The Worst Episodes of A Different World

A psychology experiment in parenting calls for egg-doption, but when Jaleesa loses Maggie's "eggby," she and Denise scramble to find it.

Director: N/A

Writer: Scott S. Gorden

Walter narrates a Twilight Zone-style look at the students' struggles during midterms. Whitley must complete a report for her somewhat sadistic accounting professor by the following day. She struggles to find a quiet place to work after Jaleesa and a date kick her out of the apartment. Dwayne, working as a teaching assistant for Col. Taylor, cannot keep Terrence from skipping class. Col. Taylor discovers the truth, leaving Dwayne with just 24 hours to get Terrence ready for the midterm or lose his grad school recommendations. Freddie begins hearing voices that shake her confidence before her midterm in Professor Randolph's class.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A

During finals week, Denise's work suffers because she decides to be a peer counselor, and the girls' looks suffer under test stress.

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Denise strains her brain trying to improve her grades, so she invites Theo up for a weekend of family inspiration.

Director: N/A

Writer: Scott S. Gorden

Kim becomes overwhelmed by her hectic schedule, as she tries to balance pre-med courses with work and extracurricular activities. She also obsesses over her grades, suffering from nightmares about getting too many B's to make it into medical school. She buys a datebook and tries to plan every moment of her day, ignoring her friends' warnings that her lack of sleep could endanger her health. Kim finally agrees to cut back on her activities after fainting in the Pit. Mr. Gaines quarrels with his wife over the presence of their grown son, whom he wants to throw out of the house. Mr. Gaines crashes at Col. Taylor's place after Velma kicks him out, and quickly wears out his welcome.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: Thad Mumford

Dwayne gives his calculus class a graded quiz on the first day of the year, even though he hasn't taught them anything yet. He plans to give a test every day, and asks the students to sign contracts promising to work extra hours every week. Lena tears up her contract and leads a walk-out. Col. Taylor warns Dwayne that he will be fired unless he comes to a compromise with the students. Dwayne agrees to set more reasonable standards. He explains that he will hold high expectations because he wants the class to accomplish great things. Ron attends the funeral of a professor he didn't know in order to buy Washington Bullets season tickets from the widow. Dwayne infuriates Whitley by cutting into his share of their joint account for a ticket. Col. Taylor advises Jaleesa to set up her new temp agency at the house. Freddie asks for a job, but has trouble finding anything that meets her moral standards.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A

A geology professor has every woman in the class fighting for his attention.

Director: N/A

Writer: Scott S. Gorden

Hillman alumna Lettie Bostic fills in as dorm monitor, but her strongly voiced opinions have the girls considering mutiny.

Director: N/A

Writer: Thad Mumford

Walter and Jaleesa celebrate the anniversary of their first date, but are distracted by conflicts over dorm discipline. Walter allows a shy male student to let his girlfriend stay overnight before she ships out with the Navy. When Jaleesa disagrees and recommends that Quincy be punished, Walter pulls rank on her. They argue during their anniversary dinner, and she winds up storming out of the restaurant. The girls accuse Walter of a double standard; they refuse to vacate Quincy's room until Walter either punishes him or agrees to let them have guys stay over. Whitley demands only the return of her high-powered hair dryer, which has been blamed for many power outages. Walter orders Quincy to appear before the dorm council, and establishes measures to prevent further instances of sexism. Dwayne and Freddie take procrastination to a new level while collaborating on a research paper.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A

Whitley is in a foul mood during the holiday season, especially when her mother insists that they fly to the south of France instead of spending a quiet Christmas at home. She coldly rejects Freddie's offer to spend Christmas with her, and refuses to attend the gang's tree-trimming party. Whitley's mother appears to her in a dream and warns that she is headed for the same lonely, isolated existence as Marion. Whitley is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future (who bear an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Gaines, Walter and Jaleesa). She learns that Freddie will end up staying with Dwayne for the holidays, leading to a romance between the two. Whitley discovers that Dwayne and Freddie will marry, while she will spend her entire life alone. Whitley suddenly gets into the holiday spirit, decorates everything in sight, and asks Freddie to come along to France. However, Marion shows up at the dorm and tells her daughter that she wants to spend Christmas in Richmond. She settle

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A

The community outreach program loses funding after a corporate buyout, so Walter organizes a three-hour telethon to raise the $15,000 it needs to remain in operation. Jaleesa, Kim and Kinu sing, and Mr. Gaines tap dances (with musical accompaniment from Col. Taylor). Whitley's tribute to Josephine Baker falls apart when her male dance partners begin fighting over her. Dwayne begs for a chance to perform stand-up comedy, but suffers from stage fright. Although the telethon enjoys some initial success, the phones stop ringing during the final hour. The program only raises about $7000. Walter assures the children that he will find a way to come up with the rest of the money.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A

In the family tradition of "Combustible" Huxtable, Denise is chosen for Hillman's track team, but after a few practices she starts running out of steam.

