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 High, which aired on CBC and PBS from 1989 to 1991!  The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi

This week, Dwayne gets some life-changing news.

Episode 2.2 “Bad Blood: Part Two”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on November 12th, 1990)

After his summer girlfriend informs him that she’s tested positive for HIV, Dwayne goes to the local clinic to get tested.  He’s understandably nervous as the doctor draws his blood.  The doctor mentions that Dwayne is in a high-risk group because he had sex without a condom.  Dwayne gives about twenty different excuses for why he didn’t use a condom.  The doctor looks on, disappointed.  Two weeks later, Dwayne returns to the clinic and is informed that he has tested positive for HIV.  The doctor informs Dwayne that he’s going to have to start living life differently.  He’s going to have to take care of himself.  He’s going to have to give up any plans he ever had of being a father.  He’s going to have to be careful when it comes to his blood.

At school, Dwayne takes out his anger on one of the condom machines in the bathroom.  Wheels witnesses this and quickly runs off to tell Joey.  Joey still needs a little over $300 to get his car.  He also needs some money to pay everyone who took a bet on the previous episode’s attempt to walk through the cafeteria naked.  Joey decides to blackmail Dwayne to get the money.  (Joey has figured out that Dwayne is the one who snitched to Raditch about the walk through the cafeteria so Joey feels that Dwayne owes him the money regardless.)  When Joey confronts Dwayne in the boys bathroom, it leads to another fight.  Joey cuts his head.  Dwayne ends up with a bloody nose.  As soon as Dwayne sees that he’s bleeding, he backs off and tries to end the fight.  Joey taunts Dwayne for being scared of a little blood.

“What if I have AIDS!?” Dwayne yells back.

Joey laughs off Dwayne’s comment, which leads to Dwayne throwing a fit and shouting that he didn’t do anything wrong.  Joey figures out that Dwayne actually is HIV+.  Later, Dwayne gives Joey the three hundred dollars in return for Joey not telling anyone.  “We’re getting a car!” Snake and Wheels celebrate but the look on Joey’s face indicates that Joey is not happy about the way he got the money.  In other words, Joey has a conscience!  Yay, Joey!

And so does Dwayne.  One of the things that Degrassi did very well was that it took characters who conformed to certain stereotypes and then dug underneath the surface and revealed that everyone — even the school bully — had their own individual fears and dreams.  This episode finds Dwayne’s bravado crumbling as he’s forced to face his future as someone who is HIV positive.  Darrin Brown, who is now a director, did a great job as Dwayne as did Pat Mastroianni as Joey.  Both of them really grew as actors over the course of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High.

While that was going, BLT finally broke up with Michelle.  Michelle was not happy.  Eh, who cares?  This was a good episode but BLT and Michelle were  a boring couple and it’s hard to get overly worked up about them splitting up.  Dwayne had a real isssue to deal with.  Michelle will eventually find someone else willing to deal with her nonstop drama.  Such is the way of the world.

One final note: in this episode, Lucy is shooting a video for L.D.  Spike appears with her baby, Emma.  Emma says, “Hi, L.D.”  These were the first of many words to be spoken by Emma Nelson on Degrassi.  (Emma, of course, will grow up to be one of the leads on Degrassi: The Next Generation.  We’ve got a while to go before we reach that point, though.)