Expert: Mel - 9/8/2007

Question
QUESTION: hi.have you ever noticed that at the beginning of the series donnas house is different to the one she has near the end where her family lives.there has been no mention of her moving either.plus i was hoping you could let me know what song is playing.all i know is it is season 10.dylan walks into the after dark and is walking towards kelly and matt and they have a conversation about dylan getting all the girls.i know it is round the time dylan is keeping quiet for matt when he slept with amy from that weekend him and dylan went away

ANSWER: Hi Leanne,

Yes, I have noticed that about Donna's house.  The first time her residence is shown is in "B.Y.O.B.", S1, and the place looks completely different from when it's shown again in the following seasons.  Some episodes that come to mind include, "Things to Do On A Rainy Day" (S2), "A Night to Remember"/ "Something In the Air" (S3), "Under the Influence"/"Life After Death"/"Christmas Comes Each Time This Year" (S5), "The Long Goodbye" (S7), and "What's In A Name?"/"Nine Yolks Whipped Lightly" (S10).  All, if memory serves, show different interiors and/or exteriors.  However, to the show's credit, each episode sometimes features a different room in the house so that there's no conflict.  Her parents move to Houston, Texas twice -- once as S4 starts and again when S5 does -- but only sell the house towards the end of S10.  This is because they move back after Dr. Martin completes his fellowship program.

The song you're looking for is from 10.23 ("And Don't Forget to Give Me Back My Black T-Shirt").   It's called "Picture Perfect", by Angela Via, and may be hard to find.  This episode aired in April 2000.

Thanks for the question!

All the best,

Mel

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hi mel.thanks for the answer and i was watching the show again and i noticed that david is in the same classes as all other cast members but he is meant to be a year younger than the rest of them.i would of thought that even in america toy wouldn't have that as people of different ages should be with people their own age in class and also because of the education you need.you can't be in a class with people a year ahead of you if you haven't done the work at your level in your year 1st.it just seems odd.maybe they wanted the audience to still see david in class as he is the only one out of everyone that is younger.what do you think.have you ever noticed that?

Answer
Yes, I've certainly noticed that David was younger, yet graduated with the rest of the characters.  At the show's start, he was a Freshman ("Pilot") and only shared Health/Sex Ed. class with Steve and Brenda ("Isn't It Romantic?"), which didn't conflict in my mind since it was just a class that was required before you graduate (i.e., it could be taken at any time).  As the show started its second season, all the characters except David and Scott were once again Juniors.  David was, at that point, a Sophmore.  There's no doubt in my mind that they did this so that David's character could become more integrated into the show and later graduate with the rest of the cast.  He accomplishes this by going to Summer School in the early part of S3.  That's why he doesn't go with Donna to Paris, despite her cajoling in "The Twins, The Trustee, and The Very Big Trip".  Then, throughout their Senior Year (S3), he continues to make small complaints about his workload.  This can be seen in "Destiny Rides Again" and, most notably, "The Game Is Chicken", where he's so swamped with homework that he allows Donna to take over in the radio booth.   It always amuses and astounds me when she says, "Well, you're not supposed to take Physics, Chemistry, and Biology all in the same semester."  I mean, I can realistically understand David having the ability to catch-up to his friends, but I don't know of any school that would allow you to take those 3 science courses all at once like that!  I think for most schools in the U.S., you can only take them in sequence, one per semester.  A better question, however, is why David would still be taking all three if he had just gone to Summer School to help get his math and science requirements out of the way.  ;)

P.S.  As per your last question, "Love Is Blind", S10, is the last time we see Donna's parent's house.

Thanks for the question!

All the best,

Mel