Q&A
Adam and Dave are 2of my favorite characters. Its funny that I like them considering how different they are. So if this episode had sucked like the entire season 8 I still would have liked it. So Kary is doing an awesome job @ looking @ the whole episode & nt just giving his favorite characters a good review.
-Maurice
Ahhhh really? That’s odd, because recently I was accused by part of the Degrassi fanbase of being TOO biased in my reviews (not you, lol)…aka apparently I automatically give bad grades to characters I dislike, and will give good grades to the storylines of my favorite characters as if everything they touch is gold.
So since I dislike Dave, like Clare and love Fiona (she is currently my favorite character on the show), then I guess there’s no need for any of you to read the following review since my opinions are so predictable. *insert Katie’s cold, GTFO-I‘m-busy stare*
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PLOT A SUMMARY: Dave and Adam battle it out to be Degrassi’s next radio DJ, but they work so well together that Sav makes them a radio team. Dave uses the washroom, and Adam follows in him there. While trying to learn how Dave pees standing up Adam is caught staring, which freaks Dave out. In a second encounter in the washroom, Dave discovers Adam trying to use a stand-to-pee device. Freaked out even more, Dave then gets on the radio and asks why women are allowed in the men’s washroom, and he refers to Adam as a “tranny.”
Degrassi’s LGBT community petitions to have Dave kicked off the air, and he’s pissed when he realizes Adam will be doing the show alone. Believing he was only stating his opinion, Dave tries to make a point by dressing up as a girl and going into the girl’s washroom. Dave and Adam wind up getting into a fight, and are both given detention. Adam explains that it’s more than just “dressing up as a guy and trying to sneak peeks at other guys.” In the end, Dave hijacks the Degrassi radio studio and apologizes to Adam over the airwaves.
It’s a plot that didn’t go the way I expected it when I first read the episode description, but it was still enjoyable all the way around. The key to this plot was Dave, and how well his part of the plot was handled. It’s not like other hate storylines where the character comes out of nowhere to hate on someone because of their race, sexuality, etc. The writers went the extra mile that Dave was uncomfortable with Adam being transgender from the beginning. And Dave’s anger in part two didn’t come from him hating Adam just for the sake of being malicious, it was ignorance about transgender that made Dave believe HE was the one being treated unfairly.
I didn’t hate Dave, and could completely understand why he felt awkward (even though his on-air rant was unacceptable). What I also liked was how I didn’t feel sorry for Adam in this episode. Not every storyline involving him needs to be “the transgender kid being victimized,” with us going “Awww, poor Adam.” He’s tough, and he’s proved it on several occasions, including physically manhandling Dave in this episode. The episode also addressed something that seems really rare: normally characters are hesitant to put themselves out there when they’ve got something they’ve been hiding, or keeping on the dl. However, Adam was eager to try and win over Dave’s approval…almost a little TOO eager. I just thought it was very interesting how desperate he seemed to want Dave to view him as just another guy, while Dave was trying to prove that he himself is the big man on campus. It’s also great that we finally get a good look at the acting chops of Jahmil French.
It wrapped up neatly in a bow at the end, but that was expected. It’s kinda hard to figure make a plot like this end any other way, because it wouldn’t be necessary for it to be dragged out over the course of a few more weeks during Now Or Never.
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PLOT B SUMMARY: Fiona joins the grade 11 Drama class, and immediately feels like she doesn’t fit in. So she skips class to visit Charlie. She wants to have a picnic with her, but Charlie’s friend Elise is there as well, so all three have the picnic together. Fiona’s mom catches her skipping school and tells her if she doesn’t stay focused on school they’re going to move back to New York. Having not heard from Charlie in a while, Fiona drives by the scooter shop to see her, and witnesses Charlie upset during a conversation with Elise. Fiona tries to comfort Charlie, but Charlie doesn’t want to talk about why she’s so upset and lashes out at Fiona.
Back at Degrassi Eli is so disgusted by the current school play idea that he begs Fiona to throw out some to the class. She does and is named director of the play, while Eli is chosen to be the writer. Charlie apologizes to Fiona, saying she was upset because she kicked out of her place. Fiona then lets Charlie stay with her.
FiFi you know I love you…but now your plot with Charlie is starting to bore me, to tears and beyond. And so begins the decline of my favorite character on the show, giving her storylines with an irrelevant character (Charlie will eventually go down the Dr. Chris route of “now you see me, now you don’t”), and Fiona suddenly behaving as if she’s completely helpless and friendless without Holly J before Holly J has even graduated. I could probably be more lenient on the friendship thing when it comes to the drama class, seeing how Fiona does have a history of not being able to make friends. But there is nothing in regards to the Fiona/Charlie friendship (or potential romance) that draws me in.
The only upside to this plot is how it’s used as a setup for Eli/Fiona interaction. Here we’ve got two incredibly-developed characters with the potential to build a strong friendship with each other.
