I was recently asked to name what I think is Degrassi’s best episode, and it reminded me of something. Almost two years ago I was in Toronto for the season 12 premiere. While there I was asked by a publisher to come up with and rank a list of what I thought were Degrassi’s 50 best episodes.
It was an absolutely daunting task. I had to print out a list of all 270+ episodes at the time, and try to pick out the 50 best based on memory. The top 10 or so are fairly easy, but it gets more difficult the further down the list you go. Here’s my ranking of Degrassi’s 50 best episodes that I wrote in July of 2012 (NOTE: This list only contains episodes from season 1 – season 11):
1) Time Stands Still (S4)
2) Rock This Town (S6)
3) Pride (S3)
4) Mercy Street (S4)
5) Tears Are Not Enough (S2)
6) My Body Is A Cage (S10)
7) Jagged Little Pill (S1)
8) Accidents Will Happen (S3)
9) Shout (S2)
10) When Doves Cry (S2)
11) Live To Tell (S7)
12) Chasing Pavements (S10)
13) Standing In The Dark (S7)
14) Eye Of The Tiger (S4)
15) Heart Of Glass (S8)
16) Death Or Glory (S7)
17) Eyes Without A Face (S6)
18) Take On Me (S3)
19) Weird Science (S2)
20) Still Fighting It (S10)
21) Jesus, Etc (S10)
22) Coming Of Age (S1)
23) Extraordinary Machine (S11)
24) Friday Night (S1)
25) Smash Into You (S11)
26) Secret (S4)
27) Should I Stay Or Should I Go (S3)
28) Not Ready To Make Nice (S11)
29) Need You Now (S11)
30) Don’t Dream It’s Over (S3)
31) It’s Raining Men (S3)
32) Turned Out (S5)
33) Cry Me A River (S11)
34) Ghost In The Machine (S4)
35) Beat It (S9)
36) Better Off Alone (S10)
37) The Bitterest Pill (S6)
38) Back In Black (S4)
39) Danger Zone (S8)
40) Dirt Off Your Shoulder (S11)
41) 99 Problems (S10)
42) Whisper To A Scream (S3)
43) Love Lockdown (S10
44) U Got The Look (S3)
45) Secrets & Lies (S1)
46) Gangsta Gangsta (S3)
47) Eye Of The Beholder (S1)
48) Parents Day (S1)
49) High Fidelity (S5)
50) Voices Carry (S4)
Looking back at this list I have no clue what my thought process was when I put it together, and if asked to do it again I wouldn’t be able to duplicate this result. For me I think Time Stands Still is a lock at first, but everything else can be shifted around depending on personal preference. There’s also the fact that episodes from seasons 12 and 13 could most certainly make this list.
Which leads me to this question: What do you think are Degrassi’s 10 best episodes? Post your top 10 list in the comments below.
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Kary's Degrassi Blog 
Good idea! I’ve got some ideas, but it will take some time to put a title and episode number with them. Your list of 50 is interesting in itself with Season 3 coming in as your overall favorite. Really, and I understand that there are other factors involved, it’s almost as if a series either was a winner or it wasn’t. The middle years 5-9, didn’t hold many high points for you, which I think will turn out to be fairly consistent among fans. I’ll be anxious to see how it shakes out once 12 &13 are factored in but I’m betting the same ratios will hold. Thanks for posting your list!
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Having to remove some of my the episodes from this list was a very difficult task, but I managed to put together my definitive list of what I deem to be the top 10 best Degrassi episodes.
10) “Standing in the Dark” (S7)
09) “My Body is a Cage” (S10)
08) “When Doves Cry” (S2)
07) “Chasing Pavements” (S10)
06) “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (S12)
05) “Death or Glory” (S7)
04) “Time Stands Still” (S4)
03) “Pride” (S3)
02) “The Lexicon of Love” (S5)
01) “How Soon is Now?” (S2)
The reason I had so much trouble with this list is because ranking “the best” is extremely relative. Does it mean “the best” as in the most educational? Ones where I’ve learned the most lessons from? Most entertaining? Most wow-factor? Personal favorites? Or a combination of these factors?
I wound up just picking episodes that stood out to me and those that at the end of the day I can say I took something from them and realize these specific episodes have shaped me in a manner that I did not get (as much) out of the other episodes.
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You bring up a good point, because in my head my “favorite” episodes differ from what I think are the “best” episodes (I guess my definition of best in this scenario is one that makes a big impact emotionally…but even then there’s still subcategories to that).
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I cant really put this in order.. but ill try
1. All Falls Down (kary i cannot believe this didnt make your top 50! u must have forgotton this one! lol)
2. Time stands still
3. standing in the dark
4. jagged little pill
5. The lexicon of Love
6. Rock this town
7. West End girls
8. Doll Parts
9. Unbelievable
10. voices carry
11. dont let me get me
12. halo
honorary mentions:
come as you are, chasing pavements, pride, zombie, Sabotage, not ready to make nice, extrordinary machine, lose urself,
THIS LIST IS TOO HARD!!! TOO MANY GOOD EPISODES!!
