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: The Next Generation, which aired from 2001 to 2015! The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi.
This week, we’ve got the first part of the second season finale!
Episode 2.21 “Tears Are Not Enough, Part One”
(Dir by Philip Earnshaw, originally aired on February 16th, 2003)
Another school year is coming to an end. It’s time for the final school dance! But first, JT needs to pass his final exams. Liberty agrees to tutor JT on the condition that he take her to the dance. JT accepts and, in the end, he resists the temptation to ask Paige to the dance because “Liberty’s my date.”
Well, that’s good. This episode allows us to see how the JT/Liberty romance started. Of course, we all know that JT will eventually get Liberty pregnant and then get hooked on pills. Fortunately, JT will survive the inevitable overdose. Unfortunately, two seasons after that overdose, JT will be murdered outside of Liberty’s birthday party.
Hmmm …. maybe JT should have asked Paige to the dance.
However, all of this is just the B-plot. The main plot of this episode features Craig’s father (Hugh Dillon) trying to reeneter his life. Craig’s father swears that he’s learned the error of his ways. He’s taken classes to learn how to control his temper. He wants Craig to come and live with him and, with Joey struggling with money, Craig is tempted. Or, at least, Craig is tempted until he shows up late for dinner with his father and his father responds by hitting Craig in the face and then speeding off in his car.
Craig returns home and tells Joey that he wants Joey to adopt him. Then the police show up. Craig thinks that his father called them but it turns out that they are there to let Joey know that Craig’s father died in an auto accident. Given how abusive Craig’s father was, you might think this is good news. However, those of us who have binged this show more than once know that this is going to lead to Craig having a breakdown in two seasons and a cocaine addiction in three.
Seriously, things got dark!
Despite the Liberty/JT subplot, I like this episode. To be honest, I like almost all of the Craig episodes. He was an interesting character and Jake Epstein was one of the better actors on the show. Even though I already know what waits in the future, I’m still looking forward to watching the second part of Tears Are Not Enough.
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: The Next Generation, which aired from 2001 to 2015! The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi.
This week, Degrassi goes there.
Episode 2.20 “How Soon Is Now?”
(Dir by Eleanore Lindo, originally aired on February 9th, 2003)
After intensive therapy with the school’s counselor, Ms. Sauve (Jennifer Podemski), Paige convinces herself that she’s emotionally recovered from being raped by Dean. Paige says she doesn’t need any more therapy and she just wants to get on her with her life. However, when she discovers that Dean’s school will be coming to Degrassi for a basketball game, she starts to spiral.
Paige’s rape was one of Degrassi’s first “mature” storylines, in that it dealt with a controversial issue and it did so in a realistic way. Instead of simply wrapping things up after an episode or two, Degrassi stretched this storyline over several seasons and let it play out with an honesty that is rarely seen on television.. Instead of having Paige magically go back to being who she was before she was raped, Degrassi portrayed how Paige changed as a result of both the rape and her struggle to get justice. That the show did so realistically is a credit to both Degrassi and Lauren Collins’s portrayal of Paige.
One of the things that makes this episode difficult to watch is that Paige largely suffers alone. Only a few people know about the rape. A bitter Spinner still thinks that the encounter between Paige and Dean was consensual. When Dean does show up at Degrassi, it’s obvious that he feels no guilt about what happened and, soon, he’s even hitting on Manny. When Paige tries to warn Manny, Manny replies that Dean told her all about how crazy Paige is. It’s only when Paige tells JT about what happened that someone finally stands up for her. JT may just be the mascot but he doesn’t hold back when he attacks Dean on the court. Of course, JT is still JT so it’s not like he really does that much physical damage to Dean but it’s still gratifying to see. In fact, this is the first episode in which JT actually reveals himself to be something other than just the annoying class clown.
At the end of the episode, Paige tells Ms. Suave that she wants to press charges against Dean. Ms. Suave warns her that, with the amount of time that has passed, it’s going to be Paige’s word against his. Paige says she understands. I always want to applaud at the end of this episode, even though I know how things are going to develop.
As for the B-plot, Marco’s being a jerk. He and Ellie are working on a class project. They have to create an ad campaign for a fake cologne. Marco wants to do a “Bollywood thing.” Ellie wants to turn Marco into a sex symbol. Marco gets annoyed because Ellie hasn’t fully accepted that he’s gay and not romantically attracted to her. Hey, Marco — you’re the one who asked her to pretend to be your girlfriend so that you could stay in the closet so instead of getting mad at her, maybe think about what you’re putting her through!
