PLOT A SUMMARY: Drew has been doing MMA training at Degrassi with Julian and Owen. Because there’s a no-tolerance policy at school when it comes to fighting the group decides to cool it, much to Drew’s dismay. Katie catches Drew fighting with Mo, and then tells Drew she’s doing an article about fighting. He opens up to her a bit, but the article she writes leads Principal Simpson to put tight restrictions on the weight room.
Drew blames Katie, but then apologizes and asks to be a sports reporter for the newspaper. Julian and Owen tell Drew about an underground MMA fighting ring, and Drew gets his butt kicked. He’s insistent on training harder, and he also can’t focus on writing his article for the paper. He tells Katie about him getting jumped over spring break, and kisses her. Drew then goes back to the fighting ring for a rematch. He wins, but afterward uses all the built-up rage he has to beat the guy until he’s unconscious. Katie escorts him out and she’s intent on connecting with him and teaching him a more peaceful way to defend himself: tae kwon do.
This plot has been rolling at high gear for me the entire season, and I’ve considered it one of the top two plots of Season 11. I knew it’d eventually hit a wall of sorts, and it did in this episode. I’m not sure what in the heck happened, but Luke’s acting felt very forced in this episode. And in the storyline Drew comes off as over-the-top gung ho about everything. The Drew/Katie interaction intrigued me. I liked it as long as it was just Katie “being curious” about Drew and her being a piece of stability for him, but I’m not on the Krew bandwagon because there wasn’t enough chemistry established between them yet. Heck in Part 1 Drew was mad at Katie because he felt betrayed by her, and he was throwing out all this stuff about trust when he’s known her for all of five seconds. Part of me feels like they are “destroying” Katie before she truly begins. She is a very straightforward, tough and precise girl, but it seems to be fading away with her pining over a guy. We still saw glimpses of it no doubt, but it’d just be nice to flesh out a female character before throwing her into a relationship.
The overall theme of the plot is what kept me interested, and that goes back to Drew’s mentality. He’s scared and he doesn’t want to be perceived as weak. The strongest scene was after Drew won the MMA rematch and started to pummel the guy, it was powerful to see him getting out the emotions he’s desperately wanted to take out on the guys that jumped him (too bad it had to be that guy). It looks like this plot has cooled down for now and that’s a good thing because this part of the storyline simply wasn’t as strong as previous parts. Hopefully things will pick back up when Bianca and Vince return.
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PLOT B SUMMARY: Alli’s parents have given her more freedom, but they still don’t like the idea of her dating. So she introduces Dave to her parents, asking him to dress super nice and pretend to be someone he’s not in order to impress them. This upsets Dave, so Alli agrees to talk to her parents. She tells them that Dave is her boyfriend, and they are ok with him coming over again. Dave dresses and behaves normally, and they all play cards together. With Dave getting along so well with her family that means they can spend a lot of time together over the summer. However, Alli learns that she’s been accepted into a science program, and she’ll have to be away for the entire summer.
I rarely ever ship couples, but Dave and Alli is one I can get into. If you look at many of the other couples/failed ships on this show this season and Bhandurner has the one thing they lack: natural chemistry. They’re so freakin’ cute.
I genuinely liked how undramatic this plot was. With Sav and Anya and Sav’s parents it was just a back and forth mess. Here Dave said he didn’t like being fake, Alli manned up and told her parents, then she introduced him again and things didn’t go as terribly as they expected. See? Sometimes good things can happen when you don’t lie and sneak around. The Bhandari parents were entertaining in this episode. Alli’s dad was hilarious. It’s good to see a more relaxed side to his character, just like it was when he saw a less uptight Mrs. Torres. And of course I enjoyed at the end the subtle setup for Bhandurner’s future plot next week.
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PLOT C SUMMARY: Fiona decides she’s going to give Holly J the $20,000 to give to Dawn for the kidney transplant, until they learn that trading money for organs is illegal. Holly J then begs Dawn to donate her kidney, but she declines. Holly J calls Dawn selfish and storms out. Later she’s upset because she feels like she’s ruined her chance to get to know Dawn. Holly J apologizes and instead decides to focus on getting to know Dawn. While working on Holly J’s prom dress, she shows Fiona pictures of Dawn’s old prom dress. Fiona wants the dress and says she’ll pay Dawn $20,000 for it. Dawn agrees, and that also means Dawn and Holly J can go through with the kidney transplant.
This was a predictable plot that could’ve been wrapped up in Part 1, but it was still interesting to watch. One major thing they’ve done with some of the plots this season is write them in a way that makes both sides understandable. It was easy to hate Dawn at first, as the plot moved along it’s also just as easy to see how difficult of a position it was for her like it was for Holly J. And I’m glad they never lost sight of the tidbit that Holly J also wanted to get to know her biological mom.
Fiona and Holly J have to have one of the best friendships in the history of the Degrassi franchise. It’s so endearing watching these two interact. I can’t even find the words to describe how much I’m loving their friendship right now.
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Other Degrassi News
*So it’s listed on IMDB that Landon Liboiron (Declan) and Jamie Johnston (Peter) are making an appearance in Drop It Like It’s Hot (formerly called Pokerface). This is FALSE, though I’m not sure why anyone would believe this in the first place for obvious reasons (Jamie’s off doing his own thing, and Landon’s been on a completely different continent shooting Terra Nova).
