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Tyler Perry's Young Dylan - The Gift (S1E14)
Dylan has a dream about his mom returning to get him, and reveals that he doesn’t want to leave. This becomes a reality when Viola reveals that Dylan’s mom is back, and planning to take Dylan home with her.
| Runtime (min) | 21 |
|---|---|
| Air Date | 2020-10-03 |
| Genres | Comedy, Family, Kids |
| Network(s) | Nickelodeon |
Storyline
Dylan experiences a vivid dream in which his mother returns to take him back home, and the dream leaves him unsettled. When he wakes, he confides in his uncle's family that despite his initial homesickness and occasional clashes with household rules, he has grown to love living with them and doesn't want to leave. The revelation surprises the Wilson family, who have come to see Dylan as an integral part of their home.
The emotional stakes rise when Viola shares news that Dylan's mother has returned and intends to take him back with her. Dylan must confront the reality that his time with the Wilsons may be coming to an end, even though he has found stability, support, and belonging in their household. The episode centers on Dylan's internal conflict between loyalty to his mother and his attachment to the family that has welcomed him, while the Wilsons grapple with the possibility of saying goodbye to the nephew who has become like a son and brother to them.
What kids learn
Children watching this episode can learn about the complexity of family bonds and the idea that love can exist in multiple forms and places. Dylan's journey illustrates that it's possible to care deeply for more than one family unit and that feeling torn between two homes doesn't mean betraying either one. Young viewers see that expressing vulnerability and sharing true feelings with trusted adults is both brave and necessary, especially during times of uncertainty.
The episode also teaches children about the importance of stability and routine in a young person's life. Dylan's reluctance to leave the Wilsons demonstrates how consistency, structure, and unconditional support help children thrive. Kids learn that it's okay to acknowledge when a living situation is working well for them, even if it differs from what they originally expected or wanted.
Additionally, the storyline offers lessons about processing change and navigating difficult emotions. Dylan's dream serves as a window into his subconscious fears and desires, showing children that dreams can reveal feelings we haven't fully acknowledged while awake. The episode encourages kids to recognize and communicate their emotional needs rather than hiding them to protect others' feelings.
Parents' top 5 questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How should I talk to my child about Dylan's conflicted feelings toward his mother's return? | Use Dylan's situation to validate that children can love multiple caregivers simultaneously without diminishing either relationship. Explain that Dylan isn't rejecting his mother by wanting to stay with the Wilsons; he's simply grown attached to the stability they provide. Reassure your child that mixed feelings during family changes are completely normal and that it's healthy to acknowledge both excitement and sadness when circumstances shift. Emphasize that loving one family doesn't mean betraying another. |
| Is this episode appropriate for children who have experienced foster care or family separation? | This episode directly addresses reunification and may resonate deeply with children who have lived in multiple homes. For some, it could be validating to see their experiences reflected on screen; for others, it might trigger difficult emotions. Preview the episode yourself first and consider your child's current emotional state. Be prepared to pause for conversation and reassure your child that their feelings about their own family situation are valid, whatever those feelings may be. |
| What does Dylan's dream reveal about his emotional state? | Dylan's dream functions as a safe space for him to process fears he hasn't consciously acknowledged. It reveals that beneath his sometimes-rebellious exterior, he's deeply worried about losing the stability and belonging he's found with the Wilsons. The dream allows him to rehearse the scenario of his mother's return and recognize his true feelings before facing the reality. It demonstrates how children's subconscious minds work through anxieties that feel too big to address directly during waking hours. |
| How do the Wilsons handle the news that Dylan might leave? | The Wilsons demonstrate mature, child-centered responses to the possibility of Dylan's departure. Rather than making the situation about their own feelings of loss, they focus on Dylan's needs and emotions. They create space for him to express his conflicted feelings without pressure or judgment. Their approach models how adults should handle family transitions: prioritizing the child's wellbeing, maintaining open communication, and avoiding guilt-inducing reactions that would make an already difficult situation harder for Dylan to navigate. |