Seriously, I get that Marco was a ground-breaking character at the time and I respect that, just as with Paige’s storyline, the show attempted to be realistic in its portrayal of Marco slowly finding the confidence to be his true self. That said, Marco could be really self-righteous.
But no matter. Even with Marco acting like Marco, this was an important episode. Degrassi went there.
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: The Next Generation, which aired from 2001 to 2015! The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi.
Oh no, Emma’s got a cause!
Episode 2.19 “Fight For Your Right”
(Dir by Chris Deacon, originally aired on February 2nd, 2003)
This episode is a good example of Emma being the worst.
Emma and Ashley approach Principal Raditch and tell him that they don’t want genetically modified foods in the cafeteria. Raditch tells them to buzz off, which is the right response when you consider that Raditch is probably just following the orders of the school board. Emma responds by standing outside the school and handing out flyers that announce that Sheila the lunch lady is “poisoning” the students with the food she’s serving.
Now, to me, this is the moment that Emma goes from being a young idealist to being arrogant brat. Sheila works for the school. She’s a lunch lady. I doubt she lives in a nice big house like Emma. Sheila probably needs the job. Emma is accusing Sheila of poisoning people. When Ellie sensibly points out that saving money with GM food — as opposed to the expensive organic crap that Emma wants the school to serve — allows Degrassi to give free meals to poor students, Emma accuses Ellie of not caring about the fact that the students might get cancer in 20 years. Principal Raditch finally comes out and tells Emma that she’s not allowed distribute “propaganda” on school property.
And again, it seems to me that Radtich is within his rights. Number one, why isn’t Emma in class? Number two, Emma is accusing a school employee of being a potential murderer. Number three, Emma is causing a disruption on school property.
The show disagrees with me. The show wants me to say, “Yay, Emma!” Even when Emma goes into the cafeteria and accidentally starts a food fight by knocking Toby and JT’s lunch on Jimmy, we are meant to be on Emma’s side. When Emma gets offended at Raditch’s insistence that she apologize to Sheila, we’re meant to be on her side. One thing that we don’t see is who gets stuck cleaning up the cafeteria after the food fight. I’m going to assume that it was probably the same Sheila that Emma accused of poisoning the students.
Emma is suspended for the day so she stands across the street and holds a sign, claiming that her right to free speech has been violated. Raditch tells Emma that if she doesn’t apologize on the next day’s video announcement, she’ll be suspended for a week.
At home, Emma asks Snake what she should do. Snake encourages her to …. NOT APOLOGIZE! Well, he doesn’t directly say that but he doesn’t say that she should apologize either. Snake, in case you had forgotten, is not only Emma’s teacher but also her stepfather. Spike is on a trip so he’s the only parent at home. Snake, at this point, should be saying, “This is a dumb protest and you should at least apologize to Sheila. No matter what else happens, you’re not getting your organic food in the cafeteria so there’s nothing to be accomplished with any of this.”
Instead, the next morning, Snake just sits there with a big dumbass grin on his face when Emma goes on the video announcements and refuses to apologize. Okay, Snake, do you think it’s cool that a school employee has been accused of poisoning the students? Oh, and Snake — are you the one who is going to call Spike to tell her that you got her daughter suspended from school for a week? Spike, who had to fight so hard for the right to go to school when she was pregnant with Emma, will certainly appreciate hearing that!
Seriously, Emma is the worst! But the only she’s the worst is because this show was convinced that she was the best. One gets the feeling that Emma’s character was a case wish-fulfillment for the show’s writers. Imagine a world where you can be obnoxious and self-righteous and everyone loves you for it!
There is a B-plot and, to be honest, it probably should have been the A-plot. Spinner, jealous that Jimmy’s parents buy him everything, steals Jimmy’s CD player and attempts to sell it. When Jimmy finds out, he overturns a trash can. Spinner takes a job at the cafeteria to earn money and gives Jimmy back the CD player.
“You are my best friend!” Spinner says.
“Was,” Jimmy replies.
Oh my God! Spinner and Jimmy, no! Actually, Spinner and Jimmy were always ending their friendship and then eventually restoring it. They’ll be fine. Still, their storyline was a lot more interesting than Emma’s latest crusade.
When in doubt, always focus on Spinner. That’s a lesson the writers should have taken to heart.
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: The Next Generation, which aired from 2001 to 2015! The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi.
This week, Ellie figures something out about Marco.
