SHUT UP MARISOL (But Not Really)
Why Degrassi needs a character like her to stay the way she is
– Kary B.
Marisol's "I'm about to be a b****" face
Degrassi has a habit of turning of what are considered “bad” or “mean” main characters into either “good” characters, or putting them through situations that make us feel sorry for them…or both.
With the guys, it’s normally bad boys turning good because of a girl. Jay Hogart’s bad-boy image declined tremendously after meeting Manny. Peter Stone was a bad boy off and on until he started dating Darcy. Johnny DiMarco went from bully, to guilt-ridden bully, to having a soft spot for a Alli. Fitz went from bullying to finding Jesus and wanting a relationship with Clare in the blink of an eye. And now Owen? Who knows what’s going on there anymore.
When it comes to the girls, those with alpha personalities tend to “soften up” over time, even while maintaining their position of power. Emma Nelson had a dominant personality until “Time Stands Still.” After that, she became a shell of her former protesting self. Holly J was a “mean girl” caricature in Seasons 7 and 8. The episode “Danger Zone” finally broke her free of that, leaving the catty behavior behind while leaving strong Holly J intact. However, that started slowly fading away…soon after she started dating Declan we saw her personality become diluted. Sure she was still the strongest female character on the show until her departure, but Degrassi girls in general get soft whenever they’re in a relationship.
Katie’s original character description:
Katie works hard and plays hard. A gifted athlete, she’s been training to make the National Under 17 Woman’s Soccer Team. She’s pretty, but fresh-faced, her years of mastering the bicycle kick keeping her from learning how to cake on the make-up. She’s driven and thorough when it comes to academics and extracurriculars; she’s blunt and direct when talking to other girls, even fun-loving BFF Marisol; but when it comes to talking to boys or about matters of the heart, she clams up. The soccer field prepared her for a lot of things, but not love.
Katie shows a glimmer of having that strong personality described above, but of course the show has insisted on focusing primarily on the relationship stuff almost since the beginning of her tenure, which has again demonstrated how docile Degrassi girls become when they’re in a relationship.
And then there’s Marisol.
She can be nosy, mean and vindictive, and has no trouble running over other people to get what she wants. She’s the kind of person you want to punch in the face in real life. Marisol Lewis is the type of person you love to hate. Her behavior in Don’t Panic and Underneath It All made my blood boil. It was invigorating.
I don’t like Marisol, but I like the fact that she is unlikable most of the time. It goes against the grain of this show’s nature, where the primary characters are a group of people who are inherently good, yet make mistakes. Characters mess up, learn from their mistakes, then repeat the cycle over again while we root for them and root against the bad characters getting in their way. And those bad characters are the term I’ve used before, “characters of convenience.” Unlike the primary characters, their “growth” at one point or another depends on whoever else’s plot needs advancing. No character on Degrassi leaves the show the same person they were when they first started. But I’m not exactly sure why every character winds up with the kind of redeeming qualities that feel like they’re intended to completely shift their personalities, as well as change our core perception of them. I’m also not sure why a majority of Degrassi relationships make the female character so weak, so to speak. Marisol currently defies both, thanks to her being single and for the mean time not being the focus of character development.
Fiona Coyne is currently my favorite character on the show. I view her as a sweet girl who’s trying to figure out her life and has made mistakes along the way, most recently acting like a jackass in order to make friends with the popular kids at Degrassi. Marisol is arrogant and judgemental, but at times she’s showed she can be a good friend and values Katie as her best friend. Degrassi fans are passionate about four things: characters they love, characters they hate, couples they love and couples they hate. Is it such a bad thing to have a selfish character who is capable of doing good things but will only do so occassionaly, especially when everyone else is on the opposite end of the spectrum? The contradiction is secretly brilliant, I think.
–
–
Kary's Degrassi Blog 
So True! I LOVE MARISOL LEWIS!
LikeLike
I agree. I always enjoy a mean girl, and with Paige and Holly J gone, Marisol could be the next one.
LikeLike
I agree, Marisol needs to stay the way she is. She really doesnt have any storyline unless its with Katie, and Katie is bland. So let her stay the mean girl, its stirring up trouble:)
LikeLike
I completely agree about Marisol. She’s the character we LOVE to HATE.
LikeLike
THANK YOU! no one seems to understand this!
