waiter. 7/21/21
- 007. Sometimes You Get the Bear, Sometimes the Bear Gets You – 11/19/1987
- During Homecoming week at Hillman College, Denise is a bit nervous about her Grandfather Russell (Earle Hyman) coming to visit her at the school, mostly because her grades are not living up to expectations. The Hillman Falcons have a longtime rivalry with their football opponents, the Dominion Bears, and Maggie and Jaleesa are trying talk Denise into helping them steal the Dominion bear mascot head to claim a victory for the Hillman girls. Denise doesn’t want to engage in any of their tomfoolery as she doesn’t want to let down her grandfather. Russell arrives with his friend and Hillman alum Dr. Cordell Overyby (Arthur Adams), another Hillman alumni, and they meet up with Denise. When Whitley espouses how childish the whole mascot stealing is, Denise decides that she now wants to participate. Surprisingly, Russell confesses to Cordell the he also is planning to steal the bear head. Overby doesn’t think he will do it, and puts $100 that he won’t. Dwayne meets Russell, and since he is Denise’s grandfather, he agrees to help him steal it, thinking that it might score points with Denise… but then he finds out that Russell doesn’t want him telling Denise. The girls think that since Dwayne is the Hillman mascot, he might be able to point them in the direction of where the bear costume is located at the school. Dwayne agrees to help the girls, and Denise insists that he keep it quiet from her grandfather. Dwayne poses as a student from Dominion, and tries to lure two of their football players, Steve (Mark Clayman) and Derek (Duane Davis) away from the door. They don’t believe him, but when Denise shows up and backs him off, they players believe her that their coach wants them. After Denise goes into the locker room, Russell shows up and Dwayne lets him in as well. Russell and Denise are surprised that the other one would partake in such activity. Denise admits that she doesn’t want to disappoint her grandfather, but he tells her that he will always be proud of her. They both find it amusing when Mark and Steve start to stalk Dwayne in his falcon outfit. That night, Whitley finds the bear head in her bed. 1/18/22
- 008. If Chosen, I May Not Run – 12/3/1987
- Denise is excited that she is recommended to join the track team after running 60-meter sprints in gym class. She is proud to join the team even though she never liked gym or exercise, and becomes even more so when she calls home and is told by her father that that both he and his father has been involved in track. Cliff tells Denise that she need to come up with a nickname for herself, and she chooses “Little Engine.” All of her friends, and even Coach Oakes, are proud of her for coming in sixth in her first meet, especially since she really hasn’t learned the proper way to run. Unfortunately, Denise quickly tires of the daily practices and being sore all of the time, but she is once again cheered on by her father via phone. After one practice, she chats with Virgil (Guy Killum), one of the team’s star runners. Denise confesses how much she wants to quit, and wonders how her teammates can muster such enthusiasm. Virgil shows her a piece of cloth that came from the coach’s shirt, which the team stole and ran over with a tractor, to let out how much they hate track practice. This makes Denise feel better to learn that her teammates all considered quitting the team. Meanwhile, Maggie wants to do a report on Macroeconomics for her Economics class, but the book she needs has been checked out of the library. Jaleesa tracks down the borrower, but when Maggie goes to find him, she finds out that he’s leant it out and it has gone through several of his friends’ hands. While she, Maggie, and Denise are discussing songs they’re ashamed to admit they love – and they’ve all expressed a fondness for Rockin’ Robin, Maggie gets a call from one of the students that she can come pick up the book. She is so excited that she nearly forgets her shoes and coat. Bonnie Broderick and Paris Vaughan are girls in the dorm who announce phone calls. 1/20/22
- 010. Romancing Mr. Stone – 12/10/1987