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*Epitome is updating the Degrassi Mobile Game so that you will be able to download future episodes for free with Degrassi points. Originally you just had to pay 99 cents to download a new episode (they’re releasing a new episode every month). Now, you can still buy the episodes if you want them asap, but you can download an episode for free with 100,000 Degrassi points.
I like the idea of this, but I was very disappointed in fans reacting so negatively to the realization that they had to pay 99 cents for each individual episode when Episode 2 came out (apparently no one realized this). I see it this way: if you’ve somehow found a way to possess one of the platforms to play the game (ipod touch, ipod, etc), then you can find a measly 99 cents every month to pay for a new episode. I don’t know, all of the complaining specifically about having pay just rubbed me the wrong way.
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Kary's Degrassi Blog 
I don’t know. I like alli an Dave but at the beggining they were just so lovey Dover out of no where and Dave was a nerd last season, but now he’s like cool an allis head ove heels for him? I liked allis plots in earlier seasons
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Sorry. these two episodes are pretty much boring with the exception of holly J storyline.
Cut out: Drew, Dave/ali, and KAtie sorry way too boring
Can we please get over the Drew thing already??????
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Dave is a lot like JT in some ways, because he has his nerdy side but he’s also accepted by the jocks and the “cool” kids (he’s good friends with connor/wesley as well as K.C/Drew) And I think both him and Alli have matured in so many ways, and I think they can make a great couple. I love how Alli has chosen to try to bring Dave into her family, and I feel almost proud of her because this is her first relationship that is not superficial, even though what she did to dave was wrong(making him out to be someone he is not) I think her heart was in the right place and she sincerely wants her parents to love Dave.
I enjoyed Drew’s storyline. I don’t really see him as being super paronoid, but rather him really wanting to learn how to defend himself properly. And Katie…not really liking her but I see her as the new “old holly j”, she’s like the new Queen B. I don’t know what I think about Katie and Drew as a possible couple yet.
Something tells me, Dawn is going to come through with that damn kidney just in time to save the day…and Holly J’s life.
We’ll see…
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This episode left me feeling un excited for today’s new episode. The only thing I’m looking forward to seeing is Holly J’s plot.
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I enjoy the mutual Fiona/HJ friendship because they have both supported one another on a number of occasions, so it’s nice when the roles are reversed. With that said, I still miss Anya being part of that group. I realize she’s too busy doing coke off toilet seats now, but it just feels weird when it’s only Fiona. Why not have Sav check in on her for even just a brief scene? She has other friends. It shouldn’t be that tough to throw them her way. We see Adam almost every episode, either in his own plot of supporting someone else. HJ shouldn’t just have Fiona. Heck, Chantay works at this point.
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Just my opinion, but I would have liked to have seen more on HJ’s story and less on Alli&Dave’s.
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I agree with pretty much what’s been said – I’m not excited for tonight’s episode. I mean I am, theoretically, I’m excited for every Degrassi episode but the way Part 1 ended was abrupt and didn’t make me want Part 2 to come immediately.. I was just like “Okay..”
Holly J’s plot is amazing. I’m going to miss her so much when she graduates.. But Charlotte Arnold is an AMAZING actress and I could see her going even bigger places than Degrassi. I am curious to see the direction this plot is going, and I’m so glad Fiona won’t pay for it. That would be too easy. Although the thought of Holly J and death makes me cringe (even if she’s a fictional character), I would love to see her struggle like how she’s doing now.
On the whole Dawn & Holly J issue, I said on the Degrassi Wiki, they both have their reasons for their actions. I don’t agree with either because I could see where they are both coming from. It’s sad though. :/
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Obviously the Holly J/Fiona friendhsip is better then the Holly J/Anya friendship. The whole purpose of the storyline of the Holly J/Anya friendship is that Holly J was a bitch back then and she treated Anya as crap. Now Holly J is changed.
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“Don’t follow me.”
Oh my God… I’m dying. The way he said it, so nonchalant. xD xD xD
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ZOMG The Preview For Tommorrow….. Ahhhhh *Spazes Out/Dies*
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And just like that, I am starting to lose interest in Katie. What’s with sticking her with Drew out of nowhere? Move over Cake. You’ve been replaced as the lamest couple in Degrassi. What are they called, Krew? Talk about a chemistry-less couple. I just don’t see them working out at all. Plus, wasn’t Katie like supposed to be super busy that she really had no free time for a social life? Don’t even get me started on the karate scene. My eyes rolled so far in the back of my head, I was watching last weeks episodes.
Dave and Alli continue to make me smile. I think they are kinda cute and I loved how they slowly worked Alli’s parents into the accepting them as a couple. Glad to see Alli get some B plot material again.
HJ/Dawn was kind of predictable but I’m glad that worked out for them. Something tells me that Dawn won’t survive the procedure though. They ended up on too much of a happy note for it to all work out all honky dory.
And once again Adam was on. Has he missed any episodes this season? Geezus. Guess we won’t see Zane and Riley until the graduation procession if we’re lucky.
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OMG thank you! thank god ppl are starting to agree with me when it comes to drew and katie. i like them single. NOT together. zero chemistry.
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Katie was such a spitfire when we first met her. Her introduction was rather awesome, but then they brought her into this Drew mess and my head just started shaking.
I think Drew and Bianca worked much better than Krew and I’m surprised they didn’t play them out for longer this season.
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i hope drew and bianca get back together!
katie could be happy with someone else, or just focus on her paper :O
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Thank you! This was way too contrived. Why does Drew need a relationship? The storyline with him battling his own demons is good enough. To throw Katie end there is just bleh.
