Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 1.8 “Little White Lies”

Posted on January 19, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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!

This week, it’s time for another party!

Episode 1.8 “Little White Lies”

(Dir by John Bertram, originally aired on December 19th, 1989)

There’s yet another party being held and Diana (Chrisa Erodotu) desperately wants to attend!

Who?

Diana has been on the show for a while but this is the first episode to feature her at the center of a story. She’s a friend of Kathleen’s and she wears glasses and …. well, that’s pretty much all we’ve learned about her in the past. In this episode, it’s revealed that she’s Greek, her parents are dead, and she lives with her overprotective brother (Nick Stamiris). Her brother doesn’t want Diana to go to a party. In fact, when he catches her smoking, he throws a fit and he ground her. He may seem a bit harsh but I had some sympathy for the character. He’s barely an adult himself but he has to keep an eye on and take care of Diana. I think he’s being too overprotective but I get where his mind is at.

Diana, however, decides to sneak out of the house and go the party on her own. She has a crush on Yick and he might be there! When she arrives, she has a drink and sits on the couch while holding a bottle of alcohol. How could this go wrong …. oh wait, who just walked into the party and spotted Diana sitting there with the alcohol? It’s her brother! Diana gets dragged home and has a big fight with her brother.

Poor Diana! That said, this is something that happened to a lot of Degrassi students over the course of the series, most of whom I felt I knew a lot better than Diana. Diana’s just kind of been a nonentity up until this episode so it’s hard for me to get worked up, one way or another, over her situation. It doesn’t help that Diana continually compares herself and her friends to The Outsiders and yes, I do mean the book about the juvenile delinquents in Oklahoma. Degrassi High deserves some credit for giving the less-cool students just as much attention as Joey, Caitlin, and the main stars but the whole Outsiders is just a bridge too far for me.

Speaking of Joey, he, Snake, and Wheels decide to go a strip club! It doesn’t work out, even with the use of fake IDs. First off, when they arrive at the club, they discover that two of the fake IDs have Joey’s name on them. Joey is sure the bouncer won’t notice. Then, they discover that they’ll only have enough money to pay the cover charge if they pool all their money together. Unfortunately, since they’ll also have to order drinks inside the club, they still only have enough money for two of them to go in. Snake and Wheels head in to the club, deserting their friend Joey. A prostitute approaches Joey and asks if he would like to have a good time but the clueless Joey says that he has to get home. Meanwhile, Snake and Wheels pay $8 for two Cokes and are then kicked out when they say they can’t afford anything else. Who would have guessed life in Canada could be so difficult!

This episode felt a bit too familiar for its own good. Diana’s story is one that we’ve seen dozens of times on Degrassi. And Snake, Joey, and Wheels are always doing something stupid and getting kicked out of places. This episode wasn’t bad but it wasn’t particularly memorable either.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 4.6 “Nobody’s Perfect”

Posted on January 5, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Oh Romeo, Romeo….

Episode 4.6 “Nobody’s Perfect”

(Dir by Eleanore Lindo, originally aired on December 5th, 1989)

This week’s episode is all about relationships, good and bad.

Patrick (Vincent Walsh), a student from Ireland, sees that Spike is wearing a Pogues t-shirt and asks her out. Spike replies that she wants to but she can’t because she has to take care of baby Emma at night. Patrick suggests a day date instead. Spike agrees, even if she’s still struggling to deal with her feelings about Shane.

(Shane, having suffered brain damage after a bad LSD trip, is not enrolled at Degrassi High. We won’t see him again until the third season premiere of Degrassi: The Next Generation.)

Meanwhile, despite having broken up with him so that she can date “Clode,” Caitlin still volunteers to be Joey’s scene partner for home room. They’re supposed to perform a scene from Romeo and Juliet and …. yeah, there’s no way that’s going to be awkward, right? Caitlin tells Joey that, even though they’ve broken up, she hopes they can still be friends. Joey awkwardly says, “Yeah.” They talk about why they broke up. Caitlin even says, “It’s not you, it’s me.” Those of us who know our Degrassi history know that this is a scene that’s going to be frequently repeated over the next twenty years or so.

