It's obvious that there is some level of stardom ahead for the adorable Mario Lopez, a Cuban kid whom Dorothy is tutoring in creative writing. His young character seems a bit too good to be true, but taking that into consideration as well as flaws concerning immigration laws, this ends up being poignant as it shows the friendship that grows between a student and his teacher. Dorothy is loyal to Mario and perhaps promises too much, and this episode is one that definitely should have had a much needed follow up. One of the issues with sitcoms in general is that it sets up stories that the audience feels emotionally about then never revisits them. Lopez gets to show his young character as likable, funny, sad and ultimately defeated even if Dorothy tried to give him some hope. She could easily have stepped in and helped him more, but outside of adopting him, I can't think of a proper way to have ended a difficult situation that would have changed the course of the series.
Review of Dorothy's Prized Pupil