This has to be the worst relationship since Pia.
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*nods in agreement*
They didn’t have to romanticize this storyline. Drew didn’t need a female savior to keep his head on straight. It would have worked so much better if someone like Owen, a character with questionable history on the show, was the one to knock some sense into Drew and steer him in the right direction. Owen and Julian were only doing this for fun but Drew took it to the next level, so there’s already built-in drama between him and his friends. Why did Katie have to get involved?
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I don’t like the whole “Krew” thing but I think it’s important Drew has a “rock” so to speak during his plot. However everytime I see them I think, “this is obviously a distraction until Drianca comes back” just because they ended so abruptly and Drew did mention that he screwed up his last relationship XD
/is still bitter about Drianca’s break up right when they got good together
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I agree that Cake is a lame couple because I still want to see Eclare get back together. Eclare is like the new Semma only much better. There are sometimes it seems like Clare still has feelings for Eli, but I guess we will just have to wait and see what the writers have done with them in future episodes. As far as Imogen goes, I still haven’t decided whether I like her character or not. I’ll have to wait and see if she is manipulating Eli or if he is using her.
Dave and Alli, can’t stand this couple. Drew had a girlfriend, Sadie, and just randomly left her for Alli? I just don’t like the way he treated her. He started off the relationship by making fun of her because she was taller than him, then he dates her, then he breaks up with her so he can chase Alli. It just all happened to fast.
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Just to clarify: Semma is Sean and Emma, not Spinner and Emma. I did not care for Spemma (I am still shocked they randomly threw them together), but Sean and Emma is one of the best couples in Degrassi history imo.
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Now that scene with Eli/Imogen in the Fireworks promo makes sense! Only if you saw the promo for tomorrow night.
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Oh yeah, I didn’t even think of that! I remember I hated the Fireworks promo because it didn’t tell me anything, but it turns out that it was just a bit more cryptic than Shark in the Water.. Mostly everything makes sense now!
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The end when Drew flicked Katie’s belt and said, “Why do you get a green one?” was cute.
That promo, though.
Ugh, I KNEW Eli was seeing Imogen as Clare in his mind. Awesome. Should be interesting. I hope Eli loses his shit again, but it already seems pretty obvious that he does… hm.
Fiona, be my best friend? You are too awesome. The Holly J/Fiona friendship rocks my world.
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k i am so not feeling katie and drew and honestly im getting annoyed watching, they better be over SOON or else there will be no reason to watch sorry! i was starting to like katie… UGH! so irrated!
im really liking dave and alli, they’re so cute! u ma princess! awwe! :p
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Fiona has been such an amazing friend to Holly J for the entire season. In fact, besides the fights they had when Holly J was dating Declan, I’d say that Fiona has been the best friend on the entire show. I’d love to have a friend like her. Anya, on the other hand, is not necessarily a terrible friend, but she’s been very distant and too busy being wrapped up in Owen. Anya hasn’t shown up to Holly J’s doctor’s appointments nor has she been tested to see if she’s a match for a kidney. (that we know of) More importantly, it seems like Fiona has been Holly J’s rock of support more so than Anya throughout her entire ordeal, even the stuff with Declan.
Drew and Katie, get the f*** off my TV screen please. The writers obviously have no idea where to place Katie and Drew clearly needed a booty call, since he can’t go more than a few weeks without being linked to some girl. Their pairing is actually more irritating than Imogen and Eli. I’m really sick of Drew’s bitching, whining like a little girl, and blowing up at people. Vince hasn’t shown up in weeks and has probably forgotten about Drew. I get that Drew wants to learn how to defend himself, which is smart. But I hate how he flies off the handle and wants to fight people every chance he gets. Unfortunately, this plot is also showing how much of a weak actor Luke is. He comes off as a pretty cliche and forced. I do wish the writers would add something about Bianca into Drew’s story since she’s part of the problem. Has Drew talked to her lately? Has she said anything about Vince or the gang?
The Dave and Alli plot makes the most logical sense. Dave has had a crush on Alli since the show started, so it only makes sense that they’d date.
Holly J’s plot is finally wrapping up happily. I think it’s pretty stupid that the only thing the writers could think of to get Holly J her kidney and Dawn the money was to let Fiona buy a $20,000 prom dress with cash. But then again, this truly shows what an amazing friend Fiona is.
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what i don’t understand is how people aren’t taking eli off his meds seriously. yes, eli is off his meds, he may feel better, but is that good for him? hell no. imogen just needs to stfu, but as for clare and jake, stop telling eli he needs help. GET HIM HELP. its for his own stability and stop telling him to do stuff, he’s obviously not going to do it. tell his dad, tell a teacher. this is what’s pissing me off about clare right now. we get it clare, we know that eli still likes you and you don’t, but for his own safety and being help him. we know you don’t like him but we still know you care about him.
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I completely agree! Clare should be smart enough to realize that if Eli is behaving irrationally, maybe she should tell someone other than Jake or Alli and get him help! It’s like if someone suspects their friend has a problem with alcohol or drugs and continues to tell them that they need help, yet refuses to go look for said help OR say to the person, “if you need to talk or want help, I’ll here for you.” I get that they’re in high school but c’mon, I was smarter than that at 16.
