ELI PLOT SUMMARY: Eli is still reeling from seeing Cam’s body in the greenhouse, so Fiona gives him the task of creating a video yearbook. Clare wants Eli to talk things out with her, but he doesn’t want to. While filming people for the video yearbook Eli runs into a mysterious girl, who gives him an invitation to a mysterious party. As Eli looks over video footage he finds some of Cam, and hastily closes his laptop. That night Eli has a nightmare and wakes up in a cold sweat. After talking with a counselor Eli thinks the best thing he can do is not talk about Cam and have fun. Eli, Clare, Fiona and Dallas watch Eli’s video, and Dallas is upset to learn that Eli didn’t add any footage of Cam to it. Fiona agrees that Cam should be included. Eli decides he wants to spend the evening at the mysterious party with Clare, but she has no interest in going. He asks Jake and Mo to go and they agree, and Eli runs into the mysterious girl whose named Talia. She sees Eli is intense and offers him MDMA. Eli is reluctant at first, but eventually takes it.
At school Clare is upset when she finds out Eli did drugs, and he promises to never do it again. While studying with Fiona for his NYU interview, Eli learns that Clare doesn’t want him to work on the video yearbook. That angers him and Clare tells him she’s worried that adding Cam footage to the video is what led him to do drugs. Later, Eli knocks his NYU interview out of the park. He’s ecstatic, but afterward Clare wants to finally talk to him about how he’s been doing and he agrees. Eli zones out as Clare tells him doing drugs is wrong, and later he takes more MDMA.
Clare and Alli find Eli high on drugs, showering fully clothed in the women’s locker room. While stripping naked Eli tells Clare that she’s been forcing him to talk when he doesn’t want to. Eli takes off, streaking down the hallways of Degrassi until he runs into Mr. Simpson. Bullfrog is called to the school and Simpson tells Eli he could be expelled for his actions. He also tells Eli that when was younger he also found the dead body of someone who committed suicide at Degrassi. Eli tells them that he doesn’t want to spend all of his time talking to everyone about Cam, and that he wants to move on. The next day Eli visit’s the newly-opened garden and is happy that he’s not freaking out. Clare shows up and he tells her that she’s worrying too much about him and they need to take a break from their relationship.
When thinking about this plot there such an internal conflict, one I’m feel won‘t be solved for a long time. On one hand you have a guy, suffering from mental illness, who witnessed something tragic. He’s traumatized, and trying to find any way to cope besides talking. Outside of speaking with his therapist, he feels as if he’s being pressured into talking about his feelings, especially by his girlfriend. On the other hand you have a girl who is aware that a traumatic event like finding Cam’s body could cause her boyfriend’s mental state to unravel. However, he refuses to talk or let her help him in any way as she learns he’s even engaging in risky behavior such as doing drugs.
This plot is all about frustration and (lack of) communication at its finest. Degrassi continues to show off its ability to provide a gray area for its characters. Instead of creating a story that allows for clear-cut labels to be slapped onto the characters (aka one is “good” while the other is “bad”), the show allows us to see and understand both Eli and Clare’s perspectives. The irony is that, upon re-watching the episode, part of the message itself seems to be unclear near the end. Eli tells Clare that she is the problem, not Cam. The part that’s confusing is his sudden unwillingness to tell her the things he said to his therapist, Bullfrog and Simpson, something that could‘ve prevented the need for a break in the first place.
Watching Eli try to cope throughout this episode is magnificent and heartbreaking. During his NYU interview, Eli says something profound. When asked if being bipolar interferes with his work, he says, “No, I think it helps. I put my feelings in my art, and that’s why doing what I do can be scary…because it comes from some place real.” Degrassi steps out of it box throughout this episode, using several flashbacks of Eli discovering Cam, as well as giving us a haunting look into Eli’s mind with a nightmare sequence. The scene with Eli and Bullfrog in Simpson’s office is powerful. Munro continues to make Eli’s emotional scenes look effortless. Simpson mentioning that he found Claude’s dead body at Degrassi decades ago is a moment we’ve been waiting for, bringing the storyline around full circle.
