Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.13 “One Last Dance”

Posted on August 3, 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 and Tubi

Degrassi High comes to a close. Here’s the final time we’ll be hearing this theme song.

Episode 2.13 “One Last Dance”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on February 11th, 1991)

With the end of term approaching, the students of Degrassi High are shocked to hear that their school will be closing. The next year, everyone will be split up and going to different schools. Lucy may have just been elected president of the student council but she’s never going to take office.

It’s sad news but at least the students get one last dance.

Joey and Caitlin finally get back together as the series come to a close, dancing in Degrassi’s gym. Upon hearing some students discussing the rumor that one of their classmates is HIV+, an angry Dwayne finally admits that it’s him. His “friend” Nick (George Chaker) refuses to speak to him. His other friend, Tabby (Michele Johnson-Murray), finally gets over her fear and shares a dance with him. Snake dances with Michelle. Wheels shows up to the dance and I’m going to assume that he’s no longer homeless. Arthur — remember when this show was all about Arthur? — is spotted dancing with someone. The camera pans over all of the students in the school’s gym, sharing some final moments as they prepare to end one chapter of their life and start another. It’s a low-key but effective ending for the show. It helps that the we’ve gotten to know the characters so well. Degrassi High didn’t need to burn down the school to have an effective ending. It just needed to get everyone together in the gym.

However, it was not the end of the franchise, not hardly. A year after Degrassi High ended, School’s Out would air and our characters would be given temporary (and, in some cases, rather tragic) closure. I’ll take a second look at School’s Out next Sunday. And then, a decade or so later, a new generation would become students at Toronto’s most famous learning center. Degrassi: The Next Generation is coming soon!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.12 “Three’s a Crowd”

Posted on July 27, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, the formal is approaching, Spike needs a date and so does Snake.

Episode 2.12 “Three’s A Crowd”

(Dir by Philip Earnshaw, originally aired on February 4th, 1991)

The graduation formal is approaching! Spike has got a crush on Snake (who has finally returned to school after finding Claude’s body). When Spike asks Snake out, he says yes. Yay! But then Spike overhears Michelle asking out Snake and Snake explaining that he would love to go with her but he already said yes to Spike (who he considers to be just a friend). Spike makes up a lie about having “a family thing” the same night as the dance so that Snake can go with Michelle.

How sad!

This is a minor episode of Degrassi High but it’s significant to those of us who discovered Degrassi by watching The Next Generation. We know that Spike and Snake are eventually going to get married and Snake is going to become Emma’s stepfather. (Three year-old Emma makes an appearance in this episode, encouraging her mom to not be depressed.) As sad as it is to see Spike overhear Snake talking about how much he likes Michelle, we know that Spike and Snake are eventually going to end up together as adults. Of course, by that point, Spike will be known as Christine and Snake will be known as Archie.

While Snake and Spike were dealing with the realities of high school attraction, Tessa was falling for Yick Yu despite the fact that she was already dating Alex. Dorothy (Annabelle Waugh) told Tessa that she had to tell Alex the truth. Tessa couldn’t bring herself to do it but Yick, thinking that Tessa and Alex were broken up, told Alex that he didn’t mean to make Tessa dump him. Alex confronts Tessa. Tessa says, “I hope we can still be friends.” “I don’t see how,” Alex replies. OUCH!

And again, this is a storyline that means a lot more if you know what’s going to happen in the future. Tessa may like Alex now but, in just a year, she’s going to get impregnated by Joey Jeremiah and then run away from Toronto, never to be seen again.

Degrassi’s about to get dark!

Next week, Degrassi High comes to an end. Don’t worry, though. Degrassi will go on forever.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.11 “Showtime, Part 2”

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In yourself, you must believe….

Episode 2.11 “Showtime Part 2”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on January 28th, 1991)

The students of Degrassi High struggle to move on from the suicide of Claude Tanner. The talent show goes on, with all of the money raised being given to Claude’s parents. Snake, for his part, goes to therapy and stays home from school. When Joey visits him, Snake mentions that, when he found Claude, half of his face was missing. Meanwhile, Caitlin is haunted by visions of Claude, smiling and trying to hand her a flower.

