Spiderwebs, season 13’s fall finale, runs the gamut in terms of emotion and quality. The good news is that the primary plot does all of the heavy lifting, and is effective in doing so. On the other end of the spectrum you have the show’s most-dominant entities going off the rails with a hasty, unsettling conclusion crammed into a C plot. Ironically, the “B” plot is somewhere in between.
DREW PLOT REVIEW: When I think back, even to the time where I was annoyed with sir Torres’ “Dropout Drew” era, the show’s been pretty good about showing how incredibly insecure Drew is. On one hand he’s afraid he’ll always be viewed as a failure; that insecurity is doubled when it comes to the idea that Bianca could think that way of him. Once again Drew’s insecurities are played upon as he must also worry about running Degrassi’s Family Feast event. Dallas tells Drew that he spotted Bianca in town hanging out at The Dot, but she hasn’t told Drew she’s in town yet. Drew shows up at The Dot and meets Bianca’s college friends. After the friends leave, Bianca tells Drew that college has made her realize she’s not the girl she used to be, and that she needs to move on from their relationship.
Hoping to win Bianca back by proving to her that he’s changed, Drew begs her to pretend like they’re still together at the Family Feast for the sake of his mom, Audra. Bianca is impressed at what Drew has done, but when he tries to kiss her she avoids it, reminding him that they’re still broken up. An upset Drew finds Clare, who’s upset because of her situation with Eli. The two comfort each other and Clare ends up kissing Drew. After Clare runs out, Drew witnesses Clare reconciling with Eli. Later Drew accepts that he and Bianca need to break up, and she gives her engagement ring back to him.
As someone who jumped on the Drianca train near the end, watching their breakup is heartbreaking. “They’re engaged, there’s no way Degrassi would take them that far just to end them,” I once said. Oh how easy it is to forget Degrassi’s golden rule: no relationship is ever safe.
It’s painful watching Drew in this episode. Imagine one of your worst fears coming true, and being unable to stop it. When Clare first discovered Eli cheated on her, he said “New school, new people…it was so hard dealing without you.” On the opposite end of that we have Bianca, so seems so well adjusted to life beyond high school that she feels as if any attachment to that former part of her life (Drew) are holding her back. Drew’s plan to get Bianca back is fantastic because it’s such a believable and sad. He harmlessly tries to manipulate Bianca into taking him back, a doomed tactic by someone who’s in denial.
While everyone has spent most of their time focused on Eclare for one reason or another, Drianca has been right there with them in terms of screen time over the past three years. We’re often shown relationships on this show that self destruct because of bad decisions by one or both parties. However, Drianca’s demise serves as a depressing reminder that sometimes relationships end not because someone did something wrong, but simply because feelings fade and people’s lives drift apart.
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TRISTAN PLOT REVIEW: Tristan officially finds himself caught in the middle of the feud between Maya and Zoë. He’s best friends with Maya, yet he also finds himself becoming friends with Zoë as the two interact in their comedy troupe. Tristan finally comes clean to Maya about Zoë being in the comedy troupe with him, but she ultimately gives him her blessing.
Maya attempts to use the comedy troupe’s Thanksgiving performance as a way to sneak back into Degrassi and exact revenge on Zoë, but Tristan initially wants no part of it. However, Tristan ends up taking Maya’s revenge into his own hands by throwing a pie in Zoë’s face during their performance. Afterward, Tristan scolds both of them for their constant bickering, and convinces the two to agree to a truce.
Kudos to Tristan for being the voice of reason in Spiderwebs and being the person in the Degrassi universe to call out both Maya and Zoë on their crap. In an episode where Degrassi’s two most dominant ships in recent memory are in turmoil, the Tenners serve as a filler to sort of conclude the Maya/Zoë feud for now. Because the plot is from Tristan’s perspective, we see softer reactions from the girls in regards to one another; it was definitely surprising to see Maya react so calmly when Tristan told her about him hanging out with Zoë. Clearly both Maya and Zoë greatly value Tristan’s friendship, but we’ll have to wait and see whether or not that’ll be enough to keep the two from butting heads.