Director: N/A

Writer: Thad Mumford

Walter learns that Kim is working all night at a funeral parlor to cover her expenses. He enlists the help of Whitley and Freddie to come up with a plan to help her out. Whitley and Freddie buy gifts for Kim and get everyone to stuff the tip jar at the Pit. Kim realizes what they are doing and becomes very angry, as she doesn't want to be a charity case. Mr. Gaines finally convinces her to overcome her pride and accept a loan from his wife and him, which she can pay off after becoming a doctor. A director approaches Ron and Dwayne at the basketball courts and asks them to appear in a vitamin commercial. They agree because they are having trouble paying the bills. The guys believe that they will receive fame and adulation, until they discover that they must play two-on-two against a pair of retired NBA all-stars.

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Ron's father sends him a car to officially welcome him into the family car dealership. Ron cannot stand the business and wishes to become a professional drummer. Whitley warns Ron not to alienate his father, while Dwayne believes that he should pursue his dreams. Ron tries to share his decision with his father, but is too vague. Mr. Johnson shows up with a sports car for Ron and is shocked to learn his son's plans. Terrence disagrees with his father's decision to become the first black member of a country club. Col. Taylor reconsiders after discovering that the club must integrate in order to be eligible to host the PGA Championship. Although the head of membership insists that he has tried to break down the barriers for years, Col. Taylor doesn't feel the timing is right.

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Ron becomes jealous when Freddie leaves for a weekend camping trip with Shazza. He decides to prepare a candlelight dinner for Kim. Kim has problems dissecting her first cadaver in anatomy class. She throws up on the professor. She is too depressed to eat Ron's dinner, but decides to sleep with him. Kim's partner, Spencer, helps restore her confidence. The professor marvels at her work. Spencer comes over to celebrate, interrupting Kim's romantic evening with Ron. Dwayne sees Whitley's weekend business trip as a chance to enjoy his freedom. However, he soon becomes desperate for companionship. Charmaine annoys Lena after getting a job at the Pit.

Director: Jasmine Guy

Writer: N/A

Whitley hides an illegal humidifier; Jaleesa sweats over her fear of oral reports; Maggie steams over the debt Denise owes her.

Director: N/A

Writer: N/A

Whitley hits Mr. Gaines' car, causing nearly $1000 in damage. She is afraid to ask her father for the money because she fears that he will take her car away. Kim helps her get a job at the Pit to fund the repairs. Whitley initally annoys Mr. Gaines with her incompetence, but soon impresses him with a series of innovative suggestions that help boost profits. Kim feels insecure, as she is no longer Mr. Gaines' favorite employee. Ron endures campus-wide embarrassment after a classmate gives him a terrible haircut.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: Yvette Lee Bowser

Walter convinces many of the students to volunteer at a community center. Whitley teaches ballet to the children and becomes friends with a young boy named Dion, who claims to be dirt poor. Whitley's wallet is stolen, and she is stunned to learn that Dion was the culprit. He exaggerated the extent of his poverty and took advantage of Whitley's kindness. Whitley does not want to return to the center, but Walter insists that the kids need a positive influence if they are to escape from the streets. Whitley continues with her teaching, and refuses to give up on Dion. Walter's duties keep him away from his bowling team, so Col. Taylor agrees to step in. When he turns out to be terrible, Mr. Gaines and the other team members try to find a way to oust him.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A