Finally, Kathleen has convinced herself that she’s totally in love with Scott. Afterall, Scott is always telling Kathleen how much he loves her. He gives her jewelry. He sends her flowers. He wants her to spend all of her free time with him. Of course, when Scott isn’t doing all of that, he’s beating on her and telling her that she’s stupid for wanting to have any interests outside of being his girlfriend. When Kathleen is disappointed to discover that she hasn’t been cast in the school play, Scott informs her that she’s just not a very good actress and she shouldn’t worry about it. When Kathleen says that she wants to try out for a play at the community center, Scott tells her that she needs to make time for him. When Kathleen tries to have lunch with her friends, Scott drags her away so that she can have lunch with him. When Kathleen stays after school to practice a scene with her scene partner (who happens to be Luke, the guy who gave Shane the acid), Scott goes absolutely crazy and beats her up in the classroom.

“Kathleen,” Scott insists as Kathleen finally walks away from him, “I love you!”

Kathleen turns to look at him. We get a freeze frame of her bruised face and then the insanely cheerful Degrassi theme music starts playing. It makes for an interesting juxtaposition. (Combining cheerful music with depressing freeze frames was a Degrassi tradition.)

This episode deserves a lot of credit for realistically portraying Kathleen and Scott’s relationship and Scott’s abusive personality. Everything that an abuser does — from the gaslighting to the subtle insults and the sudden accusations to the desperate begging for forgiveness — is present in this episode and Kathleen’s reactions (“I can change him!”) are all too real. Degrassi High was a show that dealt with real issues and it usually managed to do it without resorting to melodrama or false hope. The thing that makes this episode so powerful is that we don’t know if Kathleen had the courage to reject Scott after that freeze frame or, if like so many other girls and women in the same situation, she once again forgave her abuser. Rebecca Haines deserves a lot of credit for her performance here, as does Byrd Dickens, who is terrifying as Scott. This episode was Degrassi High at its best and most important.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 1.4 “Dream On”

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Love is in the air …. for some.

Episode 1.4 “Dream On”

(Dir by John Bertram, originally aired on November 20th, 1989)

I hate bullies.

Sadly, bullies are a part of life and they have been since the start of recorded history. I imagine that even cavemen had their own versions of bullies and nerds. Bullies deal with their own insecurities by picking on outsiders. Most people hate bullies but they keep quiet when they see bullying because the unspoken threat is that, if they speak up, they could be the next one to be targeted. That’s especially true in high school.

Degrassi High has its own set of bullies. The episode features Tabi (Michele Johnson-Murray), who has decided to spend all of her time standing in front of the ninth grade lockers and refusing to allow the niners to use them. When Kathleen and Melanie walk by Tabi, Tabi sprays her hairspray in Melanie’s eyes. That’s not just rude but it’s also potentially dangerous. Kathleen is usually not a particularly likable character but, when she finally stood up to Tabi at the end of this episode and yelled at her to get away from the lockers, I wanted to cheer. Kathleen stands up to Tabi and a stunned Tabi walks away, saying something about niners being crazy but surrendering nonetheless. Yay, Kathleen!

Where did Kathleen find the confidence to stand up to Tabi? In this episode, she finally gets a boyfriend! Scott Smith (Byrd Dickens) is an 11th grader with a really ugly mustache. Looking at Scott, one can automatically smell the beer and see a future in which he spends all of time getting drunk at hockey games. That said, he seems to like Kathleen and he encourages her to try out for the school play. He even escorts her across the quad, which Tabi and her friend Dwayne previously declared to be off-limits for anyone in the ninth grade. Kathleen has a boyfriend and there’s no way this could go wrong, right? I mean, it’s not as if the Degrassi franchise has a long history of episodes in which insecure girls end up with older boyfriends who turn out to be abusive, right?

Meanwhile, Arthur has a crush on Caitlin and he’s overjoyed when he overhears Caitlin talking about how she’s getting tired of dating Joey, who is insensitive and only cares about his “dumb band.” However, it turns out that Caitlin is not interested in Arthur. Instead, she likes Claude, who has a goat-tee and is massively concerned about the environment. Claude (pronounced “Klohd” because he’s either really pretentious or he’s from Quebec and maybe both) invites Caitlin to a French movie.

“Do you know Jean-Luc Godard?” Claude asks.

“No, does he go here?” Caitlin replies.

