A Different World (1987–1993): Season 4, Episode 24 - Never Can Say Goodbye - full transcript

Ron begs a dean to let him take a course and Walter leaves Hillman.

Come on, everybody

let's work
to preserve the planet.

No more of this nasty styrofoam.

Come on, let's recycle paper

and think before you drink.

What in the hell are you doing?!

I'm doing my part, Ron

because the manufacturing
of styrofoam

is destroying our ozone layer.

I hear chernobyl
is really nice this time of year

and I'll even pay your airfare.



You're lucky
I'm so committed to peace.

Committed is what
you ought to be.

Never mind peace.

Let's go.

Bring it on, baby.

Hey, hey, hey, hold up.

I want to capture
this magic moment

before I go to Philly.

Bring me back
some cheese steaks.

I'm not coming back.
That's what I came
to tell you about.

I got a new job as head
of wheatley community center.

Are you serious?

I leave in a week.

I can't believe it.



Walter...

Without you,
who will be our beacon

through the darkness
of youthful indecision?

Who will share
our trials and tribulations?

Walter, without you...

We are lost.

You won't be at hillman
next year.

Have a nice life.

£ I know my parents loved me £

£ stand behind me
come what may £

£ I know now that I'm ready £

£ for I finally heard them say £

£ it's a different world £

£ than where you come from £

£ yes, it is now, yeah £

£ here's our chance to make it £

£ and if we focus on our goal £

£ you can dish it,
we can take it £

£ hey, just remember
that you've been told £

£ it's a different world £

£ it's a different world £

£ it's a different world £

£ than where you come from £

£ ooh £

£ than where you come from. £

come in.

Dean Winston

how the years have flown.

You have no idea
why you're here, do you?

I have an inkling.

You're tired of all those
egghead valedictorians.

You need somebody
who can talk to the folks.

Oh! You would like to give
the commencement address?

Oh, well, if chosen,
I must speak.

Good. You'll have
a whole year to practice

because you're not
going to graduate this year.

Oh, no!

Oh, no.

I passed all my classes...
Barely...

But I passed all of my classes.

Well, according to our records

you have yet to fulfill
your history requirement.

Oh, Dean.

I took African-American history.

Well, Mr. Johnson

European history
is also required.

But, Dean Winston... my brother...

Hillman is a black school
with black students

and the subject we know
least about is black history.

Mr. Johnson

the study of history
is not just a black "thang."

An educated man knows
many civilizations.

Come on, Dean

between me and you

I hear that class
could cure insomnia.

I teach that class, Mr. Johnson.

Dean Winston, what lovely
children you have here.

I had no idea.

Yes, yes, yes.

My wife got them in the divorce.

The little ingrates,
they testified against me.

Good day, Mr. Johnson.

There has got to be
something we can do.

I'll write papers,
I'll walk your dog

I will not date your daughter.

That's comforting.

Good day, Mr. Johnson.

Next.

Uh...

You have no idea
why you're here, do you?

Freddie:
Wait, wait, slow down.

Never mind.

Just go...

I heard they're roasting Walter.

It's not nice to cook a person.

Maybe they got his permission.

They're not roasting Walter.

They're giving him a roast.

What will he do
with a big piece of meat?

A roast is like
a going-away party

your friends have for you.

They make fun
of whoever's going away.

They call them names

to show how much
they care about them.

Why are you leaving, Walter?

What did we do?

Oh, sweetheart

y'all didn't do anything wrong.

When somebody leaves

it doesn't mean
it's somebody's fault.

My mom says it's my dad's fault

and my dad says
it's my mom's fault.

It's not anybody's fault here.

It's just that everybody's
growing and changing

and I need my chance to grow.

You are growing, Walter.

You are.

Thanks, Freddie.

But who's
going to take care of us?

You remember Anthony bell...

The non-basketball playing
brother?

He'll be in charge.

You'll be in good hands.

Seems like yesterday y'all
first started coming here.

I'll miss every one of you

but I'll also check up
on you grades at school.

Your futures
are very important to me.

You know that, right?

Come on, man.
No long faces.

Come on.

All right, my people.

Hey, I'm an old man.

Hey! Ow! Hey!

Hello.

Not here, not here.

No, just a...

Yes, yes, yes.

Send it right over!

You almost caused me
to lose my bagel order.

I'm sorry, Mr. Gaines.

The British research foundation
will call today

if I got the Grant.

That's great.

Don't touch that.

Kimberly's waiting for a call
to say she got a grand.

A Grant.

Grand or Grant...

Don't spend it all in one place.

Yo, yo, yo, Dean Winston.

Just the man I want to see.

I need a big favor.

Name it.

Ron Johnson.

Wrong name.

It's not a favor for him,
this is a favor for me.

The brother calling me.
Every hour.

Take your phone off the hook.

I'd love to help you out

but a requirement
is a requirement.

Let's give him a chance
to graduate on time.

The man had four years.

And do you want him on campus

longer than that?

Okay.