In the end there are no sides to choose. To place blame on one or the other is unfair when both Eli and Clare were doing what they felt was right. They might not have gone about things the right way, but we can also see why did what they did. Eli says that he’s doing fine, but there’s no reason to believe it’s over. Eclare broke up, but there’s never a reason to believe with these two that it‘s over.
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JENNA/CONNOR PLOT SUMMARY: After Cam’s death, Jenna is on a mission to let people know someone cares about them. Luke appears and apologizes for rejecting her earlier in the year. When Luke makes fun of Connor, who spilled his project on the floor, Jenna scoffs at Luke. She helps Connor pick up his things and kisses him on the cheek in order to make Luke jealous. Later, Connor shows up at Jenna’s locker with flowers, candy and a stuffed bear. He asks her out on a date and she says no at first, but his straightforward persistence changes her mind. He gives her spacesuit and the two go on a date in a space flight simulator that he created. Jenna realizes she has feelings for Connor and the two kiss.
One day the two end up sharing a kiss as Becky, Dallas and Alli walk in. Their teasing upsets Jenna, especially Becky’s remark about Jenna and Connor having babies. Later, Becky apologizes and suggests that Jenna try dating Luke again instead. Luke tries to ask Jenna out again, but she rejects him when he gets too touchy feely. Out of nowhere Connor walks up and punches Luke, telling him to get away from his girlfriend. Jenna’s upset that Connor reacted with violence and walks off. Connor thinks that Jenna wants to break up with him because of it, but she tells him she had fun on their date and wants to continue seeing him.
Jenna and Connor are surprisingly cute as a couple. It’s interesting how in the past Connor’s personality has worked against him, yet his blunt nature works to his advantage in snagging Jenna. Part 1 is awesome, down to their magical space date and kiss among the stars.
I’m glad that Connor has found himself a girlfriend, but part of me is happier for Jenna. Luke made several advances toward Jenna in this episode, two of them on his own and one using his sister. Jenna rejected him because she believed she deserved better. She found someone who is kind, loyal and will treat her with respect. There’s been so many times when we’ve questioned females’ decision making on Degrassi when it comes to guys, as well as Jenna’s decision making in general, but this is a time where she makes the right choice.
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KATIE PLOT SUMMARY: Marisol is upset that things haven’t been the same in her friendship group after Katie and Jake’s breakup, so she invites Katie to join her, Mo and Jake for lunch. At lunch Katie tries to apologize, but Jake is still angry over what happened in Vegas. Despite Marisol insisting she try again, Katie refuses to sit at lunch with them the next day, sitting with her sister, Tristan and Tori instead. She also goes with them to Maya’s opening mic performance at Little Miss Steaks. After Maya’s performance, one of the managers gives her his card and says she can play there whenever she wants. Katie is immediately suspicious, reminded of what happened to her with Darrin in Vegas. Later, when the manager tries to talk to Maya and taps her on the shoulder, Katie grabs him and flips him to the ground. She’s convinced that no guy gives a girl something without wanting something back in return, but Maya tells Katie that she’s been acting different since Vegas.
Katie talks to the school therapist, who tells Katie that she needs to start over. Katie regrets hurting Jake, so at a PTA meeting she asks for the Degrassi garden to be reopened. Some of the parents there are against it, but Simpson tells Katie they will vote on it. Katie’s too impatient to wait for the vote, so she breaks into the garden and knocks out several sections of the barricade. As she’s doing it Simpson arrives and tells them the PTA voted yes, but also gives Katie and Jake detention for vandalizing school property. In detention Katie apologizes for hurting Jake. As a peace offering he gives her a pamphlet for a soccer team tryout, telling her that it’s time that she gets back to doing something she loves.
