A teen drama focuses it's stories on youths. The best teen dramas do not talk down to teens but show the world from their point of view.
Come here for all the news, reviews, and all things teen drama!!!!
Everyone's favorite Canadian teen drama returns for the second half of season 11 on Friday February 24th 2012 with a brand new school year! New freshmen, new faces, new drama, same school! No word yet on the title for this Degrassi chapter.
In this Degrassi Special, the kids are all going up to Jake's cabin for a terrifying end of summer party!
Alli is with Clare the night before her mother's wedding to Jake's father. Clare is still upset that Jake is about to be come her new stepbrother. The girls panic over every sound as the storm goes on outside and are startled when Jake shows up to put boxes in his new room. Clare tells him she appreciates him leaving for the summer to make things easier and they agree to no weirdness at the wedding. After the wedding Jake talks to Clare and tells her he still loves her. But a heartbroken Clare is not interested in getting back together with him.
Alli is worried about not getting any text messages from Dave lately. Clare ignores Alli's problems and informs her that her problems are more serious than Alli's. Dave later meets Alli at The Dot and tells her that he slept with another girl over the summer. Alli is heartbroken that he gave his virginity to someone else and ruined any chances of them getting back together.
Katie and Drew are spending their last week of summer getting ready for the new year. Katie is determined to start her year as president off right. Bianca has been spending more time with Adam and Drew at their house while she works in his dad's office as part of her plea bargain. Katie is not happy to see Bianca hanging around so much but tries to make the best of their last week of summer.
After the wedding Jake runs into Drew, Katie, Marisol, and Alli at The Dot where he invites them all to his cabin for an end of summer party, Eli chats with them as he rides by on his bike while they are planning it. Later Bianca calls Clare to ask to talk to Drew as she assumes Clare is with them at the cabin. Bianca warns her that Marisol is with them and that Clare should get there before she puts a move on Jake. Bianca offers to take Clare to the cabin and hangs up before Clare can turn her down. At the cabin Alli asks Jake to tell Clare but he wants to spend the night getting over her. Jakes tells everyone that the former owner killed his wife and her lover before taking his own life which spooks Marisol. Jake and Alli leave to get kindling for the fire while Drew and Katie ditch Marisol to be alone.
Bianca and Clare are on their way to the cabin when Bianca's car breaks down and the two are forced to walk the rest of the way while Bianca tries to scare Clare about being in the woods.
Marisol is very much afraid of being up at the cabin and now being stuck alone while Katie and Drew couple out. Things are made worse when Drew and Katie pull a scary prank on Marisol, upsetting her. As things get worse Marisol begins to panic and wants to go home but Katie is not ready to leave Bianca alone with Drew. Marisol then decides to try the marijuana that she found in the couch. Katie takes Marisol out so she can smoke out of the cabin. Katie tells Marisol about her fears of Bianca going after Drew but Marisol is too stoned to focus. The girls suddenly realize they are locked in the shed that Marisol is smoking in. The girls try to dig their way out and find wedding rings that may be from the former owners of the cabin. The girls panic when they see someone walking around outside. Katie grabs a chain saw and breaks out of the shed, the girls run to the cabin. Katie comes in and accuses Bianca of trying to break up Drew and Katie the way she did Drew and Alli. Drew comes back in later and realizes that both Katie and Marisol are high.
Alli sits with Jake around the fire who informs her that he did not hook up with anyone over the summer because he felt like he would be cheating on Clare. The two joke about being up in the woods with all of the scary stuff around. The two begin to kiss but are interupted by Clare walking up behind them in shock of her ex boyfriend kissing her best friend. Everyone goes inside but Clare runs off on her own in the wood. While out there she panics and falls, cutting her hand. Jake and Drew run out to look for her. Jake and Drew panic when they find Clare's bloody headband on the ground. Meanwhile, Bianca makes Alli feel guilty over betraying Clare. Clare runs all over the woods and freaks when she runs into Eli who showed up and heard she was lost so came looking for her. Clare tells Eli that she is glad he's the one who found her when Jake and Drew show up. Clare is still upset at Jake for kissing Alli. Clare comes back in and ignores Alli while Jake takes her to clean up and bandage her bloody hand. He tells Clare that Alli kissed him and he shouldn't have kissed her back. As Jake apologizes she informs him that she was tempted to kiss Eli to get back at him for kissing Alli. Jake tells her that he is done running and wants another chance.
Everyone freaks out in the cabin when they see a man grab the chain saw and walk up to the door. Everyone screams and runs around in fear. Jake grabs his ax and waits at the front door with everyone behind him. Jake and Clare's parents show up and inform them that they left their honeymoon early to find out where their kids were. The teens realize that they were overreacting the entire time. The next day Clare and Jake are getting along and seem to be over the drama. Clare is still upset with Alli over kissing Jake and Alli is hurt that Clare does not care about her problems. She tells Alli to find another ride home and invites Eli to ride with her and Jake in his truck. Katie tells Drew to walk Bianca to her car while they meet her to jump it with Marisol's car. Jake and Clare get back together and keep their relationship a secret from their parents.