| Does the episode resolve whether Dylan stays or goes? | The episode centers on Dylan confronting his feelings and the family processing the possibility of separation, building emotional tension around his potential departure. The focus remains on Dylan's internal journey of recognizing where he feels he belongs and finding the courage to express those feelings honestly. The storyline emphasizes the emotional process of facing major life changes rather than rushing to a tidy resolution, allowing young viewers to sit with the complexity of Dylan's situation and understand that some decisions take time. |
Writing
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Directing
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| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Young Dylan arrives at his relatives' home needing a place to live, but his streetwise swagger upends the conservative Wilson household. |
| 1 | 2 | Yasmine’s celebrity client DJ Khaled visits, presenting Dylan with a golden opportunity to prove his rap credentials and score a record deal. |
| 1 | 3 | Dylan has trouble adjusting to the Wilson family’s rules, leading to confrontation with his uncle that makes him feel unwanted. |
| 1 | 4 | Dylan doesn’t want to attend school, and does whatever it takes to avoid going, including convincing little Charlie not to go, either. |
| 1 | 5 | On his first day at school, Dylan starts a classroom protest over having to wear uniforms. |
| 1 | 6 | The kids help Myles plan Yasmine’s big dinner at the house for her boss. While Myles struggles to write a speech in honor of his wife, the kids throw out the catered food and plan their own menu. |
| 1 | 7 | After failing to get approval to go to the school dance, Rebecca tells her date that she can’t go because her grandmother has died, a lie that leads to a series of misunderstandings within the family. |
| 1 | 8 | As Myles and Yasmine sort out the truth behind a lie that spun out control, Dylan helps them plan payback on Rebecca before she gets home. |
| 1 | 9 | Dylan writes a serious rap about his mom, prompting Martin to read his diary to find out if he’s doing ok. Dylan catches him in the act, triggering an escalating run of each family member invading the others’ privacy. |
| 1 | 10 | Rebecca is being bullied online, prompting Dylan to encourage Martin to respond to some of the posts. His posts are not anonymous, however, and the family must deal with the fallout. |
| 1 | 11 | Dylan tries to help Charlie with his homework, but his unconventional style of doing his homework comes to a head with Dylan gets into a rap battle with their teacher. |
| 1 | 12 | Rebecca is babysitting Charlie and Dylan, but when a deliveryman arrives with a package from Dylan’s mom, Rebecca and Dylan fight over the rule about not opening the door. |
| 1 | 13 | The family can't get any peace while Dylan plays the drums all day and night, and everyone tries to convince him that he needs to give up his new instrument for good. |
| 1 | 14 | Dylan has a dream about his mom returning to get him, and reveals that he doesn’t want to leave. This becomes a reality when Viola reveals that Dylan’s mom is back, and planning to take Dylan home with her. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Dylan gets ready to return to Chicago with his mother when a change in the plan causes him to question their relationship and prompts the Wilson family to help him through this latest crisis. |
| 2 | 2 | Charlie seeks Dylan's help when he has a crush on a girl, but Dylan's rap music-informed advice clashes with Rebecca's more feminist take on how Charlie should handle the situation. |
| 2 | 3 | When the school does a hip-hop version of Shakespeare, Dylan takes on another boy for the lead role; after only being cast as an understudy, Dylan is determined to outshine his rival and nab the part for himself. |
| 2 | 4 | A lucky guess in math class lands Dylan on the Mathlete squad, where his teammate, Rebecca, is worried that he will hurt their chances in the upcoming regional competition. |
| 2 | 5 | Dylan plays detective after an expensive vase is broken in the house, but no one admits guilt, and everyone is a suspect. |
| 2 | 6 | Dylan has a new track that he's sure will get some attention, but he needs a female vocalist for the hook and after using Rebecca for the part, he can't contain his jealousy when she starts getting more attention than him. |
| 2 | 7 | Myles joins Dylan in camping out overnight for a chance to appear in a music video and score new sneakers, but a series of mishaps threatens Dylan's ability to actually get the shoes. |
| 2 | 8 | When a valuable collectible that Rebecca and Charlie sneak into school is confiscated by the principal, Dylan must help his cousins pull off an elaborate heist to retrieve it before Myles realizes it's missing. |