It’s okay. When I was fourteen, I didn’t know who Jean-Luc Godard was either. That said, I am old enough now to know that Godard’s post-70s films were not exactly date material. Maybe Claude is asking her to a showing of Breathless. Still, I think Claude should have waited for a Truffaut and a Lelouch film to come to town.

My point is that Claude is kind of a douchebag. It’s obvious to everyone but Caitlin but sometimes, relationships are like that. That’s especially true when there’s an age and educational difference. I can understand Caitlin liking Claude, even if Claude seems pretty annoying to everyone else. But I can’t see this relationship ending well.

Oh well — at least Joey has time to work on the band! We all know from watching Degrassi: The Next Generation that Joey’s future lies in selling cars, not playing the keyboards.

And don’t worry about Arthur. He may get his heart-broken in this episode but the actor apparently had a growth spurt between Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High and he now basically towers over everyone in the cast. No one is ever going to bully Arthur again.

Next week, the drama continues!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 1.1 and 1.2 “A New Start”

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, Degrassi Junior High becomes Degrassi High!

Episode 1.1 and 1.2 “A New Start”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on November 6th, 1989)

It’s a new school year and, due to the Junior High burning down, all of the Degrassi kids are enrolling at Degrassi High! Along with finally getting to go to a new school, they also finally get a new theme song and title sequence.

Just going to a new school isn’t going to stop the drama, of course. Joey is still trying to make the Zit Remedy into something more than a mediocre garage band. Snake and Wheels are still politely listening to Joey’s plans. Caitlin and Joey are now dating but there’s a smarmy junior named Claude Tanner (David Armin-Parcells) who really seems to appreciate the blonde streaks in Caitlin’s hair. (Caitlin, it should be noted, does have the best hair in the school.) Arthur and Yick Yu, who both appear to have had major growth spurts over the summer, are growing apart. Alexa is not happy when Simon’s recent success as a male model makes him popular with all of the other girls at the Degrassi High. For neither the first nor the last time, Alexa dramatically gives Simon back his ring while Simon responds with genuine confusion. We even meet the new homeroom teacher, who assigns the students to read Lord of the Flies. (If you’ve seen the entire series, including the sequels to the original Degrassi High, it’s hard not to smile at the first of many references to Lord of the Flies.)

Dwayne Meyers (Darrin Brown), the bully who beat Joey up during the second season of Degrassi Junior High, is now attending high school and, as soon as he sees the new students, he decides that it’s time to bring back initiations. Soon, students are getting covered in white paste, tied to flag poles, and being otherwise ritually humiliated. Dwayne especially has it out for Joey. Unfortunately, for Joey, Mr. Raditch has found a new job as DHS’s vice principal and he doesn’t have much sympathy for Joey’s predicament.

That said, the main storyline here involves the Farrell Twins. I have to admit that I groaned a bit when I discovered this was going to be a Farrell Twin episode because the twins were always the weakest characters on Degrassi Junior High. However, I have to say that Angela and Maureen Deiseach actually did a pretty good job in this episode. Erica Farrell (Angela Deiseach), having lost her virginity at camp over the summer, discovers that she’s pregnant and considers getting an abortion. Her twin sister, Heather (Maureen Deiseach), is opposed to abortion and, at first, refuses to go with Erica to the clinic. After talking to Spike, who also opposes abortion but who, as a single mother, also understands Erica’s fear, Heather finally shows up at the clinic to support her sister as she walks through a throng of protestors.

Eventually, unwanted pregnancies would occur so frequently on Degrassi that they would become something of a cliche, as would the inevitable decision to get an abortion. A New Start is one of the better pregnancy episodes, handling the storyline with sensitivity but also bringing nuance to its portrayal of the abortion debate. Especially when compared to how heavy-handed the show would get in its final seasons, it’s really interesting to see how intelligently and respectfully both the pro-life and the pro-choice positions are presented in this episode. The episode makes clear that there are no easy answers and there’s also no easy villains, which is something that Degrassi itself would forget during it’s four seasons on Netflix. As Erica and Heather enter the clinic, a protestor holds up a plastic fetus, an image that was considered to be so controversial that PBS actually censored it when this episode aired in America.

(At least this episode actually made it to America, albeit in edited form. The next Degrassi pregnancy episode would sit unaired for three years.)

It’s not a great way for the Farrell twins to start the school year but it’s proof that, even as Degrassi Junior High becomes Degrassi High, it will continue to “go there.”