He can take the final...
My final.

All right, my brother.

You bad. You cool.

Nice seeing you.

He'll never pass.

Hello! Hello?!

It's the phone next door.

Maybe the research department
didn't get my application.

Hello?

Kim, it's for you.

Actually, I came to see you...

The resident history expert.

I seized these

from the ecologically ignorant.

Let's let bygones be bygones.

Well, first of all, Ron,
these cups are brand new.

The receipt's in the bag.

And second of all,
I am chafed raw

by the sheer essence
of your being

and you are loathsome
and duplicitous.

I'm also a chauvinist,
irksome, and unctuous.

What do you want?

Your notebooks,
old tests, and brain.

Walter hooked me up to take
the European history final.

If I don't pass,
I don't graduate.

Karma, Karma!
Yes, this is she.

Oh, thank you,
Mr. Mackenberry.

I got the Grant!

You did it?!

I'm going to London!

Get on your knees and beg.

So you'll help me out?

No.

You care more about seals
than people.

Why don't you just club me
over the head?

Should I torture him?

Ron, I bet you don't know
who the archduke ferdinand is.

Oh, Matthew, guess what?

I got the Grant.
I'm going to London.

Oh, that's great.

Guess what?

I got the job at the Seattle
repertory theatre.

I'm going to be on stage
all summer

in a very demanding,
non-speaking role.

You'll be brilliant.

Well, I guess we both got
what we want, huh?

Yeah, I guess we did.

You know, with the money
I'll be making

I'll be able to afford

at least one transatlantic call.

We'll write each other.

Nothing like a good letter.

Yeah.

Make it dirty?

Drop it in the mud.

I'm going to miss you.

I'm going to miss you
a lot more.

I guess we'll have to see
what the summer brings.

Yeah.

I hope it brings you back to me.

Whitley:
What are the dates

of world war I?

1914 to 1918.

What ended it?

The peace treaty of versailles.

Queen of France
during the French revolution?

Antoinette...
She was burned at the stake.

That was Joan of arc.

Noah's daughter?

Buddy, we're taking
a little break.

You're having memory overload.

I got it.

I got all the answers.

Yo, Ron.

Yo... a colloquialism used
by black people.

It means hello.

I just came
to wish you good luck

and take you
to the exam, brother.

Oh, yeah, right.

Thanks, Walter.

I couldn't have made it

through the last four years
without you.

I know.

Hold up now.

Let me check you out, man.

Wait a minute, Walter.

What are you doing?

Look at this.

Man!
Ron!
Not cheating!

Take off your shoes.

There's nothing in my shoes.

Walter, there's nothing...

Oh!

What is this?
That's despicable!

Drop your pants.

Is this really necessary?

Yes, it is, whitley.

Aw, man.

How were you planning
to read that, boy?

The oldest trick in the book...

Velcro.

Dwayne:
Aw, Ron.

Here's your shoe.

Now, you can take the exam.

You can take
my shoe and my pants

but you can't take my mind.

I'm going to bust
this thing out.

Whitley:
That's right, Ron!

You can do it!

Together:
He's going to fail.

I could stand up here all night

saying derogatory things
about Walter

but who couldn't?

So I made a list
of his good points

but a fly ate it.

Colonel of corn.

So without further ado

here is a woman, jaleesa vinson

who knew Walter too well
for her own good.

Well, you can learn a lot
from a man's name.

Walter oakes.

Strong, majestic, shady.

So shady I decided
to put him to a little test.

I called him one day

and disguised my voice
as an island woman.

Well, Walter was just
all too eager

to accept a date with Sheila.

Don't play games.

I know that you
were willing to sneak around

with some cheap island pineapple

but what you didn't know

was that cheap island pineapple
was me.

I am Sheila.

Oh...

Ha-ha! I knew it all along.

Oh, you better stop
right now, Pinocchio

because your nose
is halfway down the street

and maybe you should follow it.

If that's what you want.

That's what I want.

But there's one thing
I'd like to say.

Ladies and gentlemen,

for the first time
live at hillman,

singing the great tunes like

"I knew it all along,
you was totally wrong"

Walter oakes
and the little acorns.

£ jaleesa is Sheila £

£ Sheila is jaleesa £

£ no fool me £

£ your accent didn't fool me £

all right, so he busted me once.

Usually Walter
couldn't see the truth coming

if it was driving his car.

What?

Actually, I did see him
driving with this hussy...

Jaleesa, jaleesa.

That was all in the past.

Girl need a man.

That's what it is.

All right.

Now I'd like to bring up
to the podium

a man who needs no introduction

just a personality,
Dwayne Wayne.

He dissed you, honey.

I dissed you, man.

You know, the most irritating
thing about Walter is

he's like inspector clouseau...

He never busts anybody.

You have to bring the crime
to him.

Walter!

What happened to her?

I don't know.

We just found her
in the library.

Working on her paper.

The poor kid's really tired.

We'll just be on our way.
Toodle-doo!