When it comes down to it, Part 1 of this storyline feels very off. We get the runaround with Katie’s seemingly out-of-place trauma plot that she drags her sister into by randomly karate flipping a restaurant manager. It’s not until Part 2 that we get to the heart of the matter: Katie regrets ruining things with Jake. With the way her life has spiraled out of control since season 11, it finally sinks in how important Jake was to her stability. She understands the way back into Jake’s good graces is either through his stomach, or his garden; she goes with the latter. There’s no official Jatie reunion, but Katie manages to gain some closure, apologizing to Jake without him yelling at her. At the beginning of Part 2 the therapist says to Katie, “It’s never too late to start again and rebuild.” With the return of the garden and Jake encouraging her to play soccer again it’s allowing her to not only rebuild things with Jake, but also rebuild her own life as her tenure at Degrassi nears its end.
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Kary's Degrassi Blog 
I agree completely with your early thoughts on Part 1. Nice A & B plot but plot C is really lacking.
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Whyyyyyyyyyyy
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Really enjoyed the episode. All the plots were good. I got to say that munro is an amazing actor, the part in the interview and when he was talking with his dad and simpson… Amazing. eli has come a long way and he is a very strong person. Sad to see eclare break up. Hope theyll get back together somehow. love jenna and connor. Really enjoyed kathies plot in part 2.
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SPOILER!!!!!!!
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Yay no more eclaire!
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Really enjoyable episode so glad for continuity with Snake bringing up Claude.
Munro did and awesome job!
Katie’s plot redeemed itself in part 2
I’m so confused on next weeks promo lol
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The DTC is killing me. Do they honestly think eclare is done? There is no way they’re gonna leave them broken up. There’s no way.
The episode was really great. Munro is awesome. I really liked the eclare scenes. Katie’s actions still puzzle me, but I really REALLY like Jonnor.
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Eli is a great character and Munro is such a strong actor, it was great to see yet another Eli-centric plot where Munro got a chance to act outside of just being one-half of Eclare. I know I’m a broken record when it comes to this, but Clare was the worst thing to happen to Eli. I’m glad he finally came to the realization that she’s the problem. Forgetting the fact she’s a goodie goodie with a stick up her ass, she constantly mothered Eli, which is not something you want from a girlfriend. If this was Eli’s last major plotline, it was nice to see such a strong and emotional conclusion to his journey over the last several seasons.
I typically balk at newbies and it takes a really long time for me to tolerate them, but Eli was definitely one of the very few characters introduced during the second phase of “TNG” that I really liked. It’s a shame he can’t stick around longer, especially since he’s finally ditched Clare’s sainted ass.
Katie’s plot is boring because Katie is boring, but I did like her interaction with Jake. Once again, remove Jake from Clare’s orbit and he’s actually a pretty fun character. I could have used more Jake/Mo, though. The bromances on this show are far more interesting than any of the girlfriendships.
I love how the yearbook video conveniently only featured characters who are friendly with each other. Guess Degrassi only has 10 students now. It reminded me of the video David put together of only his friends, which he showed at the senior lunch on 90210. Also, did they specifically leave Adam out of the video?
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I like you :) I really hope Eli & Clare are done. Eli needs to be alone to sort himself out. I feel Clare will always be looking over her shoulder worrying about Eli and thats not healthy in a relationship and it can cause major trust problems later on. Clare needs to learn how to listen and to communicate better she had the same problem with Jake, Alli and her other friends.
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So Clare killed his girlfriend? So Clare bullied him when he was younger? So Clare “pretended” to stab him with a knife? So Clare caused him to be diagnosed as Bipolar? Oh, and so Clare planned Eli to see the dead body? I’m sorry but to say, “Clare was the worst thing to happen to Eli” is a little too far-fetched don’t you think?
Yeah she has her issue’s too (Parents, Sexual harassment, so on) but she’s been with him through A LOT (well until Eli became overly obsessive *cough cough* or possibly “father” like). But my overall point here just refers back to what Kary said, ” To place blame on one or the other is unfair when both Eli and Clare were doing what they felt was right.”
That’s just life….
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Just to add one more thing, It’s very understandable to see Clare freak like that when you know your boyfriend once (intentionally) crashed his car because he couldn’t deal. Now you find out someone in the school unexpectedly killed himself. It’s enough to keep anyone on edge. Oh, and plus your bf tells you “we have to be honest with other” after hearing you’ve been sexually assaulted by your boss (then later tells Ms. Oh after you’ve told him your not ready yet) A lot of people seem to forget that.