Episode 2.14 “Careless Whisper”
(Dir by Laurie Lynd, originally aired on January 13th, 2003)
This episode opens with Marco, Jimmy, and Spinner playing basketball and Marco staring at the shirtless Spinner until Spinner says, “What are you looking at, fag?”
Later, when Dr. Sally (Sue Johanson) comes to give the Health class her annual sex education talk, Jimmy and Spinner ask her how a dude could be attracted to another dude. At this point, someone in the class could have and perhaps should have pointed out that Jimmy and Spinner seem to spend a lot of time together but instead, everyone just snickers.
Everyone except for Marco. As class ends, Marco is quick to tell Spinner and Jimmy that he hates gay people.
Meanwhile, Ellis is wondering why Marco never seems to show her any affection. They’re hanging out. They’re going to the movies. And yet, she feels like Marco is still more of a friend than a boyfriend….
Yes, this is the episode where Ellie figures out that Marco is gay. When Ellie asks him, “Do you like girls at all?,” Marco replies with, “I don’t know.” As we all yell, “No, Ellie!,” Ellie agrees to continue to pretend to be Marco’s girlfriend so that Spinner and Jimmy won’t make fun of him but she says that this isn’t a permanent arrangement….
Seriously, Ellie was always getting her heart broken on this show. First, she agreed to be Marco’s pretend girlfriend. Then she dated Sean, even though he was obviously still in love with Emma. Then she pursued Craig, who was incapable of loving anyone other than himself. And finally, she fell for that narcissistic college newspaper editor. Ellie deserved better and really, while I have sympathy for Marco’s struggle to accept his sexuality while being best friends with the two biggest homophobes in Canada, Marco was always at his most selfish when it came to Ellie.
That said, both Adamo Ruggiero and Stacey Farber give good performances in this episode, as Marco and Ellis respectively. Today, we kind of take it for granted that every high school-based show is going to have at least a handful of gay characters. (By the end of Degrassi’s Netflix run, almost everyone in the school was LGBTQ.) In 2003, though, an extended storyline like this was still a big deal and it undoubtedly took some guts on the part of the showrunners.
As for the B-story, Toby is totally in love with Kendra. Kendra thinks that Toby is getting a bit too possessive. Toby agrees to back off a little. Kendra, you can do better. Sorry, Tobes.
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: The Next Generation, which aired from 2001 to 2015! The series can be streamed on YouTube and Tubi.
Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through….
Episode 2.10 “Take My Breath Away”
(Dir by Stefan Scaini, originally aired on December 9th, 2002)
How you respond to this episode depends on how much you know about what’s eventually going to happen to the students at Toronto’s Degrassi Learning Center.
When watched for the first time, it seems like a sweet episode about how crushes can hurt and how they can also pay off. Ellie has a crush on Marco and, after discovering that he likes Edward Gorey just as much as she does, Ellie starts to send him anonymous rhyming emails. However, Hazel also likes Marco and Marco thinks that Hazel is the one sending him the emails. Marco thinks this despite Hazel having never shown any poetic ability and also despite the fact that he just sat down at lunch and discussed Edward Gorey with Ellie!
When Marco receives an anonymous email telling him to meet his crush at the Zen Garden, Marco is shocked to discover Ellie waiting for him. Ellie assumes Marco is disappointed and runs away. Marco later tracks Ellie down and reveals that he wasn’t disappointed at all. Marco and Ellie are now a couple!
Meanwhile, Craig and Manny go on their first date. Craig wants to see a movie. Manny gets excited when she sees a rather childish carnival. Manny later tells Emma and Liberty that the date was wonderful and that she and Craig are totally in love. Craig tells Spinner and Jimmy that the date was awkward and that Manny is still too immature for him. Craig says that Manny reminds him of his five year-old half-sister, Angela. (Angela was played by Alexa Steele, Cassie Steele’s real-life sister.)
The episode ends with Manny telling Craig that he shouldn’t talk to Ashley and asking him what they’re doing on Friday night. Craig replies that they’re not doing anything because he doesn’t like Manny. AGCK!
Again, it’s a good episode. The contrast between Craig’s recollection of the date and Manny’s version is genuinely amusing. Meanwhile, Ellie finally gets a boyfriend….
Of course, veteran Degrassi watchers know that Marco is both gay and deeply closeted and that he’s destined to hurt Ellie before becoming her best friend. (Ellie was always way too forgiving.) Meanwhile, Craig and Manny are going to end up together, with Craig first getting Manny pregnant and then, several seasons later, introducing her to cocaine. Craig is also going to nearly kill Joey while having a manic episode before breaking Ashley’s heart and nearly driving Ellie to suicide in Los Angeles. Yikes!