This episode was not quite what I was expecting. Instead of embracing the melodrama (as Degrassi: The Next Generation would have), this episode is low-key and realistic about showing the ways that people deal with grief and trauma. Snake is understandably shaken but what makes his scene so poignant is that he’s obviously struggling to pretend like he isn’t or that life can go back to normal after what he’s seen. I spent this entire episode waiting for Caitlin to breakdown. She didn’t and really, I have to commend the show for that because I sometimes think we put too much pressure on people to release all of their emotions before they’re ready to do so. Caitlin is still emotionally number and it’s going to be a while before she’s ready to really talk about what happened. And that’s okay! Sometimes, it takes a while. It’s only now, nearly a year after he died, that I’m really starting to realize how depressed I’ve been over the past year. All those times that I thought I was moving on, I was really just distracting myself from the pain. And now, with that one year anniversary approaching, I find myself crying at the most random of times. It’s not pleasant. My heart hurts on most days. But I know that eventually, I’ll make it through. Everyone grieves in their own way and apparently, this is the way that I grieve.

This was a good Joey episode. Not only did Caitlin agree to tutor him in his science class but Wheels finally paid back the money that he stole from Joey’s mother. During their study session, Joey and Caitlin talked about the suicide, with Joey asking if Caitlin knew Claude. I guess the show’s writers forgot that, last season, Joey was intensely jealous over Caitlin and Claude’s relationship. Still, regardless of that continuity error, the scenes between Joey and Caitlin were well-written, well-acted, and emotionally honest.

In other words, this was a good episode. I’ve seen a lot of shows that have dealt with suicide. I’ve rarely seen any that dealt with it as well and as honestly as Degrassi High.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.10 “Showtime Part One”

Posted on July 13, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, tragedy comes to Degrassi.

Episode 2.10 “Showtime, Part One”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on January 21st, 1991)

When last we saw Claude Tanner, Caitlin was dumping him because he left her behind when the police showed up at the nuclear facility that they were vandalizing. Claude then refused to go to court to support her, saying that his parents wouldn’t understand. That was during the first season.

Other than appearing in the opening credits, Claude was not in the first nine episodes of the second season of Degrassi High. When he did return in tonight’s episode, he made Degrassi history.

When we first see Claude, he’s wearing what appears to be a pirate shirt and he’s looking over a piece of paper. His beard is a bit thicker. His earing is a lot bigger. When he sees Caitlin, he tries to talk to her. Caitlin tells him to get lost and then asks Maya why Claude just can’t leave her alone.

Claude is auditioning for the school talent show. He reads a monologue that he’s written, one about an ice queen who makes the entire world dark. Lucy and Bronco tell him that his monologue is too depressing for the show. Claude accuses all of the students of being sheep and storms out of the auditorium.

The next day, Claude gives Caitlin a flower, goes to his locker and retrieves a gun, and then shoots himself in the washroom. His body is later discovered by Snake.

Over the course of Degrassi’s long history, many students would die. Tragically, Claude would not be the only one to commit suicide. One was shot while trying to shoot up the school. The class clown was stabbed to death by a student from a rival high school. Another died in a car accident. However, Claude was the first.

And I have to say that I was really impressed with how Degrassi High handled Claude’s suicide. Snake was traumatized. Caitlin was left feeling numb. Some students talked about how much Claude was hurting and also about their own struggles with depression. Lucy and Spike both said that Claude’s actions were selfish and that he killed himself at school because he wanted to hurt all of the other students. When it comes to Claude, I have to admit that I find myself agreeing with Lucy and Spike. When Caitlin returns home from school, she finds a bouquet of flowers and a note from Claude waiting for her. In the note, Claude says that he loved her and the words are obviously meant to make her feel responsible for his death. The episodes ends with Caitlin throwing the flowers away. Claude would probably say that proves that Caitlin doesn’t care about him. I think it proves that Claude was a jerk who killed himself specifically to get back at Caitlin.