This may possibly be the first Degrassi episode never to feature the school. There were no major social issues tackled in this episode but it was a fun almost horror film like special. It seemed out of Degrassi's element to do an episode like this, the first out of ordinary episode since "Take On Me" in season 3. The episode was fun and still managed to have some surprises and a real honest story about Clare and Alli finally ending their friendship. This episode gets a B+ and I think it's safe to say that these two classes are ready to take on the role as the upperclassmen at Degrassi!
This episode will air in the US on Friday November 18!
Need your Degrassi fix? We have rounded up the latest info for you! Find out what to expect when Degrassi returns!!!
We are getting closer to the fall special "Nowhere to Run" that takes place at the end of the summer before school starts! This may be the first episode to not feature the school, but we are not certain yet.
Degrassi will return in 2012 with new episodes that take place int he 2011-2012 school year. The students will move up a grade level and wear the color of their respective grades.
The Degrassi cast is currently reading through their scripts for the final episodes of season 11!
You might see some unfamiliar faces in the bunch! The Degrassi writers used their Tumblr to post a picture of the list for the main character in season 11 that we can expect to see in the opening credits, including the final freshman Zig Novak played by Ricardo Hoyos. Jake Neayem (Mo) appears to be the only recurring member to be bumped up to regular, despite much speculation about the grade nine characters featured in season 10. It looks as though DTNG's third generation are the big dogs on campus while they introduce the beginning of the fourth generation!
Stephen Stohn released the two episode titles for episodes 38-41 on this Twitter!
Here is the complete list of episode titles so far:
1130/1131: Nowhere to Run
1132/1133: Underneath It All
1134/1135: Can't Tell Me Nothing
1136/1137: Not Ready To Make Nice
1138/1139: Need You Now
1140/1141: Smash Into You
Keep up with us for all news with Degrassi and other teen dramas!!!
Degrassi has 16 episodes left of season 11! The first two are expected to air as an hour long special this fall the remaining 14 will air sometime in 2012.
Here is an episode list for the first of the remaining episodes, and note that the first episode, originally titled "Bleeding Love" has been changed:
It's been a big year for the class of 2011 in the world of teen drama! West Beverly, Degrassi, and Grant all celebrated big graduations this year. Confessions, illness, proposals, everything you can imagine happens at these graduations.
For 90210, this marked the end of the high school chapter of the series. For Degrassi, this was a farewell to several of the main characters, and for The Secret Life it was a splitting up half the cast of high school and now out of high school.
Graduation is a big moment in the world of teen drama and has been used as a major plot device and story arc on nearly all long lasting teen dramas. It's a huge transitional step that can either boost or break a show. Critics have stated opinions that teen drama series' tend to "jump the shark" once they leave high school and move into the real world. Do any of you readers have opinions on whether or not a teen drama can be successful when taken out of high school? Shows like Degrassi have mastered the art of focusing on the school and following future generations of students. Then shows like Beverly Hills 90210 follow the main characters as they enter adulthood. Both attempts have been proven to be both successful and unsuccessful given the programs.
For now lets take a moment to remember some of the memories of teen drama graduations throughout the years!
Do you have a favorite? How do you feel about teen dramas leaving high school behind? How should a graduation episode be written?
Lyle Donohoe made his first of many appearances as Tristan a new grade 9 student about to enter Degrassi. He is set to be one of the four new characters joining Degrassi when it returns with new episodes after the special episode airing in the fall. He is also said to be younger brother of the character Owen (Daniel Kelly).
Tonight was the finale to Degrassi: Now or Never! It concluded with an episode named after a T.I song. It's prom night and the students show up at the off campus dance.
Katie walks in with Drew and is shocked to find out he invited Bianca. Adam and Katie warn him about having Bianca there bu the insists that someone needs to be there for Bianca. Drew tries to push Bianca and Katie to get along. Later Katie and Drew get up to dance and Bianca takes Adam out to the dance floor. The two have fun and Bianca apologizes for the events that happened last semester when they took ballroom dancing together. Bianca has a fun safe night and thanks Drew for helping her. Things turn ugly when Vince shows up and Bianca finds out Drew talked to him. Vince gets rough with Bianca and Drew stands up for her. He beats up Vince and orders him to leave. To every one's horror Vince pulls out a gun and fires two shots into the audience before he runs out. After Vince leaves everyone stands up. Drew makes sure Katie is okay but then sees Clare and Eli sitting next to Adam who has been shot. Katie tries to help Adam while the police are on their way. Bianca grabs Vince's gun and announces that she needs to end this. The EMT's assure Drew that Adam should be okay. Drew asks Clare and Eli to ride in the ambulance with him and he has a moment with his brother before he leaves to find Bianca and Katie goes along. He finds Bianca waiting in the ally with a gun. He tells not to shoot Vince but she would rather go to prison then continue the way things are now. Drew promises to find a way to keep Bianca safe and get rid of Vince and his guys, he gets the gun from her. Adam's emotional Mom meets him at the hospital. That night Vince is arrested by the police. By morning Drew, Bianca, and Katie arrive at the hospital where his mother is angry for him bringing Bianca. Drew informs her how much Bianca sacrificed to put Vince away and now she needs their help with a lawyer. His mother agrees to help Bianca out.
