Degrassi Promo Pics: Heart Like Mine Part 1 and 2
November 11, 2009 at 3:13 am | In Degrassi, TV | 1 CommentTags: ctv, Degrassi, degrassi 911, degrassi 912, degrassi season 9, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, stephen stohn, teennick
Degrassi Episode Review: Somebody
November 11, 2009 at 2:58 am | In Degrassi, TV | Leave a CommentTags: charlotte arnold, ctv, Degrassi, degrassi 910, degrassi season 9, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, landon liboiron, stephen stohn, teennick
[WARNING: THIS EPISODE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]
NO relationship on Degrassi goes untested. Somebody is the followup to Waiting For A Girl Like You, and puts and interesting roadblock between Declan and Holly J’s future together.
If you haven’t noticed by now, Holly J is a very smart, organized overachiever. In this episode she’s in the running to earn a high-profile business mentorship. How is she going to balance all of the work as well as a boyfriend?
Holly J skipping school? Girl must have it bad.
I give kudos to Degrassi for taking this plot in a slightly different direction than I would’ve guessed. Declan convinced her to skip class so they could spend the day hanging out, so I thought the story would be about her losing focus and letting all of her responsibilities slip because she was too busy being stuck on Declan.
Instead, it involves a mini scandal of sorts.
Holly J is a lock to win the mentorship until she finds out Declan’s mom is one of the judges…and Holly J tells his mom they’re dating. Fear of having an “unfair” advantage forces Holly J to withdraw, but she still manages to win the mentorship anyway.
Ummm......LOL
…and when they call her name, where do they find her? Backstage, getting hot and heavy with Declan.
Despite the public embarrassment, Declan’s mom lets Holly J keep the mentorship…but she can no longer see Declan.
This was obviously a filler episode so there was no doubt that Holly J and Declan would both end up together, and Holly J would also get to keep her mentorship. One of the greatest things about this plot was that Holly J was unwilling to have a secret relationship where they’d have to sneak around to be together; it was either be out in the open about it, or nothing at all.
Things end happily ever after...for now.
The dynamics of their relationship still baffles me, because their wasn’t very much development between the two before they became a couple to begin with. But what else is new? Though Degrassi has focused too much on relationships over the past few seasons, this plot was still pretty good. Their coupling doesn’t seem contrived. As a matter of fact, most of the relationship stuff in Season 9 has better than what we’ve been used to. I think back to say Season 8 when Peter and Mia got together quickly; the difference in the quality of writing is so much better now it’s not even funny.
“SOMEBODY” MAIN PLOT GRADE: B
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SUBPLOT
Connor and Dave may be corny, but watching their friendship is cool.
Dave gives me another reason to love him.
It’s a relatively simple subplot, but interesting nonetheless. Connor and Dave are friends and things get rough between them as Connor’s weirdness conflicts with Dave’s desire to be accepted by the cool guys on the basketball team.
It was disappointing to see Dave basically tell Connor to his face that having a “rep” with the team was more important than their friendship. However, he redeemed himself x1000 after Ethan made fun of Connor in front of their teammates, and little Dave got up in his face about it. Even more importantly, Dave gave Connor a confidence boost and convinced him to not quit the team.
Dave confronts Ethan, who was mocking Connor.
The only issue I have about this plot is that KC didn’t defend Connor like Dave did, considering KC and Connor are much closer. Either way, Dave is awesome. The end.
“SOMEBODY” SUBPLOT GRADE: B+
Degrassi Episode Review: Waiting For A Girl Like You
November 10, 2009 at 11:56 pm | In Degrassi, TV | 2 CommentsTags: charlotte arnold, ctv, Degrassi, degrassi 909, degrassi season 9, degrassi spoilers, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, landon liboiron, stephen stohn, teennick
[WARNING: THIS EPISODE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]
Game...set...match? Hardly.
It seems like it’s been a while, but Declan returns to the forefront in Waiting For A Girl Like You. His objective this time around: win the heart of Holly J.