Whitley is distraught when everyone, including Julian, seems to have forgotten her 21st birthday. Kim has actually remembered, and is planning a girls-only surprise party. Dwayne and Ron decide to kidnap Whitley and throw her in a fountain for some reason. Kim fails to thwart their plans, but Ron falls while climbing the dorm wall and injures his leg. A depressed Whitley gets drunk on cheap wine and has a dinner date with her photograph of Denzel Washington. The girls arrive to take her out; they agree that she should have told Julian about her birthday instead of expecting him to find out on his own. Jaleesa pretends not to care when she sees Walter on a date with the medic who treated Ron. Whitley apologizes to Julian for testing him.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: Adriana Trigiani

Dwayne and Whitley prepare for the coming school year at Hillman. He will teach classes, and she will serve as director of a new dormitory. She accepted his proposal and only kept the New York job for the summer. Dwayne asks Ron to pick up Whitley's engagement ring while he is stuck in a meeting. Ron somehow does not realize that the 2.5 carat ring the jeweler gives him is not the one that Dwayne purchased. Street-smart freshman Lena James tries to find housing after the computer fails to give her a room. She manipulates Whitley into letting her stay in her extra bedroom. Col. Taylor and Jaleesa shock everyone by revealing that they eloped. Terrence has trouble getting used to the idea of having a stepmother.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A

A student's decision to drop out of school allows Lena to move into her own room, much to Whitley's relief. Whitley tries to dump all of the dorm duties onto resident assistant Kim. Kim discovers that Lena is cooking in her room. Before she can do anything about it, Kim has to go break up a fight. Lena sells her gumbo to the other students. She inadvertently starts a fire. The dean wants to suspend her, but Whitley and Kim come to her defense. Lena has to take a job at the Pit to pay for the fire damage to her room. Terrence moves back in with Jaleesa and Col. Taylor.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: Yvette Lee Bowser

E.H. Wright needs a new secretary, so Whitley recommends Jaleesa's temp agency. Unfortunately, the company needs to fill the position immediately, and the only person available is Freddie. Freddie overhears the head of personnel say that she does not believe in affirmative action; she feels that she earned her job on merit, and wants others to do the same. Freddie lights into the woman and tells her that she has a duty to her race. Freddie gets fired, making both Jaleesa and Whitley look very bad. Jaleesa agrees with Freddie's stance and isn't sure she wants to do business with E.H. Wright. Col. Taylor angers his wife by pointing out that attacking one's boss because she holds a different point of view is not very smart. Freddie realizes that her behavior was inappropriate, and she and Jaleesa both apologize. Lena has difficulty understanding Shakespeare because of the language barrier. She delves into the spirit of the work and translates it into more modern terms.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A

Whitley's aunt offers her a lucrative job as an art buyer for her hotel chain. However, she expects Whitley to look after her golddigging cousin Liza during a weekend visit to Hillman. Liza befriends Lena and turns to her for fashion advice. Liza pursues virtually every man on the campus before finally setting her sights on Ron. Kim becomes extremely jealous. Whitley and Kim hide in a closet and overhear Liza talking on the phone with her mother. She advises her mother not to give Whitley the job. Whitley no longer has a reason to put up with Liza's antics, so she aids Kim with a plan to pry Ron from her clutches. Kim bursts in during a dinner date and makes a scene as she pretends that she is the mother of Ron's four children. Her outburst successfully drives Liza away. Meanwhile, Whitley decides to stop speaking to Dwayne because she feels he spends too much time playing or attending sports with his friends. Dwayne warns her not to play games.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A

Ron struggles with his new job at a car dealership. A female con artist gets him fired. She apologizes, and they hatch a scheme to get the boss to let them develop an ad campaign. Although things do not quite go as planned, Ron proposes a business partnership. Kim worries that she will not get into medical school after her least-desired choice rejects her. However, she soon has several offers to weigh--including one from Hillman.

Director: Henry Chan

Writer: N/A

During their Halloween party, a drunken Dwayne responds sarcastically when Whitley and friends discuss women's rights and the ""Year of the Woman."" He falls asleep on the couch after the party, and dreams that all of the candidates in the upcoming presidential election are women (including incumbent Georgia Mush and eccentric Texas billionaire Rose Godot, who can't decide whether or not she is in the race). Whitley is the philandering Jill Blinton, who frustrates husband Hilliard (Dwayne) with her lying and infidelity. Hilliard agonizes over the fact that no one--including his own wife--has any respect for his opinions. Dwayne wakes up and apologizes to Whitley for his sexist comments.

Director: Debbie Allen

Writer: N/A