Clare left for prom early and Jake knows how upset she is. His father warns her how difficult it would be dating his soon to be stepsister. Jake and Clare meet up together at prom. She's upset that he's not upset about their parents getting married. She demands that they team up to stop the wedding. The two get into an argument and Jake suggest that they cool down their relationship. Jake then walks out of the prom and leaves Clare with her friends. After Adam is shot at prom, Eli and Clare go with him to the hospital where Clare catches Eli up on what's going on with her Jake. Eli is sorry that her relationship is ending but she suggests that it wasn't meant to be.
The Degrassi seniors enjoy their last night together. They video chat with Holly J who is in the hospital. Sav tells them he forgot the crowns and excuses himself back to Degrassi and enlists Ms. Oh to be his ride. Riley and Zane chat and Riley informs him that he officially came out to his mom and soon his father. Zane then shares that the two will be going to the same school. Sav surprises Ms. Oh with a romantic night planned at Degrassi. The romance is interrupted when they get texts alerting them about the shooting. They return to see Adam being taken to an ambulance and she proclaims that they made a mistake. The next day Sav gets ready to take Alli to her science program but stops to say goodbye to Ms. Oh. She assures him that if things were different then they could be together and kisses him goodbye. Sav looks at the hand prints that Holly J, Chantay and Anya left behind. He tells Alli that he'll miss the intense Degrassi. She assures him that she'll keep him updated as the drama never stops at Degrassi.
This was by far one of Degrassi's best episodes and not just because of the shooting. Alica Josipovic and Luke Bilyk really seemed to be lacking acting skills in season 10 but they have been two of the strongest this season and tonight was their finest. This was probably the most closure we've ever gotten on a graduating class from Degrassi. This episode gets an A+ and Now or Never has been a great ride.
Though the Halloween Special seems oddly placed. It's hard for one to tell whether it's for real or another fantasy Halloween scenario.
Tonight premiered the beginning of the finale to Degrassi: Now or Never with an episode named after a T.I song. It's almost time for prom and people have to make now or never decisions.
Adam and Drew are getting ready to help out at Grade 9 orientation. Bianca is expected to be there as well and Adam warns Drew to stay away from her. On their way into school they see Bianca with Vince outside. Katie is in charge and Drew asks her to put him with Bianca so he can figure out what she's up to. He confronts Bianca about seeing her with Vince but she orders him to drop it. Drew goes through Bianca's phone when she's not looking and sees that she is dating Vince. Adam suggest that he drop it, but Drew says he's ready for whatever Vince brings. He finally confronts her and Bianca admits that she is doing everything for Vince to protect Drew because he's the one good thing in her life. She shows Drew her bruises that Vince gave her and begs Drew not to fight Vince. He tells Katie that he has to help Bianca, but Katie worries about him getting violent again. Drew gives Bianca a ticket to prom to keep her away from Vince for the night. He then pretends to be her using her phone to text Vince to meet up. Drew surprises Vince when he shows up to talk with him. Drew warns Vince to stay away from Bianca and then gloats that he's going to prom with her. The two agree that it's over, but Vince is clearly insincere.
Clare and Jake have not told their parents that they are together, especially since their parents are involved right now. Jake expects their parents to break up soon enough. Her mother surprises them when she invites Jake and his dad over for dinner. Jake tries to get his dad to reschedule so that he can get to prom, but his father informs him that the dinner is to announce their engagement. At the dinner their parents announce their engagement with stuns Clare, but Jake pretends to be overly happy. Clare thinks it's too early for her to remarry right after the divorce. Clare drops the bomb that she and Jake are dating as well. Her mother insist that they end things now.
Mo and Sav are excited for school to be out. Sav informs Mo that he is planning on getting with Ms. Oh now that he has graduated. He tries to set up a date with her and they realize that tonight at prom is their only chance to spend time together as they will be a part all summer before Sav goes away to university. The two realize they should leave things as they are. Anya and Sav stop by to visit Holly J at the hospital after her procedure, but break the news that they need help finishing up the plans for prom. Sav questions about privacy places at the off campus prom. The three original Lakehurst kids reflect on their past relationships both girls had with Sav. Mo pushes Sav to try to romance Ms. Oh at Degrassi while everyone else is at prom.
So far this episode is already streets ahead of The Boiling Point finale! It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the finale to Degrassi: Now or Never! We will post a review along with tomorrow night's recap.
Tonight concluded the episode named after a Rihanna song. We said goodbye to another class of Degrassi students.