That doesn’t make Claude’s suicide any less tragic. Any suicide is a tragedy, especially when the person in question hasn’t even reached adulthood. As one of Claude’s friends says in this episode, Claude was sad and he didn’t feel he had anyone he could talk to. That is a tragedy and sadly, even though this episode aired over 30 years ago, there’s a lot of people who still feel that way. We live in a world where more and more people view life as being not a gift but instead a burden. It’s sad. Myself, I’m a strong believer in life and finding things to love. I love my boyfriend. I love my sisters. I love writing. I love movies. I love cats. I love knowing that, even when I’m at my lowest, happiness is in the future. Most importantly, I love myself. Never give up.

This episode was sensitive and thought-provoking and Degrassi as its best. Next week, the fallout from Claude’s suicide continues.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.9 “Extracurricular Activities”

Posted on July 6, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, everyone’s either self-centered or foolish.

Episode 2.9 “Extracurricular Activities”

(Dir by John Bertram, originally aired on January 14th, 1991)

Caitlin or Lucy, it’s hard to say who is worse in this episode.

Caitlin is excited when her mother invites her to come home for a meeting with her father. Caitlin, who has been imposing on friends ever since she discovered her father was cheating on her mother, is all excited because she thinks her parents are going to get divorced. Instead, her parents announce that they’re staying together. Caitlin gets angry, telling her friend Maya that she’ll just get an apartment and a job and she’ll never see her parents again. Maya, who is in a wheelchair and actually knows a little more about hardship than Caitlin, reminds Caitlin that “they’re your parents,” which I think is Canadian for, “Good Lord, stop whining!” Seriously, Maya — who actually has a lot that she could justifiably be upset about — never complains about anything while Caitlin — who is from a middle-class family and has a nice house and somehow only got a slap on the wrist after being arrested for trespassing and vandalizing — never shuts up about her difficult her life is. We get it, Caitlin. It sucks that everyone in the world isn’t as perfect and principled as you are.

(Does Caitlin ever ask anyone how they’re doing or does she just enter a room and automatically start talking about her life? Based on the second season, the latter would appear to be true.)

Meanwhile, Lucy is dating Bronco, the student body president. When Bronco tells Lucy that everyone’s favorite Degrassi band, the Savages, are going to be shooting a video at Degrassi, he swears Lucy to secrecy. (Actually, Gourmet Scum was everyone’s favorite band on Degrassi High but I guess the Savages were cool too.) So, of course, Lucy tells the creepy Farrell twins and then they make plans to break into the school on the weekend to watch the video shoot. Joey and Snake also decide to break into the school for the video shoot. Of course, they all get caught by Mr. Raditch and Bronco gets in a ton of trouble because Raditch assumes that Bronco let all of his friends into the school.

“Sorry,” Lucy says.

Gee, Lucy, that’ll really help!

You may have noticed this episode annoyed me. Some of that is purely personal on my part. With my mind slipping into summer and holiday mode, I’m missing both my mom and my dad so I wasn’t necessarily sympathetic to Caitlin’s demand that her parents split up or else never speak to her again. As for Lucy and Bronco, Bronco should have known better than to tell Lucy. And Lucy sure as Hell should have known better than to tell the Farrell twins. Everyone was just too dumb this episode.

Next week, though, we have the first part of one of Degrassi High’s best-remembered episodes. Fear not, we can put this episode behind us.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.8 “Home, Sweet Home”

Posted on June 29, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This week, everyone is sick of Wheels.

Episode 2.8 “Home, Sweet Home”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on January 7th, 1991)

Oh, Wheels! Always in trouble, that one.

Ever since getting kicked out of his grandma’s house, Wheels has been staying with Joey but, after several weeks, Joey and his parents are sick of their houseguest. Wheels easts all the food, never says thank you, and has yet to even to start to look for his own place. Instead, he steals a bunch of money from Joey’s mom’s purse. As a result, Wheels not only gets kicked out of the Jeremiah residence but Snake’s parents announce that Wheels can’t stay with them either. Trapped outside during a thunderstorm, Wheels calls his grandmother and promises to obey her rules if she allows him to come home.

“I don’t believe you,” she replies before hanging up on him.

OUCH! Though, to be honest, she’s right about Wheels’s sincerity. Wheels is a pathological liar who takes advantage of anyone who trusts him. It’s been a while since he was the cool kid that everyone wanted to date.

