[WARNING: THIS EPISODE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]

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.

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 180 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.

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

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.

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