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PLOT C SUMMARY: To get over Eli, Clare decides to join the school newspaper. The editor, Katie gives Clare a test assignment: write a 100-word article about how to get over a breakup. Clare decides to write a 5-page essay thinking it’ll impress Katie, but Katie rejects it, and Clare doesn’t make the cut. Clare tries many times to apologize to Katie, who just wants her to go away. Eventually Sav talks to Katie behind the scenes, and Katie lets Clare join the newspaper staff. However, there’s a catch: Clare’s assignment is to cover school play, which is being written by Eli.
While watching this episode, on more than one occasion I thought to myself, “Clare why are you being so annoying?”
“You. Are. Drama,” Marisol said to Clare, and it seems to an extent she’s right. In Season 10 Clare was sucked into other people’s drama (Eli’s and her parents’ divorce). So far in Season 11 she’s the one that’s creating drama around her, and I’m not sure if I like that.
Meanwhile, Katie was fantastic. I don’t classify her as the next “Paige” or “Holly J” because she’s not a Queen-Bee type character. She’s a rigid, highly-focused overachiever. She has a certain path she follows to get where she wants to go, and if you try to get in her way she’ll just tell you to fuck off because she doesn’t have time for you.
Sav talking to Katie to let Clare join the staff was such a cop out, but they made up for it with a brilliant final scene where Katie forces Clare to cover the school play and interact with Eli, the one thing she was hoping to avoid.
Kary's Degrassi Blog 
Did anyone else just start laughing their ass off when they saw the picture above of Dave, Adam, and Simpson?? Freaking Dave. Oh my God. xD
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okay is this the episode where Eli throws the computer!?!!? cause i thought he was going to last night.. but that’s just me
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That probably tomorrow or thursday
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Yeah, I’m glad the Dave/Adam storyline in Pt 1 was more subtle than expected and I love that the writers are tackling this issue in this way — from what I understand from my trans friends, there are a lot of people like Dave who aren’t outright haters or bullies, but they end up being very offensive anyway or create an uncomfortable environment because of their ignorance. In some ways, I think the storyline is way more effective because viewers can relate to someone like Dave, but I think he’s about to get less sympathetic in Pt 2…
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i agree..i am in a way kind of like dave. one of my best friends just recentley told me he was gay. It was such a shock to me. I didn’t know what to say! after watching this episode and thinking about it, i realized that i act just as awkward towards my friends as dave does towards adam. the difference is that im not a little bitch and offend him n public… but i could feel the distress dave was in.
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Wow I just realized Dave didnt wash his hands the 1st time after peeing.lmao
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oh my god, why is kate such a bitch??? talk about someone who apparently hates drama…like really?
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Forreal. That’s what I was thinking. She started off nice finally letting Clare onto the paper, but then knowing Eli being Clare’s ex made her spend as much time with him for the play. I was all “ooooh bitch!”
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Shamelessly defending a character I’m biased toward, but that aside – Katie never wanted Clare on the paper. The only reason she let Clare on, the ONLY reason, was because Sav made her. And this was all after Clare emailed her repeatedly, followed her, harassed her, etc, etc. Katie — and anyone who was at that party at the Dot where Clare had her outburst and had to be dragged away by Jake — knows that Clare is just a ticking time bomb of issues related to Eli and she didn’t want that on her paper. But now that she has to keep Clare, I’d say assigning her to Eli was 50% revenge on Clare for the harassment and using the paper for selfish reasons and 50% forcing Clare to confront her issues and get over them already.
But like I said, that’s me shamelessly defending a character I’m starting to really like so I accept that it’s probably biased!
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And see shamelessly defending them that’s ok!!! But the point I was trying to make by being a sarcastic ass is that it’s one thing if you love a character so much that you believe everything they do is perfect, or if you hate a character that you can’t give them credit even if they do something right. But everyone is biased to an extent…you HAVE to be. You can’t just be neutral on things.
I think Katie assigning Clare to Eli was 100% out of spite, but the upside (or downside, depending on how things pan out) will be like you said forcing Clare to deal with her issues head on.
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Right! All she did was create drama! And the assignment she gave Clare…DRAMA CENTRAL!
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I love Katie, shes such a magnificent bitch.
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yeahhh katie’s a biatch! clare was trying her best….
dave and adam were awesome at the end of the episode! :)
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Fiona: Eli’s the best writer in the class.
Imogen: Obviously!
(Class laughs)
Hahaha!!!
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best part of the whole freakin episode! <3
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Thoughts on this episode:
1. I didn’t get a quite good look at the “fight” because my brother and I were screaming (lol) but I have to say Adam won that fight.
2. This episode feels like 5x longer than last nights. Last nights went by so fast and this ones is going by so slow (slow = better)
3. I’m surprised that Sadie still stayed with Dave. I thought that this would be what broke up Dave and Sadie.
4. I don’t have any firsthand experiences with people on anti-anxiety meds, but based on the way Eli was acting in LoveGame, it makes me think that it feels like every time Eli isn’t in a Eclare-related plot, he doesn’t act like he’s on the meds.. LoveGame Eli acted a lot more different than Cry Me A River Eli..
