Degrassi Power Rankings: 1401

As you’ll notice below, only a little over half of the 20 ranked characters moved up or down in the rankings.  A lot of fluctuation should happen every week in the top 10.

Not every character is going to move every week and that in itself isn’t a bad thing…it becomes a concern for any character that doesn’t seem to move at all over the course of many weeks, especially for the ones near the bottom (because Jenna could easily sit there in dead last if Degrassi chooses to have her just stand around looking pretty for her final season).

To the right of their names is their previous ranking.  Green means they’ve moved up from the previous week and of course Red means they’ve dropped down.  (–) means no change.

1) Zoë Rivas (Last week: #4)
She took a punch straight to the stomach as Becky rejected her for the cheerleading squad.  Becky basically threw Zoë’s sexual assault back in her face, a heartless move by Ms. Baker.  Zoë had every right to be pissed off, and I was pleasantly surprised with how Degrassi handled her retaliation.  It wasn’t over the top, but Zoë maintained her devious flare as she smiled at Becky and ruined her day with the Clew baby news.

2) Miles Hollingsworth (#3)
The thing about Miles is that his arch (forever feuding with his father and acting out because of it) is a great topic to touch on, because parents are rarely so involved in this show nowadays.  But at the same time, things can become very repetitive if they just present the same formula again and again on screen, despite that repetitive headbutting being how things work in real life.  This specific plot is unique in that Miles intentionally brought his sexuality into the equation as a weapon against his dad.  It’s a weird, complex thing where this kid takes something that makes himself feel good (Triles) and eagerly uses it to try and take down his father.  Miles drags other people into his mess and they’re the ones who receive the brunt of the emotional explosion, but what I want to start seeing is his behavior cause him to be the one who suffers the most.

3) Clare Edwards (#6)
I liked how Degrassi had Clare go about dealing with the pregnancy.  She’s had her future planned out probably since she was 12, and seeing it in jeopardy sent her into a frenzy.  But when Clare’s told her being pregnant is a miracle, we get a glimpse of pre “my life went to hell in a handbasket in season 11” Clare, a small spark in that lost faith of hers.

4) Drew Torres (#5)
There are two different Drews on Degrassi: Good Drew and Dumbass Drew.  Good Drew made an appearance in Smells Like Teen Spirit and was great.  Coming into season 14 on a high note I expected him to be supportive of Clare.  Of course with Drew, how long will that last before the overwhelming reality of being a teen dad sets in? I still want to believe Drew won’t completely bail on Clare, but based on the promos for future episodes he’s going to have a hard time with the idea of fatherhood once it sets in.

5) Becky Baker (#2)
You feel bad for Becky because of what she’s gone through, but her actions toward Zoë in Smells Like Teen Spirit were selfish and unfair.  There are several moving pieces working together to intentionally isolate Becky.  Getting injured removes her from the cheerleading clique, while Clare’s pregnancy will eliminate her relationship with Drew.  With Drecky meeting its demise faster than you can say “Did these two forget about Adam?” expect Becky to form a bond with Jonah sooner rather than later.

6) Tristan Milligan (#8)
Poor Tristan, he doesn’t realize what he’s gotten himself into with Miles.  Or maybe he does to an extent…he knows there’s a chance Miles could be using him to get back at someone, but Tristan’s off base thinking it’s to get back at Maya.  I liked that he showed concern for Miles’ relationship with his father, and while I believe Miles likes Tristan, on a subconscious level Tris is taking this relationship far more seriously than Miles.

7)  Maya Matlin (#1)
Maya’s starting off the season in support character mode, and that’s not a bad thing.

8) Zig Novak (#7)
Same as Maya in this episode, but I’ve gotta be honest: that little bit of flirting he and Zoë did was quite entertaining.

9) Frankie Hollingsworth (–)

10) Eli Goldsworthy (–)

11) Tiny King (–)

12) Alli Bhandari (#14)
She was in excellent form in this episode, delivering great support for her best friend.  It’s just another example of how Degrassi friendships trump Degrassi relationships.

13) Winston Chu (#12)

14)  Mike Dallas (#15)
“Why do I have to be the guy who notices everything?” #ClaresBum

15) Hunter Hollingsworth (#13)

16) Connor DeLaurier (–)

17) Imogen Moreno (–)

18) Grace Cardinal (–)

19) Jack (–)

20) Jenna Middleton (–)

UNRANKED: Lola Pacini, Shay Powers, Arelene Takahashi, Jonah Haak.  Lola and Shay were the only two newbies that appeared in 1401, and they might’ve had all of one line between the two of them (FUN FACT: they would’ve had more lines in the episode, but they were left out of the final cut because of time constraints).  Right now they’re playing background, but their roles will increase as the season goes along.