What you talkin' about, Willis?

This afternoon, I happened to catch a few episodes of Different Strokes on the BET network.* This used to be one of my favorite programs and I'm glad that all the cast members turned out so well. So far, Willis has been in prison, Arnold is a complete wack job and Kimberly died of a drug overdose. What became of Mr. Drummond I do not know. Did he possibly become a strung out coke addict?

Here is a brief character analysis.

Arnold: A creepy little kid who uses humor as a defense mechanism for his lack of height. He knows that he is most likely not going to get laid, so he acts sweet and cute, but doesn't always know where to draw the line.

Willis: A bit full of himself and not completely adjusted to his new Park Avenue lifestyle. He likes the ladies and the ladies like him. He would try to get into Kimberly's pants, but knows that if he gets caught, Mr. Drummond would be none-too-pleased. He loves his brother and does not see him a threat. His brother's shortcomings are a source of Willis' high self esteem.

Kimberly: Classic spoiled rich white girl syndrome. She does not like the idea of having her precious life disrupted by her father taking in two African-American children from the wrong side of 96th Street, but has learned to deal with it nonetheless and is even a little fond of the new additions to the family. She finds Arnold's antics amusing and sees Willis as a friend and secretly wants to see what it's like to be with a black person, but knows that it would be inappropriate.

Mr. Drummond: He is a kind-hearted if somewhat lonely older gentleman. To fill a void in his life, he decided to take in two boys from a downtrodden background. He is also a workaholic but seems to work out of his penthouse quite a bit to enable him to spend more time with his family. He lacks a woman in his life and his housekeeper is the closest thing he has to a wife. He does date on occasion, but generally leads a life of solitude. He instills values into his children and teaches them valuable life lessons.

My favorite episode where Arnold and his friend are lured into some guy's apartment who turned out to be a pedophile. I distinctly remember him offering the kids wine and playing Strangers In The Night** on his stereo. It would have made a great episode of Law & Order: SVU.





*I am not in their target demographic and their advertisements reflect that.
**I cannot listen to that song without being reminded of that guy,