Fiona wakes up late and is avoiding Holly J's calls. Her mother worries about her going to the graduation but Fiona assures her she's fine. Fiona is hiding her empty wine bottles from her mother. Fiona arrives at the graduation full of resentment for Holly J leaving her. Holly J is angry at her for being selfish and informs her that she is getting her surgery the night of prom and will not be able to attend. Fiona leaves as Holly J gives her emotional valedictorian speech for the class of 2011 and the graduates receive their diplomas. She later runs into Charlie who catches her with alcohol. Fiona confides her fears about Holly J leaving her alone and confesses that she let Mr. Tuxedo Pants out of her apartment. Charlie berates her and tells her that she pushes people away. Fiona takes her advice and surprises Holly J at the hospital where she apologizes for her selfishness. Holly J is tired of fixing problems for other people so Fiona surprises her when Anya and Chantay show up to celebrate prom early. The girls take a fun limo ride through the city that leads them to Degrassi. The girls decide to leave their mark on Degrassi by leaving their hand prints in the cement. Fiona confesses to drinking the night before but assures them that she's better now. Fiona smiles as her friends leave their hand prints and initials so Degrassi never forgets them. The next day Fiona goes to apologize to Charlie and finds out that the cat is now safe at home. Fiona then informs her that she'll be missing prom as well because she's going back to rehab.
Anya breaks the news to Riley that she's going to prom with Owen now. Later Riley's mother accepts and comes to terms with the fact that he is gay.
Katie and Marisol prepare for the future running student council. Katie worries about having sex with Drew. He soon happily informs her that he is STI free and invites her over to watch movies in his basement. Katie has Marisol crash the movie date to avoid having sex with Drew. By the end of the night Drew has had enough and asks Marisol to leave. Katie confesses that she is not ready for sex and Drew informs her that he invited her over to meet his mother because she's important to him. The two go upstairs to get to talk more with his mother. The next day Katie informs Drew that Bianca signed up for Grade 9 orientation and she does not know whether or not to trust her. After Katie steps away Drew declines a phone call from Bianca.
Annie Clark and Charlotte Arnold gave great performances in this episode. It was surprising to see an absence of the Owen and Anya story, but it seemed like a good choice given the graduation story. We said goodbye to the seniors as we know them. This episode gets an A and is probably one of the better Degrassi graduation episodes. It is almost the end of Degrassi: Now or Never!
Ooh big round up for the spoilers today! Chad Michael Murray might not be the only one returning for the One Tree Hill final season! Will Chuck have new love on Gossip Girl? What's next on The Lying Game? And Degrassi is doing an hour long Halloween special that might be fun for Eli fans!
Tonight kicked off the FINAL week of Degrassi: Now or Never with an episode named after a Rihanna song. We are dealing with character's past, present, and futures.
Even though Fiona is not graduating she is still excited to be going to prom with her friends... if she can find a date. Fiona runs into Charlie and gets invited to an upcoming art show of hers. Fiona cannot help but notice how fine Charlie seems to be doing post break up. Things get more complicated when she finds out Holly J and Anya will be bringing dates. She attempts to ask Eli to be her date but he is already planning on being a server with Adam at the prom. She later goes to Charlie and apologizes for what happened with their break up. Charlie assures her that everything is fine between them, she's just upset that she cannot keep her cat (Mr. Tuxedo Pants) at her Mom's. Fiona offers to take him in and then invites Charlie to prom, which she accepts. Holly J does not approve of her decision, but Fiona insists that it's platonic. Fiona shows up to the art show and sees the painting that Charlie did of her. She later buys the painting from the woman selling when Charlie steps away. Later Charlie introduces the woman as her girlfriend Meredith. An upset Fiona grabs alcohol as she leaves the show. Fiona cries as she drinks at home with Mr. Tuxedo Pants at her side. She feels alone and unloveable and pushes the cat out of her home then continues to drink.
Anya has been accepted into the army and is excited to leave for basic training. Riley points out the demanding training she is about to go through. Later he invites her to the prom. She later runs into Owen and assures him she's off cocaine before she asks for his help training. She struggles to keep up during the work out but does not quit. Eventually Owen gets Anya into good shape for the training. The two discuss their break up and he tells her how much he likes her when she's off cocaine and confident. She later shows off her new uniform to Owen and proclaims that she now feels willing to wear it. Owen kisses her and tells her that they need to make the most of the time they have left together and request to be her date to the prom.
Katie is upset that Drew will not accept her best friend Marisol. Drew later praises her for her loyalty to Marisol and the two plan to go to prom together. Later Marisol suggest that Drew is going to want sex after prom. Katie worries as she is no where near ready for sex. She later goes to question him about STI's and accidentially suggests that she wants to have sex with him soon. Drew is excited and Katie lets him believe that she's ready for sex.
So far this looks to be a promising episode with a lot of emotions. Annie Clark is giving some of her best performing. We will post a review along with the recap of part 2 tomorrow.
Nothing big or major spoiling. But it does give a way a small surprise from Take a Bow (Part 2) which will air tomorrow night. A very emotional scene with Charlotte Arnold (Holly J) and Annie Clark (Fiona).