Can’t really say much about the other 2 plots as I was really only excited for the Adam plot.
Thoughts on tomorrow (and Thursday’s) episodes based on promo:
1. I’m not a Eclare shipper, but lately I’ve been interested in their plots, like in Drop the World and LoveGame, but I want to see how Eli takes this.
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I have to disagree about the meds thing. He has become more opinionated but i honestly think eli off meds wouldnt have just stood there when dave and adam stared fighting. Like all the fitz stuff happened he had adam’s back and now he’s just like ‘oh a fight,guess ill just stand here all nonchalant and not help my friend’. He’s still got that some that monotonous in him.
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Wow. I was more intrigued by Eli and Fiona working together than I thought I’d be. Obviously they’re never going to make couple status, but some of the best relationships on the show have been non-couples (Ellie/Marco for instance.)
It was rather obvious Dave was going to make a clear turnaround in the end, which kind of feels a little too easy to have this wrapped up so quickly, but I’m not sure I would have wanted it to stretch out for too much longer.
I love Katie, despite how much of a bitch she’s been to Clare. She’s obviously the new Holly J and that works for me.
This felt like one of Zane’s only non-Riley scenes. it was nice to see him in a supporting role for once!
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(concerning the similarity between Eli/Fiona and Marco/Ellie)
What’s the lesbian/straight male equivalent to the stereotypical straight girl/gay guy friendship? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it done on television before. YAY PROGRESSIVE DEGRASSI
Also, as a side note, Fiona’s happy dance was hilarious.
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“Also, as a side note, Fiona’s happy dance was hilarious.”
Next dance craze
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Loved Fiona’s dance! I hope HJ continues to call her Crazy Legs!!
Eli/Fiona could be fun, especially since FiFi will be around next year in Eli’s grade.
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I think the point of the end of the episode was that he was still kind of uncomfortable with Adam, but he was trying to understand instead of freak out and judge… Hence the “Let’s talk about it” thing.
I think Dave’s character in this episode was genius because it shows how most homo/trans/whatever-phobic people act– not like Owen and Fitz who actively hate and go out of their way to hurt them, but people who don’t try to understand because they’re uncomfortable and become judgmental instead etc. Dave is much more relatable to people who don’t realize what damage they’re doing (Dave didn’t think he had done anything wrong) than a “monster” who throws people through doors. :P That is all.
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That’s a good way to look at it. Dave was still going on strong until Adam flat out spoke to him and told him what it’s like to go through this every day. I guess the only problem I have are with these 2 part episodes, where certain plots get tied up so quickly. I kind of like more ongoing plots, but like I originally said, I wouldn’t want this to go on another 2-3 weeks, so it’s probably for the best to wrap it up tonight.
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I completely agree about Eli/Fiona. Eli becoming Fiona’s lesbro could potentially be one of my favourite aspects of S11.
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So as we saw in the promo for Wednesday, Eli throws a computer on the floor after seeing Clare and Jake talking in the hall way (after he stopped using his pills) imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t had his pills at the Dot when Clare introduced them? it would have been a lot more crazy o.O
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Kate is a bitch and I love it
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Katie deserves her own theme song.
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I know right? Everytime I see her I hear Missy Elliott’s ‘She’s A Bitch’ in my head
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Would DJ Khaled’s “Go Hard” be appropriate? Maybe notso much the lyrics, but the instrumental?
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You’ve stopped abusing caps lock!
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NOT AT ALL. I TYPED THAT REPLY FROM MY PHONE,IM BACK ON MY LAPTOP NOW. LOL
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Oh no! I shouldn’t have said anything.
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If I were a fictional Degrassi character, I’d go for Katie.
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Fiona was on some trill chizz this episode. Stepping up to help out a friend in her time of need, that’s some realness right there, don’t care if it’s a show.
Katie was bitchy yes, but because of all the responsibilities she has in her life- soccer, newspaper, student, hanging out with friends; that would be difficult to try and manage for anyone, and from the outside it seems that she calm and collected, but I bet she breaking inside from all that stress. She didn’t seem to get mad at Clare for her “friends in high places.” I got the impression that she was relieved that she could delegate more responsibility so she could focus on other stuff.
Imogen got all shy when she echoed Fiona’s sentiment, damn I can’t wait! for tomorrow’s episode, it shall be powerful.
