» Degrassi: The Next Generation Options

[maraleia]

Is is just me or is this season really disjointed? I'm not feeling any of the stories at all!

[7LeafClover]

Because Toby is JT's friend. I didn't see any other Lakehurst students making trouble at Emma's party, I didn't see Lakehurst conspiring crash the party. The kids were partying. They heard about a rocking party and decided to show up. They probably didn't know or care who's car it was.

And Spinner and Jay were the ones who threw the two guys out of the party --- why not shank them up? Nobody else from Lakehurst was causing problems, just blond guy and Drake. The common denominator in all of the incidents was JT.

I don't agree. I don't think they knew JT and Toby were friends, just that Toby was a Degrassi kid.

I don't think it was really a Lakehurst problem, just some punk kids who decided to target Degrassi for whatever reasons. They didn't know JT from anyone else. Nic and those kids made it specifically about Degrassi from the second we saw them. JT happened to get involved with Nic's ex and I think hit Nic, unfortunately (adding yet some more reasons to target him), and equally unfortunately, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he got stabbed.

The way the guys addressed, it's always been some school rivalry. I think they showed up to the party to mess with some Degrassi kids, not to start things with JT. Why else would they mess with Danny and Derek like that?

[Arista]

Well, "If You Leave" sucked, but I kinda knew it would which is why I was looking forward to a preview of next week's (hopefully next week's) episode. And I didn't even get that. What a waste of a half hour.

[nk345]

Damien seems to be lying about his friendship with Drake and getting Manny to blow off her prior engagements with others just to be with him. That's a little too quick for just 2 weeks.

If Mia has any information about Drake that Manny needs to know, she needs to tell it instead of lurking around at the Dot. And before she protests Lakehurst, maybe she needs to protest her mustache.

Seriously, WTF was that all about. I knew he was pushy since RTT and trying to kiss Manny after 5 minutes but this is just getting to be too much. Not to mention lying about Drake. This kid seems fishy...but I guess we won't find out till next season.

In the meantime, I miss when Manny was dating the cokehead.

This post has been edited by nk345: Feb 16, 2007 @ 11:44 pm.

[7LeafClover]

He's suspiciously smooth. Being interested in her thoughts and conversing... Of course, there are guys who are sincerely sweet and interested in that stuff, but he seems to into Manny too quickly and too good to be true. There has to be something lurking in the shadows.

Because they seem to be into rehashing old storylines, aka "going there... again", I wonder if they're going to go with the controlling boyfriend one, like Rick and Terri. Because of Mr. Santos' control issues, that would play out interestingly with Manny.

Speaking of control issues, JT's death would have been a time where they could remind us that Emma is dealing with an eating disorder/her own control issues. Nothing dramatic or over the top, just maybe somebody asking her if she's eating okay or reminding her to take care of herself. Some people get really hit hard with unexpected/implausible deaths, because it proves that they can't control the world after all.

This post has been edited by 7LeafClover: Feb 16, 2007 @ 11:53 pm.

[nk345]

And when he said the "total tragedy" line about JT, either it was meant to be insincere or just the actor delivered it very unconvincingly.

Because they seem to be into rehashing old storylines, aka "going there... again", I wonder if they're going to go with the controlling boyfriend one, like Rick and Terri. Because of Mr. Santos' control issues, that would play out interestingly with Manny.

I was thinking about that. It would be a great storyline though I doubt they'd go the spousal abuse angle. They could always go the "bad influence" angle though.

This post has been edited by nk345: Feb 16, 2007 @ 11:59 pm.

[mjt626]

This probably won't add a thing to the discussion, but I hate Mia. Yes your boyfriend of 2 months was killed, but they knew him for at least 6 years. Stop making it all about you. Although it's not your fault, this whole thing jumped off because your ex (baby daddy?) is a jerk who showed up a junior girls b-ball game and started drama. Ashley honey, move over, cause it's all about Mia now. Now maybe it's because I just left a high school game where babies where being used as accesories, but where is Mia's baby? Cheerleading competion against my former school or spending time with my child. Go Home Mia!

This post has been edited by mjt626: Feb 17, 2007 @ 12:56 am.

[drivethroo]

I don't agree. I don't think they knew JT and Toby were friends, just that Toby was a Degrassi kid.

Yeah, they knew JT and Toby were friends. After the girls' basketball fight when JT and Toby are walking home and complaining about detention, Nic and his crew are there to shake that fence and tell JT and Toby they were going down. Nic didn't shake the fence at any other Degrassi student; he went after JT because JT is the one who popped him upside the head with the mascot head.

Nic and his crew also knew that Derek and Danny were friends with JT because they confronted them in WIFLTBAG and told them Lakehurst had declared war on Degrassi because of "JT Yorke." If Nic and the Lakehurst Crew just wanted to kick some Degrassi ass, they wouldn't tell JT's friends "We declare war on Degrassi because of JT Yorke." They would have just kicked some Degrassi ass.

