TeenNick’s official link to the promo: http://www.teennick.com/videos/clip/teennick-d-video-ahjadjfsetkj.html?xid=dtw

One of the cooler things we’ve seen in Degrassi’s history is the invention of TeenNick’s music video promos.  It offers a unique way for the network to tease what’s happening in the season, leaving enough room for fans to speculate their brains out.  Here’s some of my thoughts on what went down in this promo:

*Bhandallas

We see Dallas go in to kiss Alli, but she disappears and reappears far away.  That doesn’t bode well for those of us who were hoping these two would make it to graduation and beyond.  For the longest time Alli was unattainable to Dallas, with life circumstances always getting in the way.  Even though he has her now it’s no guarantee she won’t slip away, whether their relationship hits a roadblock or the fact that her education will take her in a much different direction after Degrassi.  However, even if Bhandallas breaks up this season, if Alli somehow walks away from this season on her own as the strong, intelligent, independent woman we know she can be, then that’s totally okay by me.

*Clare

This was pretty straightforward…Clare’s in quite the predicament.  The future she wanted for herself is crumbling underneath her due to a very surprising pregnancy.  Even worse, she has no idea who the father is.  I think the majority of the people reading this all agree that based on the timeline in the Degrassi universe and that we know the seniors are leaving before the end of the season, Clare won’t carry the baby to term.  With Eli still in the picture, ultimately it comes down to whether or not Eclare will be together when Clare Edwards graduates.  One way or the other, we are at long last guaranteed to receive an Eclare conclusion in season 14.

*Zig and Tiny

Zig and Tiny running from the haunting figures dressed in black has to be one of my favorite parts of the promo in terms of its symbolism.  In season 14 we’re going to watch these two try to outrun a dark part of their lives, but as we saw with Vince’s return at the end of season 13, that’s easier said than done.  The unique part here is that you’ve got two characters who are in this bad situation together.  They’ll need to rely on each other to get out, but at the same time getting two people out at the same time is much more difficult than if it were just Zig or Tiny by themselves.

*Miles

He’s got a book and he tosses it into the fire and storms off.  We see Tristan try (and fail) to comfort him, as Hunter follows behind them.  Maya picks up the book, which turns out is the “Hollingsworth Family Album.”

For me, the Hollingsworth clan is one of the most exciting things about Degrassi in terms of their potential.  Miles is a trainwreck.  From what little we saw of Hunter in season 13, he’s just as messed up as Miles.  There are still plenty of skeletons to dig up in the Hollingsworth closet.

*The characters who were left alone: Zoë and Becky

Zoë’s all smiles while doing her thing cheerleading, but in reality there’s something off-putting about her that leaves a sour impression on Frankie and Winston.  So far the show has avoided having Zoë’s character succumb to “Degrassi Personality Regression to the Mean,” and that’s a very good thing.  Even in between the events of Zoë’s sexual assault and the trial we saw her drift back into her patented “Mean Girl” role.  With her trying to establish herself in a power position as a cheerleader in season 14, she could easily find herself feeling alone, again, because of her callous behavior toward others.

With Becky, the Eli/Clare/Drew stuff is virtually guaranteed to put a damper on Drecky, leaving Becky all alone.  She really has no one, so we can safely assume she’ll eventually gravitate toward the new guy, Jonah.

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Before we’ve even gotten a chance to watch a single episode, Degrassi wrapped up principal photography on season 14 last week.  The cast and crew finished up filming scenes for episodes 1425 and 1426 (titles unknown).

Since it was the last day of filming, they allowed members of the crew to slate some of the takes.  While fans focus their attention on the cast and key members of the crew, a lot of the people in the photos below don’t receive much public recognition from us.  We don’t receive many behind-the-scenes looks at the crew in general, so we don’t get to know who a lot of them are, despite many of them having worked on the show for years.