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Can a teen nick Degrassi watcher possibly post the promo for tomorrow Much only does them weekly not by episode…thank you!!! :)
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Just go to Teennick.com! You can find them there .(:
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My thoughts on tonight’s episode: I think the subplots were better than yesterday. I wasnt bored w/ Fiona’s plot 2day like I was last nite. I still love Katie. I didnt feel bad 4 Clare @ all.lol. Dave will be the new JT (nowhere near as loved & popular) but I mean in acting ability. I nvr believed that JT would be able 2pull off a serious plot but he proved me wrong & I nvr believed Dave would be able 2 but he proved me wrong. Dave can be funny & serious @ times so thatz what I like. The Dave/Adam plot was taken well so I liked it. The fight was frickin hilarious though.lol. Dave had the headlock but Adam kicked his ass.lmao. Dave & Adam RULE
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I agree with all of this
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Well, the episode wrapped up nicely with a pretty red bow on top, but that’s okay. I loved the dialogue between Dave and Adam. It feel really real and it sucked me in. Talk about Dave being an asshole in this episode. But, in the smallest way, I can understand where he’s coming from. This was a really good story.
God. Katie is a bitch. But I still like her somehow. Making Clare spend time with Eli is heartless, and I don’t even know why she’s even doing it. I also don’t know why she was so butt-heart towards Clare, just because she wrote an article that was over 100 words. I just don’t get it.
Fiona and Eli? Love love love love love love. Their relationship is so unexpected and weird, but so refreshing. And we haven’t even seen much of it at all yet.
Seeing Eli lose his shit once again tomorrow is going to be great. I’m really looking forward to it. I think the reason he’s going to smash the computer is going to be writer’s block, perhaps. Maybe he’ll also become aware of Clare and Jake’s relationship and become jealous and that’s why he asks Imogen for help. Whatever happens, it’s going to be entertaining as hell.
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Katie wasn’t butthurt, she was irritated by Clare. She works very hard with her sports and school and paper and all of that and then after she gave specific instructions on how to apply for the paper, Clare overdid it (even though Alli told her not to) and didn’t get accepted (because she didn’t follow the instructions). If I were applying to a job and did really well but didn’t follow the very clear instructions, I wouldn’t get the job. I think Katie was just irritated that Clare seemed to think someone owed it to her to be on that paper.
I totally agree with you on everything else though. And I like Katie too, kinda like Holly J.
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Well, when you put it that way… I guess I just thought it was a little immature of Katie to ignore Clare at the Dot like, as if Clare had done something worse than not follow instructions. But you’re right. Katie takes the Newspaper very seriously and being told that she “doesn’t know” what the other kids would want to read must’ve been irritating, especially from a know-it-all sophomore.
But I still love Clare. And Katie, for that matter. :)
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Yeah I still like Clare too, although right now I pretty much agree with Kary. Her character is verrry different then the Clare we’ve always known (which is normal, I’m just not sure I like the new Clare).
But I do agree, ignoring her was a little immature.
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I don’t think Katie was being immature.
Like Marisol said, “Katie tries to AVOID drama.”
Katie didn’t want to talk to Clare because you never know if Clare will have an outburst. Just like she did with Eli at Above the Dot and then again at the Dot yelling at Marisol, “I am not drama!”
Katie’s too busy to be involved in ALL her problems.
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For some reason, I like Katie .. Even though if I were Clare, I would have punched her in the face by now . I hate people like that. xD
Anyway , I did find her to be immature at The Dot , even though Marisol said she tries to avoid drama .
Because, if she wanted to avoid drama, she would just go ahead and tell Clare what was up and if Clare tried to apologize, let her apologize. Ignoring someone like that and walking away just makes you seem immature, and doesn’t resolve the problem, and with Clare, it just makes more drama. :P
If I were Katie, I would have been nicer about it all, probably tell Clare that I appreciate the effort, but such a long essay wasn’t what I was looking for.
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Word counts are actually genuinely serious business in newspapers, as far as the editors are concerned. I learned that pretty fast in high school and college. When writing an article, it’s better to have less words and have to write more later than to have more words and get half your article cut and ignored. They need to fit the articles in a certain space and so going over your word count — especially six pages over — isn’t just frowned upon, it’s outright hated.
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I was going to say the same thing. Journalism isn’t English class. In fact you have to dumb down stories a lot because the average newspaper reader reads at a third grade level. You can’t use any other phrases besides “he/she/they said/say.” So Katie wasn’t really being too hard on Clare. I mean if I were in that position I would be annoyed too. And why should Katie be sensitive to Clare’s relationship problems? They aren’t friends and when you are in charge of something like a newspaper with strict deadlines and such you don’t have time to facilitating and tip-toeing around someone else’s sensitivities over something as trivial as a high school relationship that really wasn’t going anywhere good.
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I love Eli and Fiona so much, they have a lot of chemistry
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saw degrassi tonight.
1. im glad adam defended himself and made dave realize what he did.
2. clare is getting on katies nerves.
3. glad to see eli and fionas friendship blossoming. imogen know eli some how. maybe shes a fan of his work.(stalker angel)
4. im proud of what dave did. he apoligized and made things right.
5. tomorrows episode is going to be insaneeeeeee. cant wait.
btw happy to see zane.