I have to admit, I enjoyed the chess match Declan and Holly J played with each other. Holly J refused to immediately fall for Declan’s charm, so he was forced to work twice as hard.
Now there were several things that sort of kept throwing off my perception of this episode. First, it’s very weird Holly J was entertaining the thought of dating Declan despite being full aware of his player status. Heck, during the episode she found out Declan was still dating Trish…this was after Declan had layed it on extra thick for Holly J.
It's kinda hard for Declan to mack on Holly J when his GIRLFRIEND (Trish) is standing right there.
The second (and most confusing) issue was how they were trying to portray Declan. We, the viewers, only know him as a guy who goes through women like it’s nothing. He takes pride in chasing and conquering them. Now suddenly we’re supposed to do a 360 on our opinions and suddenly feel sympathy for him because he had his heart broken in the past?
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE bad-boy Declan. The idea that his motives aren’t always what they seem is intriguing. However, the transition from straight up player to guy with genuine feelings was a little too quick for me.
Declan puts his heart on the line.
But that didn’t stop me from enjoying the scene where Declan locks Holly J in the soundbooth and tells her how he really feels. I’ve developed a soft spot for Holly J…she’s matured so much from her annoyingly bitchy days in Season 7, making any storyline about her worth watching.
As for Declan and Holly J as a couple? I was indifferent before, and this episode didn’t really make a case for me to be for or against them. It was still a solid episode though. Really my only concern is that they’ll essentially “neuter” Declan’s character, like they did Peter in Seasons 5 and 6 because they couldn’t figure out what to do with him.
“WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU” MAIN PLOT GRADE: B-
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SUBPLOT
"Dear Leia, Please break up with Danny...and DIE. Mmmkay? Thanks." -Chantay
Danny and Leia drama? Ugh.
I don’t know why I was optimistic about this storyline. Maybe it’s because I thought they might ACTUALLY expand on Leia and/or Danny’s character a bit. Not so much.
Instead, they infused Chantay into the situation, by having her work to break up the troubled couple. With Danny seeming uninterested in Leia, Chantay tells Leia to break up with him, so he’ll miss her and come running back to her…therefore putting the spark back in their relationship.
Well that doesn’t work…and Danny asks Chantay out instead (which is what she secretly wanted all along). Let’s face it: Danny and Chantay will be as useless of a couple as Danny and Leia were.
Does anyone ACTUALLY care that Danny and Leia broke up? Latin is more interesting than they could ever be.
Seeing promos pics they obviously shot footage of Danny and Leia breaking up for good outside The Dot…problem is they never actually used any of it in the final cut. The only good that came out of this subplot was the fact that Chantay, who has been on Degrassi since Season 4, FINALLY gets a plot that heavily involves her.
“WAITING FOR A GIRL LIKE YOU” SUBPLOT GRADE: D
Degrassi Promo Pics: Waiting For A Girl Like You and Somebody
November 3, 2009 at 11:01 pm | In Degrassi | 6 CommentsTags: ctv, Degrassi, degrassi 909, degrassi 910, degrassi season 9, degrassi spoilers, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, stephen stohn, teennick
Degrassi Episode Review: Beat It
November 3, 2009 at 10:25 pm | In Degrassi | 13 CommentsTags: beat it, ctv, Degrassi, degrassi 907, degrassi 908, degrassi season 9, degrassi spoilers, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, stefan brogren, stephen stohn, teennick
[WARNING: THIS EPISODE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]
Beat It was the most anticipated episode of the season for me. First off, its main plot is about Riley’s sexuality, a storyline with amazing potential that was randomly dropped in Season 8. Secondly, this episode was directed by Stefan Brogren…though he’s produced Degrassi minis and Degrassi Goes Hollywood (all of which were amazing), Beat It is the first REGULAR episode he has ever directed.
It didn’t disappoint in the least. I’m actually having a hard time right now thinking of any episode that is as all-around amazing (aka all of its plots were great) as Beat It.
Taking lifeguard training, Riley is immediately attracted to the instructor, Sam. That’s kinda obvious when he gets a boner while watching Sam give a doll CPR. LOLZ before the opening credits? This episode can’t fail.
