I asked Manny what she thought about Season 8...her face says it all.
I’ve spent most of this weekend re-watching Season 8 of Degrassi on dvd. To me watching the show on dvd is like a “second chance” to see if the episodes are better or worse this time around. Watching Seasons 5 and 6 on dvd made me realize they weren’t as bad as I thought…season 7 was worse.
So what do I think about Season 8 now? Below are my original grades for the episodes:
Uptown Girl Parts 1 & 2: D
Fight The Power: B+
Didn’t We Almost Have It All: B-
Man With Two Hearts: C+
With Or Without You: D+
Money For Nothing: B
Lost In Love Parts 1 & 2: C-
Bad Medicine: C
Causing a Commotion: D
Heart Of The Moment: C-
Jane Says Parts 1 & 2: B-
Touch Of Grey: C
Heart Of Glass: A+
Up Where We Belong: C+
Danger Zone: B
Degrassi Goes Hollywood: A
Now here’s my updated grades for the episodes:
Red: grade worsened
Green: grade improved
Black: grade stayed the same
Uptown Girl Parts 1 & 2: D
Fight The Power: C
Didn’t We Almost Have It All: C-
Man With Two Hearts: C+
With Or Without You: D-
Money For Nothing: C
Lost In Love Parts 1 & 2: D+
Bad Medicine: C+
Causing a Commotion: D-
Heart Of The Moment: C+
Jane Says Parts 1 & 2: C-
Touch Of Grey: D-
Heart Of Glass: A++
Up Where We Belong: D-
Danger Zone: B
Degrassi Goes Hollywood: A+
*sigh* so much red…kinda like that one time Holly J had her period all over Jane, Danny and Mia:
Holly J's heavy flow = a bad night at the Halloween dance.
This weekend I realized that Season 8 was FAR worse than I first thought…I guess I was being really kind. Even knowing that Season 8 was a transition season can’t justify how bland it was. There were quite a few episodes with great themes, but ultimately had lackluster stories. Episodes just sort of ended, and storylines were randomly dropped as quickly as they started.
Season 8 Booms
Heart of Glass and Degrassi Goes Hollywood (Paradise City). Heart of Glass is hands down the best episode of Season 8. If you wanna know why you can read my episode review here. For me, Degrassi Goes Hollywood was the surprise of the season…it was awesome. DGH and Heart of Glass saved season 8 from being a total disaster.
Studz. I know there’s a lot of people who HATE Studz, and I know they’ll never compare to Downtown Sasquatch. However, I like the fact they’ve brought the “dude clique” back to Degrassi. It’s something that’s been missing since season 5, and once the members of the Squatch left Degrassi it didn’t feel the same. Peter, Danny and Sav are a bizarre combo, but they’ll do.
Johnny/Alli. At first I couldn’t wrap my head around the thought of them, but now I find their weird relationship so cute and adorable. My love for them was solidified in Heart of Glass.
Characters: Peter, Jane, Danny. Peter became a likable character for me when he became involved with Darcy a couple of seasons ago. His likability factor remained consistent throughout season 8, even though he was a part of one of Degrassi’s most pointless couples (Pia). Jane had great storylines that weren’t executed well enough, but Paula Brancati’s acting was solid all season. I like how they transformed Danny from comedy relief to the school’s cool starting QB. Him also becoming a supportive friend to Jane also gave him big points with me.
Season 8 Busts
Mismanaged Storylines. Jane’s molestation and Riley’s sexuality are GREAT storyline ideas. However, they didn’t end up being as strong as they should’ve been. I’ll always believe that Jane Says Pt. 1 spent TOO much time “trying to remember” what happened to her; that could’ve been done in an episode subplot beforehand. I wanted to see more of Riley dealing with his sexuality, but they basically dropped it after Bad Medicine. I’m very excited to see they’re bringing it back up in Season 9.
Peter/Mia. Darcy leaves for Africa, and Peter and Mia hookup waste no time hooking up. Has there ever been a more forced couple in Degrassi history? No matter how much Pia was in my face this season (and they had a lot of screentime), I could never buy into their relationship.
Characters: Leia, The Smithdale Crew. Leia is a boring, useless character. People might put Blue on the same level as her, but his acting isn’t horrible and there’s a chance for some development with Holly J. The only way Leia stays relevant is if she stays with Danny. As much as I have a soft spot for the original characters, Emma, Manny and Liberty are all useless at Smithdale. Why even bother keeping them around if they can’t give them even moderately interesting storylines? Kelly isn’t all that annoying, but did they have to pair him up with Emma?
In the end, there’s really no need to worry. Season 9 will be better than Season 8; they have nowhere to go but up.
Kary's Degrassi Blog 
How did Degrassi become training camp for shows on the CW network. Wanna take odds on whether or not they nab another Degrassi actress for a spot on Melrose Place or Supernatural? It’s just a matter of time.
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Hah where else can they get unknown actors who are already groomed in teen drama world? I bet they’ll nab at least one for their new crop of shows next fall. Jessica Tyler and Annie Clark have barely been in the Degrassi world and they have the look to be on the CW.
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Wow, I thought seasons 7-8 were a hell of a lot better than season 5-6. Oh well, YMMV.
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As a fan of the show I don’t appreciate the captions of the pictures.
-oitzeric.
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Awwwwww.
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Your season 8 dvd must be skipping. Did you miss every Holly J episode??? The best character on the show(and definitly for that season) doesn’t get her own review?!?! Degrassi would have been done with in season 8,if it weren’t for the perfect storylines of Holly J Sinclaire.
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Your season 8 dvd must be skipping. Did you miss every Holly J episode??? The best character on the show(and definitly for that season) doesn’t get her own review?!?! Degrassi would have been done with in season 8,if it weren’t for the perfect storylines of Holly J Sinclaire
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I agree they did drop the ball a lot season 8 and all they can do is go up.
Whatever happen to Paige possibly having aids???
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I think that the inherent flaw of season 8 was the isolation of characters and plots. Blue, Riley, Leia, and the Smithdale students existed separate from the normal realms of interaction of characters. I didn’t at all like the way these characters were mostly only used when an episode partially revolved around them, for it removed a certain “Degrassi” feel from the show. In addition, many plots were too short and neatly tied off in a single episode. As a part of that, there were WAY too many couples. It would be difficult to think of anybody who WASN’T in a relationship. (except Holly J.) There was no related conflict, either. The couples just merrily stayed togethor. (The Pia break up was pathetic and short lived) Lastly, I must say that the new freshmen did not appeal to me. I do think that this will be improved in Season 9, though, due to the introduction of Jenna. Stories can only be intereseting if not all people involved are friends. This also applies to the season in general. The characters largely seem to be in conflict with ideas not people. (an excellent exception being Jane/football) This works on occasion, such as with Jane’s abuse (although that could have been done better), but, in general, people need to antagonize one another more. Despite my feelings about season 8, I have high hopes for season 9. I hope that Jenna and Declan will essentially take a sledgehammer to the finely tuned machine of Degrassi pleasantness. This season, there will be real conflict, interesting character development, and better relationships. Hopefully. On a side note, I don’t understand why Liberty is to be absent. How can Emma be a regular while her roommate isn’t?
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[…] of the first things I want you to do is click here to see my grades for the Season 8 episodes, and notice the difference between them and the grades for Season 9: there was a vast improvement […]
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The show died as Darcy left!
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LOL honestly the show was dead in season 5-6. I couldn’t even watch the whole episode (In entirity) without changing the channel with most of the episodes in those 2 seasons. and I agree after season 7, I was expecting alittle more in season 8, and the ball was officially dropped, they had nowhere else to go but up…or cancellation.
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