(L-R) | Rob Fletcher, Production Sound Mixer | Nancy Markle, Script Supervisor | Jason Webber, Camera Operator | James, Production Assistant | John Ralston (Mr. Hollingsworth)

(L-R) | Darren Martin, Craft Services | Mitchell Ness, Director of Photography | Robin White, On-Set Wardrobe | Jessica Carter, Makeup and Phil Earnshaw, Director | Sara Waisglass (Frankie Hollingsworth)

(L-R) | Sarah Glinski, Showrunner (Writer & Executive Producer) | Mark Hoffman, 1st Assistant Camera | Stefan Brogren, Director & Series Producer (& Principal Simpson) | “Mr. Tal,” 3rd Assistant Director | James McCrindle, Lead Dresser (Set)

(L-R) | James O’Reilly, Key Hair | Mark Pancer, Senior Assistant Director | Linda Keyworth, Production Coordinator | John Tennant, Key Grip | Karen Henwood, Lead Props

(L-R) | Dermot Hamilton, Electrics | Quinn Matthews, Assistant Makeup | Stephanie Williams, Supervising Producer

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OFFICIAL LINK: http://www.teennick.com/videos/clip/teennick-d-life-can-change-jhsgfgsj.html?xid=dtw

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We’re two weeks away from season 14 of Degrassi!  Here’s the latest promo from MTV:

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Several Degrassi promos have popped up here and there over the past day or so, on youtube as well as tumblr.  Check em below:

NEXT TUESDAY ON DEGRASSI: http://degrassisource.tumblr.com/post/100602596067/degrassi-14a-next-tuesday

3-MINUTE SNEAK PEEK OF NEXT WEEK’S EPISODE: http://shippingtriles.tumblr.com/post/100619370539/heres-the-first-scene-of-smells-like-teen-spirit

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Life Can Change: Clare/Drew/Eli

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Generic 14A: This Season

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Generic 14A: Degrassi Is… —> http://degrassisource.tumblr.com/post/100528522672/degrassi-14a-degrassi-is

So I’ve reached a point in life I expected would happen eventually:  the point where I’m too busy to write up weekly episodes reviews.

It’s kinda disappointing, because I’ve been doing episode reviews since halfway during season 8.  Hell, over the years media outlets have never bothered to consistently write up the most simple of weekly recaps for this show, so I’m damn proud of being able to write up reviews for over 200 episodes in my spare time over the past 5 years.

The issue is my responsibilities at work have increased.  It’s a great problem to have, because it means I’m awesome at my job.  But it also leaves me less time to sit around obsessing over Degrassi until 4am on any given night.  For me, reviews are something I simply don’t want to half ass;  if I can’t put as much time into them as I feel needed, then I won’t bother.  That leaves the door open for something that’s been a long time coming, and will hopefully be easier for me to do on a weekly basis:  Degrassi Power Rankings.

It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time; shoutout to the now defunct Degrassi Society, who actually went through with it in season 11.  While he came up a top 15 rankings, I plan on just ranking every significant character a couple of days after every episode in season 14.

I already know what’s going to happen…there’s gonna be people who read these rankings and yell at me because “How dare you put _____ at the top,” and “You’re biased and clearly hate _____ because they’re at the bottom.”  Before I have to read any of that stupidity, here’s the disclaimer:

*This is not a straight-up “favorites” list.
I asked people on twitter to rank their top 5 characters from the group headed into season 14, and a lot of the responses were people listing their 5 favorite characters.  That is NOT what I’m doing here; it’s more than just love/hate for me.  Likability is a factor, but this is not me saying  (for example) “Ooooh Eli has been my favorite character for years, so I’m just gonna put him at #1 every week.” Or “God I hate Clare” and justify my undying hatred for her by putting her ass at the bottom.

There are multiple factors to consider, things like what the characters are doing, their plots and how they’re being used by the show.  I know fans wind up drifting into that lala land where they demand all characters deserve equal treatment (equal screentime, development, etc), but here in reality that’s not how this show works and it never will.  A Maya type carries far more weight than a Jenna type, and that also has to be taken into consideration.

*This is not a be-all, end-all list.
There are multiple ways to go about putting together a list, which means there are multiple reasons to justify why any given character should be ranked higher or lower.

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Below are my rankings of the characters going into season 14, based off of how things ended in season 13 combined with a bit of expectations based on s14 promos.  I don’t expect anyone else’s list to match mine.  I do expect my rankings to fluctuate often; Degrassi has a lot of characters, and based on how this show is constructed they should be leap frogging each other throughout the season.

