Fun Friday: Find Your Inspiration

On January 10th, 1991, the "War and Peace" episode of A Different World aired. The Persian Gulf War was imminent, combat started just days later, and "Operation Desert Storm" wrapping up the following month. The episode deals with Dwayne's longtime friend and A Different World one-time character Zelmer Collier returning to Hillman for a final weekend of fun before shipping out to the Middle East. He had joined the Army Reserves not thinking he'd ever have to see battle, and all of the characters with whom Zelmer interacts respond in different ways. Dwayne can't make sense of it and tries to get Zelmer to open up about how he feels. Freddie thinks that the boy needs to make a run for Canada to get out of going. Ron thinks that the party needs to be unforgettable. Jaleesa, Whitley, and Kim perform "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" while dressed in short skirts and military hats. Colonel Taylor and Mr. Gaines feel for Zelmer, who will be interrupting his PhD studies to serve our country, something that both of them have done in the past.

Zelmer wasn't able to express his feelings to Dwayne, a civilian, the same way he could to Colonel Taylor. Let's take a look at the final exchange between Colonel Taylor and Zelmer:

Taylor: "You can resume your studies when you come back, after this all blows over."
Zelmer: "Is that what you really think, sir? Do you think that this thing might blow over or do you think that it could turn into something more serious?"
Taylor: "Now, You make no mistake, soldier. This is a series set of events that could escalate into something unfortunate. I'm sorry to have to say this to you."
Zelmer: "I asked you for the truth - that's what you gave me."
Taylor: "Is there anything I can do for you? anything at all?"
Zelmer: "...can you get me out of it?"
Taylor: "Zelmer..."
Zelmer: "I don't think I can do this, sir. I really don't. I'm a black man in the prime of my life. I'm just now starting to live. Just starting to taste, to know who I am, to know what I'm supposed to do with myself. Feeling good about myself. My accomplishments. I can't blow out the candles now. Not now. I'm just starting to see. It's not fair, Colonel."
Taylor: "No it's not fair. I wish to God I could tell you something to make you feel better... I have a friend, a very bright painter. One day, he went blind, just like that. Some freak of nature. Ten years he was in and out of hospitals. Finally, he got some of his sight back, but he never could paint the same, though he never stopped trying. Whenever I start feeling sorry for myself, I think about him. He doesn't know it, but he's my inspiration."
Zelmer: "That story didn't really help me too much, Colonel."
Taylor: "That story wasn't supposed to help you, that story helps me. Now, soldier, son, find your own source of inspiration." 

There's a lot to unpack there, and I won't make light of the conversation by trying to examine every word now. But, I encourage you to give it a second read. The thought that I find most provoking is that what is inspiring for one person may not be inspiring for every person. Personally, I find inspiration in thinking about "The Starfish Story," where a beach is covered in starfish that will likely dry up and die. A little girl tosses one into the ocean and an old man tells her that she can't make a difference when there's thousands of starfish on the shore. She turns to him and says, "well, I made a difference to that one." You can't save the world but you CAN make a difference, however small.

What/who gives you inspiration? 

Favorite Episodes: A Different World

I've watched a lot of television series through the years that were popular, but not among my friends. A Different World is one of them. I didn't see any of the episodes during the original run (it went off the air when I was in elementary school), but I found the comedy in reruns during the summer of 1997 or 1998 and was hooked. In fact, by the time I got to college myself, I knew I wanted to be a Resident Assistant partly due to the portrayal of the position on this show! When I mentioned this a few months after being hired as one, most of my colleagues just stared... they weren't familiar with Whitley, Dwayne, Jaleesa, and the others. It wasn't until grad school that I really found friends who knew the series and how great it was.

It wasn't until a few years ago that I managed to actually see all of the episodes (it still runs a few times a day on TV1, and there's also YouTube...), so it's about time that I went through and selected some of my favorite episodes. Season four was particularly difficult for me to narrow down the winner! Note: my normal rules apply, meaning holiday episodes aren't eligible, and I try not to choose episodes that I have already covered substantially elsewhere.

