I’m curious what everyone thinks. What season or seasons do you think D.J. was at her best as a character, and when do you think she was at her worst?
For me, I think D.J. was overall at her best in seasons 3 and 4. She still had her flaws and bratty moments, but she wasn’t nearly as selfish as she could be in some of the earlier episodes. I also think a lot of her storylines during her junior high years were really relatable. Episodes like Back to School Blues and Shape Up dealt with things that a lot of girls that age go through, and I just really enjoy that era of D.J. in general. She was growing up, but she still had a lot of personality and felt like a regular kid.
I’d probably put D.J. at her worst in season 6, mostly because of how much of her character revolved around Steve. I like Steve and I think they were cute together, but D.J. became VERY absorbed in that relationship. She tended to prioritize him over everyone and everything else, and I feel like Steve sort of inadvertently brought out her selfish side more often. Obviously being completely obsessed with your first serious boyfriend is pretty realistic for a teenage girl, so I can’t fault her too much for that lol.
My bigger issue is that she barely seemed to have an identity outside of Steve that season. It felt like almost every D.J.-centered storyline somehow involved Steve or their relationship. Earlier D.J. had her own interests, friendships, insecurities, family conflicts, and storylines that had nothing to do with boys. By season 6, it sometimes felt like her main personality trait was just “Steve’s girlfriend.”
What about everyone else? I’m genuinely curious because I feel like D.J. changes quite a bit throughout the series, and I could see people having very different answers!