- After chatting about how difficult it is for three girls to share one small space, Kent Riley III tries to pick up Denise and drive her to her Geology class, but she turns him down. Stevie mentions that it has been years since she’s had a date, and Gloria and Allison tells Denise that a new attractive professor from California named Byron Walcott (David Alan Grier) is taking over the class. Denise doesn’t show much interest, and doesn’t care much for Geology. However once she gets into class, Walcott seems to make if fascinating for her. She starts doubling down on her Geology studies, and the other students accuse her of having a crush on him, but she says she just thinks he’s a brilliant scientist and teacher. Stevie warns them all that they might be taking the class for the wrong reasons if they’re just there because he is so good looking, and that he’s a really tough teacher. Later Denise runs into Walcott in the library, and as she flirts with him, Stevie sees them and confronts Walcott about how impressionable her girls are and how many are taking his class because of crushes. He refutes this and believes that he’s captured their interest in Geology, and walks away from the conversation. Dwayne sees the argument and believes it is a lover’s quarrel, then runs back to tell Whitley, who embellishes the story into them having a fiery romantic fight which ended with Stevie slapping him. Wayne and Whitley are anxious to tell Denise, who then becomes depressed and stops doing the readings in the class. Walcott asks to see her after class because she can’t answer any questions. She equates her thought about his with Fool’s Gold because she thought she had something beautiful for the taking, and made a fool of herself. Walcott later calls the Gilbert house, and wants to come over to see Stevie. Denise convinces Stevie to cancel her plans to watch a move that night and to spend the evening with Walcott, because he may be real gold to her. 5/30/22
- 010. The Gift of the Magi – 12/17/1987
- With Christmas approaching, the girls of Gilbert have a Secret Santa gift exchange, while Whitley shares some sad news from home with her friend Millie (Marie-Alise Recasner), who then shares it with everyone else, that her parents are getting a divorce. Whitley is taking it well, and is looking forward to spending the holiday skiing in San Moritz, Switzerland. However, she is taken aback when her father Mercer (Conroy Gedeon) shows up with his new and much-younger girlfriend Monica Walters (Troy Byer), who her father plans on taking along on the ski trip. Whitley sulks and makes back-handed comments to both her father and Monica, and decides not to go on the trip. Denise tries to cheer her up by telling her that it is clear her father loves her, even though he was wrong to spring this on her. Meanwhile, Jaleesa and Maggie have each other as Secret Santas, but neither of them like the gifts they are getting, and keep complaining about them to each other. Denise is getting more suitable gifts, including a nice breakfast and getting her laundry done, although she is puzzled by the fact that there is cologne sprayed on her clean clothes. Whitley’s attitude toward Monica is at its worst at the Christmas dance when she rejects the belt gift that Monica shopped for, and puts it into the children’s charity gift bag. Denise suggests that Monica go talk to her, and she tries to convince her that she should consider he father’s feelings in the matter, and tells her that if even if she rejects her, the train is still moving forward. Whitley has a change of heart and put on the belt and tells them that she’s looking forward to the trip with them. Denise introduces Jaleesa and Maggie to each other as their Secret Santas, to which they are able to laugh off the previous insults. Wayne reveals to Denise that he was her Secret Santa, and although she snubs his offer for a kiss initially, when he puts the mistletoe over his head, she finally gives him one. 5/31/22
- 011. Does He or Doesn’t He? – 1/7/1988
- While Dwayne and Ron are in the library, Dwayne becomes fixated on a grad student named Peggy Harley (Claudette Wells). She has just broken up with her boyfriend Carl, so she is in no mood to be hit on by Dwayne, so when he starts in trying to make her laugh, she rudely blows him off. Later she tells some of the other girls about this, and they laugh about how obnoxious he can be. Jaleesa even decides to start a bet going about how Dwayne would respond if Peggy actually threw herself at him. She agrees to try it, and the bets start rolling in… mostly not in Dwayne’s favor, as most think he will tuck his tail and flee. Denise thinks the idea borders on being cruel and tries to discourage everyone from taking part. Peggy tells Dwayne how he really made her laugh and convince him to come over to hang out at her place. When Denise hears him refer to her as ‘his girl’, she becomes concerned of his feelings getting hurt, so she