Uh-uh, before you toodle...

Now I know this
might sound silly...

But by any chance
was Freddie drinking?

What makes you say that?

The room is spinning.

I know what you're thinking

but we did a good thing, Walter.

We rescued this poor child.

Walter:
Oh you did?
Yeah.

The way I see it is, if you
hadn't gone down to zircon
liquors

she wouldn't be
in this condition.

Just let me make it
through tonight.

I'll never touch
the stuff again.

You know, I think
Freddie's been drinking.

Does your mama like you?

Our punishment was
to clean Walter's bathroom.

And y'all never did clean
underneath that toilet rim.

We never told you
that we cleaned the toilet

with your toothbrush.

I'm next!

I'm next!

Certainly.
Next, Freddie Brooks

our own "save the planet"
pinup girl.

Come on, Freddie.

There are many wonderful things
I could say about Walter

but there are so many more
important issues

we should talk about

like, the planet is in pain
and everybody's responsible...

Freddie, Freddie.

Either talk about Walter
or sit down.

Thank you, colonel.

Walter, I want to thank you, man

for being so supportive

and every time
that I spoke to you

it felt like I was communing
with this twin soul.

Ladies and gentlemen

there's a very good reason
why I'm here tonight.

Dwayne forced me to attend.

On the serious tip

I don't mind telling you

it was Walter oakes

who was one of the people
who taught me

to get off my siddity high-horse

and walk with the people.

Whitley, your Mercedes is parked
in the handicapped zone.

Thank you, whitley.

Yeah, thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen

finally, the guest of honor,
Mr. Walter oakes!

Walter! Walter! Walter!

You know,
I'm usually always clowning

and I just don't know
what to say now

after four years of being here
at hillman with you people.

What can I say?

Freddie Brooks.

Go ahead and save the planet.

Kim Reese...
Dr. Kim Reese

when you become a doctor

you can operate on me any time.

My man, Dwayne Wayne.

Man, I'm going to miss you
and your flip-ups.

All the times.

And miss whitley Gilbert

with all the money
your family got

you can be anything
you want, baby.

I'm just playing.

I watched you grow
in four years.

You'll be all right.

Terrence...

I wish I could be here
for four years

to help you find a woman.

Just playing.

Mr. Gaines.

Mm-hmm.

How can I repay you

for all the good advice
you gave me

while you was taking
my money playing cards?

Colonel Taylor

who would have thought
we'd become best friends

and seen each other
through hard times?

And who would have thought
you'd have dated my woman?

That's all right, though,
miss jaleesa vinson

because you're a special woman.

When the time is right

you will meet that right man.

He's going to be a good man too.

I'm going to miss y'all,
you know.

I guess the words of a song
from a movie I loved

"it's so hard to say good-bye
to yesterday"

and y'all keep the faith.

You take good care.

All right, brother.

You take care, man.

Wally, got something for you.

Oh, man, I can't take
your flip-ups.

They're yours, man.

I want you to have them.

I don't know what to say.

Say thank you.

Thank you.

Promise me
when you've got your Ph.D.

You're running
your big corporation

you're married to whitley

she's fat with four
or five children

you won't be too siddity

to come down to my rec center

and talk to my kids.

I'm going to miss you, Walter.

Take care of yourself,
all right?

All right, man.

All right.

Why you tell my woman
I ain't got no personality?

She's the one that told me

you didn't have a personality.

Hey, I surrender.

I give.

No mas.

Don't hurt me.

No, all jokes aside...

You're one
of the best friends I got.

You and your big old rusty butt.

Couldn't keep a man around you.

I know you're still jealous.

Well, a little bit.

Little bit.

You take care of yourself, okay?

All right.

You too.

I'll miss you.

Psych-ah!

I'm only kidding.

All right.

I hope you find a man.

Yeah, well, your woman's ugly.

Yeah, at least I got somebody.

Ron, little buddy, what's wrong?

Killer exam.

First question...

I froze.

"Who were the leaders of
the agrarian party in Bulgaria

at the end of world war I?"

Raiko daskalov
and Alexander stambolisky.

It's hard to learn

a thousand years of history
in one night.

You won't catch me
doing that ever again.

I don't believe it.

You're going to study next fall?

What do I need a diploma for?

It's just a piece of paper.

I know.

I went through four years here.

You know that's bull.

You're going to pass up a degree

because you're too lazy
to take one class.

I'm going to be
on the road with my band.

I repeat myself.

One class.

You can chase women
the rest of the day.

And if that doesn't convince you

what happens when
your d-a-d-d-y finds out?

My dad.

He's going to ask
for my tuition back.

Mm-hmm.

All $55,495 worth.

I think I have a date
with the registrar.

I heard that.

Hey, Walter?

You take care of yourself.

Yo, man, if you don't
remember nothing else

when you get your degree

it's a different world
out there.

I'll remember that.

All right.

I guess my job is done.

Mr. Gaines:
Oh, my goodness!

Who turned off the light?