Ms. Oh confronts Katie about her rumored bulimia, and as school protocol she has to set up a meeting with the guidance counselor. Katie tells Marisol to tell everyone it's not true because she's stopped purging but Marisol refuses. Later Katie is a guest on Mano a Mano with Dave and Adam where they use a lie detector app to help her prove that Marisol is lying. Unfortunately for her the app informs them that Katie is lying when she denies her eating disorder. A very stressed out Katie attempts to prep for the Q&A in hopes of saving her campaign but instead begins stuffing her face with chips. She later goes to purge in the toilet and Marisol finds her crying in the stall. Katie lashes out at Marisol and informs her that she's dead to her and leaves an upset Marisol in the bathroom. Katie later confesses to Drew that at soccer camp she tried to lose weight and that led to her bulimia, and informs him that she still desires to purge. Drew is still into Katie and pushes her not to give up on the election. Marisol, Mo and Katie face off in the election where Marisol tells everyone she made up the accusation and withdraws to throw her support behind Katie. Later Dave and Adam announce the new school president is Katie Matlin! Katie promises to be Degrassi's greatest president and appoints her vice president/BFF Marisol Lewis. Drew does not appear to be pleased by Katie jumping back into her friendship with Marisol. The next day he informs Katie that he does not like Marisol and if she's around he will not be.
Eli and Jake are working on their sweat lodge project and Eli uses the opportunity to attempt a bond. Jake tells him their problem regarding a movie she wanted to see but declines Eli's advice. Eli later confides in Fiona who jokingly advises him to lock them in a room until they get along which Eli takes seriously. Eli and Fiona later trap Clare and Jake in the sweat lodge until they get along. Eli then confesses to them that he has bipolar disorder and asks them to work through their problems. Clare confesses that she's more worried about how Jake will react to future problems. Eli pushes them together and they declare their love for each other. Jake and Clare make up and Jake thanks Eli for his help. The next day Jake confesses that he still loves Clare but has to let her go. He makes his next stop to apologize to Imogen. She's still upset with him but accepts his invitation to meet for coffee.
Sav hints to Mo about his kiss with Ms. Oh. He makes things awkward when he later yells at her class for not listening to her. Sav later apologizes and Ms. Oh reminds him that nothing can happen between them. Later Mr. Simpson calls them both into his office to discuss the rumors about their relationship. He knows how it feels to have similar rumors so gives them the benefit of the doubt. Sav takes the fall and says he spread the rumor to impress people which lands him in detention until graduation. She later slips him her number with a note to hang out after he graduates.
The overall storylines for this episode were pretty good but the timing just did not seem right for this close to the ending of Now or Never. There was not anything really exciting going on and it all seemed like it could have been more intense. This episode gets a B and we are now down to the FINAL week!!!
Next Week: Two part episodes "Take a Bow" and "Dead and Gone"
WARNING: The promo may give away a HUGE twist in the final episode!
Hollywood Life recently interviewed Cory Lee and Raymond Ablack (Ms. Oh and Sav) about the new "Sinnie" relationship brewing between their characters. The also discuss the speculation that the story would happen between Ms. Oh and Dave.
Tonight premiered the episode named after a Coldplay song. There is a race for the new school president! Meanwhile the current pres is romancing a teacher!
Katie is running for school president and her BFF Marisol is by her side. Marisol has no idea what's been going on with Drew and Katie and asks Katie to try and set her up with Drew since she's liked Drew all year. Katie worries about how Marisol will react to her new romance with Drew. Katie tells Marisol that Drew is just interested in someone else, however Marisol overhears the real conversation between Drew and Katie. Marisol makes a last minute decision to throw her hat in the ring for school president to get revenge. Katie worries that the popular Marisol will win. Katie wants to try to talk things out with her BFF. Drew tries to get Katie to eat a burger that he brought for her but she declines. Marisol tells her the only way to make things right is to end things with Drew. Katie tries to break up with Drew but he talks her into staying together. Things turn ugly during the final speeches when Marisol bad mouths Katie and Katie responds by calling out Marisol for taking KC from his "Baby Mama" Jenna. Later that day Marisol reminds Katie of all the things Drew doesn't know, especially her "problem" that Marisol swore she'd never tell anyone about. During taekwondo, Katie asks Drew why he likes her, and he tells her that she's seen him at his worst and he needs her. Marisol interupts to drop the bomb about Katie's bulimia. Drew does not believe it, but Katie is still clearly ashamed.
Eli watches his video from the play during his therapy session. He hates what he did and dreads going back to school. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Eli makes a list of people he needs to apologize to, starting with the girl he needs on his side the most... his new friend Fiona. Eli gives her a trophy for her acting in the play and Fiona forgives him. Eli attempts to apologize to Jake but he will not accept which frustrates Eli. He later calls his therapist to get advise on how to deal with Jake. She tells him that he's done his part and needs to move on. He later sees Jake and Clare fighting and makes it his new mission to help Jake be a better boyfriend for Clare. In class Eli arranges to be partner's with Jake for their history project.
Sav helps Mo pass out his fliers for school president, Ms. Oh walks over to suggest some good music for him to listen to. Mo keeps insisting that Ms. Oh is into Sav. Sav later tells her the music inspired him to change some songs and wants her help finishing it. After she helps Sav, she plays her own song for Sav. She stops in the beginning of the song (when it becomes clear it's about Sav) and walks out. She returns later and tells him that they should stop spending time together. She confesses her feelings for Sav but feels she should drop them since she's his teacher. Sav walks over and kisses her.
So far this episode is looking good. We are seeing a real storyline for Katie and Marisol for the first time. We will post our review with the recap of part 2 tomorrow.