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thats exactly what bothered me the most last season about clare and elis breakup. she said he needed help, EVERYBODY says the he needs help, but nobody got him the help he needs. does his parents know hes off his meds, tell somebody do something. they just stand around hoping everything just fixes itself. and i REALLY hope he doesnt sleep with imogen. i hope that he snaps out of it in time to realize its imogen and not clare before he makes a mistake. although if you see the promos where imogen is upset it kind of tells me they do it and he tells her it was a huge mistake. i hope it doesnt happen. and… she knows better because he called her clare.
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so the image they show cant be the one on elis head because i think it was an actual cake moment so we don’t really know whats really gonna happen. so im gonna reserve any other commentary until i watch the episode cause promos are misleading!!. its going to be awesome.
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Well, you can’t force someone to take their meds. Eli has been going to therapy and his parents are well aware of the problem. That said, the changes in his behavior should tip them off. I find it highly comical that you all hold Clare responsible for Eli’s behavior. He knows damn well that he should be on the meds- his true friends have all told him that- but HE made the decision to go off of them. Why should a fifteen year old girl have to continue being the “crutch” for a mentally unstable boy when he has a set of perfectly good parents who can handle the issue?
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oh goodness you’re right we can’t just blame clare, but adam too! adam also knows that eli isn’t off his meds. and it’s not like imogen can’t do anything about it cause something’s also wrong with her too. he does know damn well he needs to be on his meds. ANYONE who is mentally disabled knows that they need to be on their meds but they refuse to do so. eli’s parents wouldn’t know about his behavior, because his changed behavior only happens around clare. why aren’t adam and clare telling his parents? and i’m not asking clare or adam to be his doctor, but just simply call his parents up or tell mrs. dawes what is going on or any adult what is going on. it just takes one anonymous phone call, just block the number if you don’t want to be known. and eli doesn’t go to therapy anymore. he only had a weeklong therapy during spring break. and if jake knows too, then i hold him responsible too.
eli has potential of being suicidal. which brings me to another good point. what if eli does something bad to himself again, crashes a car again or anything, and what if something critical happens even more so than drop the world. his parents are going to be confused because they believed their son was taking meds, so what will adam,clare, and jake tell his parents?
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OMG the Degrassi continuity does exist after all XD
Alli signing up for that program since back in “In too Deep” has come back to haunt her almost 20+ episodes later lol. BTW Bhandurner was cute, I’m upset they might break up in the “Crashley” way.
Oh and FIona and HJ have consistently proved that they own Anya/HJ lol. I don’t think their
friendship was ever that good especially now since Anya’s off coking it up.
Drew’s plot is good and I think bringing in Katie not solely as a love interest but his “rock” was a good move, at least until Bianca gets in the picture (which I hope happens)
I AM RESERVING ALL OPINIONS ON IMOGEN POSSIBLY ALLOWING HERSELF TO MAKE OUT WITH ELI WHILE HE IS OUT OF HIS MIND AND THINKS IT’S CLARE until I see the episode tomorrow. I see too many people already saying “Imogen’s a whore” “Imogen is a manipulative slut” “Imogen should die”
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I thought she signed up for that program in Lose Yourself, when her and Jenna ate lunch? I’m probably wrong but I don’t even remember Alli signing up for anything in In Too Deep… lol
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Good episode. I’m happy for Holly J. Drew’s plot was entertaining even though I think Katie is boring and they have no chemistry together. I have always and continue to love Alli and Dave together. They’re so cute. I wonder why we’ve never seen them kiss though? Seems weird since they’re actually dating and we’ve seen “couples” on the show who aren’t yet dating like Eli/Imogen or Drew/Katie do so. I mean Clare/Jake have kissed enough for every couple on the show combined!
Promo for tomorrow looks very interesting… I’m not a huge fan of Imogen, but I feel bad for her since Eli’s always using her for a Clare substitute. Then again, if she does know he sees her as Clare and has sex with him in spite of his messed up mental state anyway, then shame on her for taking advantage of him. I guess I won’t know who’s really using who until tomorrow’s episode.
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REVERSE RAPE PLOT, MAKE IT HAPPEN DEGRASSI. Also, I lol’d so hard at the promo. Like, borderline peeing.
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haha wow this is so odd to me that everyone is not feeling “Draitie” because I actually like them. Honestly, I haven’t been into the idea of Drew having anymore girlfriends because he already went through Ali and Bianca and got over them so quickly when he claimed to really care for them. I know he’s a jock and definitely a stud, but it sort of puts a bad taste in my mouth and diminishes the level of intrigue I feel when he talks to girls. It’s like he’s incapable of valuing his relationships, he’s just in it for the action and the good times….BUT I must say I do like Draitie. The intimate moments they shared i.e the kiss, Katie calming Drew down and the infamous Karate scene actually were well done to me. Aesthetically, I can’t say I like them together, but when they are emotionally connected, I feel the chemistry.
Dalli = ftw. I love them, they’re so cute, they’re perfect. I hope they develop this couple to be a power couple like Peter and Darcy.
Holly J plot was predictable as hell. As soon as Fiona said she’d buy the prom dress for 20k, I automatically lost interest and for a good reason. But atleast we know Holly J will be ok.
So incase anyone hasn’t figured it out, I loved this episode :$.
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There was hardly anything intimate about that kiss; the actors have the worst on-screen chemistry I’ve seen in a long time on Degrassi. If you ask me, Drew needs to stop being so desperate and rushing into relationships because he doesn’t seem to care about any of his past girlfriends when things get rocky. He cheated on Alli, then dumped Bianca (after saving her life) because he thought she was trouble. (which she is, but the writers have yet to show us an episode where we see Bianca’s life outside of school) I don’t buy his “relationship” with Katie. We can’t even call them friends because they’re not. They literally just started talking randomly one episode ago and now they’re kissing.