I guess It’s fine for Eli but not for Clare…
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Why are you angry with me?? I know and understand Eli and his mental illness. BTW Eli did not kill his girl friend. Clare I understand is worried and upset. But she kept pushing Eli to talk. If these two communicated better this wouldn’t have happened they way it did. Yes Clare had her family problems. The Asher issues she kept a secret from Eli thats the trust issue I was referring to… The difference here is Clare knows that Eli witnessed a dead body this is no big secret. But if Eli told Clare I only want to talk to my therapist about this and not you in a nicer way. Clare would have pulled back. Everyone heals in different ways. Eli wants to take baby steps & Clare wants to talk. There is no right or wrong. If Eli thinks he needs this break he should have it. If Clare really loves him she let him go and find himself. If they have to reevaluate their relationship that normal. Eli graduating going to NYU. I think the big issue is Eli may think Clare will be worrying too much when he’s gone and thats not healthy for Clare either. So who knows…
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This two-part episode was amazing! This is finally when Degrassi got their groove back, I think. I mean Bitter Sweet Symphony was really sad but yet a bit boring and moved too fast. But this one was so funny and full of drama. Just how I like my Degrassi. Unlike most Degrassi fans, I’m not a huge fan of Eclare. They just…irritate me so much! I love Eli but Clare’s the problem, just like Eli stated :)! She was being so super irritating in this episode and was pressuring Eli. Sure I wouldn’t know what to do under these sort of circumstances, but she’s sorta suffocating him. It’s annoying even for me.
As for the Jenna/Connor plot, I think they’re so CUTE :)! It’s about time that Connor got a girlfriend and they’re the last people I expected to get together. But I still totally ship them! I’m really glad for Jenna, too. I think that a good guy would be good for her. She hasn’t had a good relationship in a long time.
Now, for Plot C, I thought it was a bit pointless. When will Katie and Jake get back together, I mean, come on now. They’re destined to be together. I don’t really like Katie but she and Jake are just so CUTE:)!
I was really huge fan of Ray of Light both part one and two and hope that the following Degrassi episodes are as good as these ones. Even though it’s a lot to compare to since this was an amazing episode.
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Eli’s plot was great overall. The naked scene was hilarious. And the office scene with his dad and mr.Simpson very emotional. I’m enjoying the Connor/Jenna relationship. Katie’s storyline really improved in Part 2. I couldn’t help but giggle while watching her and Maya playing soccer at the end. Judging from next week preview, it should be a pretty intense episode.
Season 12 has been great, even though a little lackluster in the second bloc. If this is the direction Degrassi is heading, I’m on board.
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It makes me wonder if Eli really did take ecstasy while he was in the shower. Its the way he said “I may be on drugs right now.” Then he winks at Clare gets naked and says does it look damaged to the other girls looking down at his penis. But the way he said it was very sarcastic and condescending towards Clare like he getting back at her for being overprotective. When your on ecstasy everything is beautiful its all about love not negativity. I think Eli did that because he’s angry at Clare for taking everything away that he loves. This is the old Eli..
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First things first. My favorite moment in this episode is at the paint party when we flash to Jake and Mo and Mo is rolling paint on Jake’s shirt while they watch Eli crowd surf. I couldn’t stop laughing.
I absolutely loved Eli’s plot in this episode. Kary, you hit the nail on the head saying that we don’t get a “good guy” and “bad guy” between Eli and Clare. It’s incredibly realistic on both sides; Eli, who is dealing not only with his mental illness now has to deal with the fact that he found Cam’s body and is looking for an escape. Clare, a worried (and nosy) girlfriend wants to make sure that Eli isn’t pushed too far out of his comfort zone so he doesn’t have an emotional break. Eli sums it up perfectly when he tells Clare that she hears him but is not listening. She believes that talking it out is the only way and in her quest to be helpful she ignores what Eli actually needs, which is a break from all his feelings. Clare doesn’t understand that just because he isn’t talking to her about it, doesn’t mean that he isn’t talking or dealing. In the end, I expected the breakup based on everything that happened throughout the episode. I think that whether or not they get back together before Eli graduates, they both needed this break. Eli needs to be free to deal the way he sees fit and Clare needs to figure out that her way is not necessarily the right way. I hope that we will see some of the personal ramifications of their breakup. It’s hard to walk away from a person you have deep feelings for, especially in high school when you have to see that person every day. There doesn’t need to be a whole plot line dedicated to the aftermath, but it would be nice to see them in a few awkward interactions along the way.
