Degrassi 13C has been a bit on the intense side for these first 8 episodes, so it’s not surprising that they’re leading with less-heavy stuff tonight in What It’s Like. All three plots tonight feature some level of intrigue. I’m not ready to assume Becky and Imogen will be swapping spit (and spitting on Adam’s grave by getting together) in the end even though network promos make it seem that way; I think something deeper is in play here.
Connor is forever an interesting character, and his blunt nature because of his Aspergers leaves you wondering what he’s going to say next. Yes he has a girlfriend, but he still doesn’t necessarily know how to socialize and handle emotional situations properly and we may see an instance where that affects his relationship with Jenna tonight.
From the promos, watching Maya and Zig very vaguely reminds me of Wheels during the final years of Degrassi High. They’re not really copying his arch, but part of it’s similar in that a character is helping another one who truly has nowhere else to go. I’ll post promos for next week’s episode tonight and my review of this episode will come tomorrow.
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What a coincidence…
So one of the worries fans have is whether or not there will be a “proper followup” to Zoë’s sexual assault (proper followup is in quotations because that term is relative to each fan). However, a legitimate question to ask is “Will we still see any lingering effect of that situation in Zoë’s character a year from now?”
I mentioned Wheels from Degrassi Junior High above, and I’d like to think his arch from Season 3 of DJH until the end of the series is a great example of a major event having a profound, long-term effect on a character. After tragedy struck, things just went downhill from there. Wheels was never able to completely get his life back on track in those final three seasons, blaming everyone but himself for the situations he found himself in. Eventually, he wound up doing something far worse than stealing from Joey’s mom.
If you haven’t watched any of the old school Degrassi episodes, below are links to the major episodes involving Wheels’ arch in the final years of the show.
DJH 301 (Can’t Live With Em Pt. 1): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qDJRQoooeU
DJH 302 (Can’t Live With Em Pt. 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoyzIUJpH60
DJH 311 (Taking Off Pt. 1): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfonhMDF424
DJH 312 (Taking Off Pt. 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neyV8YnqmRw
Degrassi High 204 (A Tangled Web): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUsGtEGP5ZM
Degrassi High 208 (Home Sweet Home): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgpDLsA4Ywo
Schools Out!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSC5WqttAOA
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Kary's Degrassi Blog 
I honestly feel that Becky is very much alone and may get jealous of Imogen leaving her as a friend like Jenna did for a relationship. And thats about it. Becky really has no one after what happened in the last EP. Her family maybe very upset with her about turning her brother in. Becky is going to an emotional mess.
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That’s exactly what I’m thinking.
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Thanks Kary for mentioning Wheels. Terrible tragedy happens to him in the graduation rap up “Schools Out.” His real life portrayer became tragic too. Still don’t know exactly how he died in real life. Could have been drugs or diabetes or something else.
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It was said he died of “natural” causes. Wheels was a really interesting character to watch. Has Degrassi had another character as tragic as Wheels? I’m not talking a character whose life was tragic because they ended up dying (Cam/Rick/J.T./Adam), but a character who just seemed as though fortune was never on their side. I’d love to see a character not get a happy ending on this show, just because everyone’s stories seem to wrap up so nicely now, and it’s not realistic (like a lot of the stuff on the show, but I digress…). Ultimately, we want to see those who struggle succeed, but the fact is that a lot of people get dealt some pretty nasty blows in life, and don’t get happy endings.
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Well said.
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Maybe Becky is pansexual? Even though it’s unlikely she would have strong feelings for Imogen, maybe she’s grown and developed as a character to not have a sexual preference for anyone.
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I didn’t really care about the Jenna/Connor plot, but I liked the other two and I’m interested to see what they’ll build up to…
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After watching tonight’s episode, it seems as though Becky and Imogen are having some major communication issues. Becky asked Imogen to the semi-formal for the purpose of having a girls night to make sure she doesn’t lose her friend during a tough time in her life. But Becky’s wording of this to Imogen was a bit weird, which caused Imogen to react to it as an attempt at taking things to the next level. Hopefully this situation doesn’t turn out with Becky falling for Imogen though, because I’d hate that.
As for Maya and Zig’s plot, I would hope that them being housemates would make for a sweet friendship between the two, since they obviously care for each other. After all, they did meet when they were just innocent little niners lol. But I already know this is probably just a way to get this love triangle going, which is getting kind of old for me.
As for Jenna and Connor’s plot, I enjoyed it simply because Connor’s lines are always just so damn good lol. Also, what other couple is there on the show for them to go up against, besides Maya and Miles? Now that I think about it, for all the relationship drama we’ve gotten, it seems weird that there are only two couples. Also, I could be wrong but I feel like this is one of the smaller casts we’ve had in awhile. It could just be that they all seem to interact with each other, but I don’t think so. I also feel like the show has been doing a good job of incorporating new characters in minor roles (Frankie, Hunter, Grace), and hopefully they stick around, because after this school year, A LOT of characters will be graduating.
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I don’t think that Becky was trying to ask her to the semiformal as a friend. I think she was manipulating Imogen into going with her because she knows that if she is romantically involved with her, Imogen won’t have time for anyone else. I think she is desperate for friendship after what happened to her brother.
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Really? I didn’t even think about it that way. I guess my image of Becky being so naive and somewhat of an angel makes it harder for me to see her manipulating Imogen. I just thought she was trying to be upfront, and Imogen cut her off and assumed she meant it in a romantic way. But you bring up a valid point, especially because Becky is so desperate. I guess we’ll see.
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So isn’t Zig supposed to have a drug dealer storyline or was that just a rumor? Cause I really hope that they go more in depth with why he got kicked out of his house.
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Taking Off forever the best episode of the old school Degrassi
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