1) Maya Matlin
I just don’t see anyone else being at the top of this list right now (key words there being right now).  Maya was fantastic throughout the back end of season 13.  Not only did you have someone trying to be a support system for those around her, but a female on Degrassi that has enough self worth to realize early on that she’s not obligated to put up with a guy’s nonsense, no matter the reason for his behavior? It’s astonishing!!  For all of the whining that was done by fans about a lack of “Cam mentions” since Bittersweet Symphony, hopefully one day people will realize that his death was the driving force behind a huge majority of Maya’s behavior in the second half of season 13.  And as a show whose audience is primarily composed of young females, there’s nothing wrong with Degrassi featuring someone who’s developing into a strong female, no matter how “whiny,” “nosy” or “overbearing” people think she is.  Now if only Degrassi will keep her focused on anything but boys for a while…

2) Becky Baker
Degrassi hit the invisible “reset” button on Zoë Rivas at the end of season 13 by having Luke and Neil found guilty of sexual assault.  Becky Baker, however, still has to deal with the immediate consequences of having testified against her brother.  Her storyline in season 13 was brilliantly grueling, and with a home life that’s leaving her feeling unloved and isolated, she’s left trying to ride out the rest of her tenure on this show with something or someone as an escape (Hint: it WON’T be Drew).

3) Miles Hollingsworth
This guy is frustrating.  His home life is terrible.  At times we see love and vulnerability from him; he just wants to be loved in return.  However, he often has streaks of vindictive and nonsensical behavior.  Miles has the greatest potential of any character on this show to provide interesting storylines in season 14, based on his tendency to engage in self-sabotage.  There’s still SO MUCH to explore with his character, primarily the inner workings of his relationships with his parents.  Right out of the gate in season 14 we’ll see tension between them and Miles once he reveals his relationship with Tristan.  It’s just a matter of how much time Degrassi wants to spend fleshing out the complexities of this character and his family.

4) Zoë Rivas
It’s been a long time since Degrassi’s had a legit “queen bee,” and Zoë can slide into the role perfectly.  In season 13 she could’ve easily fallen victim to Degrassi Personality Regression to the Mean, especially with such a life-altering event as the sexual assault.  But we saw glimpses of her old self after Unbelievable (witty jabs at Maya and catty, jealous behavior toward Frankie).  She is swift and aggressive toward anyone she sees as a threat to her own status quo (first up in season 14:  Becky Baker), and the writers making sure she maintains that flare is a good thing for this show.

5) Drew Torres
We all know how the mechanics of Drew’s character works:  1 step forward, 2 steps back.  As of right now Drew has turned things around after making some big mistakes in season 13.  I’ve said it a million times that Drew is a guy who wants to prove to the world that he isn’t useless, and a baby with Clare would be the ultimate chance for him to prove his worth.  Once Clare reveals she’s pregnant and all hell breaks loose I can’t imagine him running away.

6) Clare Edwards
If you’ve watched the 3-minute sneak peek of the season 14 premiere, just know that not everything is what it seems.  The short timeline between now and Clare’s graduation,  as well as assumed network restrictions make it pretty clear how her pregnancy will play out.  Still, I’m pretty interested to see how she handles this massive Drew/Eli mess, especially when she’s finally forced to tell Eli about having slept with Drew.

7) Zig Novak
Zig seems to rarely appear on Degrassi, disappearing for long periods then reappearing out of nowhere.  However, his absence in 13A made sense, and Degrassi did a “slow burn” in revealing what’s been going on in his life since that summer.  I’m most excited for the gang storyline to play out because it looks to be the most difficult situation any of the characters will have to get out of.  It also provides Degrassi the opportunity to add more depth to this character whose development is behind the rest of the Tenners.

8) Tristan Milligan
He delivered one of the best storylines of season 13, which was left unresolved and could return in season 14.  In the mean time, he’s part of the most exciting new ship in Triles.  It’s not even remotely surprising they’re together, because there were signs all throughout season 13 that pointed to Miles having a fluid sexuality.  Tristan’s goal in life has been to find love, and the drama will come into play as Tristan experiences first hand Miles’ petty, destructive behavior.