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CLARE PLOT REVIEW: While I enjoyed the show’s seemingly vague approach to Eclare drama in Black or White, highlighting the couple’s tendency to falter under communication issues, things feel different here in Spiderwebs. Clare has no desire to talk to Eli again until Alli convinces her that she should find out Eli’s side of the story. He admits to cheating on Clare, but denies that he and Lenore slept together. During their conversation Clare confesses to Eli that she screwed up her only chance at getting into Columbia before storming off.
Clare volunteers at Degrassi’s Family Feast and finds herself crying over Eli in an empty room. Drew discovers her and the two lean on each other for support as they each have their own heartbreak to deal with. During their comforting confrontation Clare kisses Drew. Realizing what she’s done, Clare freaks out and runs out of the room. Later, Eli approaches Clare and tries to win her back by giving her a book called “Our Story,” a collection of their e-mails to one another. Clare finds herself hugging Eli, and during dinner with all of the Family Feast volunteers she avoids making eye contact with Drew.
Clare’s uncertainty feels a bit like a forced narrative given the awkwardness of her conversation with Alli. Clare seems to have her mind made up until Alli surprisingly responds in a way that makes it seem as if Eli cheating wasn’t THAT big of a deal. “It was once, one time,” Alli says as she becomes increasingly adamant that Clare talk to Eli. There are times within Degrassi friendships where the advice-giving friend delivers dialogue that comes off as more of a device to push the plot in a certain direction, as opposed to being genuine advice one friend would give to another. Alli’s advice here is a perfect example, as if she talked Clare into being uncertain about her feelings toward Eli. Because of that it’s hard to grasp where Clare’s head is really at, given that no meaningful dialogue to address the situation ever happens between Eli and Clare in this episode.
The Clew kiss has been one of the most-touted scenes by network marketing teams during 13B, attempting to freak out fans by making it seem as if the show’s two most prominent ships were facing drastic changes. Watching the scene in context, it’s odd seeing that it not only makes sense, but it also says more about Clare’s plot than anything else in Spiderwebs attempted to. Clare’s reaction to kissing Drew is one of nearly instant regret. It’s in that moment of vulnerability that she seems to understand Eli’s reasoning for cheating, an act he quickly declared as meaningless earlier in the episode.
While Clare’s willingness to take Eli back so quickly makes sense in that context, their story still leaves much to be desired. A couple deemed so important and placed in a scenario that can destroy a relationship needs more than just a hasty reconciliation of sorts in a C plot. The look of guilt on Clare’s face indicates that her impulsive kiss with Drew will come back to haunt Eclare in the future. However, it’s unsettling that Eclare blew through this portion of their drama so quickly, with little to guide young female viewers who simply view this storyline as a girl who quickly took back her cheating boyfriend with little resistance.
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Kary's Degrassi Blog 
I can honestly say that I am glad that Dave was not part of this trainwreck of a season. I am actually glad that I don’t have to keep up with Degrassi for a couple of weeks. I’m not saying I want an extravagant block each season but this season is just horrible. Sorry for complaining
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i miss dave! he’s a great actor and he’s sexxxy as hell! the lack of dave is a true loss for degrassi. but at the same time i can see why degrassi cut him. dave being on the show would make it a little cluttered. but i hope he comes bak for another couple cameos!!
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this episode was freakin amazin! it had so many oh my god moments! i was screamin at my tv like ohhhh shittt mad times hahah! i love clare and drew together i think there gonna end up together! eclare seemed mad awkward at the feast and i feel like it will continue to stay awkward in future eps. heck they were even awkwrd wen eli came back frm ny! the season finale is wen clare goes to ny probably. and thunder struck sounds dark. it will probably be the end of eclare where they go their separate ways! its gon be crazy!
i find it mad funny and ironic how the past 4 years hav been mostly focused on clare and drew and like degrassi prophecy there characters aligned! dont underestimate degrassi they put spinner and emma together! but i do believe emma will come back and they will divorce and she will get back with sean!