tells him what the girls are doing. Initially he accuses Denise of being jealous, but when he hears Millie place a bet, he realizes it is true. He talks to Coach Oakes about it, and he advises Dwayne to back out of the date. However, Ron tells him that he should take his shot anyway, and perhaps she will come around to actually liking him. He comes up with a plan on how to use small talk, and how to use jokes, combined with him wearing his lucky sweater. Although Dwayne is somewhat awkward and nervous on the date, she does laugh at some of his jokes. She also stops short of kissing him and tells him that she can’t go through with it. She admits that he thought he was a jerk, was irritated from her break-up, and then apologizes for the trick. Dwayne pretends that he is crushed and then tries to kiss her, but then apologizes himself for the low blow. He tells Peggy that the betting crowd will want to know how the date turned out, and asks if he can borrow some of her perfume for his sweater. She does one better and gives him a kiss, and then accompanies him to the Pit… much to the tremendous surprise of everyone. It is only Millie who wins the bet. 9/20/22
- 012. Advise and Descent – 1/14/1988
- It is Finals week at Hillman, and Denise volunteers to work at the peer counseling office, since so many other students need more time to study. Dwayne gets on her case since he thinks she will struggle to keep up with her work. Denise shows up at the office and meets E.Z. “Z” Brooks (Kristoff St. John), who is laying on the table with his head hanging off of it. Denise thinks he is a student who needs help, but he’s actually the grad student who runs the place. He turns out to be quite skilled and uses reverse psychology on the first student Gregory (Kevin Vavasseur) who has lost his confidence that he will pass his exams and wonders if he just drop out of school. Dwayne starts to get jealous about the time Denise is spending with Z, while he is counting on Ron to type his papers. Likewise, Whitley is counting on Millie to give her her Botany notes. However, she isn’t satisfied with Millie’s handwriting so she has Millie type up her notes for her. Denise then offers to talk about her struggle with studying. Denise then sees another student named Mark (Jeff Williams aka Jeff Robie) who is pushing himself to be as good as his brother. Denise relates to his situation, since she always felt second fiddle to her sister Sandra. Z is impressed with her skill and offers to crack her neck, just as Dwayne walks in to check on how Denise is doing with her final paper. He also criticizes Z for not forcing Denise to work on her paper. He says that he knows she needs to work on it, but until Denise is ready to kick it into gear, there’s not much that either of them can say or do. Dwayne and Ron start to take notice how all of the girls are starting to look from all the work they are putting in. Denise realizes that it is a day later than she thought and she starts to panic. Dwayne advises her to ask her professor to show some mercy and give her an extension since she has been working at the counseling office. The professor declines, so she brings in her stack of research to the office. Z offers to replace her, and also guides her into realizing that she has a problem with procrastination. Denise finally locks herself in her bedroom and comes out late at night with her finished paper. All of her friends are commenting and laughing at how bad they look and start playing “Miss Ugly America.” Denise plays along and they all dance around the dorm lobby, looking their worst. 9/20/22
- 013. The Prime of Miss Lettie Bostic – 1/21/1988
- With Stevie off to get married, Jalessa is now filling in as the resident advisor, and the first challenge she is facing is the fact that many of the girls want to ban men from being in Gilbert Hall’s restrooms. Meanwhile, Denise is pushing flyers to attend a talk from former Hillman student Lettie Bostic (Mary Alice) from New Mexico, who dropped out of Hillman to move to France, and played a role as a spy for the French government during World War 2. She gives a nail-biting speech about her adventures to the Hillman students, and then afterward she speaks to the Dean Quentin (Ron O’Neal), who talks Lettie into coming back to school to finish her diploma, as well as becoming the new resident director for Gilbert. Denise and many of the others are optimistic about her because she was kind of a rebel during her college days, but she proves to be a stickler for the rules and enforcing the curfews. Lettie