9) Frankie Hollingsworth
I might be crazy, but I’m placing a lot of faith in the Hollingsworth family as a cornerstone of Degrassi for the next few seasons.  Out of all the Hollingsworth siblings she seems the most stable, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have problems of her own.  We’ve seen a sneak peek at her lack of self confidence, and I’m hoping we’ll get some younger-skewing relationship plots involving Winston that will play on her self esteem issues.

10) Eli Goldsworthy
I had no problem with Degrassi keeping Eli in season 13.  Degrassi made it very clear a long time ago that Eli will be around as long as Clare is still on this  show.  At this point complaining about him and Eclare still being around is virtually pointless, because one way or another they will be gone from this show before the end of the season.  I felt Eli’s usage in season 13 was disappointing (excluding the webisodes).  It was like Eli was around, but he was downgraded to playing a very generic version of himself.  With Clare being pregnant and the fate of Eclare guaranteed to be resolved once and for all this season, they’ll be forced to use Eli in a greater capacity now.

11) Tiny
In the grand scheme of things we didn’t see all that much of Tiny in season 13, but he gets a bump in value since it looks like he’ll be Zig’s handcuff for the duration of this gang storyline.  If he’s a featured player in promos and the like, then hopefully we’ll see more of his perspective during this storyline.  The gang plot is one of my most-anticipated archs for season 14 based on 1) the existence of Vince as the gang’s leader, and 2)  Zig and Tiny are in this together.  It’s hard enough for one person to get out, but two at the same time?

12) Winston Chu
His lack of usage for most of season 13 made me wonder if they were going to pull a one-and-done with his character, especially with his best friend Miles having been featured so much.  A relationship with Frankie Hollingsworth makes him useful for a while, and as with Frankie the hope is we’ll see more “innocent” plots involving his awkwardness and inexperience while the major characters hit the heavy stuff.

13) Hunter Hollingsworth
He had very limited screentime in season 13, but just like his siblings I’m excited for his potential based on his outburst in My Hero.

14) Alli Bhandari
Degrassi went hardcore with Alli for half of season 13, then things cooled off once she started dating Dallas.  Alli’s in the middle of the pack simply because things have been quiet for her character for a while now.  Despite being on the Bhandallas bandwagon, Degrassi’s “Golden Rule” dictates that Bhandallas’ probability of surviving to graduation is 0%.  It’s anyone’s guess as to what will be the breaking point, but we all know it’s coming.

15) Mike Dallas
Dallas has been a heavily-featured secondary character with primary-character potential since he arrived on the show.  He’s had plots here and there (and when he does they’re solid), but there’s no reason to believe he’ll have a solo plot unrelated to his relationship with Alli.  His value will come with his usual charisma, as well as how he deals with the girl of his dreams slipping through his fingers.

16) Connor DeLaurier
He’s a character who slays the limited amount of screentime he receives.  But as long as Connor’s restricted to occasional appearances delivering unintentionally funny one-liners, his ceiling is limited.

17) Imogen Moreno
In season 13 I frequently wondered why Imogen was still around. On occasion they’ll throw her a storyline, which eventually gets lost in the shuffle of everything else happening on the show.  Her quirky nature is endearing, but her character’s role is easily replaceable.  Imogen has forever been used as a plot device for other characters.  Ironically, her plot going into season 14 will involve Jack who, for the most part, has been a plot device for Imogen.  Imo’s relationship with Jack will make for a unique story, and this is one of the last chances we’ll get a deeper look at Imogen beyond the pigtails and weird outfits.

18) Grace Cardinal
She’s smart, witty and her existence adds depth to the Degrassi universe itself.  But as a standalone character, her role is still very limited.

19) Jack
It feels like Stefan Brogren talked up Jack every chance he could in season 13.  While she’s interesting and definitely has potential, I’m still waiting for her to live up to that hype, if not through this upcoming storyline with Imogen then by stepping out of the shadow of being Imogen’s love interest.

