Episode
A Different World: Ms. Understanding
Overview
Shazza Zulu, a student in his sixth year of undergraduate work, publishes a book discussing the sexist behavior of men at Hillman. The women take his words to heart; they get really worked up and decide to boycott all men. The men respond with a boycott of their own. Everyone gets upset with Dwayne and Whitley for refusing to take part, and Whitley's friends try to convince her that Dwayne is fooling around with the female students he tutors. After a food fight breaks out at the campus movie theater, Dean Hughes calls a summit to get the two sides to work out their differences. The students turn against Shazza, who insists that he is trying to promote harmony. He singles out Kim as someone who has turned against her race by dating a white man. She tells him off and storms out. Ron, who had earlier expressed a similar sentiment, apologizes to Kim and admits that he was jealous.
Details
- Series
- A Different World
- Season
- Season 4
- Episode
- Episode 17
- Air date
- 1991-02-28
- Runtime
- 30 min
Episode context
Ms. Understanding is Episode 17 in Season 4 of A Different World. It aired on 1991-02-28. The runtime is 30 min.
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Episode 16: A Word in Edgewise
Matthew arranges for some friends from the National Theatre of the Deaf to perform for the children from the community center outreach program. Kim feels embarrassed by Matthew's free-spirited behavior, which she considers too silly. Matthew insists that his passion for acting is as great as Kim's devotion to medicine, and offers the opinion that art is just as important as science. Kim cares about Matthew, but is uncertain about their relationship. She observes Dwayne and Whitley's example and decides that they can learn to appreciate each other's differences. Everyone teases Whitley about her tendency to run off at the mouth. Dwayne bets that she cannot go a full day without speaking.
Episode 18: The Cash Isn't Always Greener
Dwayne receives an incredible job offer from Kinishewa. Although Whitley and Ron insist that he should jump at the offer, Dwayne is torn between the job and grad school. He finally accepts, only to change his mind after his words of wisdom dissuade Terrence from dropping out of school. He decides to attend grad school and keep teaching, as he believes the job will always be available if he needs it. Jaleesa's visiting sister, a homemaker who is bored with her life, marvels at her independence. She wishes to emulate her, and Jaleesa must convince her that she can go back to school without leaving her husband.
More episodes from this season
Episode 15: Love, Hillman-Style
As her marketing project, Whitley organizes a ""Men of Hillman"" calendar. Dwayne is offended when she doesn't ask him to participate; she doesn't consider him brawny enough. She finally lets him pose for the calendar, but superimposes his face on someone else's body. Ron finds himself juggling three Valentine's dates, as one of his girlfriends gets the night off from work and another returns early from an out-of-town trip. When he comes clean with the girl he likes the most, she is not as understanding as he had hoped. Jaleesa and Col. Taylor spend Valentine's Day together, until his bad back cuts the evening short. Matthew hopes to ease Kim's discomfort about being seen with him in public. Mr. Gaines tries to placate his wife, who complains that he is not as amorous as he was at one time. Freddie raves about a secret admirer, and is disappointed to find that it is Terrence.
Episode 19: How Great Thou Art
Whitley gets a job as an assistant art buyer for E.H. Wright Industries. She attends an auction in Washington, D.C. as an observer. When her boss steps out to take a phone call, Whitley disobeys her wishes by bidding on a painting from a promising young artist. Whitley fears that she will lose her job, but the painting turns out to be a great investment. Although her boss disagrees with her tactics, she applauds Whitley's intuition and enthusiasm. Freddie's new philosophical radio call-in show fails to attract interest because no one has any idea what she is talking about. She becomes a big hit after she assumes the persona of Jamaican-born ""Mother Eartha"" and distributes advice to her listeners.
Episode 14: Risk Around the Dollar
Whitley has to cut into the tuition check from her father to cover her share of the rent. She looks for a job, but turns down every offer. She is especially repulsed by the possibility of working at a mortuary with Kim. Whitley helps Ron organize a party (with cover charge) at a local warehouse. The event is a huge success, but the fire marshal shuts it down and fines Ron and Whitley for exceeding capacity. Although Dwayne sells his computer to pay the tuition, Jaleesa warns Whitley that he may eventually get tired of bailing her out. Whitley hocks some jewelry, takes the mortuary job, and repurchases Dwayne's computer. Terrence returns from a weekend trip to Washington, D.C. and proclaims himself a Muslim. His father isn't sure that he has given his decision enough thought, and doubts that Terrence can maintain a commitment to the religion.
