As I get older, I realize that I’m spending less and less of my free time thinking about Degrassi. No, I’m not tired of this TV show; I’ve just grown out of the “I’m going to think about this show and analyze every detail of every plot 24/7” phase. Being in the know is fun, but sometimes it’ll lead you into unnecessarily over thinking and challenging everything.
For example…tonight’s episode is titled “Close To Me.” There also happens to be an episode from season 9 that has the same title. In the grand scheme of things does it really matter that two episodes share the same title, given that the average Degrassi fan probably couldn’t tell you what the season 9 episode was even about without looking it up?
The point is that not everything needs major questioning or analyzing, and for me previewing tonight’s episode is one of them. It’s pretty straightforward; Jenna and Connor’s plot should end up being enjoyable. If Becky’s plot continues down the expected path (blocking Jack out of jealousy and there being a big romantic misunderstanding on Imogen’s part), then it’ll be great. The only question mark comes with Maya’s plot…will it become a serviceable jumping point into discovering the reason behind Zig’s recent change in behavior, or will it become yet another love triangle for Degrassi’s future leading lady? (The former WILL happen at some point, we’re just hoping a love triangle won’t supersede it.)
The promo for next week’s episode, Army Of Me, will be posted tonight, as well as the final part of the Dress You Up webisode. My review of Close To Me 2014 will be posted tomorrow.
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Kary's Degrassi Blog 
Wow, I know how you’re feeling. :) I guess we are older we see things differently than teens, since many of us older ones have dealt with similar issues and can laugh about it now. And many of these fans need to understand that people change a lot when they get older. This is why I cringe when fans talk about relationships being endgame in HS, Its ridiculous. I know this is not about the EP but it has been bothering me for a while. These kids have no idea how much people change when they hit 17-19.. And have no clue whats in store when they leave the nest to venture there new found lives, its tough and they need to be strong and this is what Degrassi is teaching these teens.. Everything can change in a wink of the eye.. Life is Absurd. BTW I feel that Stohn is holding on to something that he needs to let go and that is. *cough* Munro/Eli… Sorry, I had to add that I’m very tired of the writers, TN, MTV and the Epitome family gloryifing unhealthy relationships they’re sending the wrong message to these teens. I am talking about walking all over your partner. Communication issues, walking on eggshells, cheating. There teaching these girls its ok to forgive and forget without talking about it, its not ok.
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I don’t believe that HS couples being endgame is a “ridiculous” idea, given the insane amount of couples from my high school that are now married. I went to school in a small town, so I also think the reality of HS couples being “endgame” in real life will vary accordingly. Degrassi has done a good job though of not just making couples endgame for the sake of doing so, excluding Spemma lol.
The only issue I have with your “glorifying unhealthy relationships” comment is the simple fact that I don’t believe a lot of the younger fans are putting much thought into the show in the first place. You’re right, the older fans look at this show from a far different perspective than younger fans, and that’s apparent simply by browsing the #Degrassi hashtag on twitter. All younger/casual fans see is a “hot guy” and a girl dating, and they just want to see them live happily ever after. There are plenty of TV shows where we could analyze the relationships and label them as being unhealthy, especially shows geared toward younger audiences and women, but the truth is people just don’t care. They have no interest in analyzing the relationship as if this were real life, because people watch TV to escape reality. They just want to see the couple onscreen, together and happy.
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I thought Degrassi was suppose to be a ‘teaching tool’? I guess I am wrong, I was watching this show as a guide line on whats happen in the teen world for my preteen. I guess I am done, that simple. I have dated my Eli, my Drew, my Spinner and in turn I married my Jake. And I am very happy.
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My tv Teen Nick listing has “What I like About You” on tonight in place of Degrassi. Anybody else have this problem?