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Thumbs up for #3
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Tonights episode was good. I think Dave having a more serious plot was refreshing. Reminds me of how JT was the jokester & I didnt believe he could pull off a serious plot. I didnt think Dave would be able 2pull it off. I was so wrong. The fight was funny. Dave had the headlock but Adam overall won the fight.lol.
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Imogen Moreno,nice to meetchu *bats eyelashes*
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She comes off as a forthright girl… Whoa I almost said Fortnight!
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I don’t know how I feel about Katie yet. Maybe I love to hate her? Or is it too early to tell?
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Even though I still hate him for everything he did in the past, I have a lot more respect for Dave now. And props to Adam for kicking Dave’s ass. He should be Drew’s bodyguard.
Fiona and Charlie. Ehh, they’re okay I guess, but I’d rather watch the Eli/ Fiona friendship. They’re even more polar opposites than Eli and Clare were, and I like it, because I know it’s just gonna be a good frienship. Friends who are opposites are nice to watch.
Even though I’m a Clare fan, I love Katie already. That girl is perfect.
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Oh, and lol at Imogen being a creeper.
Fiona: Eli is the best writer in the class.
Imogen: Obviously… *eyeshift*
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a lot of people are calling her the new holly j sinclair, but i get a liberty vibe from her. maybe a little bit of both. i can’t really pinpoint anything on her right now. she’s the type of girl who wants the drama on another person (hence, clare doing a report on eli), not because she likes watching other people in drama, but because she’s just really that busy and doesn’t want to deal with anything if it doesn’t relate to school. so it’s going to be interesting when katie actually has drama in her life.
i thought sadie was going to break up with dave in this episode, leading to the future dave/alli ship. i don’t even know.
i was hoping that the dave/adam storyline would wrap up in one two-parter. i think it was a great storyline overall, just the right amount of attention.
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Katie is the perfect blend of Liberty and HJ
Smart, determined, bi*tchy, something the show needs since HJ is out.
Also that’s interesting you bring that up because when are they going to break up so Dave and Alli can get together? Or is it going to be more of a fake arrangement like Manny and Jay back in Season 7?
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imogen can stalk me anyday ;D
Anyways I’m just waiting for the scene where Clare says to Imogen
“You’re buttcrack is showing!”
LET THE Tasty Goods war BEGIN! (referring to Eclare, Cake, and Imogeli)
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I agreed with the not hating Dave. In fact, I thought this was one of the strongest all-around Degrassi episodes in a while…
Check out my recap/review of Cry Me A River! All reader feedback and comments are always welcome!!!
http://thetwocentscorp.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/degrassi-%E2%80%93-recap-review-%E2%80%93-cry-me-a-river-part-one-and-two/
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duuuuuuude! tommorrows ep is gonna b EPIC!! (no pun intended…yah, i know, i know loL)
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Dave/Adam – I actually really enjoyed this plot. Oh, and I just say that the acting was terrific tonight? I liked how Dave really and truely thought that what he said was freedom of speech and was just his simple opinion; it really added to development of Dave’s understanding. However, at the begining, I was quite frusterated, not hateful, but frusterated with Dave. Even though his girlfriend, his “boss” for lack of a better term, and the president (i assume) of the LGBT club all told him that he was offensive and inappropriate, Dave refused to budge on his position about what he said. Of course, this led up to him trying to prove his point by dressing as a girl and going in the girls’ bathroom. It was nice to see him rejected by his friends but him be too stubborn to let it go. I actually liked the way Dave’s ‘plan’ showed that he thought Adam was, in essence, playing dress up. which brings me to the fight scene (which btw proves that Adam is the only Torres brother that ban actually win a fight). I was afraid it would be slighty random and wouldn’t have the right build up but it definitely did and was a good setup for detention. Detention was my favorite scene. Adam’s little speech about the bathroom signs was ingenius and exactly what I was thinking about. Dave apologizing on the air was predictable. I thought it would’ve been kind of different had Dave not apologized and tried to justify his words again on air and then the episode leaves off with the Dave/Adam friendship ruined and the plot would continue on for closure in a B or C plot in a later episode. However, I found myself liking the end. When Dave and Adam were talking on air at the end, it was good to see someone who still doesn’t understand make an atempt at understanding. Another part of this plot I liked was the fact that Adam was really neutral about the whole thing in a way. He wasn’t necessarily taking the LGBT club’s side, but wasn’t defending Dave either. It was like a war about him wihtout him involved.