20) Jenna Middleton
So here we are, at the bottom of the first set of rankings for season 14.  I don’t hate Jenna Middleton.  She does well in the role she’s given.  It just so happens that she has a very restricted role:  she’s there to be a supportive friend for Alli and Clare, and she’s there to play Connor’s girlfriend in the senior circle.  Jenna and Connor were paired up to give two solo characters something to do.  It’s hard to imagine they’ll do much with her character this season and I’m not sure if I want them to.  That would probably mean them screwing up the awesomeness that is Jonnor, which currently has the best chance of any senior ship to leave this show still together.

UNRANKED: Since we don’t know them, the newbies obviously…Lola Pacini, Shay Powers, Arelene Takahashi, Jonah Haak

Wise Up airs on Tuesday, November 4th at 9pm EST on TeenNick and MTV Canada.

 MTV’s Promo

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TeenNick :15 Promo – Drew/Becky

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TeenNick :15 Promo – Miles

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This has been the longest school year ever.

Season 14 is unique in that it’s a direct continuation of the events from season 13.  There is no significant reset, though the students are returning from spring break.  Season 13 got off to a horrendous start and that left a very bad taste in the mouth of Degrassi fans, tainting a season I felt was pretty good in the second half.  So I can’t stress how important it is for this show to get off to a solid start in season 14.

Degrassi tends to be pretty formulaic in how it tells its stories, with small additions here and there.  They break into new territory in Smells Like Teen Spirit by starting off with a flash-foward scene 10 weeks into the future.  We see Miles searching for his sister Frankie in a smoke-filled school, and he’s unable to find her.  We can assumed this is happening in the projected episode Firestarter (1411/1412).

Becky vs. Zoë
With things at home being horrible since Luke’s trial, Becky’s starting up a Power Cheer to take her mind off things.  However, Zoë wants to join then team, leaving Becky feeling uncomfortable because Zoë reminds Becky of how she’s suffered because of Luke’s actions.

Zoë nails the audition, but Becky tells her she didn’t make the team because having “the girl who was sexually assaulted” on the team would be too much of a distraction.  In the ultimate form of irony, Zoë overhears Clare and Alli talking about Clare’s pregnancy and how Drew is the father.  Once the Power Cheer squad takes the stage at the Degrassi renewal ceremony, Zoë intentionally tells Becky about Drew getting Clare pregnant.  While Becky is performing a stunt she spots Drew and Clare standing next to each other.  Becky’s so distracted by the thought of Clew that she falls and injures herself, and Zoë takes her place on the squad.

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Clare Reveals She’s Pregnant
A morning-sick Clare reveals to Alli in the bathroom that she’s pregnant, and Drew was the last guy she had sex with.  She’s adamant about getting an abortion because having a baby would ruin the future she’s meticulously planned out.  She’s also been avoiding Drew since spring break because she doesn’t want to accept he got her pregnant.  She tries to book an appointment at the women’s clinic for an abortion, but Drew interrupts her by asking questions.  Clare lashes out at him before he reminds her that there’s lots of things to be done for student council.

Clare finally reveals to Drew that she’s pregnant and she’s going to have an abortion.  Drew is shocked because they used protection, and offers to be there for her if she needs it.  The next day, Clare learns she’s been accepted to Columbia.  While celebrating with Alli, Dallas notices there’s blood on the back of Clare’s pants.  She goes to the hospital and finds out it was just spotting, and she’s still pregnant; the doctor also tells Clare it’s a miracle she’s pregnant after having gone through chemo.

That hospital visit leaves Clare unsure of what to do, but after a discussion with Alli, Clare tells Drew that she can’t go through with an abortion and is keeping the baby.

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Miles vs. His Father
Things have been going kind of well with Miles and his dad lately, until Miles is late for their family photoshoot.  Mr. Hollingsworth demands to know why Miles was late and Miles yells out loud that he was making out with his boyfriend.  Mr. Hollingsworth thinks that Miles having a boyfriend is ridiculous and just a game Miles is pulling to ruin his mayoral campaign.

That leaves Miles once again upset at his father, and at the Degrassi renewal ceremony Miles is thrilled to tell a reporter that the last piece of advice his dad gave him is “being gay is ridiculous.”