It felt a little odd to me that a) Eli took Molly at school and b) that he ended up in the girls’ locker room, but hey, it’s Degrassi. Those actions were clearly a vehicle to get to the important part, Simpson telling Eli about Claude (something I am ecstatic about and have been waiting for since the first rumors about a suicide plot). Munro kills it in the meeting; you can feel Eli’s pain and worry. When he breaks down about how if it was last year it could easily have been him in the greenhouse, we see that while actually finding Cam’s body was traumatic, the hardest part is how close to home the suicide itself hits.
I love Connor. Luke is a tool and has been since day one. I’m excited to see where Jonner goes, mostly because I think it’s awesome that Connor finally has a relationship plot and I’ve got my fingers crossed that we’ll get to know his back story a little bit more. Unless I’m having a glaring oversight,d we still don’t really know the deal with him. I like that Jenna’s reasoning for going out with Connor is the exact reason that he gives for not having a girlfriend before. After everything she’s been through, she deserves to not have to worry about someone lying to her. Their first date was magical. I wouldn’t be able to contain myself if that was a date that I went on, ESPECIALLY if that person designed the simulator! Also, how awesome was it to see Luke grabbing at Jenna and then, BAM! Connor’s fist just pops into frame? Probably my second favorite part of this episode.
I get where Katie’s plot was trying to go, but I don’t think it was executed well. We really haven’t seen a whole lot of her freaking out about Vegas until she flips the manager at Little Miss Steaks. It seems really random, and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Later we learn that it’s really about losing Jake, but that doesn’t address her skepticism of men (or men in positions of power) any further.
As for next week, I don’t think I’m all that subtle about my love for Mike Dallas and I can’t wait to see his plot line unfold. I know Demitrius will knock it out of the park. The teennick promo puts a lot of focus on Fiona’s “tweeting addiction” but I’m praying that it’s only to show why she’s so distracted when she gets mugged.
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Oh boy…can we have at least one season where there is no EClare drama! I’m so over the breaking and making up between them. I’m surprised that Clare can even get boyfriends because she is so damn mothering!! I use to ship this couple so hard…now I’m over them and their crap. Eli just needs to go to NYU and get him a girl who doesn’t have so many damn rules attached to her. He needs someone that is just a little bit more free than Clare…
Loved Simpson mentioning Claude, I was hoping he would.
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I think this episode, especially seeing as it was placed after such a strong and emotional episode like Bitter Sweet Symphony, was well executed. Of course, it can’t be compared to the previous episode because it isn’t meant to be, it focuses else where, on post-suicide Degrassi. Firstly, we must understand that post-suicide means that only a few will be affected while others will just continue on. Secondly, we must understand that this means there will be a lot of plots that don’t deal much with Cam’s death. Okay, so the episode:
ELI: I can’t remember an Eli plot that wasn’t well done or didn’t make sense or had little relevance to everything regarding Eli; this plot is no exception. To begin with, I think Part 1 and 2 were strong. In part 1, I really enjoyed seeing small things set Eli off (like Mo’s comment during the video games and the spilled red paint at the party or the videos of Cam). These things show two things: the trauma from finding a dead boy and the suddenness of mood changes that come with being bipolar. Because Eli is both bipolar and the finder of Cam’s lifeless body, he is affected both ways. This means his sense is heightened (so to speak) to comments or actions or images that could flip a switch and make him remember. Yes, that nightmare scene was clearly 80’s styled blood and laughable effects, but it made the point obviously clear: Eli is traumatized. I actually also really enjoyed the use of filming as a device to set off Eli’s emotions and the emotions of people around him. With Clare, it’s obvious that she just wants Eli to be okay. Being worried about him is normal, for anyone. With Fiona, clearly she is hesitant about letting Eli work on the video yearbook if she is letting Clare tell her if he should or shouldn’t meaning that she really isn’t sure how to act around him. With Dallas, his insensitivity (for lack of a better word) towards Eli’s trauma is what really presses the issue and forces Eli to face it all. What makes it even better is Eli’s genuine passion for directing