Wheels eventually crashes on Snake’s back porch. (“My parents cannot know you’re back here,” Snake says.) The next day, at school, Wheels promises Joey that he will pay back the money he owes. Joey turns his back on Wheels and walks off.

And, again, Wheels really has no one to blame for but himself. And those of us who know our Degrassi history know that things are soon going to get even worse for Derek Wheeler.

Meanwhile, Michelle returns home so she can have a quiet place to study. She is shocked to find her father is at the house. (She thought he would be at cooking class.) Michelle agrees to move back in but on the condition that she pay rent and that her father stop trying to control her life. Her father reluctantly agrees. I guess, now that she’s broken up with BLT, it no longer matters that her father was previously portrayed as being a raging racist.

This episode was okay but it felt very familiar. We’ve done the whole Wheels-is-awful thing already. Add to that, as terrible as Wheels is, I don’t really agree with Grandma’s decision to refuse to allow him to come home. Wheels promised to abide by his grandmother’s rules and that was the condition that Grandma set for his return. Wheels is a handful and undoubtedly was being insincere but I think Grandma is going back on her word here. If Wheels had come home, she could have at least continued to talk to him and kept trying to get him to go to therapy. Instead, she left him out in the middle of Toronto in a rainstorm. Shame on her for that.

Some characters are just doomed no matter what and that’s certainly the case with Wheels.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrasssi Hibh 2.6 “Crossed Wires”

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In yourself, you must believe …. let’s return to Degrassi High.

Episode 2.6 “Crossed Wires”

(Dir by Kit Hood, originally aired on December 10th, 1990)

Alex is dating Tessa but he has yet to kiss her and Tessa’s getting tired of waiting for him. Arthur and Yick (remember them?) both tell Alex that he’s a total wimp. Myself, I’m just wondering how Alex somehow went from being a background character to suddenly getting storylines. For the record, Alex does eventually kiss Tessa and he leaves her breathless, which seems like a bit of an overreaction. I mean, it’s just Alex….

Of course, any Tessa storyline that doesn’t involve Joey is going to feel somewhat odd because true Degrassi fans know that Tessa is eventually going to end up pregnant after sleeping with Joey, leading to a jealous Snake dropping the first F-bomb ever heard on Canadian television. But, that was all far in the future. When this episode aired, Tessa was still just the girl who apparently only owned that one blue dress.

Alex and Tessa’s rather silly storyline is matched with one where Liz, after going on a date with Tim (Keith White, finally getting a storyline after spending so much time as a background character), freaks out after Tim attempts to kiss her goodnight after taking her to a Pogues concert. Liz eventually tells Spike that she was sexually abused by her mom’s ex-boyfriend and that’s why Liz doesn’t allow anyone to get close to her. (In many ways, this episode feels like a dry run for the Jane Says episodes of Degrassi: The Next Generation.) This episode handles the subject with sensitivity, as Degrassi (to its credit) always did. Tonally, it can be a bit of shock to go from the silliness of Tessa’s story to the seriousness of Liz’s but that’s kind of the way it is when you’re a teenager. One minute, you’re in a sitcom. The next minute, you’re in the most depressing drama ever. That’s certainly the way it was for me when I was in high school. I preferred the sitcom moments but the fact that I can cry on cue came in useful whenever things started to get serious.

Finally, Dwayne’s moronic friends are upset because Dwayne will no longer let them beat up on Joey. Dwayne doesn’t care. Joey’s the only person that knows that Dwayne is HIV positive. Joey has kept his word and not revealed Dwayne’s secret. Dwayne helps Joey fix his car and Joey, in return, gives Dwayne a life home. Dwayne going from being a bully to a sensitive guy is another character arc that would become a Degrassi tradition.

Next week, Kathleen finds some marijuana. Oh no!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.5 “Body Politics”

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Just when Lucy thinks that she’s out, they pull her back in.

Episode 2.5 “Body Politics”

(Dir by Phillip Earnshaw, originally aired on December 3rd, 1990)

Lucy is depressed because the big dance is coming up and no one has asked her. She makes another one of her video diaries for L.D., in which she says, “I know I can be kind of mouthy.” That’s true but being “kind of mouthy” is a Degrassi tradition and screw anyone who can’t handle someone having an opinion!