Yo Riley I'mma let you finish, but Spinner Mason had the best Degrassi boner of all time!!!
Riley tried to "de-gay" himself by attempting to sleep with Fiona. Thankfully, Fiona is too smart for that.
Riley continues to struggle with his sexuality, and the difficulties of balancing faking being straight in front of everyone and suppressing his desires. Degrassi takes a far different approach with Riley than they did Marco, who simply wanted to keep his sexuality a secret at first. Riley doesn’t want to be gay AT ALL, and takes actions to “get rid of the gayness.” He fails at doing so after trying to sleep with Fiona, then after they break up he can’t seal the deal with Chantay either.
Degrassi does a fantastic job of pacing the episode and the stages of the emotions Riley goes through. It’s amazing to watch him gradually become more nervous and aggressive, ending Part 1 after Riley punches Sam because he casually asks Riley if he’s gay (it’s revealed earlier in the episode that Sam is gay too). Another great element to this storyline is Peter’s presence as Riley’s supportive friend. It’s only appropriate that Peter be the first person Riley vocally admits he’s gay to.
Marco's sexuality plot in "Pride" is one of Degrassi's best plots ever, and Riley's plot in "Beat It" was even better. Wow.
I noticed that Argiris Karras’ acting is at its best whenever Riley is anxious or angry. Whenever he’s calm it feels like Argiris is forcing his lines, but he’s on the mark in Part 2 since Riley spends most of the episode frustrated. From contemplating “gay therapy” to the climactic confrontation with Sam, Riley’s emotional, self-hating attitude brings back that genuine feel to Degrassi…something that hasn’t been around much since Season 4.
BEAT IT MAIN PLOT GRADE: A+
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SUBPLOT A
Has anyone noticed how more mature Anya looks this season?
If you think this subplot is dumb because it involves LARPing, then you completely missed the point. The theme was simple, and one everybody can relate to. Tired of being a Studz groupie, Anya has been doing her own thing lately. She’s involved in Live Action Role Playing after school, but lies and tells Sav she’s taking self defense instead because she knows he’ll just make fun of her.
Samantha Munro has always kinda just been “there,” but I really like her acting in this episode. When shes LARPing, you can actually tell a difference in Anya’s confidence level compared to all of her previous appearances on the show.
The "happy" ending kinda seeme like a cop out, but not so much since there will be more Sav/Anya drama in the future.
I didn’t particularly like how the plot ended so happily with Sav at Anya’s “wedding,” given the fact they butted heads the entire time leading up to that point. Either way, I’m just really hung up on how great this plot’s message is: just because you think something’s dumb it doesn’t make it any meaningless to someone else. Heck, we all have that “thing” we love that everyone else around us thinks is dumb: what a coincidence, mine happens to be Degrassi.
“BEAT IT” SUBPLOT A GRADE: A
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SUBPLOT B
Dave has become the new FUN guy to watch on Degrassi.
This must be stated: Dave is awesome. He bursts onto the scene out of nowhere and ever since he’s delivered simple comedic entertainment…how sad is it he’s funnier than Danny and Derek ever were combined?
Dave becomes the man after hitting the game winning shot during a Degrassi basketball game. He uses this opportunity to ask out Jenna, who agrees. This subplot is so cleverly written…Dave’s crush on Jenna is really just a smokescreen for the plot’s true purpose.
Why did Jenna go out with him? Because they were going to the fair, and KC and Clare would be there.
She openly tells Clare she wants to be friends with a guy before dating them…like KC. (oops)
Get where I’m going with this?
Do NOT let Jenna's tears fool you. Behind them is a girl patiently waiting to sink her claws into KC.
Hints are thrown left and right throughout this subplot that Jenna wants KC, and plans to steal him from Clare.
I love how Degrassi has been setting up this future love triangle without anything big actually happening yet. Its combination of subtle and not so subtle hints (ranging from Jenna’s comments about KC to the look of confusion/concern on Clare’s face) are making me excited for Heart Like Mine. Degrassi’s come such a long way to make KC/Clare’s relationship more entertaining, considering it seemed so juvenile in Season 8. Well done.