Tonight was the conclusion of the episode named after a Snoop Dog song. We saw new sides to Alli, Wesley and Bianca in all of their stories. The episode was able to be intruiging without being overly intense the whole time.
Alli is doing well in school and things seem to be going great for her. She decides to fake being sick so she can blow off meeting Dave's parents and go meet people to play poker. The guys at poker are surprised to see how young Alli is but they allow her to play as she lets them think she's inexperienced in the game. The next day Alli brags to Jenna about winning hundreds of dollars from the game. When Dave stops to ask Alli if she enjoyed the soup her brought over, she nervously tries to come up with a response. He realizes she wasn't sick and questions her. Alli confesses that she was playing poker. Dave is upset and walks away from her. At lunch Principal Simpson brings Alli her $2000 scholarship money for the science program, but Alli is still upset about Dave. Jenna convinces Dave to talk with Alli because she was playing poker to earn money to have him visit her when she was away. Alli invites Dave to join her at the next poker game. During the game, Alli is down and she succumbs to gambling her scholarship money. Dave tries to stop her but it's too late. Alli wins the last hand but makes the mistake of bragging about her card counting skills and the table breaks out in a fight which is broken up by Dave's father who he called earlier. The awkward situation is the introduction of Alli to Dave's father. The next day Alli asks Dave for a second chance with his parents but he tells her it's not happening. Dave tells her that they'll wait and see where they are after the summer. She reminds him a lot can happen in two months.
Wesley, Hannah and Liam are working on their science project. Wesley is still pretending to have a licence and Liam suggest they all go to a museum to do some research. Wesley panics and agrees to drive them both there in his uncle's car. The next day Wesley tries to talk Hannah out of it but caves and the three go for a drive, which is stopped when the cops pulls Wesley over. When the cop comes over Wesley has to confess that he does not have a licence which upset Liam and Hannah. Wesley's uncle isn't happy and informs him that he won't be able to get his licence for three years now. He tells him that he needs to find other ways to impress Hannah. Hannah berates Wesley for lying and tells him that he had no reason to be jealous of Liam. Wesley informs them that he took Liam's advice and made the project less complicated. The three happily present the successful outcome. The next day the three find out they have won and get to represent the school. Hannah informs Wesley that he likes him for himself.
Bianca meets Vince in the ally again. She tells him that she's done selling for him at Degrassi. He puts his hand around her neck and asks if she still likes Drew. She shoves him off and he smacks her across the face. Vince threatens to break off their deal if she does not do what he asks. Imogen confronts Bianca about stealing her birthday money. Bianca assures her that she'll pay her back but Imogen gives up trying to be her friend. The next day Vince apologizes to Bianca for hitting her and gives her a gift. He reminds her that as long as she stays with him and stays away from Drew that the two of them will be safe from him. He also reminds her that once school gets out that Bianca will have lots of free time to spend with him. Later Bianca apologizes to Imogen and warns her to stay away from her for her own protection. Bianca gives Imogen the lingerie that Vince gave her as a peace offering. Imogen then shows her a flier recruiting students for Grade 9 orientation which would keep Bianca at school more often after exams.
This was a great episode that proves Degrassi can be good without weapons, drugs, and sex. Melinda Shankar gave one of her best performances with Alli's gambling addiction. We are left on a cliffhanger as to what the future holds for Dave and Alli. This episode gets the grade A- and hopefully the rest of Now or Never can keep up the A work.
Last night marked the beginning of week 6 of Degrassi: Now or Never! It kicked off with an episode named after a Snoop Dog song. This episode was originally to be titled Poker Face. Degrassi finds yet another issue to be tackled when Alli discovers gambling.
Alli has not told Dave that she'll be away for the summer, Jenna (who is living with Alli) advises her to tell him. Alli is worried about his reaction. She wants to wait until they're alone at her house. Alli invites Dave for a "special" night alone. Adam tells Dave that Alli is implying sex. Dave has Adam pick up some condoms for him, he wants the night to be special for Alli. At the dinner, Dave pulls out the condoms to show Alli he's prepared. She angrily accuses him of being just like all the other guys and drops the bomb that she's going to the summer science program in three weeks for two months. Dave is upset that she'll be away for so long and has to leave the dinner. The next day Adam explains the misunderstanding to Alli, and tells her how upset Dave is. Adam, Jenna, and Alli playing poker with jellybeans and Alli keeps winning. Alli informs them that her brain is a good tool and Adam informs her that it's a great skill to count cards. Alli puts a card in Dave's locker apologizing and inviting him over to her place but makes it clear that it's not for sex. She is now playing for money at school, while Adam does lookout. Alli is excited to surprise Dave with expensive seats at a basketball game. She is now looking up people to play for real money. Jenna warns her about the trouble she could get into. But Alli is in love with poker and cannot stop thinking about it. She gives Dave his gifts and the two head out to their date. She tells Dave she won the money to buy him the gifts so she could show him how special he is to her. Dave invites her to come over to meet his parents. At the end of the date, Alli gets a text inviting her to a poker game tomorrow night, which she accepts.
