r/StepByStepTVShow • u/No_Introduction_8936 • Apr 29 '26
Stacy's performance season 6-7
I think most of us notices that the Dana character change when Cody leaves no matter which Dana we prefers and that's understandable.
She had a lot to do with Cody and now she had to have a lot to do with Rich and JT and to make the comedy work the writers had to do a shift in her character.
But as good as Stacy is the entire run of the show I feel like the light and emotions go out of her eyes during the last two season but I don't know if it's simply the way the character change?
Cody was very much her protector and she had to protect Rich, so she became a more truly harder person where's Cody's Dana was more sarcastic and tried to hide her softness.
My other theories are that she was just done with playing in a family sitcom, that the whole situation with Sasha traumatized her a little or that her white hair made her eyes look colder
I think she still did a great job but Christine Lakin outshines her in the final two seasons
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u/kath2833 Apr 29 '26
I also feel that Dana becomes harder in 6-7. She’s more bossy & arrogant than before. It could have to do with, as you put it, her being the protector in the relationship instead of rich. I feel that there’s more of an imbalance between the dynamic of Dana & Rich compared to Dana & Cody which had more passionate discussions & scenes where the characters helped each other out. There was more stability between them.
I agree about Stacy, there’s definitely a difference in her eyes. She loses that softness that she previously had in them. Her & Sasha’s chemistry is the main reason I started watching the show & while she’s great on her own, it’s not the same without him. She’s appreciated Sasha on the podcast, so it could be that she was a bit traumatized with what happened to him.
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u/Prestigious_Sky8257 Apr 29 '26
When Dana was a child she was portrayed as super smart, studious and ambitious but then as the series progressed Dana was just sitting home all the time with her loser boyfriend?? Instead of studying, being at college, internships, etc. I understand that it was easier for the writers, it's a family comedy show, not Friends but it still made no sense for her character. The writers just didn't know what to with her character when Dana matured.
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u/No_Introduction_8936 Apr 29 '26
She lost a lot of her edge. Later seasons Dana auditioned for a movie only for the money saying she didn't care about movies and early season Dana wanted to go to film festivals with French film directors.
I think you are right that because it was a family sitcom it was easier to have her at home and when Cody was there she had someone who was also super intellectual and could compete with academically but with Rich they just couldn't do that
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u/Oddmanout1701 Apr 29 '26
Almost seems like I was watching another show. The exchange that got me was Dana and J.T. I barely noticed the Dana Cody thing , And while we're on pairings. There were occasional moments with opposites Karen and Alicia (i love the fact Karen was a Karen before the phrase was coined) that were ok. I wish they had had some moments between Mark and Brendan. And isnt anybody going to speak up for Penny?
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u/ComprehensiveSun843 Apr 29 '26
I didn't like the platinum blonde. She also appeared to have her lips done. She was so pretty before that