#BootyCall
It's a new year at a new Degrassi! Everything looks so much better, more modern. The new credits also look fresh and relevant. How they incorporate the supporting character is also great. It feels more natural and sets up for their future starring plots.
Maya is determined for her music career to take off, but first she needs a guitarist. Zig tries to audition to spend more time together, but he's not very good. Maya doesn't want to hurt his feelings, but music is her life. Classic problem. They just need to talk it out. I also love Maya's songs in this show.
Shay has a crush on Tiny! But Lola tells her that he likes butts and Shay has none, so what's a girl to do? Stuff it, of course! It does save her from getting burns in chemistry class though. I adore Shay. She's so cute.
Tristan is running for student council president and so is Miles. And they basically have the same slogan. It's queer against queer! But Miles explains why he wants this, kisses Tristan, and then Tristan considers dropping out so they can live happily ever after. NO! Miles is still the worst and Tristan is still desperate. Either way, Miles gets disqualified for his lavish campaign party. Miles always tries to cheat or buy his way out of everything. He deserves to lose, and his parting words to Tristan were just cruel.
#NoFilter
Miles is acting out now that he lost the election and those feelings get amplified when he catches his mother with a man. I simply didn't care about this plot at all. Miles has bigger issues than this. I liked his speech about feelings though, because it's true. People want the filtered version of your feelings. They don't want to be faced with things that are dark or disturbing.
Zoe and Grace are project partners and continue spending time together as her feelings grow. When she accidentally upsets Grace, Zoe goes to her house to apology, but is turned away. Weird. But when Grace coughs up blood at school, she has to confide that she has cystic fibrosis. It's also the reason she doesn't get close to anyone. She knows she's going to die soon.
Lola and Shay point out that Frankie has been acting differently and want to cheer her up. They invite her out, but she says she has plans: to go home and cry. Then she gets a comment on her new photo and starts chatting with the mystery guy..who turns out to be Lola and Shay under a fake account!
#YesMeansYes
I don't agree with Hunter on much, if anything, but forcing kids to play teams sports is not okay. His solution is a gamer club! It's shot down, so his backup plan is to break his hand. But Tristan reconsiders, and now Hunter gets to play. With a broken pinky.
Zig wants to save his relationship, which to a boy means sex! Only because Tiny has him convinced that she'll eventually sleep with Jonah. They're making out, and he gets quite pushy with her. Stop means stop, Zig! Grace gives the boy and awesome lecture on consent, which probably, a lot of people don't actually know the definition of. But Zig is no dummy, despite past actions, and he listens. He also listens when Maya tells him her feelings about their relationship and sex.
Miles doesn't believe his father has changed and doesn't want to have dinner with him. This is also our introduction to Esme and it's awesome! She gets him detention, which makes him late for dinner. That doesn't stop his mom from wanting him to give his father another chance despite his obvious distress over the very idea! Esme offers to help him collect proof that his father is the same man. Instead, she gives him drugs. Cool...yikes.
#NotOkay
Maya gets her first gig, but it's after curfew at a bar and they need new looks! How exciting! Her mom doesn't think so though. Of course, she sneaks out. Then gets treated like a dumb blonde based on her new look. She feels defeated and wants to quit, but her mom talks her into keep going. Go, Mom! It also leads to another hit song.
Tristan needs to move on from Miles, so he tries to date Vijay. That boy is smitten and reminds Tristan of his younger self. It's awkward, but Tristan is desperate for love. But he does realize that it's not working, and he still has feelings for Miles, leading to the best break up scene ever. Vijay cracks me up.
Tiny asks Shay on a date, but he needs to meet her parents first. She decides it's a bad idea and tells him that she can't get distracted from her goals. Then Lola admits that she's been in love with Tiny for forever and wants to date him. Poor, Shay and Lola. This is one of my favorite love triangles because it feels natural rather than forced for maximum value.
#ButThatsNoneOfMyBusiness
Lola learns that her keychain that she uses for stress relief is a vibrator and is embarrassed that Tiny thinks she uses it. Then she finds out that Frankie masturbates and is shocked. This sweet girl has been failed by society and lacks any kind of sex education, and this is just the first incidence of the series.