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I completely understand what you mean. Drew has been rushed into EVERY relationship he has had on Degrassi and frankly, it’s annoying. I’m not saying that him and Katie are a power couple by any means, heck i’m not even saying they’re a great couple. I’m just saying that out of all the girls he’s been with, I like this the one the most and I feel like there’s more of a connection btw him and Katie rather than his and Ali’s relationship (which had no depth) or his and Bianca’s relationship (which was just for play on his part).
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i think this rushing with Drew and Katie is because hes unstable. Kinda like how when Eli was fresh off his meds he acted all lovey dovey with Imogen,then came back down to earth and dissed her (but then is erratically kissing her, in a warped mind that she is Clare).
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from the promo what it looks like, imogen doesn’t mind that eli calls him clare? i guess imogen will get eli with anything, but when will she realize that in reality she is second to clare?
something is wrong with imogen too. mentally
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I was kinda confused as to why Fiona didn’t just go the cash route in the first place. And 20 grand still seems ridiculous. Who asks for that much from a teenager?! Compensation for missed work seems reasonable, but I really doubt she makes 20 grand in 3 months as a banker.
Dave and Alli are sweet, I hope they last a while. I don’t think spending the summer apart will have a negative impact on their relationship, Dave has waited so long for that girl, he’ll wait a few more months.
Drew… Katie… I don’t know. I think it only seems random because this is the first time we’ve seen Katie really give a shit about anyone. Drew will make out with anyone, so that’s no surprise. The fight scenes have been kinda cool.
I wonder how misleading the promo for tomorrow’s episode will prove to be. It just makes me completely confused about Imogen’s character- I know she wants Eli pretty badly, but I can’t see her being happy if he only digs her when he thinks she’s Clare. Makes me wonder if he calls her Clare before or after the intimacy… the promo makes it look like it’s before, but they do like to cut and paste a lot…
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I never trust any of the TN promos. They are always misleading and taken out of context. I’ll just sit back and wait to see how it ultimately plays out tomorrow.
I have a feeling I’m going to be ranting A LOT after the episode!
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I tottally agree with you 20000 is a lot of money that I doubt she makes …she wz being greedy she could have lowerd the price aint like her kidney made of platium..
But then again fiona wipes her ass with hunnets so its nothing to her.. I would like two fionas just in case I break one lol
Dave n ali they just make me smile I just want to pinch they cheeks and.say awww when I see them…they r so pg 13 tho which is cool but a lil hand holding, hug, peck want hurt …hell ali use to do wayyy more then dat
Katie wz cool when she was that I dont take no shit chic but now she ughhhh and the fact she all over drew like shes his guideing light is ughh
Drew finally whooping some ass was cool thats been a long time coming
All in all I liked the episide it brought a lil peace to the characters I care about
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The episode was better then last night, still not one of the best of the season but it was quite enjoyable. I just don’t see Katie and Drew as a couple. I would find it much more interesting if they would just become great friends instead of starting dating. This storyline was a bit rushed but it’s face pace kept me interesting. Alli and Dave are cute but I was little bit bored with this storyline. Although I like how this is a simple set-up to Alli going away and “poker-addiction”. Holly.J’s storyline was very predictable but Charlotte is such a great actress that it was much fun to see her scenes with Dawn. and Fiona + Holly.J = Best friendship on the show right now.
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Eh… Mr. Brightside was the first episode of Degrassi that I really didn’t care enough about to not turn my eyes away from. That’s saying a lot, since I’ve been watching the show since 2003.
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Oh man, watching Eli and Imogen getting their sex on tomorrow is totally going to be ruined by the thought of Eli’s parents, probably listening from the hallway and slipping condoms underneath the door.
I know a lot people love them, but I find them creepy and inappropriate as hell. :x
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Random question, but how can you tell how a couple has chemistry?
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A couple having chemistry is really subjective. It’s like when you look at the two on screen…does it look natural? Like could you see it happening in real life?
Or is it something that you can just tell the writers wanted to do just for the sake of a storyline.
For instance, Bianca/Drew…Great Chemistry
Alli/Drew, great chemistry.
Eli/Claire–They are polar opposites but that works.
However, Claire/Jake….Claire alone is rather boring and yes Jake is cute but there is nothing much we have seen about him so he is boring too. Put them together, they have no chemistry.
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I guess just how they interact with each other, whether it seems forced or not, how well they look together from an aesthetic point of view, how their characters are defined and if they clash with one another. It’s all subjective, but usually something I can easily pick up on as soon as people start sharing scenes.
For instance Eli and Fiona have amazing chemistry, despite never going to be able to go there with them. The actors make that friendship work flawlessly. It didn’t seem forced one bit when they started sharing scenes this season.
If we go back to the many loves of Craig Manning, I thought he had anti-chemistry with Ashley and loads of chemistry with Manny, but storyline-wise, he probably worked best with Ellie.
Speaking of Ellie, Shawn and Ellie = chemistry off the charts. Keep in mind, I’m not a couple shipper (If they break up, it’s never the end of the world for me) but I have been known to enjoy couples based upon their current storylines and if they make sense together. To bring this full circle, I don’t think Katie and Drew make any sense together, simply based on the little we know of Katie thus far. That is why they seem forced.