Fiona – And so the Eli/Fiona friendship begins. I knew Fiona was going to ask Charlie to move in with her as soon as it was released that she would ask someone. At first, I wanted them to be over and done with so that we could see Fiona explore lesbianism i high school, but with Charlie living with her, it opens doors for a different storyline for Fiona: making friends. However, I know from reading later episode descriptions that they realize they don’t really know each other. This obviously leads to a breakup of sorts and Charlie is gone. At least, I hope this happens so that we can see a strong and independent Fiona because right now, Fiona’s character is slowing falling downhill from where she was last season as a leading lady of Degrassi. Now, onto the Eli friendship. It was slihglty random but I’m sure it will get a little more deep as the season progresses. The best part of this whole plot was Imogen. So first off, when Fiona says that Eli is the best writer in the class Imogen immediately agrees and that was comical. But funnier was when Ms. Dawes said ‘all in favor of Eli as writer and Fiona as director,’ Imogen didn’t wait for her to finish and put her hand up right after she said Eli as writer. It was subtle, but things like that make me a little more excited to see Imogen in future episodes.
Clare/Katie – Another good setup plot for Clare having to face Eli. First off, Clare was a bit obsessive over getting Katie to talk to her. It seems to me that she always needs something to obsess over (first over Eli already having moved on and now over the newpaper). In my opinion, I think that Clare is begining to have internal problems that I hope become more evident in the future. Alli getting Sav to talk to Katie was an interesting way to get Clare on the newspaper. (it seems that Sav is just being attacked by the grade 10s this season). The end of this plot was pure gold. Katie saying that she doesn’t hold a grudge and then assigning Clare to cover the grade 11 play, aka Eli’s play, until closing night and forcing her to spend time with Eli was just perfect. It was quite the setup for their future confrontations. I’m assuming that next episode is when Imogen comes into Eli’s life and then Clare interviews Eli later because right now we are missing that Eli/Imogen interaction.
Overall, very good episode. After seeing this I think that Jahmil should be given harder storylines just because his acting was fantastic. Also, I’m really looking forward to seeing the B and C plots carry into other episodes. Which, btw, the writers seem to be doing that a lot this season, carrying B and C (and D) plots into later episodes. It’s actually nice to see them do that because plots don’t just end, there is always aftermath that I feel like they are always missing.
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Also — what the hell was Eli talking about when he said they should do their play based on a reality show? I don’t get it.
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He ment that the class decided to do a play based on a reality TV show (for lack of better optoins) which is why Eli became the writer, so that he wouldn’t be working on something that stupid
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I’m just wondering if anyone else loves Katie as much as I do? She’s amazing. Her final scene with Clare was FANTASTIC.
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I do. I have a good feeling she’s going to be my favorite character this season. If she continues to be a mix of Liberty/Holly J I’m going to absolutely find her amazing
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Alli: “The new Holly J. sounds like a total b with a side order of itch” xD … Also, LOL at @ImogenImagine ‘s tweet. “I just realized that I am slightly short of 1,000 followers… Looks like I’m popular! #RealTalk” LOL… She sounds like SUCH an attention ho already.
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That detention scene was flawless. That is all.
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Idc what anyone says I like Imogen! I would love to see Eli with someone different than Clare cause his whole character revolves around Clare. I’m not as you people say “shipping” Elmo(haha that cute) Emo, Eliogen whatever they are, but I would like to see Eli have a SLIGHT!!!!! Romantic interaction with another girl. Also, whether she helps him or not she brings drama. Degrassi=Drama!
P.S. I know she was mean to Fi but, she did look sorry while she was talking about fitting in and feeling alone.
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i like imogen 2 :)
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So i’m definitely seeing a mix of things like “Katie’s such a bitch” & “I’m liking what I see of Katie’s character”. Initially I was far more interested in Imogen & Jake’s characters, but now it’s shifted to Katie & Jake. Yes, Katie seems bitchy, but not necessarily a “bitch”. & I must say thus far she’s far more interesting & way less annoying than Imogen, of the two new female characters. Anyway, what we’ve seen so far is limited & therefore I could change my opinion later as we see more but I’m definitely on the side that loves Katie for now. She’s just great & a very talented actress.
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Katie has had one of the better introductions in the last few years. She wasn’t plopped into Degrassi out of nowhere, having just moved into town mid-school year like Jake. We’re led to believe she’s been here the whole time, so I like that she already has Degrassi roots.
She’s going to be an incredibly fun character this season, that will more than make up for some of the snoozier written characters. I’m not even sure I need to even see her in a pairing. Would they go a whole season without having her in a relationship? I think she can totally stand on her own. With that said, I can see them putting her with Drew once this Bianca thing blows over.
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Yeah, and it seems like they’ve done a LOT to characterize her through the eyes of other characters too, to help solidify that. Having Clare gush about her before walking up and talking to her, having Marisol defend her stance on drama, and especially with Sav going on about all her accomplishments. I already buy that she’s a well-known and respected student at the school with a lot on her plate. One of the most fluid introductions the show has ever done.