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi Junior High 3.16 “Bye-Bye Junior High”

Posted on November 10, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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, Degrassi Junior High comes to an end!

Episode 3.16 “Bye-Bye, Junior High”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on February 27th, 1989)

The school year is ending and things are looking fairly positive for the majority of the students at Degrassi Junior High.

The ninth graders are looking forward to finally getting to enroll at the local high school next year. The eighth graders are looking forward to finally being at the top of DJHS’s social hierarchy. The teachers are happy because they’ve given their final exams and almost every student has done well.

Even Wheels! Even though he skipped most of the year and spent a lot of time in detention due to his behavioral issues, Wheels manages to get passing grades. Of course, his grades still aren’t that impressive. Wheels just scrapes by. However, his homeroom teacher says that everyone knows that Wheels has had a difficult year and the important thing is that Wheels showed improvement when he finally did come back to school. In other words, Wheels will be moving on to the 10th Grade.

Spike, who has not been allowed to attend school in person, struggles on her final exams. But Ms. Avery (Michelle Goodeve) talks Spike into taking some correspondence courses over the summer so that Spike can move on to the 10th Grade and take part in Canada’s version of the gifted program.

As for Joey, he gets two A’s and several B’s. Unfortunately, he gets one C, in French. (Seriously, how do you live in Canada and not know French?) Joey’s parents told him that, if he got a single C, he would not be allowed to go to the last dance of the year, the all-important Graduation Dance. Fortunately, Joey’s parents reconsider this rather harsh deal and they allow Joey to go to the dance with Caitlin. Caitlin gets to wear a really pretty dress and Joey finally attends a dance without bringing his keyboard.

Even Shane shows up for the Graduation Dance! Of course, he’s using a walker and has obviously suffered severe brain damage from falling off that bridge but hey, at least he’s not dead.

It’s the most positive episode of Degrassi ever …. until the school burns down.

Yep, you read that correctly. This episode ends with Degrassi Junior High burning down. Throughout the episode, the fire alarm keeps accidentally going off and we hear the principal making announcements about how there’s some sort of electrical short in the boiler room. Well, during the school dance, a fire breaks out in the boiler room and this time, the fire alarm has a good reason for going off!

Degrassi Junior High ends with the students and teachers standing outside and watching as their beloved school goes up in flames. Never has the cheerful Degrassi Junior High theme music felt more awkward than when it plays over images of flames exploding out of a school.

Why did Degrassi Junior High end like this? As longtime fans of this franchise know, schools are always burning down in Toronto. In this episode, we watch as Degrassi Junior High burns down in 1989. We watch this with the knowledge that, 20 years later, Lakehurst High School is going to burn down and send all of its students to Degrassi Community School. Though Degrassi Community School never actually burned down, it did see its share of fires. Whenever this show needed an excuse to bring in a bunch of new transfer students, a school would burn down.

(In this case, DJHS burned down so that all of the incoming ninth graders, like Joey and Caitlin, would be able to attend the high school with Wheels, Lucy, Snake, and the rest of DJHS’s final graduating class, therefore keeping the cast together for Degrassi High.)

This was a good finale for Degrassi Junior High. It was nice to see everyone happy and this episode certainly did capture the way that I always felt at the end of any school year. Even the school burning down brought a nice bit of finality to everything.

Next week, we start Degrassi High!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi Junior High 3.15 “Pa-Arty”

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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!

It’s time to party! Oh, sorry. Actually, it’s time to pa-arty!

Episode 3.15 “Pa-Arty”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on March 13th, 1989)

The end of the school year is approaching and everyone is stressed out over exams. Everyone in Grade 9 is also looking forward to Alexa’s end-of-the-year party. However, when Alexa has to cancel the party because her parents will be home, the party gets moved to Lucy’s place. Lucy is super-excited, even though almost every party that’s ever been held at her house has ended in disaster.

Joey, the proud owner of new fake ID, offers to buy beer for the party. However, Snake and Wheels point out that Joey is rather “petite” (as Snake puts it), it is decided that Snake would have a better chance of passing for an adult. Snake puts on a suit and Joey’s fedora and attempts to buy beer. As the clerk looks at the fake ID, Snake casually mentions that a lot of people don’t believe that he’s actually 19 because of how young he looks. The clerk refuses to sell Snake the beer.