that we have seen recently; that makes the difficulty with the video yearbook that much more stressful and frustrating, because it’s something that he normally loves. As for Talia and the secret party, it was just another way to get Eli drugs. While I think drugs are the easy and common way out of trauma (perhaps that’s why they used drugs here), the continuation on Eli’s sudden dependence on drugs in interesting. Recently, Eli has been leaning on drugs as medicinal for his emotions (aka taking MDMA after talking with Clare). They have become almost a safety blanket for him so it will be nice to see him have to get away from that and work through his problems in other ways. Putting the NYU interview in this episode, at first, seemed odd, almost out of place, like it would weaken the episode. But after seeing Eli sit through that and have to admit out loud that he has been affected, it seems more relevant. The following conversation with Clare was definitely perfectly placed, forcing Eli to immediately change from happy and glad to serious and guarded. The high scenes were great because ‘in vino vertas’ right? Well this isn’t wine but still. The drugs give Eli the sudden courage to actually explain how he feels and what he really thinks about how Clare is acting, his first real honest talk with Clare. But the most powerful scene was obviously the office scene. I was hoping for a bit more from Simpson about his experience but I liked the note that he has been carefully watching Eli because he knows what it’s like. But what makes the scene so powerful is what Eli says about not even knowing Cam or asking to find him in that greenhouse and about how it could’ve been him. That how speech just hits how difficult the situation has become for Eli because he could see that have being him the previous year. The breakup scene and the last scene were only good because Eli was calm, he finally talked it out (exactly what he had been avoiding, and for good reason: he was afraid that he would tell Clare what he admitted to Simpson and Bullfrog). The breakup seems odd and no longer necessary with Eli being calm now. I get that he doesn’t want Clare to worry, but still…he has finally found an outlet with his therapist. Overall, fantastic plot.
JENNA: What I like so much about this plot is that is barely involves anything Cam or suicide related (with the exception of the first scene). I really liked this because, as I said earlier, not everyone suffers from Cam’s suicide. Jenna didn’t know Cam, she has almost no reason to be affected other than a student at her school committed suicide. So to see her moving on with her life emphasizes the idea that some people are affected less than others. Luke is barely a character, he has had no development and we have no reason to even care about his chasing after Jenna. Connor, however, has been there for a while now and has received similar treatment with only a few plots of his own. The difference is the way Jenna finally sees guys. Two seasons ago, Luke would’ve had every chance with her. But after all that’s happened and all the claims of people changing, it’s nice to see that Jenna really has changed. The most endearing scene is when Connor is at Jenna’s locker and asking her out, with his persistence and bluntness, he makes it literally impossible to say no without hurting his feelings. I think Jenna’s initial hesitation when Connor gives her the spacesuit adds empathy to the situation, every has had a scheduled date they are not looking forward to. But the date itself shows that even those people we all avoid dating can be romantics at heart. It was cute to see how Connor really is always himself even on a date. The kiss was fine, but Connor’s awkwardness makes it real and honest and great to watch. Part 2 is only okay I think. I understand Connor’s confusion about how Jenna wants to label them and Jenna’s annoyance with her friends, but still, it all seems a bit much. What I really don’t understand is why Becky suddenly wants Jenna to date Luke if obviously Luke was a jerk, Becky specifically told Jenna not to date him, and if Connor is clearly a nice guy. The other confusion I had is when Luke suggests he and Jenna go out, how willing Jenna is to say yes at first. It makes it seem like her and Connor don’t have anything really and he’s just a placeholder for a ‘real boyfriend’ or something. Connor punching Luke emphasizes his social awkwardness because that’s the action he assumes all boyfriends do without thinking about it. Walking away, Jenna still confuses me by explaining that the one action gives her doubts about Connor. Of course, they don’t breakup and I don’t mind that. I like them together, and I think they are one of those ‘odd but okay’ couples that somehow work together. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with them later, if they do anything with them later.
