WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS EPISODE SPOILERS

Up Where We Belong Soundtrack
Google My Own Name, by Stüdz
Baby What’s Your Sound?, by Beats For Beginners
Waltz Of The Flowers, by Jim Mcgrath
Re: Model, by Dances With Voices
60 Seconds, by Tamara Miller

MAIN PLOT

I initially didn’t like this episode the first time I saw it a few months ago.  However, watching it again made me realize how important this episode is.  It’s near the end of the semester and everyone is making plans for the future: senior year, university and beyond…everyone except Mia that is.

She’s getting crappy grades in school because she’s doing that and modeling.  She can’t even complete her final English assignment, a speech that answers the question “Where do I see myself in 5 years?”, and she eventually drops out of school. 

The fact that almost all of her friends are confident in their futures makes Mia look like even more of an under achiever.

What annoys me about Mia is that her actions over the past season and a half have been pretty selfish.  She has more interest in having a normal teen life than she does in actually being a mother to her child. 

But in this episode the annoyance is the fact she’s only thinking about the short-term, and by dropping out she’s just willing to give up  and rely on the unstable future of modeling.

Thank God Mia’s mom snaps her back into reality and makes her realize the moral of the episode: Mia doesn’t need to have the future all figured out right now…she just needs to keep her butt in school and graduate.

UP WHERE WE BELONG MAIN PLOT D-

SUBPLOT “A”

Holly J can't draw for *bleep*

Perfectionist Holly J gets a C on an art project, and refuses to accept it.  Apparently she’s an extremely studious girl, so think of her as an a-hole version of Liberty. 

Holly J learns that art is the one thing you can’t tackle in a technical manner…it’s all about emotion.  Oh…and they find a reason to use Blue in this episode.

UP WHERE WE BELONG SUBPLOT “A” GRADE: C-

SUBPLOT “B” 

Sav can tune a guitar, but he'll never be a Craig Manning.

Sav has to choose between following the plan (engineering) or following his dream (music).  His dad encourages him to go down the secure path of engineering. 

However, once Sav shows him all of the various jobs he could have in music outside of being in a band (music engineer, etc.), I like how Sav’s dad was open to the idea of him pursuing a career in the music industry.

I really wish this had been the official main plot of this episode.  I thought it did a much better job of delivering the theme that when you’re in high school you don’t need to know EXACTLY what you want to do with your life.  Don’t be afraid to do what you love, and if it doesn’t work out you can always choose something else.

…oh yeah, and make sure to have a backup plan.

UP WHERE WE BELONG SUBPLOT “B” GRADE: B+

I was on vacation last week, so I’m just catching up…

WARNING: THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS EPISODE SPOILERS.

MAIN PLOT

“You think we’re in some sort of epic romance.” – Johnny DiMarco

“Heart of Glass” is hands down the best episode of Season 8.  It represents a genuine look at teen life and relationships without turning it into a big, overly-dramatic plot.

Alli realizes her first time wasn't the fairytale she was looking for, and regrets losing her virginity.

Alli and Johnny are back together, but for some reason Alli seems to think he’s not all that interested. 

Combine that with her desire to have that “epic romance” every girl desires, she and Johnny end up having sex.  She loses her virginity (so does he), but it doesn’t turn out to be the wonderful, romantic experience she thought it would be.

The look on her face after they had sex summed it all up…it was a mixture of awkwardness and fear.  I loved how the episode dealt with her fear that she COULD’VE gotten pregnant or caught an STD, but never took it that far.  It’s all about the emotional rollercoaster following her first time, and the fact that she regrets it all.  It truly is Degrassi at its best.

HEART OF GLASS MAIN PLOT GRADE: A+

SUBPLOT

Pia was D.O.A. from the S-T-A-R-T.

Let the Pia drama begin!  Peter joins the Mock U.N. at school, and it turns out he chose to represent Kenya because he wants to volunteer there with Darcy next year. 

Of course that doesn’t sit well with Mia…the best part of this subplot is the fact that they broke up.  Pia may be one of the most contrived couples in Degrassi history. 

P.S.
Even though the subplot was ok, it’s not bad enough to bring down the episode overall.

HEART OF GLASS SUBPLOT GRADE: C+