| 2 | 9 | Rebecca wants to use her new scooter to make social media posts, and Dylan wants to use it in a rap video, but both need to hide it from their parents if they want to keep it. |
| 2 | 10 | Accidentally trapped in the garage with Myles, Dylan puts his street smarts to the test against Charlie's scout smarts to see who can find a way out. |
| 2 | 11 | Charlie is tempted to change his clean reputation when a group of school vandals invites him into their clique, forcing Dylan to try to change Charlie's mind; Rebecca and Bethany protest when they are not allowed on the football team. |
| 2 | 12 | Rebecca and Dylan, desperate to sneak out of the house, plot how to get past Viola, nicknamed "Alcatraz" because no one has ever escaped on her watch; Charlie prepares a report on a historical person who inspires him. |
| 2 | 13 | Dylan insists that baseball isn't another one of his fleeting interests, but when he decides he wants to quit after a few days, he has to hide it from the family; Rebecca struggles to choose something for her class time capsule. |
| 2 | 14 | Dylan and Charlie decorate the school for a Halloween party and discover that the creepy janitor might be keeping a spooky secret; Rebecca and Bethany can't agree on a two-person costume for trick-or-treating. |
| 2 | 15 | Dylan's popularity skyrockets when he engages in an online rap battle, but the pressure to settle the beef at school creates a new set of problems; Rebecca's upcoming solo at church spurs Yasmine and Viola to offer fashion advice. |
| 2 | 16 | Rebecca's assignment to study animals in the wild leads her to observe Dylan and Charlie as they battle for suprema |
| 2 | 17 | Blamed for a classmate's prank, Dylan must decide whether to reveal the real culprit, or suffer the consequences for taking the fall; Charlie and Rebecca think the family is being evicted from their home. |
| 2 | 18 | Hoping to be a baller in his latest music video, Dylan secures a credit card and starts ordering everything he needs to look the part, but after getting Rebecca and Charlie on board, the kids learn that credit card debt has to be paid back. |
| 2 | 19 | The family tries to make Dylan's first Christmas away from home special, but goes overboard trying to recreate his favorite traditions; the kids panic when they realize they don't have gifts for their parents. |
| 2 | 20 | Dylan discovers his new substitute teacher is a former rap star, and Dylan plots to get him back on top; after successfully reviving the former star's profile, Dylan finds that own dream remains out of reach. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | With the annual Juneteenth parade on the horizon, Dylan and Rebecca find themselves at odds over the float parade; Myles and Yasmine utilize Charlie's culinary skills to bake pies for Viola's church social. |
| 3 | 2 | When Lay Lay and Dylan get duped into buying fake designer clothing, they team up to track down the scammer. |
| 3 | 3 | Dylan becomes an egomaniac when he thinks his latest song is a number one hit in Nigeria; Yasmine enlists Rebecca to direct a commercial for her business. |
| 3 | 4 | Faking being sick to stay home from school, Dylan and Charlie plan a day of fun, but Rebecca tries to expose their lie. |
| 3 | 5 | After secretly opening his birthday gift from Myles and Yasmine early, Dylan must invent a cover up when he accidentally destroys it; the family plans to be the top seller at the neighborhood yard sale by way of Charlie's culinary skills. |
| 3 | 6 | Appointed hall monitor, Dylan finds the job more than he bargained for; with their parents working evenings, Rebecca and Charlie must prove they can hold down household responsibilities by themselves. |
| 3 | 7 | Dylan and Rebecca form an unlikely team to win a school gaming competition; Charlie is tasked with painting a portrait of Myles and Yasmine. |
| 3 | 8 | After falling asleep in class due to staying up late for a family tradition with Myles, Dylan is forced into Saturday detention; the family deals with Viola's competitive nature on game day. |
| 3 | 9 | After Myles and Yasmine enforce a no-technology policy into place, Dylan, Rebecca and Charlie find themselves on a treasure hunt in order to retrieve their gadgets. |
| 3 | 10 | After his old rap group from Chicago pays him a visit, Dylan must decide between the past and his future as a solo artist; Rebecca puts Myles and Yasmine on a strict diet regimen. |
| 3 | 11 | When Dylan is assigned to write a history report for school, he travels back in time to the Harlem Renaissance. |
| 3 | 12 | Dylan and Charlie cause chaos among the family in an attempt to create a dramatic audition tape for a reality TV show; Rebecca and Bethany teach Dylan a lesson about compromising his values. |
| 3 | 13 | As the school dance approaches, Dylan and Tara work together after they realize they have the same nefarious hidden agenda; Yasmine becomes overly protective of Charlie when the family supports his decorating efforts. |
| 3 | 14 | Viola and Dylan work on his de-stressing skills so that he can reconnect with his rapping abilities; Yasmine reluctantly seeks help from Charlie for her anniversary plans. |
