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!

The tragedy of Wheels continues.

Episode 3.2 “Can’t Live With ‘Em: Part Two”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on November 28th, 1988)

What a sad episode!

Much as with the previous episode, several storylines play out over the course of this episode.  For the most part, this episode is all about setting up the rest of the season.  Among the things that happen:

Lucy starts to hang out with Paul (Michael Blake), a student at Borden High and she stops hanging out with her best friend, L.D.

Arthur, who has taken to wearing a white scarf to school, finally admits to Yick that his family is rich and that he has been buying and selling stock in a company called Repco.  Yick responds by demanding that Arthur pay for their food when they go to the local diner.

Shane hears Spike talking to Liz about how much she misses having free time.  As soon as Spike gets home from school, she has to look after baby Emma while Spike’s mother goes to work.  Shane approaches Spike and says that he knows that she doesn’t want to talk to him but he’s still going to give her half of his allowance and get a part-time job to help her pay for a babysitter for Emma.

Nancy and Kathleen are still running for school president and getting aggressive in their campaigning.  Kathleen confesses to Melanie that she’s scared she’s going to lose.  Melanie points out that, even if she does come in second, Kathleen will still be Vice President.  Kathleen replies that she doesn’t want to be the second-in-command.  She wants it all.

(Kathleen is rarely portrayed sympathetically on this show but I totally related to how she felt.)

Scooter and Bartholomew Bond debate whether Superman is better than Spider-Man.

Even with all that going on, this episode is dominated by Wheels.  Last week, Wheels was informed that his parents had been killed by a drunk driver.  This week found him struggling with anger, depression, and survivor’s guilt.  He was supposed to be with his parents when they were going to the movies and if had gone with them instead of sneaking out to Joey’s house, Wheels probably would have died with his parents.  Wheels is haunted by a nightmare in which he wakes up to find his parents coming home from the movies.

“I thought you were dead!” Wheels says.

“We are,” his mother replies.

Wheels doesn’t know what’s going to happen.  Wheels is only 14 so living on his own is not an option.  His grandmother and grandfather live miles away so if Wheels goes to live with them, it’ll mean abandoning his entire life in Toronto but that might be better than having to enter the foster system.

When Wheels returns to school, no one knows how to talk to him.  Not even Snake is willing to approach him.  Only Joey tries to talk to Wheels.  The first time, Joey hands Wheels the demo tape that they made for the Zit Remedy.  Wheels breaks the tape.  The next time that Joey approaches Wheels, Wheels beats him up in the school hallway.  Joey — and this is why everyone loves him — doesn’t get angry at Wheels.  When Wheels finally approaches him and apologizes, Joey tells Wheels that he can beat him up whenever he needs to.

“I’m scared,” Wheels says.

Joey hugs him as the end credits role.

Awwwwwww!

This episode was Degrassi at its best, offering a lot of heartfelt emotions but no easy solutions.  Neil Hope (who had lost his own father right before shooting this episode) gives a heart-breaking performance as Wheels and Pat Mastroianni reminds us that, underneath Joey’s bluster, he’s a good person who truly cares about his friends.  Just as with last week, this episode is even more tragic if you know what’s destined to happen to the characters later on in the series.  For now, though, I’m just going to be happy that Wheels had a friend like Joey.