[WARNING: THIS EPISODE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS]
I had to watch Heart Like Mine twice, because I was torn on how I felt about this episode the first time around. I’m sure many people will disagree, but I thought this episode was pretty average, mainly because I felt it wasn’t ________ enough:
*KC and Jenna finally getting together wasn’t interesting enough.
*Coach Carson was creepy, but not creepy enough.
*The gun scene was intense, but not intense enough.
Is this the last we'll see of Clare and KC as a couple? I HIGHLY doubt it.
Everyone knew that KC and Clare would break up in this episode, leaving the door open for KC and Jenna to get together. Now Clare has always been labeled as a *stiff* girl who needs to lighten up, but her attitude in this episode was completely justified given the fact Jenna’s been trying to get with KC since day one.
Then once KC and Jenna got together at the sports banquet, it felt anticlimactic. Even when the two were making out in Coach’s hotel room I wasn’t feeling it. Maybe it’s because I’m not totally convinced we’ve seen the last of the KC/Clare relationship.
No, Coach didn't rape KC...he made him watch porn instead.
And speaking of Coach, his level of creepiness was steady throughout the episode, but at the same time it wasn’t as high as I expected it to be. His actions (getting KC drunk and watching porn with him, showing KC his gun, and hiring a hooker for KC) made him look more like a perverted loser than anything. I get that the point of the plot was that Coach Carson is an adult KC could FINALLY say he had a bond with, and then Coach would break that trust with his irresponsibility…but maybe I was looking for an awkwardness within the relationship that would make KC afraid of Coach instead of being disgusted and angry with him.
I'm betting $1 million that TeenNick will overhype their "Heart Like Mine" promo by throwing in this shot of KC with the gun.
The most intense scene in Heart Like Mine also ended up being the most disappointing as well. I wasn’t sure where things were going at the end when KC took the gun out of Coach’s car, but when KC ran into Clare in the hallway with the gun in his bag, my heart stopped. I instantly had flashbacks to Season 4’s Time Stand Still,as well as the old Degrassi High episode Showtime, in which one of the characters killed himself with a gun in the Degrassi washroom.
Of course all the intensity was drained when KC didn’t hurt himself, didn’t confront Coach with the gun and only ended up showing it to Ms. Hatzilakos to get Coach arrested. In the end it felt like there were so many routes this episode could’ve taken and there were so many emotions to play with, but they decided to play it safe.
#ThingsILearnedFromDegrassi If you need to unwind before the big game, just hang out at your Coach's shady hotel room with beers and a $10 hooker. (for @DTNG_UNCENSORED)
My initial grade for Heart Like Mine was a C. It wasn’t a bad episode by any means, it just didn’t grab me like most of the other episodes in Season 9 have. However, the fact there was a hooker in this episode (which makes me LOL thinking about it) and Sam Earle’s acting was AMAZING in the final five minutes, it gets a little bit of a boost.
“HEART LIKE MINE” MAIN PLOT GRADE: C+
****************************
SUBPLOT A
What did Marco write on the chalkboard behind him? "Dylan is a jackass" a thousand times.
Marco returns to Degrassi, but this time he’s a student teacher. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Marco, and while it’s good to see him get a storyline that DOESN’T involve his sexuality or him whining in general, it was still mediocre at best.
Basically he learns that he needs to be the students’ teacher and not their friend when Holly J tries to get him to give her and Declan extensions for their paper. As much as I’m loving Holly J these days, isn’t she kind of OOC in this plot? She’s the studious, organized, intelligent girl in charge of everything and she’s suddenly trying to slack off on work?
Yawn. Apparently Adamo Ruggiero is trying to land himself a future gig if what he’s doing right now (wearing fancy hats and eating cheetos with Lauren Collins) doesn’t work out and there’s a Degrassi The Next NEXT Generation.
“HEART LIKE MINE” SUBPLOT A GRADE: D+
***********************
SUBPLOT B
Fiona is a pretty girl who pretty much sucks at singing.
There’s something not quite right about Declan and Fiona…they were thrown into a lame subplot. Declan’s found himself involved in activities at Degrassi, while Fiona is still a loner. She decides to audition for the school musical, and Declan (who’s in charge of casting) gives her the part despite her not being able to sing…at all.
What? Someone at Degrassi who doesn’t have some sort of musical talent? This plot seemed like more of a way to give the new kids some screen time, especially Annie Clark, who needs to work a bit more on not delivering Fiona’s lines so awkwardly.
When Sav, of all people, delivers the subplot’s funniest line (Jane’s Aunt) and the highlight of it is Anya casually referencing LARPing (which made me stoked to see that Degrassi IS committed to continuity this season), you know you’re in trouble.
“HEART LIKE MINE” SUBPLOT B GRADE: D+
Kary's Degrassi Blog 
I completely agree with everything said, except for the Sub Plot B bit. I thought it was cute how Declan tried to help out his sister. It deserved a C at best, lol. Anyway, I don’t find Jenna and K.C’s “relationship” believable. It just doesn’t seem real and kinda rushed. I mean, it seemed like K.C didn’t give a crap about Clare after everything they’ve been through. He just threw himself onto the next girl. This episode was a huge disappointment and made me hate Jenna, even though she was amazing in You Be Illin’.