“BEAT IT” SUBPLOT B GRADE: A+
Degrassi Promo Pics: Beat It
October 26, 2009 at 10:41 pm | In Degrassi, TV | 8 CommentsTags: beat it, ctv, Degrassi, degrassi 907, degrassi 908, degrassi season 9, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, stephen stohn, teennick
So the Anya pics…ummmmmmmmmm, yeah. Anyone wanna take a guess as to what she’s doing? TeenNick’s episode summary says she lies to Sav about taking self defense classes after school…it looks like she’s actually part of a roleplaying club maybe?
Degrassi’s Bye Week
October 22, 2009 at 9:02 pm | In Degrassi, TV | 5 CommentsTags: ctv, Degrassi, degrassi season 9, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, stephen stohn, teennick
So if you’ve been keeping up with Degrassi as it airs on CTV, I wanted to remind you there is no new episode this week. Degrassi will return on November 1st with the Riley two-parter, “Beat It.” In Canada, I assume they’ll air Degrassi until the end of November, then go on hiatus until sometime in January. TeenNick will be airing new episodes every Friday through November 20. They’ll finish up their “Fall Season” with the episode “Beat It,” and probably return at some point during the Spring.
Here in the U.S., TeenNick will be airing “Close To Me” tomorrow night at its usual time.
I’ve got some random thoughts about Degrassi so I’ll just purge them here:
* Season 9’s first six episodes have already blown Seasons 7 and 8 out of the water as far as the quality of the writing. Let’s hope it’s just as good the rest of the season.
*Production for Season 9 wraps up this week, and they’re about to start producing a new round of Degrassi Minis.
*CONGRATULATIONS to Eleanore Lino, who won at the 2009 Gemini Awards for ”Best Direction in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series” for her work on the Season 8 episode “Fight The Power.”
*I love the new kids (Declan, Fiona, Jenna, Dave) so far…they’ve been a great addition to the cast.
*It’s confirmed that Peter (as well as Danny, Jane and any other seniors) are graduating this season, but there’s no word on whether or not any of them will return for Season 10.
Degrassi Episode Review: You Be Illin’
October 19, 2009 at 11:23 pm | In Degrassi, TV | 9 CommentsTags: aislinn paul, alli, ctv, Degrassi, degrassi season 9, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, jessica tyler, johnny, melinda shankar, scott paterson, stephen stohn, teennick, you be illin
[WARNING: THIS EPISODE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]
P.S. degrassi.tv is being SUPER slack as far as posting episode pics to use for the review, so sorry it looks so boring. 
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If there’s one word that can describe ”You Be Illin,” it’d be WHOA.
I didn’t expect what happened in this episode, and I would’ve never guessed it. After breaking up with Johnny in “Shoot To Thrill,” Alli’s feelings are still conflicted about him. Clare’s reaction is that he’s scum and she should move on, while Jenna steps into a more friendly, comforting role. This caused Alli and Jenna to become closer in this episode, which I will discuss later.
While Johnny is still a jackass, they make it very clear in the way he acts around her in this episode that he still cares about her. Johnny eventually gives Alli the cell phone with her naked photos in it, and it looks like making up between the two is inevitable…until Johnny drops a massive bomb: he lied to Alli about losing his virginity to her, and he has genital warts.
Lead by the talented Melinda Shankar, I love how Alli is once again experiencing fear of something bad resulting from having sex with Johnny. The writers this season have once again stepped up their game, bringing up past situations in order to futher develop the characters.
One thing out of the ordinary is that Jenna becomes Alli’s confidant during this episode, instead of Clare. This is because Clare’s opinion comes off as more judgemental since it’s the exact opposite of what Alli wants to hear. For a second it seemed like a mini subplot was going on where Alli was going to completely shut out Clare and while Jenna plays more of the BFF role, but they make up at the end. Also, Jessica Tyler’s acting is much improved from her over giddiness in the season premiere.