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What I notice most about Katie is that she seems determined to quash emotion, which is further proof of her Type A personality. She’s very linear and, while that makes for a strong character, it also shows us what a control freak she is. Naturally, as an editor, what you say goes but keeping an open dialogue with your writers is a big part of heading up a team. Clare definitely went overboard with the five page essay (seriously, when it comes to academics, the girl is always a nutjob) but her questioning Katie was a fantastic vehicle for showing us how rigid Katie really is, not to mention her continued outlook of emotion as “drama”. Yes, being in charge of the paper and heading up the soccer team are jobs that require “structure” but giving someone guff and calling them “drama” for embracing emotion?? Ehhhh…
I don’t really think of Clare as a drama queen, I see her as someone who is not afraid to put her feelings out there. Did we really expect her to be skipping along with pigtails in her hair a mere week after the break up?? Ending a relationship is not like flipping a switch– you can’t just stop loving someone on impulse. Let’s not forget that SHE was the one who broke up with Eli because she could no longer handle his issues. Of course she’s dealing with the aftermath and her feelings are a little out of control because she’s still coming down from all the crazy crap he put her through. All she wants is a breath of fresh air, a new outlet (the paper), but instead she gets knocked down for showing her feelings. Who says showing emotion is a bad thing, anyway? We have it for a REASON…but we’ve been conditioned to believe that wearing our hearts on our sleeves is some sign of weakness. It’s not. Real weakness is shunning a part of yourself. Indeed, if you don’t use emotion, you either become embittered or you spin up issues in an effort to garner pity. Some might argue that Clare is pulling the latter but I don’t think that’s the case. She’s torn between Eli and moving on. Break ups suck, you have to learn to function without that person in your life and re-acclimating can get a little dicey.
Regardless, I think Katie has a LOT of potential. I have a feeling she’s going to be a fantastic foil for Clare (and vice versa) which will hopefully lend to some greater character development for both of them. Can’t wait to see how this plays out!
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And she is just a 15-16 year old girl. We often forget that they are teenagers.
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I think you’re totally right about her opinion on emotions, kudos for explaining it so well! I think most people aren’t grasping that, for someone like Katie, emotions=drama and that’s why Clare’s considered a drama queen in her book…her emotions are all over the place and in your face and have been from the get-go.
Going off of your emphasis on her control issues, if you read the future episode synopsis’s [spolier btw] it talks about Katie and Marisol using each other’s secrets against each other over Drew, one of which is bulimia. I so severely hope that Katie has that storyline, it is a perfect match for her character with her need for control and rigid approach to life.
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Fiona Asking a complete total stranger to live with her??? WTF!!!
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Exactly! I believe Farlie isn’t that great at all (probably in the minority but whatever)! She seems to just be using her and Fi is falling for it.
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I was not surprised by Fiona. We’ve gotten to know her character well. Fiona wants Charlie to like her and be close with her. Last season she was trying to pay HJ to go shopping with her. Fiona may be one of the hottest girls at Degrassi, but she is also socially awkward sometimes.
She has become a very layered character which is why she has become a favorite of mine. Though I agree that having a love interest with no ties to the rest of the character or the school, does make the story drag a little. I would have preferred to see more interaction with Eli and Fiona.
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Hmm…I dunno Kary, I feel that you were a little too harsh with Fiona’s storyline. Sure, it wasn’t mind-blowing or gripping, but I feel that it was still necessary in order to develop Fiona’s character. For one, it finally revealed that Fiona would not be graduating. It also allowed us to delve a little deeper into the character on her own, apart from Holly J, a character she is most frequently developed in relation to. It reminded audiences that despite the money and her sometimes worldly attitude, Fiona is very sensitive and prone to loneliness.
It also allowed us to see her interact with Charlie again. Their development was subtle, but you got the idea that they’re working on creating some sort of connection. Rather than having Charlie reappear and throw her into full-fledged date/relationship mode, we see that she and Fiona are still working on being friends despite their attraction to each other, which I think is realistic.
I feel as though the second part of Fiona’s story was slower than the first, but I enjoyed it, nonetheless.
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I sort of agree with you except on one major account. This plotline didn’t really develop Fiona anymore as a individual. Actually, quite the opposite. It showed just hoe dependent Fiona is on those around her and how she falls apart when they move on without her. I think last season really developed Fiona as a character because she was given plots about her as a person and not just her and a romantic interest or platonic friendship. For example, although her being abused and her drinking is attributed to her relationship with Bobby, both of those storylines focused on her individually and what is happening in her mind. They focused solely on Fiona’s reactions and perspective whereas in this episode, it really focused on Fiona leaning on someone else for support.
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I agree with Kary on all the plots especially the Fiona thing. Fiona is rapidly becoming Marco 2.0 where when I watch her plots I just don’t care because they are all about relationships and her being lesbian. They kind of cloaked it with the fact that Fiona can’t make friends but the core of the plot (Fiona’s lesbian issues) are still there. They better not ruin Fiona because she is a good character.
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the least they could do to give the viewers a chance to actually care about charlie was to make her a student @ Degrassi….sigh.