As a crestfallen Joey, Snake, and Wheels stand outside the convenience store, they spot Clutch (Steve Bedernjak), who is Lucy’s latest bad boyfriend. Clutch is in high school and he agrees to buy the beer for them. (Of course, Clutch is also an alcoholic so he takes 6 of the beers for himself.) Joey accidentally mentions that the beer is for a party at Lucy’s house. Lucy specifically lied to Clutch about the party because she hates being around him when he’s drinking.

While walking to Lucy’s house, Snake and Joey stop and decide to drink some of the beer themselves. Wheels turns down their offer of a beer, reminding them that his parents were killed by a drunk driver. While Snake and Joey talk about the taste of beer, two Canadian cops approach them from behind. Uh-oh!

Meanwhile, Lucy’s party is a hit but it comes to an early end when her parents call to say that they’re coming home. A drunk Clutch shows up and behaves so obnoxiously that Lucy dumps him. The next day, at school, Clutch apologizes and Lucy replies that it’s too late. Freeze frame on Clutch as the end credits roll!

This is a pretty standard episode but, as is so often the case with this show, it’s heart-breaking if you know what lies in store for these characters. In this episode, Wheels says that he’s never going to drink, specifically because his parents were killed by a drunk driver. Of course, those of us who have seen School’s Out know that Wheels eventually will start drinking and, while driving drunk, he’ll not only accidentally kill a kid but he’ll also so severely injure Lucy that she’ll temporarily lose her ability to see and she’ll have to learn how to walk all over again. And while Lucy will eventually recover, Wheels is destined to end up spending several years in prison and will become a pariah amongst his former friends. Knowing that makes this a very sad episode, even if it wasn’t originally meant to be. That’s the way life is, though. You never know what the future might hold.

As for the future of this show, next week, we will finish up Degrassi Junior High. How will the school year end? Check here next Sunday and find out!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi Junior High 3.14 “Black & White”

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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!

With the school year coming to an end, prejudice raises its ugly head.

Episode 3.14 “Black & White”

(Dir by John Bertram, originally aired on March 5th, 1989)

The school year is nearly over. While Bart and Scooter take pictures for the yearbook, the other students prepare for the big graduation dance. BLT asks Michelle to be his date to the dance and Michelle says yes. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised that BLT and Michelle weren’t already dating at the start of this episode. Nearly every time that we’ve seen Michelle over the course of the third season, BLT has been right there with her.

Alexa says that it’s great the Michelle is going to the dance with BLT because BLT is a great dancer. “That goes without saying,” Alexa says. After an appropriately awkward silence, Alexa adds, “Because he’s black.” Okay, Alexa, thanks for sharing…. Alexa goes on to say that her parents would never allow her to date a black person because they hate anyone who isn’t Greek. That must make their lives in Toronto very interesting….

Unfortunately, it turns out that Alexa isn’t the only student with prejudiced parents. Michelle’s mother takes one look at BLT and suddenly decides that Michelle is too young to start dating. After Michelle tells BLT the news, BLT suggests that Michelle’s mom doesn’t want her to date him because he’s black. When Michelle finally works up the courage to ask her mom if BLT is correct, her mom replies that she’s not racist at all. Instead, she’s so progressive that she understands how racist everyone else is and therefore, she has a unique understanding of how difficult it would be if Michelle ended up marrying someone who wasn’t white….

AGCK! It’s like a Canadian version of the “I would have voted for Obama a third time,” line from Get Out.

Finally, Michelle works up the courage to go with BLT to the dance anyway, regardless of what her parents may think.

Meanwhile, Spike tries to get a part-time job at a deli. The owner takes one look at her hair and then claims that Spike was late to the job interview and is therefore unhirable. “That’s prejudice,” Liz says as they walk away from the deli. And it is but it’s really not the equivalent of what BLT is dealing with. Sorry, Degrassi.

For the most part, this was an effective episode. It starts out with a jarring scene in which another students bumps into BLT and uses the “n-word.” BLT and the racist student get into a fist fight, which is broken up by an assistant principal. BLT is told that he’ll be suspended if there’s another fight but, as he explains to Snake and Wheels, there’s no way he’s going to back down if he sees the student again.

“Can’t you just ignore it?” Snake asks.

