Original Airdate: October 29, 1992
You can watch this episode on Amazon Prime (free with subscription)
I have mixed feelings about A Different World which usually bubble and churn their way to the side of pro-, but it's neither a short nor easy journey. There was a time when it was rerunning just about every weekday and like those things you Just Do, we watched it every day while I was making dinner (before changing over to Stewart/Colbert DVR'd from the previous night). I don't think this show was intended for daily viewing. Johnny Fantastic, our guest TV Partier for the Elections episode had never seen an episode of a Different World before they sat down to watch with us. As soon as Whitley opened her mouth, Johnny was like "why does she talk like that?" We couldn't really explain it. "She's, um, rich?" To Johnny's credit, the subject was dropped despite the absence of any--let alone a good--answer. It's not just the Whitley Gilbert caricature. This show had an Agenda and it's obviously one I agree with but it was awfully far up its own ass, particularly in the later seasons. Looking back and taking episodes one at a time, it's a noble show with a noble agenda, but at times watching it feels like actually being at Hillman College. I don't generally like to feel like I'm in school while watching a sitcom.
It was a fun experiment to show "The Little Mister" to someone who hadn't watched A Different World before because this episode is fucking Captain Wacky. I do not remember seeing it first run, but that does not surprise me. Did anyone watch this show first run after Dwayne and Whitley finally got together? We stumbled upon it several years ago on Wikipedia's infinitely helpful List of Halloween Specials as we strive every year to freshen and expand our holiday viewing repertoire. And honestly I can't believe it's not more well known or notorious because it is smart and incisive as it is completely bananas. As you read on recall that I have pledged to you that everything I've summarized here is all too real.
The episode opens at Dwayne and Whitley's Halloween party. Whitley is dressed adorably as Angela Davis and that was really the only standout besides Dwayne's Malcolm X costume. Very Minor Character Gina Devereux is notable because she's dressed as a cross between Claire Huxtable's and Vivian Banks' Tina Turner, fulfilling A Different World's contractual obligation as a 90s sitcom to have at least one character dress up in a Halloween episode accordingly. I think, rather unnaturally, the subject of 1992 being the year of the woman is raised, which I think even aside from the faddish implications of the phrase is historically muddy since shortly thereafter, the virtual destruction of American democracy was launched. Dwayne is hammered and kind of surprises me by suggesting that concern for "women's rights" isn't a valid one. I use the phrase "women's rights" because that's how they referenced them in the show, but that seems archaic, even for 1992. Whitley and Dwayne argue about this for a while, even after the party ends. Dwayne concludes the discussion by making me very uncomfortable suggesting that women should try running things and see how tough it is. Jesus, Dwayne. Dwayne passes out and the show goes off the rails.
The dream sequence is set like a play. There's a stage flanked by neoclassical white columns. We're introduced to tragically unpopular President Georgia Mush, ably played by one of my personal heroes, Jennifer "Look at This Fool" Lewis. In an ordinary episode, Jennifer Lewis plays Dorothy Dandridge Davenport, Dean of Hillman College and in
Dwayne's dream, Georgia Mush, or Lady George Bush is played in the style of Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davenport, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? Georgia is approached by Kim Reese who is dressed like a football referee and also has a lisp for some reason. In the dream sequence, these referees are campaign advisers, the joke or connection or whatever I don't really understand. Kim informs Georgia of all the ways she's failing as a president.
Meanwhile, Whitley is in a red skirt-suit, is wearing sunglasses, and is holding a saxophone and I guess you can see where this is going. Freddy is Whitley's football referee (still don't get it). Dwayne just looks like normal, late-series Dwayne, minus his flippy glasses wearing the vest equivalent of a Cosby sweater. Freddy informs Dwayne, who we learn is Hillard Blinton, future first gentleman that he is hurting his wife's campaign by being too smart and too involved. Aside: as we were watching this episode Pete asked if Bill was going to be referred to as the First Gentleman if things had gone as they should in 2016. Johnny replied: Yeah, that would have been the only downside.
The Perot-like figure is Rose Gadot. She corresponds to the Charmaine character on normal A Different World. As was fashionable at the time, the only commentary here is that funny man with big funny ears talks funny. I guess I didn't expect much more because they were trying to say an awful lot in limited time throughout this episode but I would have liked some commentary on the failure of policies that try to run a government like a business. We're seeing the fruits of that now which I guess makes hindsight clearer. Oh well. Really the Perot stuff is just kind of there.She sort of fills a plot role because every time she drops out of the race, Jill and Hillard feel like they have a better chance to win.
Jada Pinkett (Smith) plays a Pat(ty) Buchanan. She's dressed in a white cloak thingy. Is there a term for that? It may just be that she's wearing a choir robe. She's preaching at literal sheep about how horrible Hillard is at the Republican National Convention. Did this really happen? Yes, it did. A caption tells us that the sheep are the delegates. I lose track of when and how Pat Buchanan runs for president, but I looked it up and I guess he was a primary challenger for GHWB in 1992. How exciting. He got almost 3 million votes!
I am once again made extremely uncomfortable by Ron Johnson's '92 election role as Johnny Weed/Gennifer Flowers. Johnny Weed is described as a "lounge lizard" by his caption but was dressed like a pimp! Does this suggest that Flowers' role in stoking scandal was that of a sex worker? I again had to look this up to determine which of the dozens of sex scandals our 42nd president was involved in. Gennifer Flowers wasn't victimized, it was just an affair so I feel a little better about the portrayal but still not great.
As a result of the Johnny Weed accusation, Jill and Hillard Blinton reenact the infamous 60 Minutes interview, with Uncle Sam/"The Media Circus"/Dorian Heywood/Bumper Robinson/Terrance the So Fine as the interviewer. I'm devastated to find shockingly little information for you on Terrance the So Fine from Amen. There's a poorly produced YouTube video or two that I won't dignify by linking here.
This is exhausting. I can't believe the heavy hand these metaphors are dished out with. I'm ending this here.
Dwayne wakes up and acknowledges to Whitley that there are things women need to deal with that men don't understand. I'm unsatisfied with this ending and it reminds me quite a bit of my least favorite episode of the Cosby Show in which the guys all give birth to sailboats and sandwiches and when Cliff wakes up from that dream, drooling all over Claire, all appreciative of how women carry and give birth to little people. WOW YOU APPRECIATE A WOMAN'S ROLE IN HUMAN REPRODUCTION? HOW CHARITABLE OF YOU. YOU'RE ONE OF THE GOOD ONES, CLIFF HUXTABLE.
Am I being nit-picky? Maybe, especially considering I was but a child in 1992 and don't have the clearest concept of what the temperature actually was. And the good parts of this episode are really very good, ESPECIALLY considering the horror that was 2016. Imperfect as it is, I think it's an interesting slice of history and definitely worth a watch.