Season 1: "Rudy and the Snow Queen" (S01E06): I had a lot of reservations about Jaleesa in the beginning, for the same reason everyone else did - she was a 26-year-old divorcee starting college. In this episode, this fact stands out, as Jaleesa's ex-husband starts dating her sister! But the more fun storyline is that Rudy comes to visit Denise but prefers spending her time with Whitley, really annoying the elder Huxtable, and making for some pretty funny moments.

Season 2: "Risky Business" (S02E13): I think one of the things that made this series great are the many crossovers between The Cosby Show folks and the college kids at Hillman. In this episode, Clair comes to give a seminar and brings along Vanessa and a friend, hoping to spike interest in the school. Well, Vanessa, of course, is more interested in boys and partying than academics and professors, so it's only a matter of time before she gets caught.

Season 3: "Under One Roof" (S03E11): This isn't the most humorous episode, but it's a good one nonetheless. Ron allows a classmate to stay over at the apartment without telling Dwayne, but after a while they're both sick of the roommate who won't pay a dime toward anything. Plus, Whitley thinks that the Dean inviting her to co-host an annual tea will be wonderful, but the Dean seems to think Freddie has a brighter future, upsetting Whitley.

Season 4: "Sister to Sister, Sister" (S04E21): It's pledge time, and Kim and Terrence are the low men on their totem poles, with Whitley and Ron acting as pledgemasters for their respective organizations. Whitley is too rough on her group and the rebel, while Ron has to get Terrence to understand the sense of family that is created by a Greek group. There are some great jokes, a couple of step moves, and the stereotypical demands.

Season 5: "In the Eye of the Storm" (S05E05): A hurricane is headed to Hillman, and when the roads flood, a bunch of people are stuck at The Pit instead of shelters. Colonel Taylor takes charge and doesn't allow Terrence to do much, but the boy does manage to save the day in the end, which I find heartwarming. The funny part of the episode is over at the radio station, where Ron and Freddie are trapped during the storm. They wind up becoming intimate but it's not a secret... the microphone is on as they talk about it!

Season 6: "Happy Birthday to Moi" (S06E15): This episode depicts Whitley well, showing that she hasn't changed all that much over the years. She convinces Kim to let her help plan her own surprise birthday party, but when Dwayne finds out, he treats the occasion badly to teach his wife a lesson. Meanwhile, with the "new generation" of students, Charmaine and Terrell try to cheat on a French midterm, but they mix up the baby monitor receiver and recorder, getting caught.

Any favorites you want to mention?

My List of the Top 10 Spin-Offs

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

First, an apology to those who got this post early. I upgraded some things last night and wasn't used to some new shortcuts when I began this post this morning. 

This is an area where I have a lot of interest. I'm not really sure where it started, but I've always been curious about spin-offs. The idea that certain characters from a main show become popular enough that they get their own storylines without a crutch is just cool. And, over the years, there have been tons and tons of spin-offs. And, as per my usual, I'm pretty sure that some of my selections will shock readers. I tend to like things that are a bit off, and tend to loathe things that others adore (you will notice that Animaniacs did not make my list, for instance).

10. A Different World, from The Cosby Show. I actually like this show quite a bit, and it did great. But it was created to be a vehicle for Denise Huxtable, who only lasted a single season on the show, which is why I gave it the #10 spot. In case you've never seen it, it's about college kids at (mostly black) fictional school Hillman, and the troubles they deal with.

9. The Simpsons, from The Tracy Ullman Show. This one fell low on the list because a lot of people don't know that The Simpsons is a spin-off. And, I must add that I've never seen The Tracy Ullman Show, aside from the clips of the original Simpsons family that have come up over the past twenty years. Still, the show about an overweight guy and his somewhat average family is certainly a household name! 