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“For instance Eli and Fiona have amazing chemistry, despite never going to be able to go there with them. The actors make that friendship work flawlessly. It didn’t seem forced one bit when they started sharing scenes this season.”
I’m sorry but you keep saying this and I have to strongly agree. I find Eli and Fiona extremely forced and lacking chemistry. I feel they just slammed Eli with Fiona because she won’t have anyone next season. Their awkwardness at times is as bad as Cake’s awkwardness( yes this is my grading scale for awkward XD). However it has time to grow so we’ll see…
Regardless again best current example of chemistry without any questions
Alli and Dave, you can tell the actors are so comfortable with each other so the relationship doesn’t feel forced and bad onscreen.
Best previous example would be Manny and anyone. I have yet to see Manny share a kiss with someone and it was completely Cake awkward. Cassandra Steele seems like a very friendly person (I will coin tweets, utube vids, other’s tweets about her, as my source XD). You can tell when the actors off set aren’t very close yet because their relationships on screen come off bad no matter how good the writing could be (like Krew)
A good example of the awkward/forced that turned good is Drianca during “In too Deep”. They didn’t really feel like anything but as they bonded (off set and on) and got to this season it felt more heartfelt and you could feel genuinely bad when they broke up.
So basically to tell if a couple has chemistry, it should just feel like they aren’t forcing out lines at each other for a paycheck. It should feel genuine and it should invoke an emotion in you whether or not you even like these characters or even like Degrassi for that matter lol.
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I agree with Scotty about Eli and Fiona having awesome chemistry. They work because they shouldn’t, if that makes sense. There’s just something about a privileged upscale girl interacting with a messed up, dark, “dirty” boy that’s very appealing. Their dialogue has seemed very natural to me.
A couple on the show that I never thought had chemistry is Kenna, though I’ve been warming up to them since Lose Yourself. I think what makes a couple have chemistry or not is how much we know about them individually. We know tons about Fiona and Eli separately. When Jenna came on the show and started chasing after KC we knew absolutely nothing about her except she likes to play guitar.
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I have to disagree with Poohbear on Manny and anybody having great chemistry.
I think Manny and Spinner was incredibly awkward.
Also Manny and Damion…
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@Poohbear, I think what i enjoy about Eli and Fiona is what Ava mentioned, how their personalities together is very appealing. I don’t like to see couples who have a similar personality or couples where one is trying to change the other to fit a perfect image of what they want out of them. I don’t know if Fiona and Eli would have ever worked as a couple, but knowing they will only just remain friends? It’s definitely one of the highlights of the season for me.
I also agree about Dave and Alli. I was very mixed going into this weeks episodes, but I’ve really come around to them and can see them working out nicely as a couple.
@Ava, ITA about not knowing anything about Jenna. If the writers want me to enjoy a couple, I need to know about both characters. They can’t just take an existing character and slap them together with someone brand new. I don’t believe they had chemistry and I still don’t think they work together as a couple, even though their plot this season has been one of my favorites.
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I am actually surprised no one said it.
Remember when Dawn asked HJ was it legal to buy the dress for the 20 Grand?
And HJ said Fiona would pay in cash?
Fiona has the dress already…Yay
But Holly J does NOT have that kidney just yet.
Something tells me this storyline is not over…Idk. Maybe i am overthinking it.
But the way it just wrapped up to nicely tells me their is still some drama
to come.
Also, I heard for the finale later this month their is a death at the prom?
What’s to say Dawn doesn’t scam Fiona/HJ and somehow HJ gets the
kidney from whomever supposedly dies at prom(if it’s not HJ that is)
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THIS ^^^
I thought the exact same thing, something with Dawn still just doesn’t seem right :/
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I have to say that this episode AS A WHOLE is by far is the best this season. IMO! Drews plot was exciting as far as the MMA fighting. Holly J’s plot was a surprised to me, the idea of buying the dress was brilliant. I’m glad Holly J and her birth mom finally understood one another. As well as start to build a future relationship. Finally Dave and Adam cute and funny just love them together. Also love the future setup for Ali’s gambling plot line. Nice to see Ali and her family connecting more.
I’m half away so I hope I made sense
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Oh this episode was so lackluster for me! But I do agree on how awesome Fiona and Holly J’s friendship has become!
Check out my review at:
http://thetwocentscorp.wordpress.com/2011/08/16/degrassi-%E2%80%93-recap-review-%E2%80%93-mr-brightside-part-one-and-two/
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Holly J/Fiona vs. holly J/Anya friendship, I think season 10 showed the end to the “close knit” (for lack of a better word) friendship Holly J and Anya once had. With Sav’s presidential run, Anya stepped from out of Holly J’s shadow by going along with the fake pregnancy well after Holly J wanted her to end it. Thus Holly J was no longer Anya’s boss/dominant friend figure.
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I agree with your review. The main plot was lacking, and I’m not even 100% sure what it was exactly.
Holly J’s story was very nicely done, we’ve seen it as an A plot, B plot, and C plot. It’s nice to see things work out well in the end for her.
Alli and Dave were cute indeed. And the reaction from her parents was realistic. They’ve learned a lot as parents and know to pick their battles. I never expected the Bhandari’s to become the family of the show, but they really have.
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Katie hates drama so much she dates a guy who has a gang trying to kill him.
?????????????????????
I also hate how the always make MMA look like something only criminals do in dark alleys. Are their no gyms or ymcas in tvland??
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100% agree with everything.