Who takes the time to sit there and find out the name of some kid you don't like from another school and who their friends are unless your dislike is specifically on that person?

Then, when Toby tells JT what Nic said about declaring war on Degrassi, JT thinks it's about the basketball fight but Mia tells JT that Nic was her ex and the jellus type.

Later on, after JT and the Degrassi Crew decide not to fight the Lakehurst Crew, Nic and his friends purposely go to Degrassi to tell Toby they were going to kick his ass since his friend (JT) didn't show up.

At the party (which Nic wasn't even at) when the other two Lakehurst guys show up, they didn't start trouble with Jay, or Marco or any of the other Degrassi guys. They gave Derek that shaked up can of beer or soda. That's when Jay and Spinner threw the two guys out. They probably would have kicked Toby's ass again but he was in the back room making out with that Lakehurst girl. Everyone else from Lakehurst was partying and having a good time.

Now, knowing all this, I change my mind from my previous statement of them just randomly peeing on anyone's car to now thinking they did know it was JT's car they were peeing on. They took the time to find out his name, and find out who his friends are. I wouldn't be surprised if Johnny and Drake did know that Emma and Liberty were JT's friends and that's why they showed up at the party that night.


When Drake stabbed JT, Johnny was in shock; he didn't go to the party with the intent to stab somebody.

I think there was a Lakehurst vs. Degrassi school rivalry anyway and the basketball fight heightened tensions, but I don't think Lakehurst wanted to kill Degrassi or vice versa. I just don't think JT's stabbing was a random product of the Lakehurst vs. Degrassi war. Nic and his boys targeted JT in particular: finding out his name and who his friends are. And as I said at the time of JT's death, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Drake had some connection to the ravine/oxycodone situation from last season.

[7LeafClover]

But the obsession stems from JT being from Degrassi and is fueling this rivalry. Hitting the leader was just an added reason. I don't doubt that Nic would've caused JT some harm had JT been a Lakehurst kid, but I don't think it would've gone as far as it did. When your rival hits you, it's so much more than someone you don't care about.

JT tried recruiting people, not to kick the ass of Nic/his girlfriend's evil ex but as a Lakehurst-Degrassi fight. When Toby got beat up, they didn't address him as Toby or JT's friend, just as a kid from Degrassi. They saw him exit the school, too, so it's possible that just again wrong time, wrong place. Considering it's a TV show, they had to pick a character that people somewhat cared about it; realistically, it would've probably been anyone who walked by that Nic and co. thought they could've hurt, but sometimes TV does things for impact than realism.

They chose to pick on the people you named because they were weaklings of Degrassi. Bullies tend to target those who are weaker than they are.

I also think it's not just a JT issue, because both schools thought it was necessary to do that Increase the Peace thing.

I think the stabbing was a random product of kids letting emotions rule and not thinking about it. It wasn't targeting JT or Degrassi at that point. It was more like "What right does that loser have to talk to me like that?" than something more premeditated.

[Chocolyric]

I'm pretty sure they knew J.T. and Toby were friends. It was probably confirmed when Toby said "you know [J.T/]?" after Nick harrassed the D's and Toby near the tunnel. They at least knew Toby knew J.T. at the very least, thus he gets beat up later in that episode.

[sweetcookieface]

I thought this ep was entertaining, but kind of a cop-out.

With the A-plot, I wish the Emma-Manny drama hadn't been all sorted out by the end of the episode. I feel like the tension has been simmering for a while, finally bubbling to the surface with Manny's comment about no longer having to see Emma's mean, judgmental face every morning. (I also enjoyed Damien's comment about Manny being a saint to put up with Emma's BS.) And no, I don't buy that their tiff was really about "what happened on this curb." I personally would have liked to see more of a falling out - it would actually be interesting to see the two of them forced to develop friendships with other people.

I thought the B-plot was an even bigger cop-out in that Dylan always struck me as very egocentric and emotionally unavailable. His cheating (again) would have been a much more believable storyline IMO than him suddenly giving Marco the cold shoulder b/c he's anxious about... a hockey scholarship? Ugh, I hate Dylan. (On a more superficial note, I liked Dylan's dark hair, and wasn't feeling Marco's new do.) I did enjoy the bonding btw Marco, Jimmy and Spinner (*cough* "My room page!").

So... no new eps for a while?

[7LeafClover]

Is it that realistic that Dylan would be scouted to play hockey elsewhere? If they wanted him gone so badly, they should've just had him decide to study abroad. I don't know if that's common in Canadian school, but it happens frequently enough in the US to be more plausible than something major with sports.

Marco's nose stud bothers me. It looked like a pimple half the time. I wish they'd do more of the guys bonding. It's realistic and nice.

[nk345]

With the A-plot, I wish the Emma-Manny drama hadn't been all sorted out by the end of the episode. I feel like the tension has been simmering for a while, finally bubbling to the surface with Manny's comment about no longer having to see Emma's mean, judgmental face every morning. (I also enjoyed Damien's comment about Manny being a saint to put up with Emma's BS.) And no, I don't buy that their tiff was really about "what happened on this curb.

