PLOT SUMMARY: Alli wants to leave her mark on Degrassi, so she decides that she and Tori should create a house league so that students can have something fun to participate in. They have to convince Marisol that it’s a good idea so that she will pass it onto Student Council. However, Marisol scoffs at them because their idea is basically the same as Power Squad.
Alli calls up her brother Sav for help, and Alli and Tori meet with Degrassi alumna Paige Michalchuk, who has an idea to blow everyone away: a flash mob. Marisol apologizes for blowing Alli off, but also tells Alli that organizing that sort of thing takes experience. At that point Alli kicks off the flash mob, which consists of nearly everyone in the caf. Marisol is impressed, and wants to set up a meeting with Student Council to make Alli’s idea a reality.
The Power Play is a lopsided affair that underwhelms us with a whole lot of nothing…that is until the light bulb goes off and we’re treated to one heck of a grand finale. It has nothing to do with the acting (Melinda and Alex do just fine) or that this type of storyline has already been done on the actual show before, but the story itself has no “pop.”
I’m almost stunned at how forgettable this mini is for the first 3 parts (excluding a very funny line from Imogen about picking apples). For the most part, Degrassi has done very well over the years with multi-part minis when it comes to their entertainment factor. But this one feels “off.” It suffers from the same thing all Part 1 episodes in Season 11 (and alot of the post-Boiling Point Season 10 eps) have: there’s no hook or anything that generates enough anticipation at the end of it to make me excited to see the next part.
For those who think I’m being too tough on The Power Play, after watching it I went back and watched a lot of the old 3 and 4-part minis.The huge difference between most of them and The Power Play is not only that they have strong cliffhangers at the end of each part, but each individual part is entertaining enough in its own right to stand alone. The only thing people are going to be talking about with The Power Play is the incredible flash mob number at the end. I can’t be the only one who, for years, has wanted them to do a musical GLEE-esque mini or episode…I shall remain thoroughly satisfied with the flash mob though until “Degrassi: The Musical” happens.
As far as Paige’s return goes, I don’t see the point in bringing back old cast members only to give them nothing to do. Trying to mindfuck fans with a Paige/Sav hookup does not count.
The Power Play is, overall, a C-/D+ level mini that is saved by an amazing Part 4…any time a bunch of Degrassi characters randomly break out into a dance number that’s good for a boost of at least one letter grade.
Kary's Degrassi Blog 
The best part for me was just seeing Paige again, even if she didn’t do anything. I missed that girl.
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I never complain whenever old cast members are brought back. I’ll never forget my delight when Craig Manning showed up on Degrassi Goes Hollywood.
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BTW, I just remembered this since he was the only cast member not in the flash mob. What happened to Wesley?
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Does anyone know where I can watch the mini? I haven’t been able to find it
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The Degrassi fan page on facebook. Luckily you can view it in various countries.
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Thank you :)
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Meh. This mini is surpassed by every other mini in greatness, besides perhaps the Peter-becomes-a-famous-director one, because let’s be serious: that shit’s not gonna happen.
I would rather have had a four-part mini of just Paige talking directly to the camera about her glory days on spirit squad. Actually, that could be amazing. Make it a multi-part mini about the power squad in mockumentary form and feature interviews with as many characters who have been on the squad as possible. And since Darcy is still stuck in the DBT, they could have an awkward interview with Claire. Mr. Stohn, I command thee to make this happen!
Of course, I would probably be the only one around these parts who would appreciate a Paige-centered spinoff that’s just about how spectacularly fabulous her life is.
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Dirk that is an excellent idea!
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I agree.
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I have to agree with heythere. Usually my thoughts mirror Kary’s exactly, but if Paige had more of a reason to be there, it would just throw me off because she’s been gone for so long that THAT in itself wouldn’t make much sense (her playing a bigger role). So for her to show up in a mini & just play the small part she plays was enough for me.
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It’s always fun to see Lauren back on-screen but I didn’t like being mindfucked with that Sav/Paige thing. Now everytime I watch Degrassi Goes Hollywood I’ll always have it in the back of my mind that Sav/Paige are off in the back somewhere hooking up and that he’s cheating on Anya even though this isn’t canon. I’m all for different AU ideas but I didn’t like that one at all.
Part 4 was the saving grace. I loved it but I hate how in the second half of the seasons they show everything little by little. I’ll never watch the first parts unless it’s all put together on the DVD set, but I think I would have liked the mini more if it all aired together at once instead of 4 parts spread out in 3 weeks.
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Anya, Paige, Holly J, Keke Palmer, Ms. Oh. Who knew someone with a sticker collection could be so studly?
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I think the grade should have lower… :p And, in my opinion, my least favorite part was the last one. I just find random, synchronized dancing, singing, etc. annoying, unrealistic, and overly… Giddy, I suppouse? Not entertaining. But maybe that’s just me and my personality.
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And I’m starting to think that Lauren Collins (Don’t get me wrong, she’s awesome) has nothing to do with her free time anymore… That seems harsh, but it’s not meant to be.
She was even in a (hillarious) Shane Dawson Degrassi spoof.
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the only good thing about this epidode were paige and sav.
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