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I’m sad to say that my interest in Katie is slowly waning. :/ She had a strong introduction, but she’s already been integrated into three relationship plots, and it’s getting old fast. Seeing as Chloe’s a main cast member and definitely capable of carrying her own plot (she’s a natural on screen), I think we deserve to know more about Katie.
God bless Bhandurner. I knew there was a reason I wanted them to be together since S9. They are just such a joy to watch on screen. It’s nice to see an undramatic relationship plot once in awhile. Here’s hoping this doesn’t end too quickly because I adore them.
“Fiona and Holly J have to have one of the best friendships in the history of the Degrassi franchise.” That’s a pretty big statement! But I have to agree. I enjoy watching Eliona, but it’s not going to be the same when Holly J leaves. As far as Anya’s concerned, I always just saw her and HJ as on-and-off friends, nothing like what Fiona and Holly J have.
I refuse to talk about the possible Imogeli sex tomorrow anymore. It’s just such a fucked up situation, and hearts are going to break for sure. I just can’t believe I kinda called it though: “My bold prediction is that they sleep with each other, and then Eli tells Imogen later on that it didn’t mean anything because it was a just means to get over Clare (who he will undoubtedly fail at winning back).”
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I loved Alli and Dave in this episode!! i give alli her props for finnally being honest with her parents instead of just sneaking around. if only she would have talked glo her parents about dating johnny and drew. but thats in the past. im just really glad thats shes growing up and being mature. i know this well be off topic of what im talking about here but i hated when she was with drew. they just didnt have that spark are glow that she has with dave are that she had with johnny. i kinda miss jalli there on of my fav degrassi coupleds lol. but so are dave and alli. but i would have her with johnny any day over dave
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I actually like drew and Katie together. She seems like a good influence on him and that’s what he basically needs. Plus the tai kwon do scene worked for them.
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I thought I would like this episode a lot more than I did. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t amazing. Drew’s plot was solid, but I don’t think he needs a girlfriend. It’s like the writers are doing everything good for Season 11 except relationships. I would much rather prefer a Bianca interaction. Like one line could have brought this whole episode up. If Bianca came to Drew and said something like “I heard Vince is looking for you” and it goes black. THAT would be an AMAZING end to the episode. Honestly, I think this plot would be a bit better if Katie just left lmao. I give Drew a B-.
Dave and Alli. I liked their plot and right now, they are the one relationship that I actually like. I don’t ship couples, but the two relationships that I would have lied were Kadam and this. It seems drama-free, and it’s just a really cool relationship because I actually feel like Dave and Alli are friends that have had a relationship going for them since Season 9, just took this long for it to actually happen, unlike Katie-I’m-gonna-come-out-of-nowhere-and-boom-I-like-you-Drew-lets-kiss. I give their plot a B+
Holly J. I love her storyline, it’s been doing amazing so far, I just wish that some way Fiona didn’t pay for the kidney, even if it’s indirectly. Yesterday, I said I was glad Fiona couldn’t pay for the kidney, because no matter how much Holly J and death in the same sentence makes me cringe, I would rather see her struggle. But with the way that Dawn acquired the $20,000, I think that something is going to happen. This can’t just end right here. There has to be more to it. I think Charlottle Arnold is a great character for pulling an amazing C-Plot, which I think is definitely worthy of an A-.
I’m sort of excited for Extraordinary Machine. Eclare was okay, but it’s the post-Eclare and Ecakogen storyline that’s interesting me, despite how boring some parts of it are. I bet the promo is misleading, so I won’t bother mentioning I think that Imogen and Eli will have sex just for Eli to regret it the next day, breaking Imogen’s heart. But what am I really excited for? Kenna and Anya!!! I really want to see how this whole Kenna-drama ends, and Anya.. oh Anya, she pulled off an AMAZING plot in Paper Planes (one of my Top 5 episodes of Now or Never so far) and I’m glad to see the continuation, even if it’s a C-Plot, cuz hey, Holly J pulled off an amazing continuation and she had a C-Plot.
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Tonights episode is gonna be good. I so cant for the Eli and Jake interaction!!!!! And as for ppl on this board saying instead of Clare saying he needs help she should actullay talk to hes parents so they can really get him help. And im really getting annoyed with seeing Clare worry about boys 24/7. Whatever happend to Clare saying “school first boys second”?? Its like the writers are changing her characther. and hopefully next week we wont have a cake and emo c are b plot. the need to chill with them Let other ppl get screen time.
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Drew – This plot has me hemming and hawing about it. It was not the strongest plot in Drew’s continuous storyline. But, it was a good surface level wrap up. By the end of the episode, it seemed as though we weren’t supposed to feel all of Drew’s paranoia and rage. I think the writers want us to feel like Drew is free of everything until the final episodes when Bianca and Vince return. With that said, this plot could’ve been stronger. It had glimpses of what a plot like this could carry. For example, in part one when Drew is begging Simpson to let the into the weight room to train. That scene really pushed his desperation across to us, the audience. Another really well done scene was his last cage fight. Watching Drew beat the other guy even with everyone telling him to stop made him seem even more afraid of being weak. So afraid in fact that he had to knock the other guy out. The fighting storyline progressed Drew’s continuous plot involving Vince and Bianca and the gang and his paranoia and so on. The part of the plot that really made me question it was Katie’s involvment. After part 1, it seemed to make sense. Other than Drew trusting her. The Bianca fiasco made me think he’d have problems trusting people. But here he is ‘trusting’ Katie after just meeting her. Anyway, the only way she made sense here was to report it in her paper and get the weight room shut down. Part 2 however was odd, to say the least. First off, it’s a terrible set up for Don’t Panic. There really isn’t a reason for Marisol and Katie to fight if we already know Drew really likes Katie. Second, Drew doesn’t need another love interest. I think this plot would’ve worked better if his old friends were to ones to pull him away from cage fighting (i.e. KC, Dave) because he hasn’t talked with them since dodgeball and Spring Break. Plus, if he really felt so strongly about Bianca then how could even move on when he’s still feeling the after math. For me, this plot had a lot of wasted potential. The writers didn’t do a bad job with Drew’s individual plot, but including Katie made us question Katie as a character and her involvment with random people.
