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+
Kary's Degrassi Blog 
I just wanted to say, I’ve been enjoying reading your episode reviews. I gotta agree with you about pretty much everything on this one too, except I don’t think they could’ve stretched Sav’s storyline for an A Plot. Also, I find his wanting what he wants but not willing to rebel against his parents really a bit unsettled and uninteresting.
And man, isn’t Blue just on his way to becoming the next Chante? Except what kind of name is Blue??
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Thank you!! :-) I think with a little re-writing they could’ve made Sav’s story a more interesting A Plot. But I think I don’t think I’m more for a Sav plot than I am against Mia…she gets on my nerves these days.
What’s the point of Blue’s character again? He’s going to end up in the Degrassi abyss with Chester, Fareeza and Oscar…so sad. lol
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I don’t even remember Oscar! And at least Blue’s in the credits. Think he’s going to go more the way of Chris and Kendra. He’s there to be Holly J’s eyecandy… when she’s not mooning over Spinner.
At least Mia won’t be around for long. Although I don’t get why they didn’t just use this opportunity to write her out. :/ I was really fine with Mia until this season when she became a prostitute and they shoved her with Peter. *sigh*
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The dumb part of the main plot was the fact that Mia couldn’t do the assignment. Choosing architect and marine biologist at the last minute?.. um Mia you’re a model, talk about being a model! duh. that should’ve been exetremely easy.
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Okay, clearly you never had trouble in school or with what you wanted to in life. For some people it’s not all as easy as that, and I thought that worked. I more questioned how the hell ALL the other kids had it so together.
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It isn’t about her not knowing what she wants to do in life, it’s about the fact she couldn’t come up with something for the assignment PERIOD. How hard would it have been for her to just make up a career to talk about (or like xBenji said, just talk about modeling)? Just say you want to be a teacher, or a doctor and then list several reasons why.
It didn’t need to be real or reflect what she really wants to do…it just needed to be SOMETHING, considering the speech would determine whether or not she’d pass or fail English.
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Does anyone know the exact words of Mia’s speech?
I’ve been looking for it everywere but I can’t find it.
Anyone who can help??
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I think the grade for Mia’s plot should have been a little bit higher. Mainly because of the speech she made at the end because it tied in to where Mia started out on Degrass (as a teen mom who was trying to balance school and extracurricular s and parenting). and I think one of the best scenes was when her daughter was in her ballet class and if Isabella wants to move up she would need to take more ballet classes and Mia’s mom was talking about how her modeling is was financially beneficial in her supporting her daughter. Before up where we belong Mia was focused on how being a model was getting her things like a spot on the power squad and popularity.
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