8. Quack Pack, from DuckTales. As a child who was in her early elementary years during the height of The Disney Afternoon, I loved DuckTales as much as anyone. And, while I was partial to Webby storylines, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were great characters. So, when I found Quack Pack in middle school, I was delighted to see the threesome appear as teenagers. Only 39 episodes exist, but I think that the essence of the characters continued from childhood into adolescence, making for a very believable show.    

7. Melrose Place, from Beverly Hills, 90210. I didn't know that Melrose Place was a spin-off when I began watching in 1996. It was one of the only shows that my mom ever watched in original run, so that was my draw to it. In fact, I didn't know it was a spin-off until I was in graduate school and working my way through 90210 for the first time. The connection took place in the second season, as Kelly was interested in a guy named Jake, who lived in the eponymous apartment complex. On the whole, Melrose Place was way too mature for a young teenager, but I watched the final few seasons anyway... though it didn't entice me enough to ever go back and catch up on the entire series!    

6. Joey, from Friends. Yes, it failed miserably. People couldn't stand it, and nobody understood why Joey didn't talk about his friends... plus, no guest appearances in 46 episodes! Now, if you're a long-time reader, you may remember that I had a love-hate relationship with Friends until I was almost done with college. I ended up seeing the entire series and enjoying it, and worked my way through Joey in less than a week. I found the show to be amusing, though it was full of issues as the writers struggled to find an audience.

5. All Grown Up, from Rugrats. Rugrats was such a captivating show, as I believe that I have mentioned a few times. It's one show that I can say both of my siblings and I enjoyed together (which was a problem when we got the Playstation game - it was only 1 player!). All Grown Up ran for 55 episodes, and featured the kids aged ten years from the original show. This is another case where I think that the characters were very believable - the traits and personalities really matched what you might think the kids would grow up into. The show didn't really end with any closure, but was a good addition to the Rugrats franchise.

4. The Jeffersons, from All in the Family. A true classic spun from another well-loved show. The Jeffersons is downright hilarious, and my brother and I have many great memories of watching it together on Nick at Nite. Although George wasn't on All in the Family until it had been on a while (Sherman Hemsley was on Broadway at the time), his family was an interesting dynamic on the show, which took place in working-class Queens. The family later moved to a luxury high-rise in Manhattan, during one of the greatest lead-ins in television history - one week you move from the characters on one show, the next you move into a new place on a new show!

3. Daria, from Beavis & Butthead. I LOVED Daria. I thought that it was such a good, funny, clever show. Daria was a recurring character on Beavis & Butthead, a show which I am proud to say I've never seen. But, for a recurring character to go on to have a five-season success and two tv-movies says something. Daria's witty and pessimistic outlook on life amused me to no end, and I just thought that Quinn was the cutest thing ever. I've been waiting for the complete series to go on sale again, because I really must have it!

2. Family Matters, from Perfect Strangers. I loved Perfect Strangers when it ran originally.  I wasn't allowed to watch a lot of night-time television, but I vaguely remember catching it my grandparents' house or something a few times. I can't say that I remembered Harriet Winslow from that show, and therefore wasn't aware that Family Matters was a spin-off when it began (which I did watch by the third season or so). One might argue that Family Matters was far more popular (and much longer-running) than Perfect Strangers, though they were both very different shows. Harriet's character was clearly the same as it was in Perfect Strangers, and Family Matters became a memorable sitcom across the country.

1. Frasier, from Cheers. One of my favorite shows since I began watching it, Frasier is a very long-running show spun from a long-running show. I've seen several dozen episodes of Cheers, and the overall feel of the show is vastly different from that of Frasier. And, although some people gripe about how different Frasier's character is between the two shows, I think that it was addressed throughout Frasier, and the Cheers characters still got along with Frasier for the most part. The storylines in Frasier were also very different (and many ran much longer) from those in Cheers, but both shows' successes certainly define the greatness that Kelsey Grammer embodied.

