DREW PLOT RECAP: Dallas and Drew receive a great grade on their business project, and Dallas thinks they should go into the party-planning business for real. However, Drew shoots down the idea because he’s too distraught over being fired by Mr. Hollingsworth. Realizing that he was wrongfully terminated, Drew tries to get his job back, but while pleading with Mr. H he accidentally knocks him into the pool. A reporter catches the ordeal and gives Drew her card in hopes that he’ll give her details. Later Miles tells Drew that he shouldn’t tell the reporter about Mr. H’s affair. Mr. H thinks Drew is going to blackmail him for money, but instead Drew asks him for a letter of reference and a list of contacts.
“I only want what’s rightfully owed to me as a former employee…to help me move forward.”
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but for what seems like the first time ever, Drew Torres made a smart decision.
If I were 10 or 15 years younger, I’m not sure if I would like this storyline. I’d probably be too consumed with “how bizarre” it is that Drew somehow attracts constant attention from the opposite sex, and how his inability to handle it is his downfall. But as an old man (I’m 30), I enjoy what this plot presented in terms of how you should conduct yourself at times in the professional world.
It’s really simple, if you’re quitting a job or have been let go, do not burn bridges on the way out. There are obviously exceptions to the rule, but in Drew’s case there was a way for him to ultimately get what he wanted without doing so.
We live in a digital age where people don’t hesitate to jump online and blast anyone and anything that annoys them, including their job. I’ve even watched people I know constantly complain about their job and coworkers on social media. Why on earth would you do that?!?! As Spinner Mason once said, “There is no such thing as privacy on the web.”
It’s usually an emotional response that fuels that kind of action, which ties into what’s gotten Drew in trouble over the past two episodes (and basically all season). I’ve stated it a million times, but Drew is obsessed with revamping his image. He wants the world to see him as a good guy who isn’t a failure. However, he’s so fixated on it that he fails to think things through…or in this case, he was over thinking things. With Mrs. Hollingsworth he jumped the gun on a situation that Mr. Hollingsworth had no idea about, and honestly I don’t think Frankie or Mrs. H would’ve said anything. The way Miles told Drew about how his dad’s affair doesn’t need to be publicized shows the Hollingsworth family is well trained in the art of keeping secrets.
And when you think about it, what exactly would Drew have gained by telling the press about Mr. Hollingsworth’s affair? Even when talking to Drew, Mr. H was in politician mode the entire episode. A scandal would ruffle some feathers, but Mr. H has more than enough power to crush Drew’s ability to obtain a meaningful career before he even graduated high school.
Drew simply asking Mr. H for a reference letter and contacts is the smartest move this kid will probably ever make. I work in an industry where people switch jobs pretty often, so who you know and the connections you make are everything. It’s good to see a plot that shares an idea even adults can learn from.
On a side note, kudos to Drew and Clare for actually listening to each other long enough to resolve their differences. As expected, it was one of those situations where the two weren’t going to accomplish anything until they had time to cool off and think things through. And with him having completed yet another arch, I can hear sighs of relief everywhere as it looks like the Drew Torres rollercoaster has come to its final stop in season 13.
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BECKY PLOT RECAP: After spending most of her time online, Becky is ready to meet Sir Excellence in real life. However, she’s disappointed when she finds out it’s Hunter, Miles’ 9th-grade brother. Hunter is heartbroken when Becky calls things off, and once the two finally meet IRL he yells at her for ruining everything. Becky decides it’s time for her to finally talk to her family and tell them how she feels. Becky’s mom tells her that their family needs to stick together, and that Becky needs to stand up for Luke during the trial.
The primary thing I wanted from the plot was for it to intensify my excitement for the upcoming trial; it did just that.
We know that Becky is basically being punished for being honest after turning in her brother Luke, but what’s interesting about this entire situation is the overlap between Becky and Hunter. You’ve got two characters whose lives suck, and they find comfort in each other online. In my experiences in the online world, people nowadays grow close friendships that sometimes expand into people meeting and becoming close in person. However, Hunter is dead set against that. One of the cool things is we don’t really need much insight into what’s driven Hunter into Realm of Doom, because it’s been established through other plots that his family is secretly a trainwreck. “Real world people always disappoint,” Hunter says to Becky. “Online, I’m a hero.”
His obsession with escaping online gets Becky to realize that she’s a bit too reliant on Realm of Doom, and finally talk to her family. However, Mrs. Baker is even more infuriating than in How Bizarre as she asks Becky to protect Luke at the trial. “We both know he didn’t do anything wrong,” Mrs. Baker says. Kind of like how some parents refuse to believe their kid is the bad one when they get in trouble at school, the Baker parents’ behavior screams that they’re in denial. The overall sexual assault plot was based on the Steubenville rape case, so the hope is Degrassi will follow through on how that trial turned out. But it’s still a disturbing reality to know the people you love and trust may pressure you into going against what you believe is right.