but i really hope theres a movie sometime this season! we deserve a movie since there was no telenovela!
and i am supremly dissapointed that there was no zig plots ANYWHERE so far!!!! zig is my baby i love him. and i love his new transformation. degrassi better make up for this by givin zig some major screen time
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Plot Grades:
A Plot – B
B Plot – B+
C Plot – B-
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my ratings:
plot a: jesus christ
plot b: i hate eclare again
plot c: filler
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Kary,please read this
I think it would make more sense to grade this episode by 2 plots rather than 3. In the final scene where Clare is unable to hide her feelings for Drew through her facial expressions as he delivers his speech is the final knot in suggesting that this episodes A plot was actually a crossover plot involving Drew and Clares seperate relationship insecurities that ultimately tied them together in a moment of vulnerability when they kiss. Viewing this episode as a Drew/Clare episode is much more satisfying than watching it as the alternative separated plots
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And “Spiderwebs” being aired as a separate, singular episode as opposed to “Black or White: Part 2” (a move that has been utilized all season long) gives you the ability to grade this standalone episode as a Drew/Clare storyline rather than having to keep it just Drew for the sake of continuing Black or White’s plot order
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this episode was a joke in every sense of the word, utter trite
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Actually, this was the first episode of this block that actually seemed to work for me. The break-up of Drew and B was bound to happen and I’m pretty impressed that DeGrassi managed to finish them off in a logical and believable scenario. Face it, Drew is pretty much a bone-head and is generally out of his league this year in all his activities as President. B has always been pretty sharp and going away to school just opened up a whole new world of intelligent and aware people. No way she stays in a high school relationship, engaged or not. Their whole situation as a couple last year worked because they were in a more or less closed environment and Drew was pretty much just handy for Bianca. At the time, her life was a mess and drew’s family pretty much rescued her from it and herself.
The way they have used Tristan this entire series has been nothing but bizarre. I wonder if it’s just because they didn’t cast enough males? He’s wearing so many hats it’s hard for me to remember who he’s supposed to be. It just doesn’t work for me.
Given a choice, I’d rather watch Eclare’s drama than Alli and that tool Leo’s. But, not by much. Both of them are way too heavy with the melodrama. Eli is a good character. I know he’s a cast and fan favorite. But personally, I’d like to see him move on and leave Clare to wallow in her obsessive compulsive behavior. She has always needed to lighten up and nows the time for it to happen. Let Eli enjoy his life with a fun girl for a while. He’s put up with enough for too long and this weeks episode just emphasized it…
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First of all, Kary, I have to say I’m a huge fan of your blog and check on it every single day about Degrassi!
Secondly, as an avid fan of Degrassi (I have seen every episode minus a few season 11 and season 2 episodes) for the last 4 years now. With that said, Eclare has been my favorite couple due to the connection and chemistry they shared. With that said, when it came out that Eli cheated, I had no strong opinion on what Clare should do. Considering that Eli did fly all the way back to Toronto to support her when she had cancer, I couldn’t in good conscience just say she should break up with him. However, after this episode, I secretly hope that we can get some type of Clew affair (aghast!!!) going on.
The look that Clare and Drew share while she is hugging Eli reminds me of the look that Craig gave Manny while hugging Ashley back in season 3. I just knew that there are feelings there, and I can’t help but hope that Clare break up with Eli in order to discover what she truly wants in a relationship.
I guess what I wanted to ask is what is your take on the whole Eli/Clare/Drew love triangle?
<3 Naa
http://adolescentchic.wordpress.com/
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I’m not really sure what to think about it now…at this point it looks like Drew has some kind of feelings (maybe in rebound mode since we also see him kissing Zoë in 13C?), but Clare could really be somewhere in between. At the very least though I think Clare will harbor a lot of guilt for kissing Drew. There’s just so much up in the air right now and I don’t even know what to think about the fact Clare travels to NY to see Eli!
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I’m sorry this finale pissed me off.. It was sloppy an it made Clare a victim of manipulation again. The writers do there job by making Eclare the most unhealthful couple (Mentally). Are the writers thinking its romantic to be manipulated by your lover everytime something goes terribly wrong?