KATIE: Not a lot of people liked this plot. I actually did. Once again, she isn’t as affected as Eli but she is more than Jenna. We see this when she is protective of Maya and worrying about her. But she still has her own drama to deal with. Considering she was one of the two plots for the Vegas special, and the first one has yet to be addressed since, I liked the continuation. Her plot ended open, with her and Jake apart and both clearly upset about it. Her emotion about how to deal with what she almost did seems rational enough. Flipping the guy over at Little Miss Steaks was a bit much but whatever, it presses the plot along from what’s up with Katie to okay, she’s still dealing with what happened. If you think about it, she didn’t get much time from Vegas until Cam’s death (considering in Degrassi time they happened right after each other). This plot allows us to see her dealing with it. Part 2 is okay, but we get back to boy needy Katie. I understand that Jake was her rock and gave her stability but I think that the attack on the garden was a lot. It could have been justified if they hadn’t forgotten that the garden was Jake AND Katie’s project, not only important to Jake. I think Katie being reluctant to talk about it was similar to Eli’s ideas and I liked that Maya was so focused on Katie the whole time that it seemed like she was trying to take her mind off Cam and to another problem she sees. The non-Jatie reunion was great. While they make a fine couple, I’d much rather see them rejoin as friends again, united by a strong base before getting back into anything. Maybe, if we’re lucky, the writers will do something where they rebuild a friendship and once they finally get together it’s too late and they are off to college where ever it is they are going. Could be fun. So while this plot was wishy-washy and not as strong as the others, I think it was just fine.
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ray of light made me cry! munro is such a great actor!!!
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Great review of the episode Kary. You hit it straight on. This episode was nice way to move on after BSS and start showing how certain students are affected by the suicide and I’m glad to see that it will continue over the next few episodes with Maya and Zig.
You are absolutely right with Eli’s plot; it fully shows a lack of communication in a relationship that looked so strong and healthy. Even though they’ve been on a good path since the beginning of the season, they still seem to have communication problems and I think what Eli said at the end of the episode pretty much summed it up “You’re hearing me but you’re not listening”. This actually applies to both of them because neither of them are clearly communicating to each other what they honestly feel and think at the moment and its causing distance to be formed between them. I think you’re absolutely right Kary where you said that there is no good or bad character. You can say that Eli acted like a jerk or that Clare was overbearing but you can’t really blame any of them. Both Eli and Clare are right in their view on how they are acting but at the same time, they’re also both wrong.
One thing in particular that stood out to me was what Eli said to Bullfrog and Simpson: “There’s all this pressure to talk, to act a certain way.” People need to remember that not everyone deals with death/suicide in the same way. People grieve in different ways and people move forward in different ways. This stereotype that people must act a certain way is what’s causing people to be so worried about Eli and how he’ll react that its making him frustrated. This also goes back to what people thought about Maya during BSS pt2 and how she reacted to Cam’s death; that was perfectly normal for her. I know that people are upset that Maya is not reacting to Cam’s death but they need to understand that people deal with it in different ways. Plus, its a show and the writers want to show the different reactions at a certain pace.
In regards to their “break-up”, I’m not surprised. I do like Eli and Clare as a couple but I think they just need time apart to deal with the situation. I’m glad though that Eli decided to initiate the break and put his health first instead of his relationship because that really does show a lot of growth for his character since season 10. He’s starting to understand what’s important to him. When he tells Clare “Cam’s not the problem, you are”, from my perspective it seemed to be coming from anger and frustration. He tried to explain to Clare what was going on and how he needed some space to deal but when she started to try to link it back to the incident, he might have become upset and frustrated and said what he said. I do think he will probably regret saying it in the future, once he’s able to deal with his mental state. The only thing I don’t understand from the episode is his reaction to Clare sitting by the window and crying. I hope that’s explained in the next few episodes.
