Degrassi Source posted a screenshot of TV listings that reveal the episode descriptions for the first 4 episodes of 13D.
(NOTE: Ignore the “airdate” listed next to You Are Not Alone, since it’s clearly incorrect.)
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MTV posted a press release today that has an alternated description of You Are Not Alone:
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Maya (Olivia Scriven) is doing her best to keep Zig (Ricardo Hoyos) safe, but when she snoops and finds a bag of drugs, her worst fears are confirmed. Winston (Andre Kim) is on the prowl for his first lady friend when he realizes the perfect girl has been right under his nose for years.
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Who would’ve guessed that Becky Baker is the one Stephen Stohn was talking about six months ago?
Kary's Degrassi Blog 
Teennick’s promo for this next block looks promising, but after reading these plots, mixed with what we’ve seen so far this season, I don’t know… it feels like hit or miss. I’ve been disappointed with season 13, especially after an incredibly written season 12. I know Epitome reads your blog Kary, and I hope that TeenNick reads your posts and the comments as well.
The writers for this show are good… we’ve seen what they’re capable of, so it’s difficult to understand why this season has been so random/lackluster. Last season touched on a lot of issues, darker issues not regularly seen on teen-drama television (sexual harassment, self-harm, suicide). It worked for Degrassi because that’s what Degrassi is known for, tackling issues television hasn’t.
This season is purely kitsch… the storylines have become choppy and not compelling. The characters and their growth make the show, yet in season 13, the characters lack individuality; they talk the same/behave the same/react the same… some react to problems in bizarre/unrealistic ways. Just compare every character now to what they were like in season 12.. it’s a completely different show.
Like I said, the writers are good. However, it only makes sense that the suicide last season and the darkness of season 12 drove TeenNick over the edge… it does not fit their channel or their image, so they tried to compensate with a light, comedic, relationship-fueled season. I’m sure the writers had amazing ideas for this season, but they were limited by the network, which inadvertently cheapened the quality of the show.
TeenNick, Degrassi is the most successful programming you have… it’s original and fresh. I know your teen audience is not solely attracted to funny, bright, or cheap drama, but they are looking for shows that allow them to think in an entirely new way. Degrassi is what your channel needs, so give the writers freedom, they know these characters and the storylines for them… trust them!
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I could not have said it better! Degrassi really had something – their ‘thing’ – and they kind of lost it this season. I always look forward to see the new episode each week, but they have let me down most of the time. Not every storyline can be fantastic or deep going, but this season the majority of the storylines I found disappointing. Except for a few who were (really) good – like the one about Clare having cancer, Alli who was in a violent relationship, Miles having conflicts with his dad and the sexual assault that had (and will have) big consequences for Zoë and Becky – most of them were all about relationships. Like every episode with Zig in it, I hoped we would get more to know about Zig’s background and what exactly happened with him over the summer. But instead we get stupid (sorry my opinion) relationship drama and relationships triangles … Sometimes some relationship drama can be nice, but it was just too much this season.
Also like you say, they made it more light and comedic. But because of those factors Degrassi has become more one of the ‘other’ many shows. Degrassi was indeed really good and different, but it was also more realistic and relatable. And sometimes it is even in the little details, like the ‘look’ of the show and characters. Everything is so colorful and bright (don’t get my wrong, I love color and wear it a lot), every character almost look like they stepped right out of a magazine, the girls wear lipstick, their hair is styled… Everything just looks so polished! And that makes it a bit fake for me, cause high school does not look like that in my opinion (it has a dark, grungy side that the last three seasons definitely showed). Because of that the show loses a lot of his credibility to me. And also, Paris does not look like that. It is indeed a very beautiful city and has his picturesque places, but they made it so cliché. I know they used green screens and they did a really good job with the few resources they had. But they did give a very idealistic and unrealistic image of Paris (and France in general). Those kids also must have had a lot of money to stay for that long in the centre of Paris. It’s not cheap you know.
But I will stop complaining now, and just look forward to the last episodes of the season! And they better be good … ;-)
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Three out of four of those bios include Drew Torres. Drew started out the season with his brother dying, the “love of his life” leaving him, and numerous hiccups in his presidency from his Beach Bash failure to his fight with Winston. Then we moved to his relationship with Zoe which crashed and burned and led to him being accused of statutory rape. After that he started liking Clare fully knowing he couldn’t have her and had to deal with Miles’ party while his dad was away. And finally in the finale he got a glimpse of happiness when Eclare ended but the writers screwed him over again.
I am just tired of the writers feeling the need to take certain characters and just continuously bash the heck out of them.The difference between Drew and someone like Maya(who they bash a lot) is at least Maya gets periods of happiness to offset the bashing. She was genuinely happy for a lot of the season when she was with Miles. Drew NEVER gets a break. It is always one thing after another with no good in between. The only thing he was given this season was the internship with Mr. Hollingsworth, and apparently that is about to also go up in flames.
I feel like the writers are in a mindset that things have to “hit the fan” for the viewers to be entertained. There are ways to keep things interesting and not turn things into “Dante’s Inferno” The more random drama they pump into the show the less affect it has on the viewers. I’d advise a balance of drama and good, because when you just have drama, you have a Drew Torres, who is looking more and more like Degrassi’s next candidate for suicide.
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It’s not characters being bashed that I have a problem with. After all, the trauma is what makes the show so interesting. What I do have a problem with is the amount of screentime that said characters get, while certain other characters get the shaft. Why can’t they give characters like Drew or Clare a break for awhile and focus on characters who desperately need storylines and have potential, like Connor? This is a problem that goes back as far as Season 4, when they could have changed the show’s name to “The Craig Manning Show”.
Another poster said that Epitome reads this blog. Well, I hope that they see this. I know that one commenter on a blog probably won’t make a difference, but it’s nice that they’re able to see our complaints.
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Are they using 90’s songs as naming conventions now? I know I read something about them looking at other eras since the show is older now.
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