Wesley is excited to work on his science project alone with Hannah. He is disappointed when Liam joins in on their group. Liam isn't happy with the group's strive to do something complex. Hannah suggest they compromise and Wesley accuses her of siding with Liam. Liam and Hannah start taking the bus together when they realize how close they live to each other which further upsets Wesley. He asks his uncle/science teacher to teach him how to drive. At school the next day, Liam informs Wesley that he's having fun with Hannah and might go for it, but Wesley tells him that the two are involved. Hannah is impressed that Liam is getting a car which leads Wesley to lie and say he is too. Wesley's driving practice does not go well and he almost runs over Drew. Wesley panics when Liam and Hannah leave to catch their bus, he grabs his uncle's keys and offers to drive Hannah himself.
Bianca is assigned a health assignment to make up for not participating in gym, Imogen fakes cramps to get out of volleyball as well. Imogen invites Bianca to work on the assignment together, but Bianca has to meet a "guy" after school. Vince picks up Bianca in an ally after school, since he can't get near Degrassi. He has her dealing drugs for him among other things, as part of their deal. He's now requesting her to sell at Degrassi. The next day in gym Imogen asks Bianca about the guy but she'd rather not talk about it. Bianca is about to finish her work when Imogen steals her paper and gets the two happily sent to detention. In detention Bianca tries to sell to Imogen but does not pressure her when she declines. Imogen can tell she is avoiding the guy she's been seeing. Imogen relates over what she went through with Eli. Vince texts Bianca to let her know that he's going to see her tonight. While Imogen steps out, Bianca steals money from her bag.
This episode seems quite promising, we are seeing more of some of the less featured characters and the stories are quite intriguing. We will post our review with tomorrows recap of part 2.
The Florida Family association holds goals of improving the moral environment of America. They are currently taking on the hit ABC Family teen drama series Pretty Little Liars. The show has featured Emily (played by Shay Mitchell) who is an athlete, good student, and a lesbian. Since the show has began Emily has had 3 relationships with other females, roughly the same amount of dating partners as the other three Liars. The FFA does not feel it's right to target a show that features homosexual characters towards teenagers. They are asking advertisers to pull from the show, and reporting that some advertisers are indeed pulling because of that reason (however some such as General Mills announced that the decision had nothing to do with The FFA or having a lesbian character).
Last year you may remember reading a simaler story about The FFA targeting Canadian based teen drama series Degrassi. Degrassi garnered praise for showcasing different LGBT characters through it's generations of high school. The FFA did not find it realistic that a quarterback could be gay, or a straight girl would date a transgendered boy. (Fans eventually found out Fiona's character was a lesbian for the record). The FFA also claimed Kodak pulled due to gay propaganda, but Kodak assured the public that they had not pulled from Degrassi.
The FFA does tend to get certain facts wrong, saying such things as Degrassi focusing on gay teen Riley (who is actually featured little compared to the other 20+ of the main cast). Also saying that Pretty Little Liars has featured 3 lesbian main characters (Emily is the only lesbian of the main characters, her girlfriends have only been recurring).
Some viewers may be worried as we know that The Parent's Television Council had a hand in getting Skins US off the air, but that was focusing more on "child pornography" claims.
How do you feel about the Florida Family association? Are they right in their choices to attempt getting these shows off the air? Or are they wrong to try and hide something as real as homosexuality?
Tonight concluded the two part episode named after a Fiona Apple song. It's also the end of week 5 of Degrassi: Now or Never! We saw conclusions in two storylines and possibly one for the Eli/Clare/Jake for now...
It's the day of the play Love Roulette written by Eli Gouldsworthy and directed by Fiona Coyne! Imogen catches up with Eli about their make out session the day before. She is upset to hear him still plotting to break up Jake and Clare. Eli plans to plant his pills in Jake's bag and then tip off Principal Simpson. Imogen worries about him and ask him to get back on his pills and focus on the play, and her. Eli apologizes to her, but he is not giving up on Clare. Imogen then offers to do the dirty work for Eli. Though Eli is shocked during the locker search when Jake's bag is clear and Clare is the one hauled into the Principal's office after the pills are found in her bag. Eli breaks Imogen's heart when he lashes out at her for framing Clare. He rushes into Principal Simpson's office and tells him that Clare was holding his pills for him. Principal Simpson excuses Clare and asks to speak with Eli's parents. Eli convinces him to wait until after the play tonight. Later, Eli tries to explain things to Clare but she angrily reminds him that they are never getting back together. At the play, Imogen is a no-show and Eli is refusing to go on. Fiona talks Eli into going and takes Imogen's place as "Clara". The audience (including Imogen) watch the play written about the events that happened at the "A Night in Vegas" dance last semester. Eli begins getting frustrated with himself and Fiona on stage and interrupts his own play to angrily talk to the audience. He states that you cannot write a happy ending, and that people's mind tend to play tricks on them. He owns up to the way he has been behaving lately. He concludes by taking the script and setting it on fire. Fiona calls lights, and Ms. Dawes begins the round of applause followed by a standing ovation. Backstage people are praising Eli for his work, but he does not respond. He sits alone on the stage when his father Bullfrog comes to check on him. He knows that he wasn't acting on stage and that he hasn't been taking his medications. He is afraid to yell at Eli because he's afraid of what he will do. Eli assures his father that he now wants to get better for himself, and not for Clare. The next day, Jake talks to Clare after reading her positive review of the play. Clare does not believe Eli will ever finish the ending. Eli walks out of Principal Simpson's office with his father who is taking him home for a few days off of school. Clare steps out into the hallway and watches as Eli smiles on his way out the door, leaving Clare behind him.