Other things I liked about the episode:
– Katie and Maya’s scenes: Its great to show some great sibling relationship
– Maya is seeing a councilor for Cam’s death; definitely shows that she is reacting to his death
– Eli’s line to Simpson, “You do drugs and get naked?” – I miss the sarcastic Eli
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Are you talking about the emotionless glance Eli made towards Clare? That was odd. I thought he would be a little sad but It seem like it didn’t even faze him. idk
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Great review of the episode Kary. You hit it straight on. This episode was nice way to move on after BSS and start showing how certain students are affected by the suicide and I’m glad to see that it will continue over the next few episodes with Maya and Zig.
You are absolutely right with Eli’s plot; it fully shows a lack of communication in a relationship that looked so strong and healthy. Even though they’ve been on a good path since the beginning of the season, they still seem to have communication problems and I think what Eli said at the end of the episode pretty much summed it up “You’re hearing me but you’re not listening”. This actually applies to both of them because neither of them are clearly communicating to each other what they honestly feel and think at the moment and its causing distance to be formed between them. I think you’re absolutely right Kary where you said that there is no good or bad character. You can say that Eli acted like a jerk or that Clare was overbearing but you can’t really blame any of them. Both Eli and Clare are right in their view on how they are acting but at the same time, they’re also both wrong.
One thing in particular that stood out to me was what Eli said to Bullfrog and Simpson: “There’s all this pressure to talk, to act a certain way.” People need to remember that not everyone deals with death/suicide in the same way. People grieve in different ways and people move forward in different ways. This stereotype that people must act a certain way is what’s causing people to be so worried about Eli and how he’ll react that its making him frustrated. This also goes back to what people thought about Maya during BSS pt2 and how she reacted to Cam’s death; that was perfectly normal for her. I know that people are upset that Maya is not reacting to Cam’s death but they need to understand that people deal with it in different ways. Plus, its a show and the writers want to show the different reactions at a certain pace.
In regards to their “break-up”, I’m not surprised. I do like Eli and Clare as a couple but I think they just need time apart to deal with the situation. I’m glad though that Eli decided to initiate the break and put his health first instead of his relationship because that really does show a lot of growth for his character since season 10. He’s starting to understand what’s important to him. When he tells Clare “Cam’s not the problem, you are”, from my perspective it seemed to be coming from anger and frustration. He tried to explain to Clare what was going on and how he needed some space to deal but when she started to try to link it back to the incident, he might have become upset and frustrated and said what he said. I do think he will probably regret saying it in the future, once he’s able to deal with his mental state. The only thing I don’t understand from the episode is his reaction to Clare sitting by the window and crying. I hope that’s explained in the next few episodes.
Other things I liked about the episode:
– Katie and Maya’s scenes: Its great to show some great sibling relationship
– Maya is seeing a councilor for Cam’s death; definitely shows that she is reacting to his death
– Eli’s line to Simpson, “You do drugs and get naked?” – I miss the sarcastic Eli
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Is anyone else still thinking about the way Cam killed himself? I know the writers said they would never reveal how; but all of the dripping red paint and the way Eli reacted to it makes me think that the suicide was very bloody. Very creepy and haunting; LOVE it.
Also i wish they included Eli’s come-down. Ecstacy and Molly can have a really bad effect on people for a few days after it’s taken; i wish they showed that aspect so younger viewers could see that yes, E makes you have an amazing time, but you can also feel super depressed for days after.
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They better not be ending Eclare because he’s going to college. So he can leave and and Clare gets a new guy instantly.
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I really wish they would just break up all the couples (ok that’s extreme) but it’s like all their lives are centered around relationships, a lot of these people Eli especially, really don’t need to be in relationships, they need to take care of themselves and grow, I mean is it impossible to be just friends? it’s like (unless one of them is gay/or in a relationship ) guys and girls on the show can’t just be friends. And like the other person said their yearbook video features like 10 people lol. Sometimes I feel like they just brought the Adam character on just so they can say “yeah we went there, degrassi always pushing the envelope” and besides being rejected over and over again there hasn’t been much else explored with this character. oh well compared to other teen shows degrassi is still the most realistic right now so i can’t complain too much.
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