Anyway, Lucy does get a date with Dale (Cameron Graham), a jock with a cute smile. But when the Girls Volleyball Team discovers that the Boys Basketball Team has been given all of the best practice slots in the gym (basically, the basketball team gets to practice in the afternoon for as long as they want while the volleyball team only gets a few minutes in the morning), Lucy finds herself starting another protest. However, when she discovers that Dale is the captain of the basketball team, Lucy starts to wonder if she should back off. She wants to go to the dance!

The creepy Farrell twins insist that Lucy has to be their leader and their spokesperson. This episode was the first time that the Farrells were prominently featured in the second season and I had forgotten how annoying they could be with their constant demand that Lucy lead every single protest. Seriously, I’m kind of sympathizing with Lucy’s desire to avoid getting involved.

Lucy does eventually step up and make her argument about the girls deserving equal time to the Phys Ed. department. It doesn’t do any good. It turns out that, when Dale said that no one cares about Girls Volleyball, he was right. Lucy loses her fight and her date. But the president of the senior class, the never before-seen Bronco (L. Dean Ifill), is impressed by Lucy’s fighting spirit and asks her to the dance. So, things work out.

(Lucy, of course, is destined to be crippled and blinded by Wheels in an auto accident but that’s a while off.)

As for the other plots in this week’s episode, Patrick, the Irish guy who was dating Spike at the end of last season, is single again and asks Liz out on a date. Spike says she’s fine with it but actually she’s jealous. Hey, it happens! And Alexa and Michelle finally decide to be friends again. Yay! Seriously, it’s always nice when friendships are saved.

This episode could have been better. The main problem was that I didn’t buy a lot of the Lucy story. I mean, how come there wasn’t a coach or anyone supervising the gym while the basketball players and the volleyball players were having their argument? How come the athletic teams didn’t already have a set schedule for when they would practice? Since when are the Farrell twins athletic and why can’t they ever do anything without demanding that Lucy be their spokesperson? How exactly is L.D.’s father getting away with traveling around the world with his daughter who I imagine is legally required to be in some sort of school? There were just too many unanswered questions.

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.3 “Loyalties”

Posted on May 4, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

In yourself, you must believe….

Episode 2.3 “Loyalties”

(Dir by John Bertram, originally aired on November 19th, 1990)

Oh look, more Caitlin drama.

Seriously, if I was a student at Degrassi High, I would warn any new enrollees about becoming friends with Caitlin. Caitlin may be nice and she may be sincere in her desire to be friendly with the new students but, ultimately, everything with Caitlin is a drama and being her friend means being a part of the drama, whether you want to be or not. Last season, Caitlin had to go to court after he got caught vandalizing the nuclear plant and she immediately expected all of her friends to skip school and go with her. This episode, Caitlin spots her father having a romantic lunch with someone who is not Caitlin’s mother and, of course, Caitlin’s friends are expected to forget about the own problems so they can listen to her obsess about it. And while Caitlin did not tell her mom, she did suggest that her dad take her mom to the restaurant where she previously spotted him.

Caitlin wasn’t the only person with drama this week. Michelle is struggling to deal with having gotten dumped by BLT. When she discovers that Alexa and Simon are still hanging out with BLT and his new girlfriend, Cindy, she’s not happy. Alexa and Simon, meanwhile, are tired of Michelle being such a downer. And while I had sympathy for Michelle, I also had sympathy for Alexa. It’s not easy when your friends break up and you find yourself expected to pick a side. Snake has a crush on Michelle and they go out on a date but Michelle starts crying ten minutes in. Later, Michelle apologize to Snake and says she’s not ready to date. Snake, being the perfect guy despite (or maybe because of) his nickname, is totally understanding and says he’ll wait until she’s ready.

Awwwwww!

Compared to last week’s episode, Loyalties was not quite as memorable. No one discovered they were HIV+. Still, it was a nicely done episode and I appreciated the effort to try to realistically deal with Michelle’s feelings. I’m not looking forward to the inevitable episode in which Caitlin confronts her father but I know it’ll happen. That’s Degrassi!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Degrassi High 2.2 “Bad Blood: Part Two”

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Lisa Marie Bowman

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.)