I didn't buy that either. Manny's comments about Emma at the DOT seemed like they have been her thoughts for longer than just that moment and they just poured out and Emma using Manny as a scapegoat is typical of her. I totally believe it wasn't just about JT's death. There's a lot of ill feelings on both characters ends that they seem hesitant to let out. Why can't TPTB finally give them the boot? (OR are they waiting till graduation before they do that?---which would be more suspenseful...) Yes Emma has no friends but she can just hang out with Mia who's equally as self-involved as she is. The ending was just as big a cop out as OLAS.

These constant emma/manny plots consistently have the same lame formula. I'm tired of it all.

This post has been edited by nk345: Feb 17, 2007 @ 12:26 pm.

[MethodActor05]

I think the writers were expecting the actor who plays JT to do an Emma-like transformation, but it didn't occur (no offence to the actor--he's a real cutie, nonetheless!). Of course, the hair didn't help.

You're right...if you look at JT as a little kid, you would definitely think he'd turn out to be a pretty good-looking guy. And he did- but...he's good-looking in a somewhat gay twink way like Marco. Which I don't think they wanted- I think they thought he'd get taller and actually fill out, and be closer to along the lines of Jimmy,Craig, and Spinner, and be hot in a "hunky" way. If that had happened, I could have seen Paige getting with JT.

As for Craig....that dude has gotten so many fucking chances and screwed them up that he really is past the point of redemption. I hope Jake Epstein just stays far away from the show- I think How It Feels Like To Be A Ghost was a good exit for that character(as in revealing that character as the waste of space he is) , and there's no point in bringing him back. And honestly? Dude was fucking fugly in season 3...I liked him in season 2, but after that he just became a progressively nasty user. i stopped being able to see his physical appeal. The final straw was when he beat up Joey, then the writers were all, "No, you gotta be sympathetic to him! He only did it because he's bi-polar!" No, he only did it because he's a self-centered asshole to the nyth degree who doesn't appreciate the way Joey, Manny, Ashley, and finally Ellie have been blowing him either literally or figuratively over the past 6 years.

As for Ellie...yeah, I agree that the emphasis on her is wrong, because MiseryChick's never like massive interaction with alot of people, and for her to be a lead character she has to do so. That's what feels so forced about it- Ellie doesn't do this! Ellie should be sitting in her room with lighted candles, have "Evanenscence" on loop, contemplating whether or not she wants to cut herself. That's what worked for her- not this this Rory Gilmore rip-off storyline they're giving her.

Seriously, is anyone else getting a serious Rory vibe off of Ellie now? Look, she's a journalist! Look, she wears cute clothes and has perfect hair! Look, she says suppposedly witty things! Look, she's flirting with this cute McWriter while they have wacky misunderstandings and occasional angst!

It's so damn wrong with this character.

This post has been edited by MethodActor05: Feb 17, 2007 @ 2:12 pm.

[Brn2bwild]

Not that I'm a fan of Emma, but I don't quite get why she is repeatedly referred to as the "difficult" one of the two friends.

Let's see...

1) In AWH, Emma's mom counsels Manny when she confesses she's pregnant and Emma defends Manny's choice to Craig (even though it's against her beliefs).

2) In one of the episodes leading up to AWH, Emma finds Manny making out with Craig on her bed even though he's still with Ashley. When Emma tries to point out to Manny how wrong that is, Manny blows her off... until she needs her help in AWH.

3) Drunk Manny flashes her boobs to Peter, which leads her to eventually get kicked out of her house. She winds up at Emma's house for who knows how many months.

4) Manny talks Emma into throwing a party when her parents aren't home. Emma agrees, thinking the party will be small. Manny manages to tell so many people that the party becomes a big blowout even if Lakehurst people didn't show up. Chaos ensues, J.T. gets stabbed to death. (Not that Manny should be blamed for the death, but she did help set in motion the events that led to the stabbing.)

Meanwhile, the biggest example I can think of when Manny had to step up for Emma was the eating disorder. Second is (possibly?) informing Emma's costar that she might have ghonorrea. Then there was the mess with Peter, which would be more humiliating for Manny than actually harmful toward her in some way (Emma informs her as a way to hurt her; Manny shakes it off a moment later). Then there's the time when Manny defended Liberty from Emma's snotty comment.

Other than that, I can't think of how Emma has been a more difficult friend for Manny than the other way around. Emma is judgemental, true, but she has also been very generous, more than many friends would be, I think. Plus, it's not like Manny is really her only friend -- in spite of their ups and downs, she was still friends with Toby, J.T., and Liberty.

Speaking of which... why no calling out of Liberty, the class president, and other people who shouted down Lakehurst. Since Emma technically was not the first person to start shouting, should she have gotten the biggest punishment?

This post has been edited by Brn2bwild: Feb 17, 2007 @ 2:20 pm.