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Teennick’s listing has been wrong all day
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Kary,
I think you’re on to something in regards to television plots and over analyzing television in general. As I’ve gotten older, I’m realizing that it just doesn’t matter to me as much anymore. It’s T.V., nobody is going to die in real life, and realistically, my life won’t change over any one episode of a show. However, I think using the title of this episode and it being a repeated title was a bad example of that. My life isn’t going to end, but when I saw the title, I instantly recognized that it was a repeat. I even went back into my DVD collection to check. I’m not a crazed fan, and I’m not even one of the younger ones (I’m going on 20, having watched the show since Season 3.) I just found it incredibly unrealistic and sloppy for them to repeat a title. Episode titles exist so that episodes are more memorable and easier to differentiate between. That’s why shows don’t generally repeat titles. It’s especially hard to forgive because “Close To Me (2009)” only aired a little over four years ago. Imagine if this show was in Season 4 or 5 and they repeated the title. Would you be as forgiving or understanding then? I don’t think any real harm was done, but I think it’s relevant and important to discuss it, and maybe it is something that should be addressed. Has it changed my life or really upset me that much? Certainly not. But does it rub me the wrong way? Yeah, it kind of does given Degrassi’s track record lately.
– Cody
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I’m sure I would’ve been annoyed back in season 4 or 5, because by the end of season 5 there were only 100 episodes. Back then I could name literally every single episode in order from memory. Close To Me 2014 is episode number 343. Almost two hundred episodes separate Close To Me 2009 and tonight’s episode alone. It’s getting to the point where it’s becoming difficult to remember episode titles because there’s so many of them, and remembering the title doesn’t guarantee remembering what happened in the episode. It’s not something I’d particularly want to see happen again, but if anything having two episodes share the same title helps in this case…these two episodes aren’t gamechangers, so the weirdness of this happening actually makes it easier to remember them both in the end.
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Kary,
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I never thought about the episode count difference, but it does put things in perspective a little. “Close To Me (2009)” is shocking one of my favorite episodes, because Declan and Jane are favorites of mine. I knew which episode it was, and the episode’s content because I liked it. It also ends with one of my favorite songs, so I do have a personal connection. I’m just saying, I wish Degrassi had better done their research. It would have taken five minutes to discover “Close to Me” was already an episode title and this wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable. But thank you Kary, I’ll continue to read your blog every week, and I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot more from me in the future. If you have anymore input about it, please feel free to post. You’re good at this.
– Cody
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I’m soon to be 25 years, married, have a child, fan since it the next generation … Still fan girling over Maya and Zig LOL
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Damn, Jenna’s got a really hot body. I see girls at the club wearing that kind of dress all the time, but I can see the problem since she’s in High School. It would have been funny if Principal Simpson was there to see her boob to see if his reaction would have been similar to when Emma took off her dress at a pep rally way back when.
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I’m finding myself becoming increasingly frustrated with Maya’s plot. On its own it’s fine, but come on now, her first boyfriend committed suicide. We had one episode where she was experiencing grief and boom… now she is on the same couch with Miles, saying ‘I love you.” I’m just hoping that somehow, Cam comes back into conversation. If I remember right, the last time we saw Zig before his makeover was the scene with Cam on the steps. Hopefully, we’ll find out Zig’s change is at least in part due to Cam’s death, and this can transition to Maya dealing with it if she and Zig get together. I mean, this is what would happen if I were writing the show. Maya, Zig, and Cam were such amazing characters when they first arrived, but since Cam’s death, they’ve lost their shine.
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I’m 25 going on 26 this year, and since 2002 I have faded in and out of avidly watching and discussing, just casually watching, and straight up not watching or giving a shit. Right now I’m watching it again, but I’m in the same boat in that I don’t feel the need to spew hate on particular characters or over-analyze them as much as I did before. I just want to enjoy the show and reblog pictures of them with funny reaction gifs, lol.
Some people get real worked up over what such-and-such character did wrong, or are over-protective of certain characters, and they get hung up on the perceived victim blaming, slut shaming, entitlement, superiority, etc. of certain characters. It’s fun to discuss these themes every now and then, but at the end of the day… it’s just a bunch of fictional teens mucking around trying to get through high school.
If the writers actually gave us the healthy high school relationships that everyone insists on seeing, there would be no show.
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