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ZIG PLOT RECAP: Gang watchman José sets up a meeting between Zig and his mom, who haven’t spoken since Zig was kicked out. However, Zig is too nervous and bails on the first meeting. After his fear starts affecting his job performance at the restaurant, Zig meets his mother at Maya’s house. Zig prepares dinner for her, and the two reconcile.
At long last, we finally learn why Zig was kicked out of his house. He was selling drugs out of his parents’ store, and one day someone went to the store looking to rob Zig. However, Zig wasn’t there…his mother and little brother were.
Now Zig’s scared that his mother won’t forgive him. Similar to Becky’s plot, Zig’s now turns into a scenario where he’s using an activity (his job) as an excuse to avoid confronting his issues. But unlike Becky’s parents, Zig’s mom listens. It’s a heartwarming scene as Zig serves his mom dinner, and she sees he’s trying to change. My favorite scene in the entire episode though happened in the kitchen between Zig and the no-nonsense chef. Zig let his personal issues bleed all over his job, and the chef realized that. She showed compassion by calming him down, but still kept it real with him.
“Small kitchen, there’s no room for your baggage,” she says. “You got issues with someone you take it out on them, not me.”
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Kary's Degrassi Blog 
I loved this EP.. And it sucks for Becky to be pitted like this. Very happy about Zig & his mom. Im happy Drew finally made a the mature decsion and to talk to Clare. What I am really angry at is the some of the fandom giving Drew hate after this EP and bring up his past relationships. His past has nothing to with this EP. Are fans that angry that Clare & Drew talked things out and may still have feelings for each other. The fans need to grow up. We know Clare lashed out to Drew for the wrong reasons. She still pissed at Eli. BTW Kary stay off Tumblr for a while, its bad.
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I didn’t really get the vibe that Clare and Drew have feelings for each other right now, but since they’re still going to be around in season 14 of course the option of them getting together will still be there (depending on what happens with Eclare in NYC). I’m nowhere near as involved with tumblr as I used to be. I’ll check out the Degrassi tag every once in a while, but I stay away from the ship and character tags.
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I hope Clare chooses herself in the finale. I’m sorry the Eclare train it mase me laugh when the writers had Drew call them Epic, what a joke. They are so over done and so ruined. I tried in S12 but nope. I’m really done with them.
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“What I am really angry at is the some of the fandom giving Drew hate after this EP and bring up his past relationships. His past has nothing to with this EP.”
Drew’s actions in this one episode doesn’t erase the loathsome things he’s done ever since he first showed up on the show. He still hasn’t proven that he’s a good guy yet. TBH, it’s too late for him in my eyes.
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I so want to throttle Becky’s mother! What planet is she on? There’s a video on her son’s cell phone that proves that he did what he’s accused of! I really hope Becky doesn’t cave in and lie on the stand – her family has let HER down, not her letting them down. I get that they’re tight-knit – but the fact that her dad is a minister means he should be standing up for what’s right and good, rather than trying to cover his son’s tracks. Anything else equals someone who, to me, no longer has the right to be a minister and call themselves a Man of God, ya know?
Proud of Zig for coming clean about he got kicked out – FINALLY. And patching things up with his mother. It’s long overdue.
As for Hunter and the Hollingsworth clan . . . is it bad that part of me so wanted Drew and Miles to team up and go after his dad? And for Mama Torres to step in with her lawyer skills and help them? I just really want to see Mr. Hollingsworth go down – the guy is a scumbag, and frankly, if I were a voter, I wouldn’t want someone like him as mayor. I am thrilled the Drew-train has come to a stop – we need a break, as much as I love Drew. The only thing I want to still see from him this season is if he and Clare finally manage to get together. I really don’t want Clare crawling back to Eli – there’s just too many problems there and it’s an unhealthy situation.
Overall, the episode was good, even if it did feel rushed. I think it’s time for the writers to quit cramming three plot lines in one half-hour episode – it’s just too much, and as we’ve seen this season – it doesn’t always allow for good story and character development. However – I think including Hunter and Frankie in small plots here and there this season has been a good move – it gives us a chance to get used to them and get to know them before they (more-than-likely) become major players next season – same with Jack (who I still cannot stand), Grace, and Tiny.
Looking forward to next week’s episode . . . even if it is focused on two characters I really don’t care about . . . 8~/
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I know this has nothing to with this EP but If Eli loves Clare so much why is he still friends with Lenore? This has been bugging me for awhile. I understand why Clare & Drew need to work stuff out, they work together and had a friendship before Eli cheated. TBH I think Eli & Lenore are beautiful together. (Please No Hate).