sits in on a debate among the girls about allowing men in the restrooms, and she ends up criticizing most of the girls for the way they are behaving, telling Whitley that she loves the sound of her own voice, telling Jalessa that she’s ineffective as a moderator, comparing Maggie that she is the Goddess of Indecision, and calling out the bickering between Gloria and Allison. Jalessa concocts an idea to drive Lettie out, by having all of the girls act out per the criticisms that Lettie made of them. Lettie gives them applause and tells them that Vaudeville isn’t dead. After they drive her out of the room, they begin to celebrate, and Millie accidentally throws a can of soda though the TV. When the Dean comes in to pick up Lettie for dinner, Lettie takes the rap for breaking the TV. The girls feel bad and tell Lettie that they want her to stay, and they also give her the money for the TV so she doesn’t have to pay for it. She tells the girl she didn’t intend to pay for it anyway. 1/12/23
- 014. Wild Child – 2/4/1988
- Professor Charles Mosely (Raymond St. Jacques) asks some critical thinking questions in class, and one particular student named Cougar (Katie Rich) seems to not only come up with the answers, but intelligently questions some of Mosely’s answers. Everyone is impressed with her intelligence, but Mosely mentions to her that she needs to turn in her registration card in order to get credit for the class. Cougar and Denise get paired off to write a paper about why a mirror reverses things from left to right, but not up and down. Cougar doesn’t show up to work with Denise on the paper, but she does turn it in the next day and puts Denise’s name on it. Mosely said it is the best paper written on the subject that he’s seen. Meanwhile, Whitley sprains her ankle and has her friends take her to the infirmary. Couger overhears this and tells Denise she needs a place to stay for the night and asks if she can get her into Whitley’s room. Denise agrees to sneak her into Gilbert Hall to sleep on the couch but says she won’t violate Whitley’s room. However, after Denise goes to bed, Cougar sneaks up to Whitley’s room anyway. When Whitley comes home from the hospital early, she finds Couger in the room, drives her out, and then blames Denise. The next day, Denise finds Cougar asleep in the library, and she admits to Denise that she’s not actually enrolled at Hillman and has no home since her parents are dead. With all of the potential Denise sees in her, she goes to see Lettie and asks her to help get her into school. Lettie and the girls then go to see Professor Mosely, who reluctantly agree to give Cougar a chance if she can score high enough on the S.A.T.s. Then Cougar tells Denise and Lettie that she refuses to jump through hoops by taking the S.A.T.s, leaving both of them furious for wasting their time and effort to get her in. Cougar then comes to see Denise and apologize, and she admits that she gets stage fright when she’s being graded, so she’s afraid to take the S.A.T.s. However, she’s reconsidered and plans to take the S.A.T.s. Cougar tells Denise that she got her name from her father, who named her after the car he could have bought if she hadn’t been born. Cougar winds up passing the S.A.T.s and getting the scholarship. When Lettie mentions letting her move into Whitley’s room, Whitley jumps up, despite her so-called sprained ankle. 1/12/23
- 015. Dr. Cupid – 2/11/1988
- With Valentine’s Day coming up, Dwayne is hosting his Dr. Cupid show on the college radio airwaves WHZU, and in his Lovelines segment, he has created the fake persona of Darrell Walker, hoping to find a date for himself and assume the identity. He plans to send Darryl to the meeting place at the library and have him scope out the girls and bring one back for him. Maggie receives a gift from her boyfriend Mike, but refuses to open it. Meanwhile, Lettie receives a visit from an old boyfriend named Marcus Mpepo (Zakes Mokae), who she had met in Mozambique while he was printing subversive material and had to flee the country. He asked Lettie to marry him, but then insisted that she merely raise their children, so she turned him down. After he finds out she never got married, he suggests that she is wasting her talents teaching at Hillman, causing her to get irritated with him again and throw him out. Whitley becomes interested in Darrell, and although all of the other girls know that he is just Dwayne’s fake persona, they encourage her to follow up with him. She sends Mille to meet him at the library, but when she ends up seeing