And Please don’t bring up Alli & Leo thats a who different disturbing problem. I played victim for a years and I finally took control and left his ass. I think the writers should get the balls and do they same for Clare….
And don’t get me started with Drianca that angered me too..
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Preach! Eli definitely showed some of his classic manipulative tendencies in this episode. As someone portrayed as smart and on the ball, it’s surprising that Clare stuck around. I have a feeling Eclare will be done soon though; and if not, that’s going to be seriously disappointing.
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The Drianca situation made me so sad, even though I didn’t particularly like how Bianca was always the other woman in Drew’s past relationships, I could understand both parties and I didn’t hate either character in the end (never hated them to begin with). It was realistic and happens to people, wether they’re teens or older adults. Eclare was a different story. Clare was too forgiving – seriously, I felt the email collection book was an asspull, instead she should’ve dropped Eli and found happiness elsewhere (a partner respectful of their relationship no matter what). Some fans are acting like Eli doing rude, manipluative or hurtful things came out of left field. It doesn’t. He’s not this charming perfect guy the Eli or Eclare stans are making him out to be and Clare isn’t at fault 100% for every breakup. They’re becoming that annoying on again and off again sort of couple. Eclare never should’ve gotten back together after Eli crashed his car. He’s a nice guy at times, but he’s manipulative as hell other times, but yes not to the extent of Leo where it’s physical. And I hope he’s not going to be a jerk about the Clew kiss since he has no room to talk. I wasn’t Drew biggest fan for a long time, but the writers have done a good job so far of making him a lot more likable and mature. Plus the Clew chemistry and kiss was good.
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* manipulative (I probably made some other misspellings)
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to me, it’s refreshing to see the end of Drianca. their relationship never had a strong foundation, thus it was destined to fail. I am glad to see Bianca learned from her mistakes and moved on.
it’s hard to watch eclare. When will they improve their communication skills?
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WTF, Degrassi writers? The Drianca break-up and the Eclare drama were some of the most random plots I’ve seen on this show, and that’s saying a lot. Bianca, a character I’ve really started to like the past season, has made herself look so brutally cruel and selfish in this episode. Not only did she dump Drew without so much as a good reason, she was so unsympathetic throughout the episode. The “I thought we already were” line after Drew said they should break up was one of the bitchiest lines I’ve heard on this show, and they didn’t have to make it that way.
I just felt so bad for Drew in this episode, I almost couldn’t watch it. It’s a sorry thing to do to someone – break up with them a few months after his brother passes away. If I were Drew, I’d be in a closet somewhere bawling my eyes out.
And the Eclare cheating thing is pretty ridiculous. The only reason why they decided to break apart the two biggest couples on the show was to have one Clew kiss. Now, I would be lying if I said I didn’t love the Clew kiss, but I just can’t believe they had to have Eli cheat and Bianca be a huge hag for it to happen. It’s crazy. >_>
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What if Eli cheats again? Is Clare going to take him back.. Is Clare going to cheat on Eli with Drew?.. There are still some serious secrets between these two. Lenore being Eli’s roommate (if she still is). Clare kiss to Drew and her Chemo brain. Some things you can not forgive and forget ever!. is Clare going to have second thoughts about Eli after Leo beats Alli again? As in Alli giving Clare bad advice on relationships in the latter of this season.?? There was so much foreshadow in this finale.. I am so sick of Clare being that naive girl.
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I think Ali was projecting, remember that Leo hit her (twice) and she decided to forgive him thinking it was a mistake and he would get help, so it seems very reasonable to me that Ali plays on her own fears here too, that she really is talking about herself and is more willing to forgive than if she had never been involved with Leo.
Sigh, this season has been such a f*ckng mess! I don’t know how you go from having the best (or one of the best) to the worst season ever, or the second worst season ever (so spemma still wins that one). They need to stop f*cking up so badly and keep the good writers that know when something is ooc.