Episode 20: It's Showtime at Hillman
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.
Episode 13: Ex-Communication
Whitley receives a phone call from Julian and agrees to have dinner with him. She is shocked to discover that he is engaged to a runway model turned translator who speaks six languages. The couple is to live in Paris. Whitley cannot come to grips with this news, and begins to pine for the life of luxury that she gave up when she dumped Julian. A frustrated Dwayne comes to believe that nothing he does will ever be good enough for her. Whitley goes to see a shrink, who recommends that she seek closure with Julian and do whatever she can to win back Dwayne. Dwayne refuses to accept Whitley's apology, even after she begs for forgiveness. He assures Ron that he isn't breaking up with her; he simply wants to watch a basketball game in peace. Jaleesa goes all out to secure the account of a potential client who is obsessed with sports.
Episode 21: Sister to Sister, Sister
Whitley is placed in charge of pledges for her sorority. She lets the power go to her head, and is especially hard on Kim. Kim leads a revolt and gets all of the pledges to walk out on Whitley. News of Whitley's humiliation spreads across the campus, so she becomes furious and challenges Kim to a fight. They eventually settle their differences, and Kim and the other pledges are accepted to the sorority. Ron also handles the pledges for his fraternity. He devises a way to convince show-off Terrence to think more about the interests of his brothers.
Episode 12: War and Peace
Dwayne's good friend Zelmer comes to visit and stuns him by announcing that his Army Reserve unit has been called to the Persian Gulf. Ron promises to show Zelmer a good time over the weekend before he has to ship out on Monday. Dwayne is confused by Zelmer's cavalier attitude, and expresses disappointment at the fact that his friend won't open up to him. Ron annoys the girls by barring them from his send-off party for Zelmer. Whitley, Jaleesa and Kim crash the party and perform a musical number. Freddie, who is opposed to U.S. involvement in the Gulf, cannot bring herself to share her objections with Zelmer. Whitley tries to console a shaken Dwayne; he and Zelmer dreamed of changing the world with their minds, not fighting in a war. Dwayne now worries that the same thing could happen to him. Zelmer confesses his fears to Col. Taylor, who tries to help him remain strong.
Episode 22: Monet Is the Root of All Evil
Whitley organizes an exhibit to display the artwork of Hillman students. Mr. Gaines shows her some sketches drawn by Novian Winters, a young man who pays for meals with art when he is short on cash. Impressed, she struggles to convince him to take part in the show. The gallery owner orders Whitley to remove Novian's painting because he considers it sacrilegious. Whitley fails to back Novian because she does not want to hurt the other artists by canceling the show. Jaleesa and Freddie accusing her of selling out Novian to further her own career. She moves the show to the Pit so that he can take part. Walter is outraged when his visiting niece gets too friendly with Ron.
Episode 11: I'm Dreaming of a Wayne Christmas
Dwayne takes Whitley and Ron to his parents' house for Christmas. Whitley is desperate to impress Dwayne's mother. She sneaks out before dinner to buy an expensive present for Mrs. Wayne. After she misses the subway, a panhandler dressed as Santa Claus accosts her and steals the gift. Whitley stops the thief with some help from the police, but the gift is broken. Mrs. Wayne apologizes for giving Whitley a rough time and urges her not to try so hard. Ron's father punishes him for refusing to work at the dealership by cutting him out of the family's Hawaiian vacation. Ron seeks solace by stuffing his face with Mrs. Wayne's cooking until his father offers him a reprieve.
Episode 23: If I Should Die Before I Wake
Whitley plans to sleep with Dwayne for the first time on his birthday. The public speaking professor assigns the students to write their own eulogies. A young woman named Josie stuns everyone with her speech, in which she reveals that she contracted AIDS through unprotected sex in high school. Gina and Terrence display their ignorance about the disease and are afraid to be around Josie. Kim and Mr. Gaines defend her and advise the duo to become more informed. Ron worries that he could fall victim to AIDS because of his history of casual sex. He and Dwayne decide to undergo HIV testing. Whitley, still shaken by the news of Josie's illness, decides that she just isn't ready for sex.