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Jessica, you raised several good points. It is hypocritical for Becky’s Minister father to condemn people for being gay, gambling, etc. but than excuse or cover up his own son’s sexual crimes. Of course there is a lot of hypocricy in religion so maybe this is no surprise. ……Kary, Miles father is running against Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. (Of course this plot was written before the crack smoking Mayor made world headlines.) I agree with Jessica. Someone running an ethical “get the bums out” campaign should be exposed as being just as corrupt and even a bigger part of the flawed establishment. If this was “Room 222” in the 1970’s the high school kids would have worked together to bring Miles dad down. They would have recorded him on the phone and in person. They would have spilled the beans to the reporter. Than Drew could be black listed by the establishment, but he could get a job at Mother Jones magazine or MSNBC cable tv. There are still institutions that hire whistle blowers and give them protections. I would love to have Miles father debate the real life Toronto Mayor Rob Ford on the show. Expose both of them for the creeps and parasites they are. Rob Ford wanted a 2nd career as an actor or sports broadcaster and the stupid idiot wouldn’t be able to resist this tempting role of playing himself. :(
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I actually like what their doing with the “hypocrisy in religion” twist. It happens more than people think. You know, I wonder if the Bakers’ congregation knows what Luke did?If not, it might make for an interesting problem to add to the Baker family situation. Any thoughts on that Kary or anyone else?
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That is a really interesting point! I would venture to say that if the congregation knew about what Luke did, they might seek to relieve Mr. Baker of his duties as pastor. That may be a stretch, but it’s also a possibility. Either way, I absolutely LOVE this plot line, and I can’t wait to see what Becky does on the stand. It seems like the age old conflict of right and wrong with relation to yourself and your family, but for some reason if feels different for me. Can’t wait to see how this plays out! Loved this EP, by the way.
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What doesn’t add up in my opinion is the approach they used in the last scene with Becky and her mom. It felt weird to have Mrs. Baker tell Becky everything was all right and then ask her to stand up for her brother at the trial. I understand why the writers chose that approach, though. But I don’t think that’s nessecarily the best approach. I know that Mrs. Baker was trying to appeal to Becky’s pathos, but it just didn’t feel right. Especially when Mrs. Baker KNOWS that Becky turned her brother in and KNOWS Becky is one for doing the right thing. In my opinion, the best approach would have been for Mrs. Baker to chastise Becky and then FORCE her to comply with the family’s wishes of her standing up for Luke. It would be better because it would better emphasize the struggle that Becky is going through. Adding to that, it would be even more interesting because we all know that Becky isn’t usually one to disobey. That being said, I understand why the writers took the approach they did, but I also think that there was another way they could have gone about doing it. What do you think Kary?
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I think Mrs. Baker was taking advantage of Becky’s weakness at that moment- she felt rejected, and unloved by her family, so sure, you’re still loved, and you’re still part of the family… as long as you play along and do what we want. It’s complete and total emotional blackmail on poor Becky, and I’m interested to see how this will play out in the end.
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And by force I mean like “give her no other choice” type of force. They could even go as far as to kicking Becky out of the house because she failed to do what they say. That would really emphasize the hypocrisy of the whole situation.
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Hailee, good posts to think about. I wondered too why they didn’t lay a guilt trip on Becky by saying “You cost your dad his flock and livelihood.” Or threaten to kick her out of the house if she doesn’t obey them and change her stance to help her brother. Problem is I assume the tape got out there and the police made copies. So all Becky could do was say that her brother told her he was drunk and didn’t know what happened until his friend showed him the tape he made. Kind of a temporary insanity defense.
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I have experience teaching very conservative, Christian girls, so here’s a little insight into people like Mrs. Baker:
It became very clear to me when she told her daughter, ‘You’re not that type of girl!” that she has a worldview where women are temptresses who lead good men astray. Her son is a good Christian boy. She probably views Zoe as a loose Hollywood girl who got Luke into trouble. So in her mind, there was no crime. Becky was just confused and made a poor decision. Sadly, this is all too common and why rape charges are often dropped.
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i think beckys mom means more than she is purposely disregarding the tape & evidence so far because she wants to convince herself that her son didnt do anything wrong. people can convince themselves to believe whatever they want, to some degree at least. here she is just choosing to believe luke either did nothing or nothing more than kiss zoe.
now if you get technical on the zoe situation there was either no crime committed that can be proven, or it would be something minor. the doctor said zoe wasnt raped, and all the video showed was the boys kissing zoe slightly & barely touching her. they can say she told them to kiss her & touch her, and its her word against theirs. plus, again, if simply kissing & touching a girl’s leg who is drunk and may or may not want that, is a crime, it would be like a few hours of community service. but thats the real world & degrassi is obviously making it more serious than that, i dont think luke would have an ankle tracker in real life either.
but anyway i think the part where the mom says she knows becky will side with luke at the trial will make for a pretty compelling section when that situation plays out.
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I have to comment because BRIAN pissed me off. She was raped.
The doctor said she had ‘objects’ inserted ‘into her’ (like, uh, durrr, vagina and anus – but this is Degrassi, not Law & Order: SVU, so they tend to leave those details out since the rating’s no higher than TV-PG most of the time/SVU is TV-14 SVD). How the hell is that not ‘rape’?? That’s why the ‘sexual misconduct’ – or whatever shady crap they want to make-up to cover up the severity of the situation – is stupid for the writers to go with. It was literal rape that Luke and his a-hole buddy are being charged with.
If the writers thought it was more serious than they’re making it, they would have written Luke being sent to jail to await trial, not sitting comfy at home with an ankle monitor like some rich sports a-hole.
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