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Ugh, PLEASE tell me that the Clew kiss was one-sided and that Drew wasn’t very responsive. I just can’t with the ridiculous amount of guys interested in Clare. Sorry, but it’s unrealistic in every sense.
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You’re rude as Fu@k. Aislinn is a gorgeous girl. Newsflash. There are people in the world who are attracted to people based on other things than looks.
Maybe Drew sees Clare as a shoulder to lean on. They both have a lot in common. More than people think.
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Thank you.. If Drew & Clare so be it. You never know they may make a great couple or the best of friends?
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As I said below, this isn’t about looks at all. Clare having so many guys interested in her makes her look like a Mary Sue and I don’t understand why her PERSONALITY attracts so many guys. What is it she has that makes her so much better than the other girls?
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That’s a pretty shallow outlook. If a guy or girl isn’t looking for an accessory or trophy figure, they’ll want more than looks. Clare (and Aislinn) possess both good looks, intelligence, kindness, and personality so it doesn’t shock me that guys like her. I don’t find guys liking her unrealistic at all or the fact that there are some people that somehow find her attractiveness to the opposite sex a shocker.
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Whoa, whoa, whoa, I’m not talking about looks at all. I’m talking about the fact that Clare is an uptight drama queen and that it makes her look like a total Mary Sue to have so many suitors. For the record, I always thought it was crazy that Emma got so many guys too, because she had a horrible personality.
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Kary, what are your thoughts on the 12C promo? I find it funny how the one for TeenNick played on the “Spoiler Alert” thing while the one for MTV Canada just flat out showed us (possibly) the climax of the episode block.
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Ava, I agree with practically everything you said. Why did they have to make Bianca an uncaring uppity bitch? She came across like Holly J. did in her freshman year. (Holly J. and Sav broke up at the Dot with alot more realism and class.) I half expected Bianca to say “I’m done with my past life. I’ve met a guy from New York with tons of money. He will marry me and we will vacation in Paris everry year. My new best friend is a grand daughter of the famous Kennedys. We only drink the best imported wines you know.” Absolutely disgusting. Bianca wanted to design her own jewelry, be a social worker or teacher, etc. Now she comes across like that character from “Revenge” that wants her own island on the Hamptons with snobby friends. Drianca was my favorite all time Degrassi couple. A close 2nd was Fiona and Imogene. At least that couple was broken up realistically. Fiona wanted Imogene to come to Europe and share in her success. Imogenes response was you want to make history and I want to watch it from my couch. It was an honest difference of opinion. Neither 1 was an uncaring villian. …..Also Drianca is a couple in real life. I wonder if they had to give Alicia antidepressants like valium to bring out such a boring, stilted performance?
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” Why did they have to make Bianca an uncaring uppity bitch? ”
It’s simple: the writers think that derailing Bianca’s character will make fans more accepting of Clew. They did the same thing with Spemma. We already know that Emma and Clare are the writer’s favorite little Mary Sues and Maya is going down that same path, so I fully expect that somewhere down the line, the writers will create a popular couple and make the female half look bad so that Maya will look better. These professional writers are doing the exact thing that teenaged fanfic writers do with their Mary Sue fan characters.
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bianca and eli’s behaviour is extremly believable! bianca has always been a free spirit never wants to be tied down or told what to do likes to live like a bird. of course she would gain perspective about things at college. she may be lesbian the way she said her friends get her. who knows i think drianca will prevail after its all over. and i believe eclare is done for.
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Well it was Bianca that wanted the Vegas wedding even more than Drew. Bianca was finally accepted by Adam and Drews mom. 3 years is a long time. I don’t think you change that much in 2 months. Plus she didn’t go to a preppy elitist Ivy League school. The whole storyline seemed to trite or contrived. I didn’t by it. ….As for Bianca being a possible lesbian: I don’t think so. Remember how pissed she was in the early season 10 episode when Adam was her dance partner? She yelled at him “I’m not a lesbian.” ….I have to admit someone did a creative you tube editing job of Katie and Bianca together. Their scenes made them look like possible lesbians that were always fighting and than making up.