To end this post, I though I might point out to one of the craziest chains of spin-offs that I've ever come across... Sabrina's Secret Life was a spin-off of Sabrina, the Animated Series, which was a spin-off of the 1996 version of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch which was a spin-off of Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies which was a spin-off of The Archie Comedy Hour which was a sequel to The Archie Show. ...yeah.

10 Best TV Weddings

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Last week I posted about my thoughts on Little Family, Big Values, but the week before that I did my 10 favorite television weddings that DIDN'T happen... now it's time to look at those who took the plunge and went through with it. My main rule here was that I would only pick one wedding per show (because otherwise FOUR slots would have gone to Friends, LoL).

10. Luka & Abby on ER. I was one of the seemingly few who didn't really care if these two ever got together in the end. But, they did. Abby seemed so afraid of commitment for so long, and Luka arranged the wedding as a surprise, with the help of Hope (who disappeared not too long after the wedding). I think that, besides the surprise, the most memorable things about their wedding are Archie and Hope using the suite at the hotel, and Ray ending up a paraplegic after he leaves the reception.


9. Robert & Amy on Everybody Loves Raymond. Of course there's family drama... it would be a completely different show if there wasn't. It's really a bad day, starting when Ray can't get himself dressed, but finally turns around with Raymond's Best Man speech, and, of course, Amy and Robert doing a choreographed dance to "A Little Less Conversation."

8. Darlene & David on Roseanne. I always liked David, and Darlene was a lot more fun that Becky (to me), so their union was exciting to me. I still laugh at the comment that Roseanne makes to Dan about how their daughter is marrying someone who they consider to be their son, making them officially white trash. The wedding itself was very "them" being in the woods and all, and when Dan has the heart attack moments before the ceremony begins, it made for an unforgettable wedding episode in television history.

7. Whitley & Dwayne on A Different World. They were engaged by the fourth season, and married at the end of the fifth. HOWEVER, it was at Whitley & Byron's wedding where Dwayne comes down the aisle, begging her to marry him. This is probably the least well-known of my selections here, so if you haven't seen it, check it below. The good stuff happens starting around 4:00, and by 5:10 it's crazy.
6. Matt & Sarah on 7th Heaven. Their first date was amazing... they were enthralled by one another's backgrounds, and ended up getting married that very evening. While each of the Camdens tries to figure out what Matt's up to, it's Ruthie who manages to not only uncover where he is, but what he's been up to. She is the only one to know this little secret for quite a few years, until she's forced to blurt it out to throw the family off the track on another secret. Matt and Sarah go through a lot of problems as their "wedding day" approaches, and nobody is ever the wiser, probably because of how difficult things keep getting for their respective families.

5. Jesse & Rebecca on Full House. I was young when I watched this show, so I think that the courtship of Becky & Jesse had a big effect on how I looked at courtships and weddings. Buying a ring for Becky was amusing. Jesse trying to make a good impression with Rebecca's father was funny. I particularly love the "cake tasting" by Michelle. The wedding itself is a great two-parter in the series, the highlights include Michelle being friends with Howie, Jesse deciding to go skydiving but ends up in jail, and Becky driving a bus to bring Jesse back to the church while Joey and Danny hold a sing-along with the guests.

4. Niles & Daphne on Frasier. Forget that Niles and Daphne got together by breaking up Daphne's first wedding ceremony. Any marriage that starts off with three ceremonies in order to appease everyone is hilarious in my book! It was particularly hilarious that they just kept hiding the fact that they were already married, time and time again.





3. Steve & Janet on Beverly Hills, 90210. Um, how can a surprise scavenger hunt wedding NOT be awesome?? It gets rid of the hectic preparations, and the teamwork mends the gang to a certain degree. And I can't remember when I've ever seen Steve act so sincere. (S10E08 on youtube if you want to watch the whole thing.)