| 3 | 15 | Rebecca offers anonymous advice to her peers and a superior but goes further than is appropriate; Myles and Yasmine struggle to be partners until Charlie leads them with his advice. |
| 3 | 16 | Dylan must make amends after he invades the privacy and violates the trust of a classmate; Yasmine and Myles are disappointed when Charlie uncovers an awful truth. |
| 3 | 17 | Charlie gets his first job but must stand up for himself in order to keep it; Rebecca realizes that Tracee may be more manipulative than she appears. |
| 3 | 18 | Charlie's habit of listening to other people's private conversations goes wrong after he informs Yasmine and Miles of Dylan's new life plan; Rebecca learns the meaning for true friendship and accepting oneself. |
| 3 | 19 | When he's hired to perform his hit viral song for a commercial, Dylan's artistic integrity is tested; Charlie must give a school presentation on someone in his family tree. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | Dylan and Rebecca unexpectedly play the role of magician's assistant, while determined to return a cash-filled lock box to its rightful owner. |
| 4 | 2 | Dylan confronts 'Dylon' -- a poor imitation of himself with whom Bethany is smitten; Myles tries to help Yasmine fix their patio. |
| 4 | 3 | Viola teaches Rebecca and Dylan a lesson in sabotage. Myles introduces the family to camping. |
| 4 | 4 | Charlie enlists Dylan to help run his campaign for school ambassador against their mutual enemy Ace. |
| 4 | 5 | While receiving tutoring from Bethany, Dylan's decision to cheat leads to sabotaging Bethany's class presentation. |
| 4 | 6 | Myles worries he's losing the bond with Charlie as Charlie develops new interests that don't include Myles. Dylan and Rebecca learn about the financial woes of running their own record label. |
| 4 | 7 | Charlie convinces Dylan to stand-in for him in this year's Mother-Son dance leading to surprising consequences. |
| 4 | 8 | It's Halloween, and the Wilsons take the holiday very seriously; Dylan must deal with his family dressed up for Halloween when the heads of a hot brand stop by to interview him as a potential spokesperson, but while trying to do so, he experiences a series of fright, horror and trauma. |
| 4 | 9 | Dylan tries to mend a rift between Rebecca and Bethany only to make matters worse. |
| 4 | 10 | Dylan tries to convince local street artists to create a mural featuring himself resulting in widespread chaos. |
| 4 | 11 | Dylan and Rebecca hatch up a plan to set Viola up on a date with the delivery man. |
| 4 | 12 | Dylan and Rebecca secure a guest spot on a popular hot-wing eating talk show to promote their new record label, but when they get embarrassed on live TV and become the laughingstock of the school, they turn to Charlie to help get them back on the show; Myles and Viola compete against each other to see who is the most "adventurous", even if it means getting a risky tattoo. |
| 4 | 13 | After Rebecca is chosen as a model for a hot clothing boutique, Dylan and Bethany will do anything to get her back; a reluctant Charlie decides to let Myles and Yasmine take care of his baby egg for his class project. |
| 4 | 14 | Deciding they aren't babies anymore, Dylan and Charlie turn their bedroom into a man cave... until they end up with a rodent problem; Rebecca helps Myles co-manage his fantasy basketball team, but the two soon find themselves at odds. |
| 4 | 15 | When Rebecca embarks on a mission to sell Fun Goo, Dylan accidentally ruins all of her products, causing sabotage to her master plan to leave for Houston for an academic championship. Now Dylan and Rebecca have to make a new batch of goo, but when Dylan notices something is up with Rebecca, he soon learns the real reason why; Charlie goes to drastic lengths to avoid being embarrassed when he decides to join Yasmine's Bible club to impress a girl. |
| 4 | 16 | Dylan and Charlie's holiday spirit comes to a halt when they are grounded and are trapped in a delivery van on Christmas Eve; Yasmine becomes the student after trying to teach Rebecca a lesson about gratitude. |
| 4 | 17 | In an epic sleepover showdown, the girls and boys engage in a fierce battle to claim dominance over the living room; Myles and Yasmine attempt to have an entire night of fun to themselves in the garage, until Viola crashes the party. |
| 4 | 18 | After Charlie's video of Dylan performing a dance goes viral, Dylan must recover his reputation at school; Myles and Yasmine use coupons to trick Rebecca into doing house chores, until Viola and Rebecca get the upper hand. |
| 4 | 19 | The day of Dylan and Rebecca's launch party for their label is finally here! However, after a venue Rebecca had planned ends up being taken, the duo must find a way to secure a new venue for their big event before it's too late; Charlie and Viola contribute on their part to the label by opening up a mini diner at the house. |
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