“You’re not the one being called a….” BLT says, uttering the slur.

It’s an honest scene and not one that most teen shows would have the guts to include. Hearing the word used so casually in 2024 is jarring. For American audiences, it’s sometimes good to be reminded that racism is not something that is unique to only one region of our country. It’s a worldwide thing and often those who are the quickest to brag about their tolerance are actually the most prejudiced people around.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi Junior High 3.12 “Taking Off: Part Two”

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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, Degrassi goes there again!

Episode 3.12 “Taking Off: Part Two”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on February 20th, 1989)

When last we checked in with the students at Degrassi Junior High, Shane was missing and Wheels, having been sexually assaulted by a man who picked him up while he was hitchhiking, was walking towards Port Hope in search of his biological father.

Shane is discovered underneath a bridge. As the police tell his friend Luke, it appears that Shane either jumped or he fell. Shane is alive, but he’s in a coma and there’s no guarantee that he’s going to survive. When asked whether or not Shane had done any drugs at the Gourmet Scum concert, Luke finally admits that Shane did drop acid right before the show began.

As for Wheels, he manages to make it to Port Hope and he even finds the cheap hotel where his father, Mike (Dave James), is playing with his band. Wheels imagines knocking on the hotel room door and his father happily greeting him and inviting him to join the band. Instead, when Wheels knocks on the door, Mike is shocked and not particularly happy to see him. Though Mike forces Wheels to call his grandmother and let her know that he’s okay, Mike does agree to let Wheels spend the day at the hotel. Mike then promptly abandons Wheels.

When Mike eventually returns, a few things become obvious.

First off, Mike didn’t even know that Wheels’s adoptive parents had died.

Secondly, Mike doesn’t want anything to do with his biological son.

Third, Mike’s new girlfriend is pregnant and, as she explains it, they can’t afford to have Wheels around.

I mean, goddamn! Poor Wheels! First, he gets sexually assaulted while hitchhiking. Then, his father rejects him. Wheels, after yelling at his father for abandoning him, is prepared to run away again but suddenly, his grandmother shows up. She was finally able to convince Joey to tell her where Wheels had run of to and she shows up to take him home. Wheels is adamant that he’s going to run away again but when his grandmother starts to cry and calls him out for being a “selfish, selfish boy,” Wheels reconsiders.

At the end of the episode, Shane is still in his coma and it’s still up in the air whether he accidentally fell or if he was trying to commit suicide when he plunged from that bridge. Wheels, however, returns to school and is greeted by Joey and Snake. Joey apologizes for telling Wheels’s grandmother about Port Hope but Wheels says it’s okay. He’s ready to give school another try. Everyone smiles as the end credits roll on a well-acted and classic episode of Degrassi Junior High.

YAY! It’s a happy ending, as long as you haven’t seen Degrassi: The Next Generation. If you have seen The Next Generation, you know that Wheels has alcoholism and prison in his future. And, for that matter, Shane is going to end up spending the rest of his life in an institution. So, it’s not really that happy of an ending.

But it’s very much a Degrassi ending.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi Junior High 3.11 “Taking Off: Part One”

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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, Degrassi goes there!

Episode 3.11 “Taking Off: Part One”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on February 13th, 1989)

Gourmet Scum has come to Toronto and everyone is excited to hear the Scum sound. At the concert, Shane and Luke (Andy Chambers) purchase LSD from the local Scum dug dealer. Shane drops acid before the concert begins. Surely, this won’t lead to any trouble, right?

Meanwhile, Wheels is still skipping school. While his teachers send notes to his grandmother to let her know that Wheels is falling behind, Wheels is spending all of his time playing a boxing video game at the local arcade. When Joey asks Wheels how can afford to spend all day playing one game over and over again, Wheels says that he sold his bass.

“What about the Zit Remedy?!” Joey says.

Sorry, Joey, Wheels doesn’t care about school or your stupid band anymore. In fact, Wheels is planning on running away from home. When he gets a birthday postcard from his biological father, Wheels discovers his father’s band has a two-week gig at Port Hope. Wheels decides to join his father, despite not being sure where New Hope is. In fact, it’s not even Wheels’s birthday. His birth father missed the date by about a month but Wheels doesn’t care. Wheels just wants to get away from everything.