The ending did not disappoint either. Alli’s plan to get Johnny back by getting him to publicly admit having an STI backfired when Johnny admitted he still had feelings for her. Even with that said, Alli didn’t give in and refused to take him back. Watching this episode was thrilling every step of the way, and it was awesome in every aspect: acting, writing, directing and all.
“YOU BE ILLIN” MAIN PLOT GRADE: A+
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SUBPLOT
Peter’s return to the mix ends up being a dud in the “You Be Illin” subplot. Peter just shows up out of nowhere, thinking he can reclaim his gig as the lead singer of Studz. Sadly the band has moved on without him; Jane is the new lead singer, and they really have no desire to have Peter back.
One reason this plot falls flat is because we have no concept of how long it’s been since Peter quit Studz, and we don’t know how long he’s been recovering from the meth addiction.
Ultimately this plot was forgettable. Yeah Danny assured Peter at the end that they’re still friends, but the problem is Peter is kinda useless at this point. He’s not TRULY a part of the band, and there’s nothing I see them doing with his character at this point that would be interesting unless it involved him becoming a meth head again. And THAT is really what we’re all waiting to find out at this point…is Peter going to relapse?
“YOU BE ILLIN” SUBPLOT GRADE: C-
Degrassi Episode Review: Shoot To Thrill
October 18, 2009 at 10:56 pm | In Degrassi, TV | 9 CommentsTags: alli, ctv, Degrassi, degrassi 903, degrassi season 9, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, johnny, shoot to thrill, stephen stohn, teennick, the-n
“Shoot To Thrill” deals with one of the few topics Degrassi hasn’t dealt with yet: sexting (unless you count that shirtless pic of Peter that Emma snapped with her camera phone in ”Tell It To My Heart.”)
Johnny really, REALLY hates PDA.
Things are great between Alli and Johnny, except that Johnny doesn’t like PDA. What’s so bizarre is that he primarily hates PDA when it happens specifically in front of Bruce, and the no-name kid they hang out with. For some reason Johnny can’t handle being teased by them about it. In one scene Alli sits on his lap and feeds him in front of Bruce, and Johnny lays into her. I felt sorry for her when that happened.
The cell phone has unlimited text, aka unlimited Alli nakedness.
The workaround Alli discovers to Johnny’s anti-PDA attitude is to give him a cell phone and send him naked pictures of herself on it. Johnny’s all about it and all about showing Alli love until he see’s a blown up picture of himself cuddling with a stuffed toy on the art wall…a picture that Alli took.
While watching the sneak peek for this episode I was with Johnny on Alli needing to cool it with the affection in public. But watching the episode in full he is a jackass. Retaliating against Alli posting the picture of him by texting her naked pic to Bruce was wrong, and Johnny keeping the phone was even moreso. He’s obviously an intelligent, sweet guy (when it comes to Alli), but in public still insists on being known as a bully/loser.
Bruce gets a peek at the "Bhandari Twins..."
This storyline was well done, and even though Ms. Hatzilakos’ return as Degrassi’s principal came out of nowhere with no explanation, I love how she threw in the speech about the dangers of sexting. Melinda Shankar’s acting is much improved from last season. You also know what’s improved? The way Degrassi is dealing with the storylines. The fact Johnny kept the phone with Alli’s dirty pictures shows they’re realizing the mistake of last season with “One and Done” storylines. They didn’t wrap the episode up in a neat bow at the end only for everything that happened to be forgotten right after. Hopefully they stick to that philosophy the rest of the season.
...and so does Mr. Simpson.
“SHOOT TO THRILL” MAIN PLOT GRADE: A
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SUBPLOT
If Riley wasn't gay, he and Fiona would make a really cute couple.
Fiona is tired guys hitting on her. Riley needs a “beard.” How perfect is this? What’s intruiging about their interaction is that Riley knows Fiona is using him to keep the guys off her, but Fiona doesn’t know Riley is using HER to hide the fact that he’s gay.
