A Different World

This is an excellent episode simply for the kiss. The wedding wasn't as interesting as the wedding planning.this is really where we see Whitely and Dwayne's relationship start to take form. The wedding looked nice but the storyline of Walter and Jaleesa getting married was not well formed. It skipped two weeks in the story and didn't create enough of an argument or dissatisfaction between them and good enough foundation as to why they decided not to get married. The relationship they had ended unnecessarily simply because they decided not to get married. I still maintain that the Whitley-Dwayne story was the main plot line.

This episode has a lot of elements that are dumb, but many later episodes reference its events, so everyone should see it once. Also, if you are a Dwayne-and-Whitley shipper (i.e., you love that relationship and its storylines), you DEFINITELY want this one ... preferably recorded so that you can skip the goofy parts.



The idea is cute enough, and makes more sense in the episode than in a summary: Walter reasons that since he would have proposed to Jaleesa eventually, why not propose now and take advantage of the free honeymoon? (It's not JUST to get the trip, the way summaries often make it sound.) He's up-front with Jaleesa about this, and although she is more hesitant than he - logical for a divorcée - she follows her impulse and says "yes."



Whitley agrees to do the speedy plans for a ceremony and drafts Dwayne to help her. This development gives them lots of time to flirt and for him to ask her about her ideal man, which initially sounds like Dwayne. However, as Jaleesa and Walter's plans fall apart, Whitley has second thoughts and decides not to start a relationship with Dwayne right now. I love the way both of them get to show a variety of natural emotions and explore their characters' relationship and feelings about the relationship. (And don't miss the KISS! :)



However, the whole wedding subplot is clumsily handled. Jaleesa begins having doubts immediately and confides them promptly to Walter, yet both sound shocked at the wedding that the other is calling it off. The ideas that come up in the storyline are worth introducing: that often people who are getting married don't realize that they have different assumptions about their roles, children, work, etc. But even though the rush treatment is the whole reason it comes up, it means the treatment is ... well, rushed. The ending of the wedding segment leaves me feeling very let down, not so much because they didn't get married as because the whole show just seems as if it could have used an extra 5-10 minutes to work properly. It would have been a perfect candidate for NBC's later "Super Sized Episode" gimmick!