LikeLike
100% agreed. Marisol is a character that is very infuriating to watch & brings out the I-want-to-throw-my-remote-at-the-television in me, but she’s entertaining to say the least.
On another note, every time you bring up Emma & the extreme changes they made to her character, it truly depresses me. Emma was such a great character in the beginning & they pretty much ruined that. Just saying.
LikeLike
Emma, in my opinion, was ALWAYS a strong character, even after every breakdown and traumatizing event that she’s either experienced(Times Stands Still, Secret, Our Lips Are Sealed) or simply witnessed(Rock This Town). I don’t feel like her character was ruined, in fact, I think it made her wiser. As annoyed and aggravated as I am with Clare right now, I HOPE that she’s headed for full redemption at the end.
Now, as for Marisol. She’s unique(to me). Paige, Spinner, Jay, Alex, Holly J and Bianca are the full list of characters that I absolutely HATED with a passion when they were all nothing but cold-hearted bitches/douchebags. HOWEVER, they all have “softened up” as Kary puts it and as a result, turned into characters that I love very dearly. The “unique” thing, to me, about Marisol is that she is the FIRST “evil” character that I’ve liked since day one. I don’t know, there’s just something about Marisol that makes me adore her whereas I only liked Paige, Spinner, Jay, Alex, Holly J and Bianca AFTER they redeemed themselves and showed a softer side of themselves.
By the way, I still hate Owen. I don’t see where’s he’s changed yet to be honest. People give him too much credit just for helping Anya(who he harassed to no end) train for the army.
Back to Marisol. Okay, I love her already, therefore, one would expect me to agree with Kary that she should just “stay the way she is”. But NO. With all due respect, I disagree. I WANT to see a different(nicer) side of Marisol. I follow Shanice on twitter and she seems like the sweetest, most humble person and she’s very grateful to the very few Marisol fans that she has. THAT is the main reason why I don’t think Marisol should continue to be a 100% purely unlikable character even if viewers CLAIM that the evil stunts she pulls is “entertaining”. Come on, how fair is that? IMO, that would be utter ABUSE on behalf of the writers AND the fans who feed into that. I’m not arguing here or being rude but I’d really like someone to respond. When I said “How fair is that”, I wasn’t asking a rhetorical question.
LikeLike
You’re right, it isn’t fair. No one stays the same from when they enter high school to when they leave it. That’s what growing up means and that’s what Degrassi is all about. Not only would it be unrealistic for Marisol to stay the same it would be unfair to the actress in that it wouldn’t give her the chance to play through a variety of different emotions and storylines; it would be limiting to her especially when so many other characters get to evolve.
I hope Marisol’s character gets the chance to evolve, it may not mean she becomes a better person, but it would be interesting to watch her grow.
LikeLike
Yes, Yes, YES! Marisol, although she is a very vindictive witch, is just simply one of those characters you have to have on the show. She’s not necessarily a “Bad” girl, just simply one who values her statues as a powerful girl on Degrassi campus. And she’s not about to let that slip away from her. However, her loyalty to Katie is a prime example that there just may be some light underneath all that evil. As a person, I defiantly hate Marisol’s character, but at the same time, she’s just what Degrassi needs. Excellent script writing if you ask me.
LikeLike
I think it’s important to note that the actress who plays Marisol is very talented and give this character a range that is not often shown in this type of character.
LikeLike
I agree so much.
LikeLike
I neeed my bitchyness
LikeLike
Watch her start dating Mo and become nice.
LikeLike
Oh gawd, noooo!
LikeLike
check out this Marisol “degrassi secret” I made:
http://degrassishootingsun.tumblr.com/post/18427843994/you-know-youre-going-to-love-marisol
LikeLike
Personally I LOVE the a**hole characters on this show.
Jay was always my favorite. He stole my heart when he made fun of the kid Sean made deaf in one ear. *sigh*
But most recently it’s been Owen.
It’s the only humor you get on a show full of soft hypersensitive characters.
So in my opinion Marisol should stay the selfish man stealing back stabbing bitch that she is. I love it.
Not everybody changes that much (especially for the better) through high school as shown by how many dickhead adults there are in the world.
LikeLike
They should have marisol date owen. Two powerfull, mean characters. That could be interesting.
LikeLike