Anya rushes home to tell her mother about plans to join the Canadian Forces. Her mother is not happy with the idea and tells her to reconsider but Anya has made up her mind. She later gets a phone call from the recruiter who says that she thought Anya was perfect, however she failed her drug test and cannot enlist. Later, Anya and her mother go to the play to watch Riley's acting debut. Anya's mother confronts her about finding her necklace with cocaine inside. Anya apologizes and explains how lost she has felt lately. She feels bad that she has now messed up her chances to join the army as well. The next day the two are in the car going over new plans for the future. Anya informs her that she is working on a second chance to enlist and her mother now offers her support because she can see how much Anya wants it. She makes plans to drive Anya to her recruitment office.
Dave informs KC that he is not cool with him sabotaging the adoption for Baby Ty. KC explains that he was trying to delay it in hopes of figuring something out. KC later apologizes to Jenna and explains that he worked things out for the adoption to go ahead. Later the two share an emotional farewell to Baby Ty and hold each other as he taken out the door. Jenna later packs up her things, thanks the Guthries, and leaves to move in with Alli. KC's mother comforts him after he has lost the people he loves.
This episode was a nice surprise, and possibly one of Degrassi's most memorable. Munro Chambers delivered another powerful scene for the show. Jessica Tyler and Sam Earle had their best acting in this episode. We saw emotional conclusions to Jenna and KC's story, a promising future for Anya, and an awakening for Eli. This episode gets an A and hopefully the rest of Now or Never keeps up the great work.
Next Week: Two part episodes "Don't Panic" and "Drop It Like It's Hot"
Tonight Degrassi debuted their episode named after a Fiona Apple song. All of the characters in this episode are lost, and the viewers are left wondering if any of them will find their way by the second part.
Eli's father drives him to school and checks in on him before he gets out of the car. He watches as Eli takes his medication before he gets out of the car. As his father drives away, Eli drops the pill out of his mouth. Fiona is frustrated with Eli's play changes but he stands by them. He has now changed the character of "Fritz" to "Jack". Afterwards Jake confronts him and tells him to stay away from Clare, and suggests that he get help. Eli tells him he is recasting the role of Jack, and turns around to give it to the first person he sees which is Riley. Eli is getting frustrated with Riley learning the part, and continues making changes. Fiona finally calls Ms. Dawes to watch and help out. Eli justifies his actions to Ms. Dawes and she stands by him. Imogen supports Eli the entire time. After Clare tells him that she is not upset about him letting Jake out of the play, he schedules to meet with Clare for an interview at The Dot. At home, his father seems to be worried but tells him that he's proud of him, though Eli continues to stay off his meds. The next day he meets Clare at The Dot to discuss the play. Clare makes the mistake of assuming he is involved with Imogen which angers Eli. He gets more tense when Jake shows up to go on a date with Clare after the interview is done. Eli begins to get angry and confused which leads to the interview ending early. He calls Imogen and the two rehearse in his bedroom. Imogen praises him for his work, and Eli begins to refer to her as "Clare". The two kiss and being to make out and possibly more on Eli's bed.
Jenna and KC are planning to meet the potential parents to adopt Ty. KC does not agree with this, but his mother thinks it's for the best. Jenna is already packing, but KC asks her to stay with him. Jenna refuses, as she feels they will have no reason to be together after Ty is gone. At school, KC blames Dave for ratting on him. But Dave tells him to take responsibility for cheating with Marisol. KC is determined to change Jenna's mind. He surprises her with flowers and apologizes for cheating. But Jenna wants what's best for Ty and plans to continue with the adoption. They later meet with the couple who want to adopt Ty. The couple is apprehensive as they have heard stories of couples changing their minds, but Jenna thinks they are perfect. KC makes it clear that he does not approve.
Anya's friend Chloe drops her off at school after a wild night together. She sells her more coke before she gets out to go to school. Anya meets Owen outside and apologizes for the way she behaved. He accepts and spends the day helping her take quizzes to find her interest for a career fair later. Anya invites Owen to join her with her mother at the career fair. Anya is surprised to find out that Owen already has a plan for his future. The two hang out to shoot pool after and Anya is frustrated that she has no idea what to do with her life and takes her anger out on Owen. She excuses herself to the washroom and comes back later after doing more coke. Owen is disgusted that she is still doing coke and by the side of her he is seeing, which causes him to walk out. Later Bianca finds Anya throwing up after the bad coke she received from Chloe. Anya worries about what to do with her life when she sees a commercial for the Canadian forces.
So far this episode is building up nicely. For the next part we hope to see more of Eli and less of the triangle for the main plot. And we hope for conclusions in the other two stories.