LikeLike
I disagree with you i think this was an amazing episode and very well writing i also enjoyed the Marco plot :P I give the episode an A-
LikeLike
I mean the writing is way better than almost everything from the past couple of seasons, but the biggest disappointment was the gun scene. That could’ve been a “game changer,” but it was like they were gonna push the boundaries to the edge then chickened out at the last moment. And even though I didn’t like the Marco plot, it was still good to see him! Its always good to see the original cast :)
LikeLike
i really didnt like the scenes that didnt invlove KC. but thats only because i LUH-V KC. but i liked him with Claire. Jenna is just a backstabber.
LikeLike
btw that hooker is really cheap.. literally. seriously shes only $10. Not that i’d know…
LikeLike
Personally, I’m also torn on this plot.
The fact that KC and Clare broke up is upsetting, but I am hoping that they do show more of this love triangle.
Personally, I hated Jenna in this episode, and I think it showed a side of KC that I particularly didn’t like. However, I’m a KC and Clare fan, so I may be a little biased.
However, I wasn’t as dissepointed in this episode as some others are. I thought that the Coach was a creep, and that I don’t think I would have wanted to see KC get any more hurt, despite the fact he was a jerk this episode. However, I thought it was good, and I am really excited to see them expand it.
Yes, TeenNick will definitaly hype this episode up Kary! :P
LikeLike
Also, I’m not a harsh grader, but you all make good points.
Yes, the gun scene could have been expanded, but at the same time I was happy that he didn’t do something stupid..
LikeLike
Finally the review is out. Now i can state why I agree with Kary. I thought they threw KC and Jenna together without much of a fight between clare and Jenna(that woulda been good). Also Alli poped in outta no where at the party scene. The whole gun thing was overdone. They could of done SO many things with it( like KC almost suiciding and Clare saving him makeing their relationship stronger, KC maybe even shooting someone, the coach miraculously getting the gun and trying to shoot KC, and ther list goes on). Lastly I HATED the fact KC and Jenna were all cuddling at the end, they justified their relationship which was based on lies and friend backstabbing.
Subplot A was pretty good, they tried to show even though Marco is back and he wants to be friends with all his old DeGrass peeps he has to set the law when it comes to school because hes a teacher not their friend( the issue with schools now a days; kids wanna be friends with the teachers to pass but when they fail their test they blame the teech for joking around rather than teaching).
Subplot B was boring.
LikeLike
Oh man Clare was definitely disappointing. She got all huffy over KC and Jenna flirting and didn’t really do anything about it. And why in the world was ALLI the one who (briefly) confronted Jenna, while Clare just stood there? With all of the buildup to KC/Jenna, it was all a big letdown.
LikeLike
I think I heard that one of next week’s episodes will deal with Clare, so maybe it’ll show her side of the story more?
LikeLike
well the reason clare didnt just stood behind while alli did something was eactly right. clare has always been like that and alli has always been the one with the additude. another thing i didnt like was your grade for subplot b. the whole storyline period was lame but, i think you guys were missing the main point. remeber in very first eps. of this season when the crazy cranky drug lady at the party says “declan and fiona are really close” i think this was sort of a fallow up. though the stroyline was silly, it was just the beggining of what i know i have been waiting for all season…. the incest twins. it has been apparent since the begining that there was somthing off about eclana dn fiona and this only proves it by how jealous and clingy fiona is with declan. it seems to be that this was a preview for showing us what really up with the twins in the future.
LikeLike
Clare didnt say anything, because that wasnt her personality. Alli knew from day 1 that something was off with Jenna. Im glad Alli spoke up because 1.) we havent seen her in a while. 2.) She was right all along.
LikeLike
I know why Clare didn’t say anything, my thing is just because “that’s her personality,” that doesn’t up and justify her silence. And it wasn’t like Alli was the only one who saw through Jenna’s bull…Clare saw it from day one too. If Clare can be vocal enough to stick up for Connor against an authority figure as well as stand up to her uptight mom, surely she can give a piece of her mind to the girl who openly plotted to steal her boyfriend.
LikeLike
Your completely right! This episode freaked me out which kept me watching but it wasn’t as good as I thought it would be (far from it). For a second though I thought K.C. was gonna shot himself; but I knew that would have been way to much of an over reaction from him. he took to long getting to whoever he was planning to tell which made a guess it was gonna be way worse. This way when the big moment came it was a bit of a let down.
So… I was thinking, if possible, in a future episode K.C. could shot himself. Not that i want him to die but so far from what we know about each of the characters he seems the best for the job. the next Generation has yet to have anyone kill them selves! (Rick doesn’t count; that was a accident)
Jenna and K.C. happen way to fast as well as his and Claire’s break up!
Over all I was very disappointed!!!
LikeLike
Marco coming back wasn’t as big a thing as I wanted it to be!!! We all love Marco I really haven’t ever heard of a person who didn’t! All the characters that would have been screaming “MARCO I MISSED YOU” are gone!
