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Becky Baker and the “Sex Things”

1417-1Becky is concerned Jonah doesn’t like her, because he barely wants to kiss her.  However, Jonah tells her he’s abstaining from alcohol, drugs and sex.  He doesn’t want to kiss her because he doesn’t want things to go to far.  Becky realizes she wants to do more than just kiss Jonah, but since she knows nothing about sex Imogen casually tells her to look it up.  Becky takes Imogen’s advice literally, browsing through many X-rated websites on her laptop, but still finds herself clueless about what to do with Jonah.  When Becky and Jonah present their project in class, Becky uses her laptop during the presentation and accidentally reveals her sex-filled search history to the entire class.  She receives detention and her mom is furious, but Becky tells her she’s confused because she doesn’t know what God would think about her feeling this way.  During Becky and Jonah’s recording session, she tells him that kissing isn’t enough and she wants more.  Jonah’s afraid things will go too far, but Becky assures him that she’s has no plans to break her vow to remain a virgin until marriage.

QUICK GRADE: B+
QUICK REVIEW: This plot was really funny as we watched a naive Becky enter the realm of discovering sex, from realizing she wants to put her hands under his shirt to Googling sex-related things.  The cool thing is she wasn’t exploring sexuality through actual sexual activity, she was trying to learn about all the freaky stuff people do that isn’t intercourse.  There’s also a conflict there, as she doesn’t know if God will approve of her wanting to act on her impulses.  The most interesting part of the story is that Jonah wants to refrain getting physical with Becky.  He’s had sexual partners in the past, but he’s abstinent now and doesn’t want to jeopardize that.  My mind was blown in this episode because every plot had characters actually talking out their issues and communicating effectively.  Even Becky’s mom offered useful, non-judgmental advice for once.

Maya vs. Tristan

1417-2Maya’s looking to get a good grade in gym class, but that’s going to be an issue when her partner is Tristan.  They must do the salsa together, but because Tristan’s still mad at Maya he’s not really interested in cooperating.  At home, Zig helps teach Maya the dance and also tells her she needs to talk to Tristan and settle things.  Tristan and Maya meet, and he gets everything off his chest.  He feels like she gets everything she wants in the world and has taken away the things that made him happy (Yates and Miles).  He’s also upset that he lost Maya as his best friend, and she tells him she’s needed him too; the two end up reconciling.  Maya returns home in a happy mood, and while horsing around with Zig the two finally kiss.

QUICK GRADE: B
QUICK REVIEW: This plot served two purposes: one was to make Zaya officially a thing, which assists in setting up Zig to leave the Matlins’ house and progress the gang plot.  The other was to reunite Maya and Tristan as friends so his character isn’t relying solely on his friendship with Zoë to exist in the universe.  Another great conversation between characters is had as Tristan speaks and Maya listens.  I’ve loved Maya the last several blocks as she stepped in to help her friends, even when they couldn’t help themselves.  “I hate how you always think you know what’s best for me,” Tristan says.  I still believe Maya did the right thing when she outed Tristan and Yates’ relationship, but at the same time Maya does have a way of sometimes jumping in to help people without thinking about whether or not it’s the best course of action.
Tristan saying Maya has a “perfect little life” is similar to Zoë believing Frankie’s “rich dad” would bail Frankie out of the Degrassi Nudes scandal if she were to blame.  We perceive people’s lives based on surface-level stuff (money, looks, relationships).  People’s lives on Facebook don’t tell the whole story, but that doesn’t stop us from assuming they have everything.  It makes sense that Tristan, whose Achilles heel is desire to be loved yet can never find it, would feel like Maya “has it all” (despite him having no evidence to support that).  I just love that we had a character express there feelings, and the other person sit there and listen to what they’re saying.

Eclare Takes On Parenting

1417-3Clare’s been studying up on parenting 101, and since she’s feeling sort of prepared Dallas offers her and Eli the chance to babysit his son Rocky for the night.  The two face a couple of challenges during the evening:  Clare has a hard time getting Rocky to put his pants on.  Eli brings Rocky a watergun to play with, but Clare doesn’t think that’s a good idea.  The two try to put together a crib, but Clare’s worried they won’t assemble it properly.

Her true concern is that she’s afraid she doesn’t know what she’s doing and they’ll do everything wrong as parents, but Eli tells her there is no right answer.  When two go in for Clare’s next appointment to check on the baby, the doctor has devastating news: he can no longer find the baby’s heartbeat.

QUICK GRADE: B
QUICK REVIEW: Good stuff so far with Eclare looking like they could handle parenthood.  It’s amazing how night and day things are when they’re actually communicating vs. the random nonsense they’ve been thrown into for several seasons now.  Unfortunately, the moment we’ve been dreading has arrived as Clare has lost the baby.  This one hits close to home.  There’s a good chance you’ll know someone in your lifetime who’s suffered a miscarriage.  I don’t really have anything else to say besides there’s no worse feeling in the world than losing a child.

Posted by Kary

14 Comments

  1. I posted this on the Degrassi Wiki, but I’ll repost it w/r/t the Traya reunion.

    Where does Tristan get off telling Maya that she ruined everything good that’s ever happened to him? Grant Yates was a PEDOPHILE, and Tristan, even knowing that Yates was groping other students, is still convinced that the two of them had some grand, tragic love story, and that Yates actually loved Tristan. Maya was right in letting Simpson know what was going on.

    And as for the Miles thing – Maya wasn’t trying to steal Miles back. She was sticking around because his behavior was reckless and he was becoming a danger to himself, while Tristan turned a blind eye to it all because he got to mack on the school heart throb. How does Tristan not realize that Maya’s behavior was a result of the trauma she experienced as a result of what happened to Cam?