Darryl, the two have sparks between them and he asks her to the Valentine’s dance. Denise stops by the radio station to have Dwayne read a note that she wrote on Lettie’s behalf for Marcus. Dwayne tries to convince Denise that he is the perfect man for her, but she says she is going to the dance with her friends since she can’t be with someone she really loves. Marcus stops by to see Lettie again, but this time he tells her that he is married with a child whom they named after Lettie. Mille and Ronald show up together at the dance and share their first kiss. Denise shows up to be Dwayne’s date… as a friend. Maggie opens up the gift that her boyfriend Mike sent, to find the record of Wooly Bully, the song they first danced to. Unfortunately, the record had been broken in half. Whitley shows up looking for Darrell but runs off when everyone points to Dwayne. 6/29/23
- 016. The Show Must Go On – 2/18/1988
- Maggie has written a play, an allegorical story of Adam and two versions of Eve, one a woman, the other a girl. Both Whitley and Denise try out for the lead and they are both accepted as the two Eves. Both Dwayne and Ron try out for Adam, but Maggie is holding out for a more experienced local actor named Rick Evans (Kenny Ransom) to take the part. When he shows up, both Whitley and Denise are smitten by him, and both work with him privately on rehearsal and him sharing his acting knowledge. Both think they have a special connection with him when he shares a tale of his lost Teddy Bear as a child, and he is quick to compliment both of them and tell them how excited he is to work with them. Not only are they jealous of each other, but Dwayne is jealous of the possibility of Rick and Denise hooking up. Dwayne proposes that he become the play’s narrator so that he can oversee Denise, but Jaleesa offers him and Ron the job of set designers instead. There are many interruptions to stop kissing scenes during the rehearsals, and often it leads to shouting matches on stage as Whitley tries to minimize Denise’s acting ability since it is her first play. After one botched attempt at a set design which features nothing more than a cast, they finally come up with a symbolic set with their $35 that makes Maggie proud. Meanwhile, Maggie is forced by Lettie to make lots of trims to the script, which starts out as running four hours. Shortly before the opening performance, Gregory brings in flowers that were sent to the set. Both Denise and Whitley believe they are for themselves from Rick, but they wind up being to Rick from his girlfriend Sarah. Both are crestfallen and become angry at Rick. During the actual performance of the play, both women go off script to avoid romantic overtures from Rick, and even to yell at him and mention his girlfriend, Sarah. Dwayne orders the curtains drawn and the play ends prematurely, much to Maggie’s irritation. 6/29/23
- 017. Mr. Hillman – 2/25/1988
- Whitley buys numerous gifts for her mother, trying to decide which one would be best to get her, even though she’s sure that her mother will take any one of them back. Meanwhile, the Miss Hillman contest is coming up and Whitley really wants to win it, mostly so that she can impress her mother, who, along with several other members of her family has won it in the past. Denise finds the contest to be demeaning to women, and since there is a cash prize to the winner, it is also sexist since men don’t have the opportunity to win the contest. Denise wants to put forth Dwayne as Gilbert Hall’s entry into the contest, and he sees it as an opportunity to get closer to Denise, so he accepts. Whitley is naturally outraged, and Denise is able to garner enough support from the other Gilbert Hall denizens to vote for Dwayne to be their entry. It doesn’t take long before other men and women on campus, namely the Kapp Lamda Nu members, start poking fun of Dwayne at every opportunity. The Kappas even put forth Whitley as their nominee, so she still gets to be a finalist. Several folks, including his friend Ronald, the Coach, Maggie, and Lettie all encourage Dwayne to drop out, but he can’t bring himself to disappoint Denise. On the day of the speeches and election, Dwayne doesn’t show up initially, so Denise gives a speech on his behalf about how deserving he is to win the title. Dwayne does eventually show up and gives a speech about he sees how wrong he has been to treat women like pieces of meat and has behaved like a sexist with his senseless dogging. After all of the speeches, it winds up being Caryn Louise Thompson who wins. Whitley is furious