Normally, reboots and sequels annoy me because many new stories are waiting to be told. However, Netflix’s A Different World sequel creates its own identity while blending nostalgic memories of the original 1987 version.
Whitley and Dwayne’s youngest child, Deborah (not pronounced Deb-Rah; it’s Dee-Bore-ah), attends Hillman under her parents’ microscope. With her dad serving as interim President and her mom trying to pick her roommate, Deborah (Maleah Joi Moon) needs help setting her “troublemaking era” aside and focusing on her studies (she has to maintain a 3.0 GPA).
That’s challenging because Hillman faces financial problems and HBCUs and the Black community are consistently targeted. She also deals with a complicated fling with Ron Johnson’s son, Shaquille aka Mr. Five Star, played by Cornell Young IV. Across 10 episodes, Deborah builds closer relationships with roommate Rashida (Alijah Kai), Kojo (Chibuikem Uche), Amir (Jordan Aaron Hall), Hazel (Kennedi Reece), and Ellington (Vincent Jamal Hooper).
Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t watched it yet or aren’t finished, this is your sign to come back.
Just the right amount of references and guest star appearances from the original cast
I was curious how the writers would connect the new class to Hillman’s legacy before watching. As soon as the first episode started, it was easy to follow who was related to whom. Even if you haven’t watched the original series, the writers do an amazing job of dropping pieces of each main character’s backstory throughout season one. This gives a sense of why they’re at Hillman and how their lives back home affect their choices at school.
Popular lines like Professor Davenport’s “You are on my list” and Dr. Langhorne’s “Relax, relate, release” pop up where they fit. I loved seeing Jenifer Lewis and Debbie Allen back at the university.
That’s another win for this sequel: the original cast cameos that made Hillman feel as warm and familiar as ever. We got to catch up with the characters we’ve been rooting for since day one. Ron Johnson’s still hustling for a check (his son is the biggest dollar sign), Jaleesa and Colonel Taylor are still going strong, Lena’s a senator married to Dorian for 30 years, and Gina and Charmaine? Still the gossip queens.
My thoughts about the characters
- I love that Rashida is a smart girl from Compton who helped out at her mom’s store. I love even more that her mom was okay with her outgrowing her old environment.
- Shaquille and Deborah definitely need to spend some more time apart. She was wrong for waiting so long to tell him that Ellington kissed her, and he was wrong for not telling Deborah that he slept with Candace, her RA.
- Kojo was too pushy, and I understand why Rashida needed space. However, she was wrong for not telling him that she slept with Andre.
- Amir was absolutely wrong for sleeping with Hazel’s boyfriend, Jalen. She had secrets of her own, but still, you don’t do that to friends.
- Closer to the end of the season, we find out that Ellington is Denise Huxtable’s son (the woman Dwayne once loved). He seems sweet and protective of Deborah, but the whole decorating her room thing I did not like.
- Although she had good intentions, Whitley was wrong for calling Byron (the man she basically left at the altar) without telling Dwayne. And he was wrong for hitting up Denise.
Header image credit: YouTube/Netflix