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Here’s my Top 10 Best Degrassi Episodes:
10. Never Ever (S12)
9. Rock This Town (S6)
8. Friday Night (S1)
7. How Soon is Now? (S2)
6. The Lexicon of Love (S5)
5. Standing in the Dark (S7)
4. When Doves Cry (S2)
3. Death or Glory (S7)
2. Pride (S3)
1. Time Stands Still (S4)
Honorable Mentions:
Take on Me (S3)
I Against I (S5)
My Body is a Cage (S10)
Smash Into You (S11)
Bitter Sweet Symphony (S12)
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In no particular order:
1. Time Stands Still (S4)
2. Bitter Sweet Symphony (S12)
3. Chasing Pavements (S10)
4. The Lexicon of Love (S5)
5. Standing In the Dark (S7)
6. Don’t You Want Me (S6)
7. Pride (S3)
8. Rusty Cage (S12)
9. Mercy Street (S4)
10. Tears Are Not Enough (S2)
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I’ve literally been thinking of this all day, and my list could still very well change slightly because there are so many different episodes, but here’s my list:
1. The Bitterest Pill
2. Rock This Town( I say the Bitterest Pill before Rock This Town because even though J.T.’s death hit me hard, the reactions from TBP is hat really got me. The death was more of a breathtaking kind of thing and they did the right thing by having no music in the credits because think that’s how most people felt, just at a loss for words.)
3. Bittersweet Symphony
4. Tears Are Not Enough
5. Time Stands Still
6. Voices Carry
7.Smash Into You
8. I Against I
9. Rock & Roll High School
10. Sabotage
Honorable Mentions:
11. Come As You Are
12. Not Ready To Make Nice
13. Another Brick In The Wall
14. Weddings, Parties, Anything
15. Going Down The Road(I considered trading this with Voices Carry, but I ultimately I chose Voices Carry in it’s place. GDTR is still good in my opinion, but Voices Carry will always be one of my favorite storylines that deal with Craig being bipolar.)
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1. Time Stands Still
2. Pride
3. When Doves Cry
4. Bittersweet Symphony
5. Rock This Town
6. My Body is a Cage
7. Tears are not Enough
8. Unbelievable
9. Standing in the Dark
10. The Lexicon of Love
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Here’s my 10 best episodes and honorable mentions from Degrassi.
1. Bitter sweet symphony (s12)
2. Time Stands still (s4)
3. Rock this town (s6)
4. Boom boom pow (s11)
5. When doves cry (s2)
6. Unbelievable (s13)
7. Shout (s2)
8.Pride (s3)
9. Secret (s4)
10. How soon is now (s2)
Honorable mentions:
11. Standing in the dark (s7)
12. Don’t dream its over (s3)
13. Ghost in the machine (s4)
14.Rusty cage (s12)
15. Waterfalls (s12)
16. The world I know (s13)
17. All falls down (s10)
18. Smash into you (s11)
19. Whispers to a scream (s3)
20. Can’t tell me nothing (s11)
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These are more so my favorites that I tend to rewatch whenever I get in a Degrassi mood, since I know in terms in overall quality Shoot To Thrill is nowhere near the top 10, but I have a soft spot for that episode.
1.) Time Stands Still
2.) Our Lips Are Sealed
3.) Live To Tell
4.) Bittersweet Symphony
5.) Shoot To Thrill
6.) Whisper To A Scream
7.) Standing In The Dark
8.) Rock This Town
9.) Turned Out
10.) Secret
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Just off hand “Bittersweet Symphony” Part 2 is the best episode ever. “Spring Fever” of Episode 1 of season 11 is a close 2nd. I liked the 3 plots in the hour. Sav meeting singer Keke Palmer was fun. The other 2 were more substantial. Fiona meets Charlie at art class. Bianca gets attacked by a gang member. She and Drew face quite a few episodes dealing with the fall out.
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Kary—Do March Madness based off this this year!!! Add 14 more and do a field of 64 and lets see what wins!!
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Also Kary–did you just forget about Rock and Roll High School?? I remember you calling it your favorite episode before and now its not even included in your top 50!?
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FOR REAL KARY! we should do a march madness for the top 10 episodes!!! and everyone gets to pick there favorites!
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Great idea. I think we did something like that last year, or 2 years ago. It was picking your favorite character though.
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I’m not very good at remembering the titles so the ones i dont remember the name of ill write a brief description..lol
1. Standing In The Dark
2. Time Stands Still
3.Accidents Will Happen
4. Pride
5. Shout
6. The one where darcy chops her hair off (s7)
7. Holiday
8. Venus
9. The one where they are at the rave (s3)
10. Our Lips are Sealed
But i also love
11. Dont believe the hype (i think this is the name)
12. Drive
13. The one where Darcy is talking to that creepy guy online
14. Jagged Little Pill
15. Wannabe
16. When Doves Cry
I know there is more i just cant remember
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Omg how could i forget
MOTHER AND CHILD REUNION
SECRET
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This is going to be very tough to do but here goes nothing.
1. Time stands still(s4). I remember being 11 years old watching this and being so emotional about such a strong topic.
2. Standing in the Dark(s7)
3. When Doves Cry(s2)
4. Spring fever(s11)
5. Turned Out(s5)
6. Rock and Roll Highschool(s3)
7. Bitter sweet symphony(s12)
8. Message in a bottle (s2)
9. Zombie( s12)
10. Tie. Whisper to a scream(s3) and eye of the tiger(s4)
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