and beats the newspaper announcing her win with her pillow. Lettie tells her that there are two more years to win, but it doesn’t make Whitley feel better since she lost by 299 votes. Senise also comes to see her and tells her that being Miss Hillman isn’t the only way to impress her mother. Denise tells Whitley that she has other good qualities, like the way she was nice to her sister Rudy when she came to the campus, and how she is very neat. She tells Whitley that she can spend the rest of her life trying to impress her mother, but the rest of her life is what it would take. Whitley calls her mother and tells her that she plans to now live for herself instead of trying to impress her, and then tells he that she lost but she doesn’t give a flying fig. She then reveals that she is holding down the receiver, but she then dials the phone and begins talking to her mother for real. Alice Arthur, Loretta Chandler, and A.J. Johnson are sorority girls. James Anderson, and Rob Steve Williams are Kappas. 10/24/23
- 018. Speech Therapy – 3/10/1988
- Jaleesa is upset because her Poetry class taught by Dr. Barnabus Foster (Roscoe Lee Browne) is requiring an oral report, and Jaleesa is petrified of public speaking. Denise and Maggie try to coach her through it, but they find that she is every bit as bad as she thinks she is. They try to be supportive but tell her that she is very stilted yet rushes through the words. Jaleesa rips up her notes and leave the room. Meanwhile, Whitley’s dehumidifier isn’t working, but since she isn’t allowed to have major appliances in her room, she can’t bring in a repairman. Millie suggests that Ronald may be able to fix it, so they call him and Dwayne to come over and look at it. The guys don’t even know what a humidifier is and thinks that one of Whitley’s hair rollers is part of the it. Whitley gets annoyed, but Millie reminds Whitley that the boys are doing her a favor. Dwayne and Ron finally concede that they must have a real repairman, so they make plans to sneak it out of the dorm. Jaleesa takes a break from her report, Historical Use of Rhyme, and wants to go out to eat with Maggie, but Maggie is short of money since Denise had borrowed $22 from her and has not yet paid it back after five weeks. Maggie starts to get upset when Denise goes shopping and comes home with an expensive derby hat, and then buys an $8 Italian fashion magazine. She tells Maggie that since she’s been disciplined with her finances, she can afford the occasional luxury. Maggie can’t stop thinking about the money, and even asks Jaleesa to ask Denise for it, but is too afraid to say anything. In order for Dwayne and Ron to sneak the dehumidifier out of the dorm, Millie asks Lettie to help teach her some dancing for a cotillion she’s been invited to. They then manage to sneak it out behind Lettie’s back. Jaleesa goes to see Mr. Foster and asks him if she can do a written report versus an oral one. He tells her that since she is a Business major, she should think about doing things that make her uncomfortable, especially when it comes to speaking to people. He agrees to let her choose the style of report. However, she knows that he will be disappointed if she doesn’t at least try the oral report. That night, both Jaleesa and Maggie toss and turn as they think about their issues. Denise pleads that they tell her what is going on, so finally Maggie blurts out that she wants her money. Denise is apologetic and admits that she completely forgot about it. Jaleesa tries to give the oral report, but winds up just as stilted as ever. Dr. Foster tells her that he didn’t believe she was going to be that bad, but concedes she is one of the worst he has seen at public speaking. However, he gives her a B grade since the contest surpassed the horribleness of the speaking. Dwayne and Ron get caught by Lettie sneaking the humidifier back into the dorm. She tells Whitley that the maintenance man has already found it, and as a reminder that it wasn’t allowed in the dorm, he had simply unplugged it. Lettie tells the boys to take it down to the storeroom. 10/24/23
- 019. Clair’s Last Stand – 3/24/1988
