When Doves Cry (1)
Craig! Craig is my favorite guy on the show, and this is when we finally meet him as he's taking pictures of Emma and Angela. Which is not creepy, since we also eventually learn that his mom married Joey, so Angela is his sister. We also quickly learn that his father is controlling and abusive. This plot certainly kicks off Degrassi's darker direction.School is back in session, and Degrassi is now a middle school and a high school because we need more time with these characters. Previous events have certainly not been forgotten, as Ashley finds herself with only Terri for friendship.
JT is on the prowl for an older woman and he has his sights set on Paige, who will not give him the time of day. Emma and Manny are both crushing on Craig. Such cute beginnings for such a dramatic ending...
When Doves Cry (2)
Part two picks up right where part one left off. Paige agrees to a date with JT after a bribe and actually has fun. Craig is still trying to sneak in ways to see his sister behind his father's back.Craig's father is a piece of crap. He starts the episode by giving Craig a stack of cash to replace the camera that he broke during one of his tirades. However, Craig considers using this money to run away with Angela until Joey finds them. The real trouble starts when his father finds out and we learn how bad it really is by the amount of locks on his door. Then that heart stopping moment of Craig on the train tracks.
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
It's just crazy to me that I am now slightly older than Snake and Spike. I'm sooo old! And I would have been all over an 80s dance.The continuing adventures of Emma's crush on Craig, which fizzles out because...he likes Manny. Duh! One of my favorite couples of the whole series. Even with the Ashley drama. Or especially with the Ashley drama.
Marco del Rossi!!! Another favorite. I think most of my favorites appear during this season. He's introduced as an amazing dancer, and I think this is the only episode where that's ever brought up. Just like Spinner and Jimmy's failed break dancing careers. Although I do love Jimmy dressed as Michael Jackson.
Karma Chameleon
Introduction Ellie Nash! Another favorite? Yep! She doesn't let Paige push her around and becomes Ashley's new friend after her old ones continue to reject her later in the season.Ashley really is trying to apologize for her mistake. At least Jimmy seems open to letting her back into his life. So does Sean...But Paige does not forgive or forget.
Back to Toby, who has a new crush: Kendra Mason! She's Spinner's sister, and of course, he pulls that whole "stay away from my sister or I'll break your face" thing. The first appearance of the mysterious disappearing Kendra.
Weird Science
Another Emma episode. This time she's still struggling with her mom dating Mr. Simpson, and she's working on her science project which has unexpected results on Spinner. This is the only episode with any significant interactions between these two before they accidentally get married. It's definitely weird.I totally forgot that Jimmy asked out Ellie! Who rejects him because she's friends with Ashley now. Her only friend. But she does give her number to Spinner?!
Drive
The first episode of the show where a student drives! Well, Joey let Craig drive a car across the lot for a cleaning. Then he leaves him home alone for the weekend, so of course has to take his friends for a joyride! While this starts out like a fun loving plot point, it does end with an important lesson from Joey.Marco finally speaks and is shown as friends with Spinner, Jimmy, and Craig. We also get the first subtle hint of him being gay, which you'd only notice in hindsight.
Ashley's new goth look is revealed. I always preferred her with short hair. She's done a total 180 from the preppy girl she was last season. She also heads to get piercings with Ellie. I got my bellybutton pierced at 13, but I'm not afraid of needles.
Shout (1)
Oh man, I did not realize this episode happened so early on. I remember being super uncomfortable the first time (and second and third and...) I watched this one. It's the first of three rape stories on the show and proved that Degrassi really does go there. It does not shy away from the realities that teens face. Unfortunately, a few years after this episode aired, I had a similar experience to Paige which forever changed the way I view this and the subsequent episodes.Although my personal experience was closer to Darcy's. Either way, it's not something any girl should go through, but I applaud Degrassi for covering this topic. I remember being in Paige's shoes, pretending like nothing happened on the outside while being a mess on the inside. Deny deny deny! No girl wants to hear the R-word in relation to what she did with a boy she thought liked her.
I also had a similar moment with a guy friend who made an insensitive comment that pushed me over the edge. The writers really did a fantastic job with this story-line.
The B-plot is more comedy relief from Toby and JT, following up on their locker sharing woes.
Shout (2)
Paige is suffering from nightmares after the rape, another piece that I can unfortunately relate to and remember well. But she's trying to be normal, which includes entering a music contest. The return of the musical teens! It isn't until Ashley reads a poem about being ostracized by her friends that Paige has words for what happened to her, and she finds power in that song when performed in front of her rapist.I love how the roles are reverse from Cabaret. Then Paige was the one that Ashley didn't want in the group, and Terri felt like her voice wasn't her. Now Paige's ideas are being rejected and she needs Ashley to give the performance that she finds more meaningful.