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“Remember how pissed she was in the early season 10 episode when Adam was her dance partner? She yelled at him “I’m not a lesbian.”
To be fair, that doesn’t mean a thing. Remember how Alex acted when Marco ran for class president? What about Riley’s entire storyline? Still, I don’t get gay vibes from Bianca.
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I’m kind of sad Drianca came to an end. As someone who was in a similar scenario as them, I really wanted to see them as end game. It worked out for me and my guy and we have happily been together for 7 years, so I was hoping for the same for them. But alas, when does a relationship actually last in this show?
Overall, nothing about this episode really wowed me, and kind of seemed like a disappointment as an ending until it start up again in January.
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Pocksuppet, thanks for your posts. You made some good points. …..If people go to Alicia Josipovics(Bianca) Twitter page she talks about how upset her fans are. I’m paraphrasing but she said the behavior of Bianca in that episode was very uncharacteristic. She added that is not the way I wanted my character to be written out. Also she and Luke are an item in real life. …..I thought she played her scenes like she was on anti-depressants or had a gun to her head. Bianca and Drew don’t deserve a happy ending but Emma and Spinner do? :( Way to go writers.
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It’s so sad to watch 2 of degrassi’s most epic couples headed towards ending, something I didn’t want to see but completely understand why it needs to happen. Although I’m a little scared that we have to wait to see what’s going to happen with Clare and Eli, especially knowing that there will be some new York episode later this season.
– Random note I know there’s a lot of characters and stories but I wish we could see some more development between Conner and Jenna. I think it would be interesting to see them take that next step in their relationship and how Conner deals with it after what had happened in Paris
-I’m ready to see these the grade tens take on more serious storylines, with the exception of Maya so far they have been weak, or juvenile (ironic) there’s so much potential with miles and his dad, the reason why Zoë got kicked off her show, zig hanging with a different crowd, and they have Winston and Tristan as well. Maya has all the shine, lets start developing these arcs.
– One superficial note I thought Clare looked really pretty in this episode, especially when she was storming off from Eli. I love the dark brown hair, and I cant wait until she starts rocking her regular hair later this season, I really like her short haircut
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COMPLETELY disagree with a lot of y’all re: Bianca being a bitch. Are you guys forgetting for the first three years of high school career, she was the school slut who stole boyfriends and did drugs and hung out with gangs? She didn’t make a change for herself until her senior year. It is completely understandable that now in college, with new opportunities and new friends that she would want that chapter in her life to end, along with Drew. Drew saved her and all, but he is too connected with her shady past so I understand why she wants that to end as well.
Drianca is cool, don’t get me wrong but what chance did they have? Their first date was a blowjob. Drew dated her primarily due to the fact he was gross-by-association along with her. They grew closer during the gang stuff and now that it’s over… I mean what’s there?
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I agree wholeheartedly MegaJ! I could care less about Drianca but given the situation, I thought Bianca handled herself well. She volunteered to pretend they were still together at the Family Feast for Drew’s sake & repeatedly told him that the reason for their breakup was her changing/wanting different things. She never blamed Drew nor did she find fault with him. They are just drifting in different directions.
You can’t dislike someone for not wanting to be in a relationship anymore, or if they stop loving their partner. “But he’s such a good guy that cares about me!” isn’t reason enough to be with someone. You have to actually, you know, be in love with them. Bianca doesn’t love Drew anymore, but you would damn her to (an eventual) marriage with someone she she doesn’t love? That’s totally screwed up! I think you’d be a pretty big dick to you stay with someone you don’t love; breaking up with them would be the ethical thing to do rather than lead them on & engage in a loveless relationship.
How many teen romances survive past high school? Very few, especially when people go off to college. The whole Drianca relationship escalated to a very realistic & natural conclusion, one that I feel Eclare should be taking as well. In my opinion the whole trajectory of that relationship has been so strained and forced, & while I was an Eclare shipper I’m ready for it to just end already. Both Clare & Eli have grown to be such shrill, unlikable characters. And together? Yowza that’s one big exhausting ball of irritation. End it, end it now!
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