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Actually, this plot did revolve around Fiona’s inability to make friends and troubles wiht fitting in. The only reason Charlie was even involved with this plot was because Fiona couldn’t deal with being isolated at school by her peers. And so, yes, while it may seem that there was some sort of feeble attempt at addressing Fiona’s sexuality by mentioning her huge crush on Charlie, the core of the plot was to talk about her awkwardness and inability to fit in or make friends on her own (she even mentions she ‘inherited Holly J form Declan’). However, I do think that she will soon become Marco 2.0 and Riley 2.0 where most – if not all – of her storylines somehow relate back to her being a lesbian. The writers have issues when it comes with what to do after a character comes out. I wish they would continue with Fiona as they did last season with strong, independent plots that don’t necessarily revolve around relationships or sexual orientation.
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Well, apparently Fiona is supposed to be confronting her “demons” by mid-season. Hopefully that’ll be something that won’t focus solely on her lesbianism.
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the funniest parts of this episode….Fiona doing her rendition of a touchdown dance & Imogen quickly putting her two cents in & quickly raising her hand in “hopes” that Eli would become writer of the school play!
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I really, REALLY loved the Adam and Dave interaction while they were in detention. It was perfect, and couldn’t have been done any better. I think it ranks as one of my new favorite scenes in Degrassi history. I think my only disappointment with this plot was Sadie’s lack of outrage. Yeah, she expressed disappointment in Dave, but it was far too hesitant for my liking. And yeah, I get that she’s dating him, but it makes no sense that she’d get so pissed off over him discriminating against her for her height, and barely getting angry over something much worse like transgender slander.
The Fiona/Charlie relationship was cute and endearing at first, but I knew it would inevitably turn out this way: boring as hell. I have no reason to care about Charlie at all. I only found myself excited for Fiona’s scenes when Eli and Imogen were involved in them. The only thing I appreciated about Fiona’s plot is how it highlighted how Fiona’s still trying to find her way and figure out who she is.
So far these new characters are incredible. Just as I had hoped, Katie’s introduction did not disappoint. People are writing her off as a cold bitch, but she actually has a reason to be the way she is, unlike say Paige or S7 Holly J. I loved how in the end, even though she gave into Sav’s demands, she cemented her authority by forcing Clare to interact with Eli, the one thing Clare was hoping to avoid. I also think it’s Katie’s clever way of showing Clare that while dramatic and awful things happen in our lives, it doesn’t mean we can’t rise above them and not let it get to us. This could lead to great Clare maturation.
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Degrassi is getting kind of hard to watch for me, only because I feel so bad for all the characters. It’s a mark of the great way they used to tell stories. Uncomfortable situations that are also completely believable. These two episodes were really well done.
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I love the way the situation between Dave and Adam was handled. Dave was definitely in the wrong for saying what he did over the radio, but Adam did make him uncomfortable in the bathroom. The writers were being realistic when they decided to have Dave handle things so irresponsibly, and the detention scene was amazing with the way it started to make Dave finally understand that what he did was wrong because he was hurting other people, not just making his opinion be heard. Mr. Simpson also made a really good point when he was talking to Dave, but Dave was still to stubborn to get it. I like the way it addressed things, because the lack of communication that occurred doesn’t just apply specifically to Adam and Dave’s situation. And I love how Adam was not directly involved in the petition because it shows that he can handle a problem on his own. Not that he hasn’t before, but by getting the club involved it makes it more of a political issue than the conflict between friends that it was. Just like other people have mentioned, the Degrassi writers have an issue with just focusing with a character’s LGBT status after they come out, and I felt like this was a step in the right direction.
Also, as a high school overachiever who has a tendency to over-schedule herself, I can’t help but love Katie right now. While Holly J had the same type of personality that Katie has, she was too much of bitch from the get go for me to ever see her as anything else. Katie dealt with the situation with Clare fairly, up until the point where she assigned Clare to interview Eli, which I agree was just out of spite. Katie has too much on her plate to deal with Clare’s drama too, and Clare’s handling of her assignment clearly showed that she had issues with following directions. Clare’s overemotional trainwreck is the last thing that anyone needs on the newspaper team, because it will just get in the way of work. And Clare practically harassed Katie and then questioned her authority, which further proved that she would be a bad fit.
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I was really upset with the part about Clare because i thought even though Clare and Eli were broken up there would be a little more like tense-ness between them. And more of a story line and i dont know i just really wish there was more! Like maybe they’ll get drunk off their asses and like hook-up or something, i’ll always have hope for Eclare!
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[…] I’ve been hoping we’d get the strong, no-nonsense Katie that we saw in her first appearance in Cry Me A River, but it turns out Chloe Rose is at her best when Katie’s on the brink of a mental breakdown. If […]
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[…] to act is if Dave would have no concerns whatsoever because he dealt with LGBT issues firsthand in Cry Me A River, so now he’s all knowing and completely understanding. However, that wouldn’t jive with the […]
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