This is a cute episode that, for veteran Degrassi watchers, is decorated with red flags.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Shane Kippel!
Shane Kippel, as I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, played Spinner Mason on Degrassi: The Next Generation. He started out as the school bully but, by the time the third season began, he was pretty much the heart of the ensemble. How cool was Shane Kippel? He was so cool that Spinner ended up getting held back three times just so there would be an excuse to keep Kippel on the show!
(“What type of idiot fails his own language!?” Spinner once said when confronted with his grade in English. Oh, Spinner!)
Today’s song of the day features Shane Kippel on drums. From Degrassi, here is Downtown Sasquatch with Dust!
(The other members of the band are Jake Epstein on vocals, Aubrey Graham on guitar, and Adamo Ruggiero on bass.)
When last we checked in with Toronto’s Degrassi Community School, the school was recovering from a recent school shooting by putting on a production of Dracula. While a fake vampire drained blood onstage, his real-life equivalent tempted girls into his van at the ravine with the promise of cheap bracelets and an escape from all the trauma of the past month.
In the second part of Secret, the play is finally ready to open but, much as how Dracula has infecting the stage with vampirism, Jay (Mike Lobel) has infected the school with gonorrhea. Can Emma (Miriam McDonald) get through the play without having a complete breakdown?
There’s a B-plot here, of course. Jimmy (Drake …. yes, the Drake) has been in the hospital ever since getting shot in the back by Rick Murray. With the help of Craig (Jake Epstein) and Marco (Adamo Ruggiero), Jimmy escapes from the hospital so that he can attend a Kid Eldrick show. (Kid Eldrick is Degrassi‘s version of Kid Rock.) It’s actually kind of a nice little story. My favorite line is Marco’s one about wanting to look like a ninja.
That said, this is the episode will forever be known for making national news when it aired in the United States. Though it may seem strange now, this was considered to quite a controversial show back in 2005. (Canadians, of course, got to see the episode first, when it aired on December 7th, 2004.)
One thing I like about this episode — and the reason why I am specifically sharing it now — is the way that the school staged their production of Dracula. It looks like they did a good job. I especially liked the way that they faked the blood in the staking scene.
We’re not even halfway through 2018 yet and I’m already prepared to declare that today’s music video of the day is the best of the year! Now, you’ll notice that I didn’t say that it’s the best song of the year but really, the song’s not that important. What’s important is that, with this video, Drake and director Karena Evans gives us the Degrassi reunion that we’ve all been waiting for!
(Okay, maybe not everyone. Apparently, some people aren’t as obsessed with Degrassi as the rest of us are. But you know what? I love Degrassi. I’ve got almost the entire series on DVD and I’ve watched and rewatched every episode so many times that I can quote most of them from memory.)
Before he found superstardom as Drake, Aubrey Graham was best known (by people like me) for playing Jimmy Brooks. When Degrassi first started, Jimmy was something of a random jock. He got into fights. He played basketball. He dated Ashley Kerwin and dumped her after she took ecstasy and ended up making out with Sean. He dated Hazel until she graduated. He dated Ashley again until she betrayed him to get a recording contract. And, of course, he ended up in a wheelchair after a mean-spirited prank led to Rick Murray shooting him in the back. Jimmy eventually left Toronto for Amsterdam and possibly law school but, as we see in this video, he’s back and so are all of our old favorites.
Admittedly, before this video, there was a previous Degrassi reunion. Back in 2016, the 500th episode of Degrassi featured a class reunion and several old characters did return. Unfortunately, everyone’s favorites — like Paige, Spinner, Marco, and Emma — didn’t get much screen time. Instead, Mo — who really shouldn’t have even been at the reunion since it had only been a year since he graduated — got most of the screen time and seriously, who ever cared about Mo? Meanwhile, beloved graduates like Ellie, Craig, and Manny didn’t even show up. In short, the official Degrassi reunion was a huge disappointment!
Fortunately, this video does a better job of bringing back almost all of our favorites. I guess that’s the power of Drake. True, it’s hard not to be disappointed that Sean Cameron, Joy Hogart, Alex, J.T. Yorke, Johnny DiMarco, and Bruce the Moose didn’t show up. (If you ever had any doubt that Degrassi was a Canadian show, just consider the fact that a major supporting character was named Bruce The Moose.) But check out who did return!
First off, here’s Spinner (Shane Kippel)!