    These “wonderful relationships” of Tristan’s were toxic and potentially dangerous. If Maya were interfering in trivial things in Tristan’s life, I could see where he’s coming from. But to report her friend’s relationship with a pedophile to the authorities, and to be concerned about the self-destructive behaviour of his “boyfriend” (I use quotes because I’m still not convinced that Miles had sincere feelings for Tristan. I think the two of them were just using each other for comfort) – those are legit reasons to “meddle” in Tristan’s life.

    Don’t get me wrong – I’m glad that Maya and Tristan have made amends, but I was really hoping that their reconciliation would come as a result of some actual growth and maturity on Tristan’s part. Instead, Tristan gets to continue being a self-obsessed little brat who’s convinced that Maya “betrayed” him, and Maya totally accepts this and takes him back, even going so far as to tell Tristan that she “needed” him in her life. The little prick just doesn’t get it. He’s so desperate to be loved, jumps into unhealthy relationships, ends his only healthy realtionship – his friendship with Maya, and then has the audacity to act like he’s too good for her. Maya’s too good for him!

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    1. Preach omg, Tristan seriously needs to get over himself lol.

      However in the future I do wish that he does have a healthy relationship with a guy who actually likes him

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  2. I’m disappointed how it seems that zig likes Maya all of the sudden again once she kisses him. God.

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    1. And this is coming from a zaya fan. Clare, next time adopt one. I’m sorry

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  3. Bullshit for them to write a miscarriage. I’m absolutely done.

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  4. I’m not really sure if Claire has had a miscarriage yet. I’ve had a child and when you get to a certain period of pregnancy you usually don’t miscarriage. Will be interesting to watch!

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    1. Sadly Jordan, idk. Its almost the end of Clare’s run. You could ask them for a spinoff of Clare and Eli. XD and Clare is like 18, so yeah.

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    2. That’s what I thought at first, because of the way the doctor worded it. He said he was “no longer hearing the heartbeat.” He left room for the narrowest sliver of hope because he didn’t entirely blockade every avenue leading to recovery. “No longer hearing the heartbeat” leads you to believe that “not hearing the heartbeat” doesn’t necessarly cue the end of the story with a miscarriage, and sort of implies that the baby might survive after all…especially if the doctors are planning to run more tests on him in utero.

      Then again, history has shown that Degrassi can pitch curve balls at a complete 360.

      Please don’t let this be false hope! I really do hope this all goes away. I’m counting on this, Jordan. If Eclare doesn’t have the baby, my life will be ruined.

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    3. She could have a stillborn.

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  5. It was obvious from the beginning that Clare was going to lose the baby. She wouldn’t have been far enough along to deliver before graduation and there’s no way that the writers would send their favorite character off pregnant. They really should have saved this storyline for a different character (preferably one who hasn’t already sucked screentime away from other characters) so that there would some element of surprise.

    Also, once a character goes through a ridiculous amount of trauma on this show, it gets harder and harder to care as much when bad things keep happening to them again and again. Don’t get me wrong, what happened to Clare was horrible, but if another character had been given this storyline, I would have been a lot more emotionally invested. Since it happened to a character that has already dealt with so much, my reaction was basically “AGAIN?!” I felt the same way about Emma’s eating disorder, Craig’s coke habit, Paige’s HIV scare, Drew thinking he was the baby’s father, etc. Clare getting pregnant in the first place was the turning point from “OMG!” to “meh”.

    Becky’s storyline was great, though. It’s something that a lot of people can relate to.

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    1. I totally agree with that

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  6. The only thing that worries me about Clare’s baby story lose, the writers will make her emotionally better in the next few ep’s, so Clare will be happy and glowing at prom and Graduation. So Eclare can have their happy Fairytale ending.. In reality it takes women a lot longer to to move on, its common when women lose the baby in thier 2 & 3rd trimester. They have to deliver the baby and say goodbye. Sometimes its known they tend to push the father way especially when they are not married. Thats why they go to therapy.

    I loved this with Becky, she is still not afraid to speak her mind and learning new things. She is sheltered and this is why I understand her. I think Jonah and Drew are the key for helping Becky to open her mind to this reality so she will be ok when she takes that next step in adulthood for University without being that naive,

    I have no words for Maya & Zig, I loved their friendship too much.. Totes to Tris & Maya making up.

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  7. I’m not even a Eclare fan but how Eli & Clare were acting last night with Rocky is normal for new to be parents. Its nice they did communicate about it its awful that they didn’t hear the heartbeat. And now she will have to deliver this baby and I feel in the next ep she going to avoid grieving.. But what angers me the most are those fans saying I’m glad the baby died so Eli & Clare can go to NY for University??? TBH with those fans life doesn’t work that way. Knowing who Clare is she told Columbia she was taking time off for her baby. So she will be put on a waiting list.. As for Eli since he is a student already at NYU he can go back anytime. I feel That Clare is not going to be emotionally stable and I feel either something unexpected happens with her near graduation. That puts a pit with Eli. We have been seeing this with Clare after her cancer. I think Clare is scared to move on without Eli. I feel she got back together with because of the baby out of obligation. Clare is so unsure about Eli and I think at the end they will have that strength to move without each other. Thats why I think thats how they end the Eclare chapter… No endgame, Just The End.

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    1. What you wrote makes absolute sense and yet I’d be very angry to see it. I know it would make clare a much better character but to be honest I also feel like it would mean she doesn’t really open herself up to love. It’s really hard to explain but I truly believe her and eli are EPIC and should be endgame.They have gone through so much and love each other still… I’d be very disappointed if they ended it:/ You could tell during clare’s time in new york who well they worked together. It was so easy! I don’t know how to explain myself I will be just so incredible angry if they make bhandallas and jonner endgame and not eclare. That would not be okay I’m sorry

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