Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Sunday, I will be reviewing the Canadian series, Degrassi Junior High, which aired on CBC and PBS from 1987 to 1989!  The series can be streamed on YouTube!

This week, we have the episode that would eventually turn out to be the most important in the history of the Degrassi franchise.

Episode 1.11 “It’s Late”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on March 29th, 1987)

This is it.  This is not only the episode that really established Degrassi Junior High as a show that dealt, honestly, with things that teenagers were actually dealing with but it’s also the episode that, albeit unintentionally, lay the groundwork for what would become Degrassi: The Next Generation.  It was an episode that was considered to be so controversial that the BBC refused to air the episode.  Indeed, It’s Late would not air in the UK until 1988, by which point the repercussions of this episode had already been felt in every episode that followed.

(How confusing must it have been to be a British Degrassi fan in the 80s?)

This episode opens with a party at Lucy’s house where, as usual, Lucy’s parents are not present.  While Joey, Wheels, and the twins wait outside, Spike and her boyfriend, Shane, lock themselves in a guest room.  “What are you guys doing in there?” one of the twins — I think it was Heather but who knows, to be honest — repeatedly asks.

A few weeks later, Spike comes to school in a bad mood.  She’s late to Mr. Raditch’s class and Mr. Raditch mentions — in front of everyone! — that Spike’s grades have been suffering and that she’s no longer that good role model that she used to be.  (Seriously, that’s kind of harsh, Raditch.)  When Shane smiles at her from the back of the classroom, Spike looks away without a word.

After class, Joey and Wheels try to get Shane to tell them about what happened at the party.  “Haven’t you guys ever had sex before?” Shane asks, with a smirk that is just begging to be slapped off of his face.  Both Joey and Wheels lie and say that they’ve had lots of sex.  But still, Joey has some questions.  For instance, why won’t Spike talk to Shane.  Shane says he’s not sure what Spike is upset about.  “I bet she’s got her period!” Joey announces.

However, as Spike tells Heather and Erica Farrell, the opposite is the case.  She’s late and she’s now frightened that she might be pregnant.  Unfortunately, Spike has no one to talk to about sex.  She’s scared to tell her mother (Rhonda Kristi).  The twins are clueless about sex.  Lucy tells Spike not to worry because she’s heard that you can’t get pregnant from your first time.  When Spike tells Shane that she’s scared that she might be pregnant, Shane walks away from her without a word.  Spike is totally alone and can only watch and listen as people around her either go crazy over baby pictures or complain about how much they can’t stand their kids.

Eventually, Spike does buy a pregnancy test but, when she arrives home, her mother demands to know what’s in the bag.  Finally, Spike shows her the test and Spike’s mother takes her to a clinic to find out for sure.  Shane, who still looks shell-shocked, also shows up at the clinic.  Spike’s mother tells Spike that no matter what happens, “I’m behind you.”

And….

Actually, let’s get the B-plot out of the way really quickly.  Yes, even the most important episode in the history the Degrassi franchise had a B-plot, featuring Arthur and Yick.  In this case, Yick has to work up the courage to ask out Melanie.  And he finally does, though only after misquoting a poem and causing Melanie to have an allergic reaction by giving her a bunch of flowers.  Still, Melanie is excited to ice skating with Yick.  Good for them!  I just hope Yick can actually go on his date without Arthur demanding to come along.  Seriously, Arthur is way too clingy.

Anyway, back to the plot we care about.

Spike is pregnant!  The episode ends with Spike and Shane talking in a school stairwell, trying to figure out what they’re going to do.  Neither wants to be a parent.  Spike doesn’t think that she could have a baby and give it up for adoption.  She says, “Maybe I could just not have it,” just for Shane to say that he’s against abortion.  Of course, Shane also says, “You’re not going to want me to marry you, are you?” so maybe Shane should just keep his opinions to himself.

“It was just a little mistake,” Spike says.

“It was kind of a big mistake,” Shane replies.

The episode ends with a freeze-frame of Spike’s tear-streaked face.  Suddenly, the cheerful Degrassi music starts up.  Other reviewers have commented on how jarring it can sometimes be to hear the peppy Degrassi theme song after spending 30 minutes watching teenagers deal with things like eating disorders, bullying, drug abuse, mental health issues, and unplanned pregnancies and they have a point.  That said, in this case, the combination of the very sad freeze frame and the jaunty music actually provides a bit of a relief for a very dramatic episode.  It gives the viewer an excuse to breathe a sigh of relief and smile.

This is one of Degrassi Junior High‘s best episodes, one that is intelligently written and which also is carried by Amanda Stepto’s strong and emotionally honest performance as Spike.  (Reportedly, for years after this episode aired, Stepto received letters from girls asking her for advice.)  Those of us who are fans of the Degrassi franchise know that Spike is going to keep the baby, Shane is going to have a bad acid trip and end up in an assisted living facility, and their daughter is going to be the center of the first eight seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation.  We also know that Joey is eventually become much less of a jerk and Spike is going to end up marrying Snake.  But that’s all waiting in the future.  This episode ends with two teenagers still struggling to come to terms with the fact that, at 14, their lives have changed forever.