Breaking Down Degrassi: Next Class Season 3’s Episode Descriptions

Can’t see the video? Watch it here.

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I threw out some thoughts on the episode descriptions for season 3 that were released, so I’m gonna expand on a few topics below…

If there were pre-season rankings, Maya’s plot would be #1…

Maya spirals into depression after the bus crash, and this is the storyline I’m most excited to see in DNC S3 by a wide margin. If you haven’t watched Seasons 12-14 of Degrassi, I highly suggest you do so to put this story into context. Throughout seasons 13 and 14 Degrassi beautifully and consistently displayed the emotional trauma Maya was still suffering through after her boyfriend Cam committed suicide in season 12.

Now we’re here, years later, and Maya finds herself on that same dark path that took the life of someone she cared about. I’m not sure if people look at these Degrassi characters from a longterm/evolutional standpoint, but the overall arcs of Maya Matlin and Miles Hollingsworth over the past several years have been two of the best longterm stories Degrassi’s ever done.

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…and Zoë and Rasha’s would be #2.

Zoë delivered a powerful storyline in DNC S2 as she struggled to come to terms with her sexuality. Degrassi planted the seed that Zoë’s mom wouldn’t approve of Zoë being gay, and new character Rasha comes from a background where that type of relationship is frowned upon. While Degrassi’s been a pretty gay friendly show, I’m interested to see the show navigate this story, especially knowing people who’ve been in this same type of scenario.

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Degrassi fans tricked themselves into believing a bus crash death was imminent

Since we discovered the cliffhanger ending for Degrassi: Next Class Season 2, the show quietly sat back and soaked up every ounce of the death hype that was created and amplified by their fanbase. This cliffhanger was a brilliant maneuver because it kept everyone talking about the show during an exhaustively long hiatus. Wading through fans’ white noise though, major signs pointed to a bus crash death not happening:

1. The S2 finale specifically said no one had died during the crash.
2. Degrassi would not jump on the “death for shock value” trend we’ve seen in TV recently because the show doesn’t take death lightly…I pointed out months ago that there are two specific circumstances in which the death of a main character has occurred on Degrassi: a suicide plot or an actor looking to exit the show.
3. It was weird to see Lyle in this photo of cast members whose final season will be DNC S4, despite there being no visual evidence of him on set during all of shooting this past summer.

I leaned toward no death because of the reasons above, but the problem was there were just enough things floating out there to create just enough doubt to not be able to fully commit to either result:

1. Tristan was realistically the only option for a potential death, and Lyle’s absence from the plethora of social media posts by cast and crew over the summer was too big of a red flag
2. Lyle’s also been missing from the continuous stream of behind-the-scenes elements Degrassi’s been posting all year
3. Adam Torres survived his car accident in Season 13, but died later because of his injuries

With Tristan confirmed to be alive some fans have now turned their concerns to Tiny, who isn’t mentioned by name in any of the episode descriptions for DNC S3. If you’re still worried over his fate, know that he was spotted on set throughout the summer, including on one of the big shooting days near the end season 4.

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Who has an abortion is still unclear

Like with everything I just talked about in regards to uncertainty around Tristan and the bus crash, the same applies here. A LOT of signs point to Lola having an abortion, but doubt creeps in when we have such a lack of info. But what about other options?

• Maya – it’s unlikely that with the weight of a depression in itself they’d have her also deal with an abortion
• Frankie – the show just gave her a major plot that spanned most of season 2
• Grace – I’ll let you theorize on how she’d get pregnant, but I think Grace having an abortion would carry even more emotional devastation because of her condition. There’d be the possibility of her doing it because she doesn’t want to bring a child into this world knowing she’s going to die at a younger age, or that the child might also have CF.