Miles continues to take those anti-anxiety pills that Esme gave him and becomes addicted. He tries to get off them and suffers for it. He is continuing to spiral and now he has an enabler. I'm much more interested in Esme's involvement and motivations than I am in Miles.
Goldi approachs Maya to perform "Not Okay" for the feminist club. She's never thought of herself as a feminist and Zig and Tiny try to convince her that the feminists club's plea for an extra bathroom is wrong. But Goldi explains it and Maya sees her side. Feminism is easy. Men and women deserve equal treatment. The specific issues aren't as easy, even things as simple as the number of restrooms.
#NotAllMen
The gamers need new equipment, but can't get the money. And the feminist club's next mission is to shut down the gamer club due to misogynistic content. Obviously, Hunter is not going to let that happen and we all know he is not the best at expressing himself.
Zoe's mom wants her to stop hanging out with Grace because she suspects that Grace is gay and likes her. Uh oh. Mom, you got it backwards and this breaks my heart because I know how hard coming out is going to be for Zoe. In the meantime, Zoe wants to find her dad. She finds the man she thinks is him, but he's not. She's feeling extra alone, but Grace says she's there for her and they kiss. Again. STOP PLAYING WITH ME!
Frankie doesn't want to be seen as the spoiled girl anymore, so she joins Jonah to volunteer. But she backs out to hang out with Shay during Lola and Tiny's date.
#ThisCouldBeUsButYouPlayin
Maya has a meeting with a record producer so she heads out with her mom and Jonah, leaving Zig behind. Then she needs to come up with a new song before the meeting. It doesn't go as well as she hoped.
Miles wakes up in front of the school, without his pants. Esme explains the night before, and gives him more drugs. After he falls on his head, he winds up hospitalized for the drug cocktail in his system. He explains to his mom about his feelings for his dad, and then he tells Esme he can't hang out with her anymore.
Zoe is wondering about her status with Grace, who is suppose to be with Maya in NY, but she was sick, so she stayed. The girls have a sleepover and sleep together, but then Grace tells Zoe that she's not gay and likes Zig. Zig and Zoe are both lamenting their love lives and take off to the ravine where they hook up. On camera. This is all so effed up.
#TeamFollowBack
Tristan believes he has an STD and needs to find out who gave it to him, and who he may have given it to afterward, meaning he has to contact his exes. Awkward, but necessary. Zoe finds a solution: anonymous e-mail! However, since Vijay hasn't been with anyone except Tristan....Luckily it was just a UTI, but he learned an important lesson about protection.
Maya gets severely harassed over her song. Like violently. SWAT team! I had never heard of this before this episode.
Frankie considers getting back together with Winston. NO NO NO! She comes to her sense and winds up kissing Jonah instead. I still don't like him, but he's better than Winston.
#SinceWeBeinHonest
Frankie is the new Degrassi Dreamer and her head is full of Jonah! The boy with no social media presence. But Lola and Shay keep pushing her toward Winston and thinks Jonah has secrets. And Winston uses her favorite animal to ask her to the dance. I still hate Winston. He's useless.
Miles is in therapy and tries to make peace with Tristan, since he has no one else. But he gets roped back into Esme when he believes his abandonment caused her to slit her wrists. She faked it for his attention, and we get to see just how off-balance this girl is. I love her character, and she is so bad for Miles.
Zig is trying to cheer Maya up, but she's still getting messages. So he tries to take matters into his own hands. He finds Hunter sending the messages and beats the crap out of him. Whatever happened to Degrassi's zero tolerance policy? I guess there'd be no fights or everyone would get expelled. But Hunter has collateral: the video of him and Zoe making out. Don't take the bait, Zig! He comes clean. About everything.
#SorryNotSorry
Keeping with Degrassi tradition, the season finale is at a dance. A dance that goes there. I cried so hard at the end of this one the first time. It could have gone in so many different directions.
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