Or at least she’s not completely onto him yet. While Fiona and Riley are hanging out the guy known as “SoccerStud” reappears. He confronts Riley, who apparently stopped talking to him altogether. After SoccerStud asks why Riley avoids him, Riley grabs Fiona and hastily leaves, denying to her that he knows the guy.
He's baaaaaaack...it's SoccerStud!!!
I LOVED this subplot…mainly because it’s setting us up for Riley’s upcoming two-parter, “Beat It.” They suddenly dropped Riley’s sexuality storyline in Season 8, a believe it has the potential to be one of the best storyline’s this show has had over the last few seasons.
“SHOOT TO THRILL” SUBPLOT GRADE: A+
Degrassi Episode Review: Wanna Be Startin’ Something
October 16, 2009 at 1:51 am | In Degrassi, TV | 6 CommentsTags: ctv, Degrassi, degrassi 906, degrassi season 9, degrassi spoilers, degrassi the next generation, degrassi tng, paula brancati, teennick, wanna be startin' something
What started off as a promising storyline hits a plateau in “Wanna Be Startin’ Something.” This followup to “Close To Me” involves Jane and Holly J becoming friends: Holly J because all of her other friends are always spending time with their boyfriends, and Jane because she has no female friends.
Holly J rear ended Declan, who has been rear ending Jane...my oh my.
The two decide work together on a class project, and it leads them to create and manage their own babysitting service. One day while talking business in the school parking lot Holly J and Jane rear end Declan’s car. He brushes it off as no big deal, but he instantly catches Holly J’s eye (something bout the way he shines maybe?)
Little does Holly J know that Jane and Declan are having an affair…and they have been for weeks.
Even worse than Jane cheating is her attitude after Holly J catches her.
That is, until she swings by one of Jane’s babysitting jobs and see the two kissing on the front porch. If the point after that was to turn Jane into an unlikable character, they succeeded. Or wait…are we supposed to feel sorry for Jane because she has no female friends? I’m not sure. One minute Holly J confronts her and Jane tells her to mind her own business. The next minute we’re supposed to feel sympathy because Jane really “needs a friend right now…” I was lost trying to figure out how the writers wanted us to perceive Jane in this episode.
What killed this episode’s likability factor was the ending. I love the fact Holly J gave Jane an ultimatum: end things with Declan, or she’ll tell Spinner about Jane’s love affair. And so Jane chooses: they show a scene where Holly J watches Jane and Declan talk, then part ways. At The Dot, Holly J makes sure Jane made the right choice, aka choose Spinner. She did.
And that’s it.
Really? That’s all folks? At the end Holly J says that she won’t tell Jane’s secret…foreshadowing maybe (the end of Spane and the beginning of Spolly J)??? I hope so. The way this episode ended there was no indication that this whole cheating storyline will continue, making this a pretty lame ending if that’s the case. I REALLY hope I’m wrong about that.
“WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING” MAIN PLOT GRADE: C
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SUBPLOT
Johnny doesn't really like it when you pee on one of his friends.
Can Dave be Degrassi’s new go-to guy for comedy relief subplots? Possibly…
As a niner, Dave just wants to be popular. He tries to get his cousin Chantay to write about him in her blog, but she won’t do it unless he does something worthy of attention. Dave has the perfect plan: embarrass Bruce the Moose.
This subplot is funny and I’m surprised they actually WENT THERE with the prank: Dave pees in a bottle and pours it all over Bruce’s locker and shoes. He’s forced to meet Bruce in the alley after school, and a crowd gathers to watch. Instead of obviously beating Dave into a pulp, Bruce just pegs Dave with a balloon full of something that’s NOT water, lol.
Think about it: that pink balloon is filled with urine. Degrassi: It's About To Get Real.
In the end everything is cool and the boys shake hands…and Dave gets the popularity he wanted. It was a silly storyline, but thoroughly entertaining. It’s great to know Degrassi still knows how to deliver funny subplots like they did way back in the day when J.T. and Toby were Degrassi’s comedy relief kings.
“WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING” SUBPLOT GRADE: A
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