How is Wheels going to get to New Hope? He decides to hitchhike! Uhmm …. not a good idea, Wheels. Actually, everyone who picks up Wheels seems to be pretty nice. That is until this guy pulls up….

“Don’t do it!” I shouted as Wheels got in the car. Unfortunately, as this all happened 35 years ago and I was just watching it play out on YouTube, Wheels couldn’t hear me.

As they drive towards what Wheels assumes is Port Hope, the driver (chillingly played by James Knapp) asks Wheels if he has a lot of girlfriends. He asks Wheels if he works out. He asks a lot of questions that immediately raise red flags. Not that Wheels notices….

Suddenly, the driver pulls off the road, turns to Wheels, and grabs Wheels’s thigh. AGCK! Wheels manages to get the door open and scrambles out of the car. The driver throws Wheels’s backpack out of the car and then drives off, leaving Wheels in the middle of nowhere.

Meanwhile, back in Toronto, Joey’s mother tells Joey that Shane’s mother has been calling because Shane didn’t come home after the concert. Soon, the police are talking to all of Shane’s friends and trying to figure out where he could be. Luke is asked whether Shane did any drugs. Luke lies and says, “No.”

This was a classic Degrassi episode and probably one of the most effective anti-hitchhiking PSAs ever filmed. When the driver attacked Wheels, it was a truly frightening moment and it was impossible not to remember all of the times, over the course of this season, that Wheels has bragged about his ability to take care of himself. Now, Wheels is stuck in the middle of nowhere and Shane, who didn’t pay child support specifically so he could go to the concert, is missing.

Never has “To be continued….” felt more ominous.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi Junior High 3.10 “Twenty Bucks”

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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, everyone needs some money. Gourmet Scum is coming.

Episode 3.10 “Twenty Bucks”

(Dir by John Bertram, originally aired on February 6th, 1989)

To quote the Zit Remedy, everybody wants something they’ll never give up. In this week’s episode, everyone wants twenty bucks.

That’s how much it costs to buy a ticket to see Gourmet Scum, Canada’s hottest band. Melanie, who has gotten her braces taken off and who is finally feeling confident about herself (Hey, I’ve been there!), has been invited to the concert by Snake. There’s just one catch. Melanie has to pay for her own ticket. When Melanie asks her mom for the money, Melanie’s mom says that she can’t spare twenty dollars. Not with the cost of groceries! (Hell, try living in 2024.)

Melanie decides to steal twenty dollars from her mom’s purse. Melanie justifies it by assuming that she’ll get paid twenty dollars for her next babysitting job and she’ll be able to pay her mom back as a result. Melanie steals the money and buys the ticket. However, her weekend babysitting job is canceled. Without the twenty dollars, Melanie’s mom will only be able to make chili until her next payday. A guilt-ridden Melanie finally confesses to stealing from her mom. Her mom promptly grounds Melanie, meaning no concert and probably no chili either.

Snake, when he hears Melanie can’t go to the concert with him, decides that he doesn’t want to go to the concert either. Awwww! Snake and Melanie are cute together but, those of us who have seen Degrassi: The Next Generation, know that Snake is ultimately going to marry ….. well, I won’t spoil it.

Meanwhile, Spike is upset because Shane has told her that he’s broke and won’t be able to pay her any child support. Why is Shane broke? Because he used his last twenty dollars to buy a ticket to Gourmet Scum!

Finally, Joey makes a twenty-dollar bet with BLT (Dayo Ade). (Yes, the character’s nickname is BLT.) BLT bets that Joey can’t get a date for Friday night. Joey asks and is turned down by almost every girl at school. Even the Farrell twins turn him down! (Seriously, how much of a loser do you have to be to actually get turned down by a Farrell?) Finally, he asks the girl that he really likes (but who he fears no longer likes him), Caitlin. Caitlin says yes. Awwwww! Unfortunately, BLT pays Joey right in front of Caitlin. In order to prove that he didn’t ask Caitlin out just for the money, Joey proceeds to rip up the twenty dollar bill. (Keep in mind, it’s a Canadian twenty so he probably just ripped up the equivalent of an American dollar.)

I enjoyed this episode. It deftly balanced several storylines but it also set up a few big developments that we’ll talk about next week. Joey and Caitlin are a cute couple and so are Melanie and Snake. As for Shane and Spike …. well, like I said, we’ll talk about it next week.