Seriously, it’s not a Degrassi reunion if Spinner isn’t there. Despite the fact that Degrassi was a four-year school, Spinner was enrolled for seven seasons. Okay, so Spinner wasn’t that good of a student but so what? He was the heart and soul of Degrassi! Not only was he the drummer for Toronto’s greatest band, Downtown Sasquatch, but he was also Jimmy’s best friend, except for that time when Jimmy was angry over Spinner’s part in the prank that led to Jimmy getting shot in the back. (Fortunately, they made up.) I’ve seen some people online wondering why Spinner spends so much of this video throwing up. My theory is that it’s an homage to the seventh season episode, Pass the Dutchie. That’s the episode where Spinner, while undergoing chemotherapy, throws up on his English teacher.
(That episode also features one of the greatest lines in Degrassi history, when a stoned Spinner realizes that he’s about to fail English for the third time and exclaims, “What kind of idiot fails his own language three times!?”)
Four of my favorites all showed up together. Getting out of the stylish white car: Paige (Lauren Collins), Ellie (Stacey Farber), Marco (Adamo Ruggiero), and Craig (Jake Epstein). I always related to Ellie, largely because we both had red hair and always wore black to school. I also always felt bad that Craig and Ellie could never quite seem to make things works romantically, though Ellie and Sean were actually a better couple. But I’m just kind of rambling now…
Hey, it’s Terri (Christina Schmidt) and Hazel (Andrea Lewis)! Terri was on the first three seasons of Degrassi, until she was put into a coma by her abusive boyfriend, Rick Murray. (This was the same Rick who would later shoot Jimmy in the back.) Hazel was Jimmy’s girlfriend, until she eventually realized that Jimmy was actually in love with Ellie. It’s probably not a coincidence that Drake is rapping about his ex at the same time that Hazel shows up.
Then the teachers show up! Ms. Kwan (Linlyn Lue) was the tyrannical English teacher who was driven to tears when Jimmy and Spinner egged her car. As for Archie “Snake” Simpson (Stefan Brogren), he’s been the one constant over the course of all the different versions of Degrassi. He started out as a student on Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. In School’s Out, he was the first character to say “fuck” on Canadian television. Finally, Mr. Simpson taught the school’s media immersion class and eventually became principal of the school.
About halfway through the video, we learn that Mr. Simpson buys his drugs from Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith).
A longtime fan of the Degrassi franchise, Kevin Smith appeared as himself during season 4 and 5 and also in the second Degrassi movie, Degrassi Goes Hollywood. Smith came to Degrassi to shoot his latest movie, Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh? Of course, he brought Mewes with him. While Kevin Smith did end up contributing to the break-up of Caitlin and Joey, he also helped to track down Craig, who was having a manic episode and living on the streets at the time. Later, Smith would return to Degrassi to encourage Paige to take a chance with Alex and to also help launch the acting career of Manny Santos (Cassie Steele).
Speaking of Manny, she returns for Drake’s reunion and, appropriately enough, she’s seen hanging out with Emma (Miriam McDonald). Interestingly, in Degrassi Takes Manhattan, Emma ended up marrying Spinner in a plot twist that caused thousands of Degrassi fans (like me) to roll their eyes in unison. (Seriously, Emma and Spinner barely spoke to each other for 9 seasons and then they suddenly got married.) In this video, Spinner and Emma don’t even seem to acknowledge each other. Maybe they got divorced.
Among the other former Degrassi cast members to make an appearance: Melissa McIntyre (a.k.a. the one and only Ashley Kerwin), Nina Dobrev (who played teen mom-turned-super model Mia), A.J. Saudin (a.k.a. Simpson’s autistic godson, Connor), Sarah Barrable-Tishauer (a.k.a., class President Liberty Van Zandt), Jake Goldsbie (a.k.a. adorable nerd Toby Isaacs), Marc Donato and Dalmar Abuzeid (a.k.a. dorky friends Derek and Danny), and Paula Brancati (who played Jane, the girl who Spinner probably should have married.)
And then there’s Rick Murray (Ephraim Ellis). Despite the fact that Rick was reported to have died shortly after shooting Jimmy, he still showed up for the reunion. Of course, not everyone was happy to see him:
So, for those of you keeping track: Jimmy regained his ability walk, Emma and Spinner are divorced, Rick Murray apparently didn’t die after all, and J.T. Yorke is still dead. Poor J.T.
(Then again, if Rick’s still alive then you have to wonder how his ghost was able to possess Holy J in The Curse of Degrassi. Maybe I’m overthinking this. Anyway…)
Through the Shattered Lens 