- Denise is planning a trip to Greece with Maggie for the summer and plans to butter up her mother Clair (Phylicia Rashad) when she comes to visit that weekend. Meanwhile, it is Whitley’s birthday that weekend, and she wants to go on a shopping spree with Millie. However, Millie has plans to see A Man and a Woman for her third anniversary with Ron. Lettie coaches Denise that she’d better keep her suffering grades in mind and not worry so much about a vacation in Greece right now. Denise goes to pick up her mother in Ron’s car but winds up being late after not accounting for airport traffic. Clair winds up getting her own ride to Hillman and has a chance to chat with Lettie before Denise returns. She learns for the first time that Denise is planning the trip, and also gets Lettie’s take on how Denise needs to concentrate more on her work. Clair reveals that she has come to tell Denise that she needs to get a job and help pay for college if she is really interested in staying at Hillman. When Denise talks to Clair, she is upset and disappointed about her trip. Whitley tells Denise that she either needs to eat crow with her other, or plan to marry well. Denise’s friends all try to inform Clair how much of an asset Denise is to the school. Denise and Clair go out for Chinese food, and Clair tells her that she has met with her writing teacher Mr. Tuckson, who told her that Denise is lazy and has poor work habits but is very gifted. Denise has to admit that she doesn’t even have enough money to pay for their dinner. Back at the dorm, Maggie convinces Jaleesa to go to Greece in Denise’s place. Millie talks to Ron and tells him how important Whitley is to her and how bad she feels about missing her birthday, making sure that Whitley overhears them. Later on, it is revealed when Whitley has a lonely birthday cupcake in the dining hall that everyone has planned a surprise birthday party for Whitley. Clair tells her friends that she’s not quite ready to give Denise the boot from school yet. 2/29/24
- 020. If Only for One Night – 4/28/1988
- Dwayne and Ron have started their own business called Two Dudes Who Schlep in order to help students move their stuff out of dorms for the summer. Dwayne decides that he is going to ask Denise out for a date during their last week at school for the year. Meanwhile, Whitley tells Denise that they should get together, as she will be alone in Manhattan doing an internship at Couture magazine. Ron advises to let Denise know how much he likes her, so she doesn’t simply feel like another girl that he likes to hit on. After Jalessa tells Whitely that she will be installing cable for her summer job, Whitley gets her letter from Couture magazine, only to find out that she was not awarded the internship that she was expecting. When Dwayne asks Denise to go on a date, she surprises him by saying yes. All of her friends think that she made a mistake and that he will expect more than she is willing to give him, but she thinks that Dwayne has settled comfortably in the friendship zone. Whitley starts looking around for things to do for the Summer, pretending that it is her cousin who needs to find something. She offers her ‘Cousin Adelaide’s’ services to go to Greece with Maggie, but she declines. Dwayne begins having a yard sale to sell his things in order to raise money to take Denise on a nice date. As Whitley continues to look for things for ‘Adelaide’ to do, Lettie advises her that if Adelaide were a bit more honest with her friends, they might be able to suggest something. Whitley decides to give Dwayne the money to take Denise to the China Gardens restaurant, telling him that someone in this world might as well get what they want. Later, Dwayne is having a nice date with Denise, and she even tells him how much she will miss him over the summer, when Whitley pops her head into their room and joins them at the table. She makes the confession that she has no cousin named Adelaide, and that she just doesn’t want to spend time with her mother in Richmond over the summer because she constantly criticizes her. She tells Denise and Dwayne that they are her only friends. Denise gives her advice to stand up to her mother if she starts to rag on her. When Whitley starts to leave, Dwayne invites her to join them for dinner. That night, Dwayne walks Denise back to her dorm room and say goodnight. Denise tells him that she had a great time and was impressed with how unselfish Dwayne was with Whitley. She also thanks Dwayne for taking care of her so much in school. Dwayne reads Denise a poem that he wrote about how he really feels about her. Dwayne starts to head home, but Denise asks him to stay, and they dance outside to Dream a Little Dream. As they dance, Denise gives him a kiss. Jill Ito is the restaurant hostess. NOTE: This episode was intended to be the last episode of the first season and was the last one filmed before Lisa Bonet departed the show. 2/29/24
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