2. Phoebe & Mike on Friends. The engagement was awesome, with Mike stealing David's spotlight thanks to Monica & Chandler. And then there's the whole "let's donate the money we'd spend on a wedding to charity!" and then change your mind several times. And at the rehearsal dinner, where Monica won't let them speak. The cake, however, is taken when Phoebe fires Monica as her wedding coordinator, and a blizzard pops up. Roles are thrown out the window, all hell breaks loose, but it all manages to come together for a beautiful ceremony.


1. Cory & Topanga on Boy Meets World. I couldn't not put them first. From the shocking moment when she proposed marriage during high school graduation to the frustrations of them dealing with all of the wedding planning, it's great. I love how Eric manages to connive their way into an exclusive reception hall, how Feeny wants to do the music, and best of all, how Cory has to tell Shawn that he's gotta talk to Topanga now.

Who didn't make my list but might have made yours? I'm thinking someone would want Sully & Michaela from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Or perhaps the famous David & Donna wedding on Beverly Hills, 90210. Oh, and I know somebody wants to argue for Zack & Kelly on Saved by the Bell (I couldn't include them because I don't count the Vegas movie as part of the official show). Who else? :-)

Top 10 Disappearing Characters

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

This is a category that is up for much debate. For instance, on Saved by the Bell, most of the secondary characters appear on less than four episodes.

10. Chuck Cunningham. The obvious choice, since the idea of missing characters has become synonymous with "the Chuck Cunningham Syndrome." (He was Ritchie's older brother on Happy Days in the event you don't know what I'm talking about)

9. Jenny Kelly. The name probably doesn't ring a bell, but she was a best friend to Sabrina (The Teenage Witch) for the first two seasons. She even co-crushed on Harvey. But she was dropped like a hot potato with no explanation or warning!

8. Judy Winslow. Honestly, I watched Family Matters in original run and it took me a good season or so to realize that she was missing. (Cousin Richie also vanishes, as does Waldo, but that's beside the point...)

7. Bob on Becker. While Reggie's write-off was stupid (she went to travel through Europe for TWO YEARS with friends after sleeping with Becker...), Bob's was practically invisible. Jake mentions at one point that Bob had gone on vacation, but that's the only mention audiences have, with no big departure from Bob at all.

6. Maggie from A Different World. Maggie was Marisa Tomei character's, a military brat who was Denise's roommate during the "sophomore season." Come Season 2, no more Maggie. Probably because she wasn't black, and they were going for realism at an HBCU.

5. Eric, Jessie Spano's stepbrother. He was in two episodes, and in the end he decided to stay in LA, and make a life in California instead of New York. But in the next episode, he's gone without a trace. um, what? I guess he wasn't "Saved" by the Bell.

4. Sara Spooner. You know, Carrie's little sister on King of Queens? She even moved in with Doug and Carrie at the same time Arthur did - she got the office and he got the basement. But, after the sixth episode of this long-running series (207 episodes in all), she vanished. What's worse, it pretty much seems like Carrie is an only child after that!

3. Minkus. He made a good classmate to Cory and Shawn on Boy Meets World, and a good opposite after Topanga became cool instead of dorky. But the weirdest thing about it is the reappearance he makes at the end of the high school years, where he claims he's been there all along, just taking classes in a different hallway.

2. Brendan Lambert. You remember him... the littlest boy on Step by Step. He was cute, but other than sharing his birthday with his dad's wedding, he really didn't get many storylines to himself. What was even more amusing is that they age Lily so she's five years old, yet Brendan gets cut for being just a few years older.

1. Steven Floyd and Ruth Ann Torkelson. Of The Torkelsons five children, two of them disappear and are never mentioned when the remainder of the family moves from Pyramid Corners, Oklahoma to Seattle. Technically the show was then called Almost Home, but it kept the same story idea and such, so it should have included the entire family.

Possibly worth mentioning: Denise, who plays Little Richard's niece on Full House, disappeared as Michelle's best friend. But Teddy is still there (as is Aaron), as are newcomers Derek and Lisa.