Declan and Fiona’s whole thing really seem pointless. except to show us how close they are. Don’t tell me you didn’t ‘awww’ when Declan said “I’m not happy if you’re not happy” and you could really tell he meant it. So far it seems like Fiona is amounting to nothing! After she broke off her fake relationship with Riley (LOVE HIM) she’s just in Declan’s shadow!!!
LikeLike
I have so been waiting for this episode. I love the KC/Clare relationship. I knew that he and Jenna would get together, but I feel like Clare didn’t give it her all. I would of love to see her yell for once. But your right I felt no spark between Jenna and KC, so I hope we have KC/Clare again. Also the end made me mad. I really felt he need to go to Clare not Jenna. Clare knows KC past, not Jenna. I know they wouldn’t get back together, but Clare would still be there for him if he need her.
LikeLike
yeah, i agree exactly. sorry i keep commenting on this plot! just a big fan of them
LikeLike
i liked that episode :D
LikeLike
I think what you said about the main plot was kinda lame (no ofense) degrassi is supposed to be more realistic than any other show out there and granted the situations may not be common they do happen and not everyone has to be raped or suicidal or crazy to make good tv and the fact that they didn’t takethat route makes me happy
LikeLike
I thought it was a very good episode
but yeah it was a total tease on a lot of things
LikeLike
I agree. Well kind of. I was hoping he would do more with the gun then show Ms. H. Like when he was like “I’m sorry Clare. For everything” it was so sweet like he was goingto do something to put him back in juvie or something. But no. I found the getting Carson arrested story WAY better then KC getting together with Jenna. Probably, like you said, I know KC and Clare aren’t over so I don’t believe KC and Jenna are important. Alsoi loved Alli in this episode too.
And both sub plots, I completely agree you said it word for word. But I love Marco!! Hope we see him again!
P.S. I still Love your site it so good and awesome!!!!!
LikeLike
can yu send me ‘ ah heart like mine full episode to my email ?!
LikeLike
Ya, I think the K.C.’s gun shot scene could have been better. However, I’m happy he didn’t shoot himself. He literally COULD have died. J.T. with the drugs, I wouldn’t care if K.C. did that, as long as he would survive. I hate Jenna, though! She seems so… I don’t know. Backstabber-ish I should say? She used both Alli AND Clare to get to K.C.. I’m afraid Jenna might cheat on K.C., and I really don’t want to see K.C. begging for Clare back as if the break-up situation never happened. I’m just happy Clare is going to try to get K.C. back. Kenna just has no sparks. Jenna made K.C. and Clare go through all of that so she could have HIM?! He ALMOST killed himself for Christ sake. All for a slut bag hoe backstabber of Jenna. Phew, how close. I agree with you the coach, he’s a perverted loser.
LikeLike
I’ve seen the episode online, which is why I was surprised that Declan and Fiona weren’t on tonight. They must be in part 2 next week on teen nick…
It was disappointing in this episode that Clare just gave up KC without a fight. He was the one who drew her out of her shell in the first place. I guess she didn’t feel comfortable with him anymore, and I don’t blame her! I couldn’t believe how he and Jenna flirted with each other in public! I wish she wouldn’t waste her time getting him back. How long will she have him?
LikeLike
All through the first episode I got goose bumps cuz the coach was so creepy, then when he was shirtless in the next episode I forgave him.
LikeLike
[…] Despite KC making a big fuss just to suddenly drop it and forgive his mom, the rest of the plot is solid. I LOVED the approach to Better Off Alone, by setting up the storyline in both parts of 99 Problems. And Sam Earle’s acting is much improved from last season. Heck, this storyline is an improvement from the one they gave him last season. […]
LikeLike
i couldnt agree more about heart like mine part 1&2
it was ___ enough!i mean,coach carson just wasnt creepy enough.”the curse of degrassi” special was creepier!and i really dont give a care for kc and jenna.i like jenna,and jessica tyler,and sorta like kc,but it was just…eh.
and the hooker made me LOL.
LikeLike
Jenna is nothing but a boyfriend stealing slut if i was
Clare i would punch Jenna in her ugly face
LikeLike
[…] plot in Waterfalls will initially draw comparisons to the Season 9 episode Heart Like Mine, where KC’s trust was betrayed by his basketball coach. However, comparing the two antagonists […]
LikeLike
[…] of the “Next Generation” series but simply “Degrassi” now, episode “Heart of Mine” that aired in 2009. All though I am not 100% sure what happened since I didn’t see […]
LikeLike
um so I just sat through this bull shit because it was 5:00am and I had absolutely nothing to do. I watched the whole thing and was appalled. Was this shit suppose to be dramatic or something? K.C. was a little bitch. Like really? His vagina was showing throughout the entire show. What guy wouldn’t like to drink a beer get a hooker and play with guns. That sounds like the balls. Yet K.C. was a complete pussy about the entire thing. What a scared dramatic little girl. The episode actually pissed me off because of how much of a bitch K.C. was lol. The coach seemed like the chillest dude alive. I wish I could get free beers, hookers, and guns. Shit. Thats what I think of little girl K.C. and his wet vagina.
LikeLike