20 years later, and that scene of Ashley comforting Paige still makes me cry.
Liberty's crush on JT is back with a vengeance! And so is their rivalry.
Mirror in the Bathroom
Toby feels like he doesn't get the recognition that he deserves for his tech expertise, so he goes out for wrestling. This is the first and only time Degrassi does an eating disorder plot with a boy. Toby starts pushing too hard, eating too little, and taking laxatives in order to drop weight fast, with dangerous results.Terri is a plus sized model now! She has more money and more confidence, at least until some stupid boy calls her names for being fat.
Take My Breath Away
This is the ultimate crush episode and was always one of my favorites, because it marks Cranny's first date! With a little encouragement from Emma, Manny gets up the courage to ask Craig on a date. Their recounting of the date was hilarious and adorable, since they each saw it totally differently. When he says that she reminds him of his sister, I was cracking up, because as we know by now Alexis Steele (who plays Angela) is her real life sister. But Manny does seem to young for Craig for long..Meanwhile, Ellie also has a crush on Marco, but Hazel is going after him, and she's too shy to let him know.
Don't Believe the Hype
Degrassi deals with racism! And struggling with identity. Paige is acting as the fashion police and giving out tickets, but Hazel takes it a step further and gives one to a Muslim girl for wearing a hijab. It isn't until the 9th graders give presentations on their heritage that we learn that Hazel is actually from Somalia and not Jamaica. A secret that she had even kept from Paige, who has never been to her best friend's home.This episode continues to fight stereotypes, by showing us that JT is awesome at sewing, although he pretends like he's awful when Sean calls him "Gay T." He swaps projects with Liberty and now she's been given a more difficult project which she can't complete without JT's help.
"We're people; why do we need labels?" --Hazel Aden
White Wedding (1)
Another love episode! The main event is Emma preparing for her mom's wedding, and learning that Sean is still in love with her. Manny steps in and makes Sean think that Emma wants to get back together, despite Emma saying otherwise. But also feeling otherwise.Of course, being a wedding coming up, there must be a bachelor party coming up? JT and Toby convince Craig to hire a stripper, since Joey is hosting the party.
And on top of the wedding craziness, Spike learns that she's pregnant...and that Snake wants to wait to have kids. The episode ends with her considering an abortion, which is the first time Degrassi brings up the topic. Try it out with an adult, before going for it again with a teen.
White Wedding (2)
This episode reminds me why Emma quickly dropped down my favorite characters list. She's always barging into everyone's business and jumping to conclusions, never letting anyone make their own decisions or make them at their own pace. This time she shows up at Joey's house to tell Snake about the abortion during his bachelor party. Go home, Emma! At least Manny calls her out on it.Emma is a strong character, but she needs to pick her battles. Of course, it's hard at 13, so she has a lot to learn. The show does a great job of showing that our actions have consequences. Not just for us, but for those close to us.
Another important point this plot brings up is that the pill is not 100% effective. 98% according to Spike. It's not realistic for people to just go without sex, but be aware of the possibilities, and maybe double up. Condoms are important too.
Emma and Sean's first kiss!!!
"Emma, you interfering is nothing new." --Sean Cameron
Careless Whisper
Another sex and sexuality episode with Dr. Sally! This one opens with Marco eying a shirtless Spinner. Spinner makes some homophobic statements. Jimmy asks some questions about how gayness works. Paige brings up her brother, who we meet next season. Ashley wants to know if gay is genetic (her dad is gay). Meanwhile, Marco looks lost, confused, embarrassed.Ellie is also worried that Marco doesn't like her, so she tries to be more upfront about her feelings. They do kiss, but Marco ultimately has to tell her that he's confused and doesn't know what he feels. This is the official start of their amazing friendship. But he still keeps up the straight guy front for Jimmy and Spinner, and Ellie is willing to be his beard for now.
Toby and Kendra are still adorable and awkward. Until Toby starts getting too....awkward and making Kendra feel smothered.
"Kendra speaks for herself, thanks." ---Kendra Mason
Hot for Teacher
Crushes on teachers are such a thing. JT has the hots for Ms. "Hot Sauce." But he also likes her as a person after bonding over the class guinea pigs, and he stands up for her against the other boys. Then mocks her to get them off his back. Of course, she catches him and is hurt by it. Yes, she's a sexy woman but she's also smart and kind, and teenage boys are jerks.After being told he stinks, Spinner makes Jimmy promise to always tell the truth. No matter what or to whom. This is an interesting double topic. The first: personal hygiene. It's embarrassing for teens, but it's important. The second: honesty without being cruel.