Dave/Alli – Definitely predictable until the very end. But enjoyaable. Ever since the begining of season 10 I have been wanting these two together. They have such chemistry on screen. The problem I had watching was it almost seemed like their chemistry was awkward to watch. Maybe it was just me, but their interaction was different than before. Never the less, the plot moved along nicely. The climax of the plot (Dave/Alli ‘fighting’) wasn’t all that dramatic and refreshing. Not everything is drenched in drama. The “Bhandari Comedy Hour” was so perfect because theo jokes were so corny that they work. It actually seemed like they got over all the issues from last season and have really made improvment as a family (except Sav who is obviously no longer a part of the family). The Dave-id origingal meeting was too acurate to real life, honestly. The awkwardness and uncomfortable vibes coming off of everybody were just to funny to pull my eyes away from. With that being said, the Dave part was well written. It was like Dave brought out Alli’s dad’s younger years, playing poker, joking around. That line about stepping on hearts was a nice one liner in there. The ending was quite good in my opinion. I had forgotten about Alli doing any applying and to have something from a while ago come back up show maturation in the writing style. I’m looking forward to seeing this plot wrap up in probably one more episode. Because Dave/Alli will probably only get one more plot for themselves, I’m hoping to see them a lot as supporting characters or as just there in the hallways together.
Holly J – Good plot. I don’t think I liked it as much as everybody else but that’s because I wasn’t really into it to being wiht, Not that it is poorly acted or written, I just don’t find the kidney transplant/adoption plot all that interesting other than when it was an A plot. Putting it as a C plot was a good idea as to not throw it back in our faces. I also liked the switch of main topic from having to deal with all of this and having that uncomfortable conversation with her birth mom for a kidney to being upset about not getting to know her. Holly J’s outburst seemed like a long time coming. I think it was put in the perfect place in this storyline. Then her remorse about ruining the cahnce to even get to know her birth mom was a good follow up to keep me at least following the plot. Fiona offering the money and then finding out about it being illegal was predictable. I was waiting for the issue to be addressed because it was being brought up everywhere. The ending was sweet with Fiona buying the dress for 20,00 dollars and Dawn agreeing to ‘donate’ her kidney to Holly J. The last scene was fun to watch with Fiona fiegning innocence and pretending she didn’t know about Dawn donating her kidner.
Other – People are saying Drew rushed into all of his relationships. This is not true. It actually took him multiple episodes to commit to Alli. He was fully content with not labels or anything which is the opposite of rushing in. He and Bianca had a long set up since Vegas Night if you think about it, so it wasn’t all that rushed. This fling with Katie does seemed rush though I agree. Now, the Holly J and Fiona friendship is amazing I agree. But it reminds me so much of the Paige and Aliex friendship before Palex happened. You know, enemies turned best friends. Plus, whenever they’re together I can’t help but think that the friendship started off just to make Declan happy really.
Next episode – If this is done well, it could be amazing. Eli off his meds is scary. Anyone off their meds is scary and unpredictable. Losing grip on reality is dangerous and can really harm people. Imogen doesn’t seem to care about Eli seeing her as Clare in his mind. Chances are that Eli will regret what he did when he realizes it was Imogen and not Clare. I’m not going to judge anything yet because I don’t want to maek opinions. My only problem is that for the past few episodes we’ve seen Eli while he’s off his meds, he hasn’t seemed eratic or crazy at all, but actually quite calm. So it’s not like they can just pick up his losing grip on reality from where they left off.
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Some great opinions here! I personally thought the Drew storyline (along with the Holly J and Alli) was done great. You can view my opinions with my special podcast in the following link!
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I was thinking about it and Drew doesn’thave a type. Random, I know. But Alli, Fiona, Bianca, and Katie are all so different. Drew’s main girls were Alli and Bianca and they are so different. So, I think the writers could really put Drew ith anyone because he has no type.
Adam does. With the exception of Katie (who wasn’t really all that important in Adam’s story), Adam has a type. Appearance wise. Fiona and Bianca are similar looking. So I was thinking, the only other Degrassi girl that fits that type willbe new niner Tori. Plus, it would be the only grade other than his own Adam hasn’t gone for. I think it would be interesting to see Tori go after Adam not knowing he was transgendered. Kind of like, ‘Tori’s got her eyes on an older man. Is it his bad track record with girls that is keeing him uninterested or is there something else about him Tori doesn’t kno?’
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[…] times I sat on the edge of my seat watching episodes related to this plot. The plot hit a wall in Mr. Brightside, but that’s because the fight club started shifting things into over-the-top mode, and […]
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hey, when did degrassi stop naming episodes after songs that aren’t totally shitty? (excluding how soon is now.)
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