Message in a Bottle
Spinner convinces Jimmy to reach out to Sean to settle their differences. He winds up inviting him to a party. And on the same night, Emma's parents want him to come over for dinner. Sean is feeling stressed because his brother is out of work, and he's surrounded by friends with stable parents and money. He turns to alcohol to calm his nerves...Ashley and Jimmy round three? Jimmy has not-so-subtly been checking her out, but once they're face to face he doesn't know what to say. Ashley is definitely feeling the mixed signals. Boy make everything so complicated.
Relax
Oh, Degrassi has girl sports other than spirit squad? Kidding. But it's never shown, unlike the boys basketball and wrestling. Liberty tried out for the floor hockey team, but didn't make it. She is the manager though. But as we know, Liberty doesn't like to fail, but she channels that energy into getting increased funding for the girls. But also as we know, Liberty tends to go above and beyond, much to the annoyance of her classmates.Meanwhile, Terri unleashes the dark arts again. She reads Paige's palm and believe that she's going to die soon. However, with further research Paige realized the reading was wrong, but she strings Terri along for fun because she's Paige.
Dressed in Black
After a disappointing sex education class, Toby finds himself confused about condoms, so he and JT head to the store and buy some. Degrassi continues to make sure that kids know that condoms are important if you're going to be having sex! But there's some humor here, since Spinner finds the condoms and assumes Toby is trying to have sex with his sister and goes on a rampage. But Kendra is more than able to stand up for herself, which I love. I wish she had stuck around longer.Ashley and Jimmy are back together, but he's realizing that she's not the same girl that she was when they dated last year. Which he keeps reminding her of. It's not fair to Ashley, since she isn't that girl anymore and Jimmy needs to accept that if he wants to be with her. On the other hand, Craig has been subtly dropping hints that he likes her. Coincidentally, they're studying Taming of the Shrew...
Fight For Your Right
The socio-economic divide between best friends, Spinner and Jimmy, is rearing its ugly head. Jimmy's birthday just passed and his parents spoiled him. Spinner couldn't even afford to replace his disc-man while Jimmy got a top of the line MP3 player, and designer clothes. And after Jimmy lives his MP3 player lying around, Spinners snags it.Emma has a new cause: getting GM foods out of the cafeteria. It's a worth cause, but also expensive. I'm all for organic produce, but being able to afford it is a privilege. The school has to make food accessible to all of its students, not just cater to Emma's whims. But I do agree that it's unfair that she was suspended during the food fight. She didn't directly start it, nor did she throw anything. Raditch was just on a power trip and didn't like what she was saying, so he used the food fight as an excuse. It's no wonder he was removed later in the show...
I 100% forgot about Sully! Oh dang...
How Soon is Now
We finally get to catch up with Paige after her rape. She feels like she's over it and wants to stop going to therapy. She's also noticeably happier and more like her old self. At least until she finds out that Degrassi will be playing against Dean's school in the upcoming tournament. Now she wants to press charges, something that I was too scared to do. This one is a roller coaster of emotions for Paige and me.We're also catching up with Marco and Ellie as they work on a class project and continue the charade of their relationship. But Ellie can't just shut off her feelings, and Marco can't make himself straight.
Tears Are Not Enough (1)
Part one of this season finale begins where the season started, with Craig and his dad. He's trying to reconcile, but Craig is understandably hesitant. He does agree to dinner which goes well and gives Craig hope. Especially after there's some tension with Joey.This episode contains the first death of the series. It's an emotional one, but not because the character was well liked. It's a shock to Craig, who had planned on never seeing his father again by going to Children's Aide. Now the choice is out of his hands. Craig is the first orphan on the show.
Meanwhile, JT agrees to a date with Liberty if she tutors him for the upcoming exams.
Tears Are Not Enough (2)
Craig goes back to school and acts like nothing happened, and makes jokes about it. Not to mention his behavior during the funeral. It's a very uncomfortable episode. Looking back on it now, could this be the first hint of his bi-polar disorder?Of course, the B-plot is something light and ridiculous. Paige and Spinner are in competition with Hazel and Jimmy for luau king and queen.
"I am sick of you and everyone just being concerned!" --Craig Manning
Degrassi Character Rankings
For this, I tried really hard to only use this Season and leave my future feelings out of it. Which is the only reason why Manny Santos isn't #1; she's mostly a support character for Emma thus far although we see her start to come into her own.- Craig Manning
- Paige Michalchuk
- Ashley Kerwin
- Manny Santos
- Ellie Nash
- Marco del Rossi
- Sean Cameron
- Emma Nelson
- Spinner Mason
- Kendra Mason
- Terri MacGregor
- JT Yorke
- Liberty van Zandt
- Jimmy Brooks
- Toby Isaacs
- Hazel Aden
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