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RANDOM THOUGHTS

*One of the best things about season 13 was Degrassi having characters bleed their personal issues all over those around them.  You’re having a bad day? There’s a good chance you’ll snap at someone who didn’t deserve it; that’s what’s happening with Becky and Zoë.  Becky’s so caught up in her own head that she unfairly punishes Zoë for what’s happened in her life.  Zoë delivers a sharp jab to Becky with truthful words:  “Everyone has baggage that can be distracting. Even you.”

*An abortion was never going to be a legit option for this storyline, but now things can officially progress:  Drew knows that Clare is pregnant.  Drew was good in this episode, supportive as expected.  And while I’m still holding onto my projection that he doesn’t completely abandon Clare, the promo for 1402 shows he’s going to have a difficult time coming to terms with the fact he’s going to become a father.  Oh and just wait until Eli finds out!

*Miles’ relationship with his father is so toxic.  This feud is the one thing that can send Miles off into a tailspin of destructive behavior.  As a politician, Mr. Hollingsworth is a master manipulator.  Miles has inherited that gene and tries to manipulate situations in a vengeful manner.  He’s got something good going with Tristan, and now he wants to use that to intentionally cause his father headaches.

*Welcome to Lola and Shay, who snuck their way into Degrassi in quiet fashion!  I’m enjoying that these young characters are appearing and we’re going to just visually see them before they get thrown into plots of their own.

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If You Could Only See airs on Tuesday, November 11th at 9pm EST on TeenNick and MTV Canada.

Frankie thinks it’s unfair that girls are expected to show their bodies to men with nothing in return. This gives Zoë the perfect fundraising idea. Maya doesn’t want to remain silent when she knows one of her friends is in trouble (again).  Becky isn’t the bubbly sunshine-y girl she used to be. So who is she now?

MTV PROMO

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TEENNICK PROMO: Miles & Maya :15 (NOTE: It looks like TeenNick is changing up their promo style a bit…this is the second week they’ve released :15 promos instead of a :30.  The individual :15’s only touch on a single plot from the episode)

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TeenNick Promo: Zoë :15

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Can’t We All Just Get Along?

In 1401, Miles talked to a reporter about his father.  In this episode, we learn the reporter then published an article claiming Mr. Hollingsworth is a homophobe who hates his own son.  Instead of yelling at Miles, Mr. Hollingsworth decides Miles should skip school and the two hit up the golf course for the day.  Miles, who’s preparing to take his driving test, is even allowed to drive to the country club to practice.  However, Miles realizes his father is using him as a photo-op when the reporter shows up at the club and takes photos of the Hollingsworth men hugging.

Miles storms out as Mr. Hollingsworth is being interviewed, and at home Miles accuses his dad of manipulating him.  When Miles tries to leave, Mr. Hollingsworth grabs him and slams him up against a wall; afterward the two are stunned, and Mr. H says it was an accident.  Miles goes to school to find Tristan, who now wants nothing to do with Miles; Tristan thinks Miles went public with their relationship to piss off his dad.  Maya finds Miles upset, and while he doesn’t tell her what’s happening, Maya urges him to talk to someone about what’s bothering him.

To make up for what he did to Miles, Mr. Hollingsworth buys Miles a new car.  Miles shows up to Degrassi and tells Tristan he’s been invited over for dinner.  The two reconcile and Miles insists that he’s making things right with his dad, but Maya knows not everything is okay.

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Zig and Zoë’s Crossed Wires

Zoëmund had been doing a lot of heavy flirting lately.  They’re not dating, but Zoë gets upset when she sees Zig is receiving nude pictures from girls on Oomfchat (the Degrassi version of Snapchat).  Zig doesn’t understand why Zoë would be upset, until Grace points out that since her sexual assault, Zoë might not feel comfortable dating someone who’s looking to receive nude pics.

However, Zig soon receives a nude Oomfchat from Zoë.  He tells her she doesn’t have to send him pics like that, but she gets upset because she feels like she’s being judged again; she’s tired of people thinking she should be treated or behave a certain way since she’s been sexually assaulted.  Zig tries to earn Zoë’s forgiveness by humiliating himself…he paints the words “I like you” on his chest shirtless and apologizes to Zoë in front of everyone.  However, Zoë refuses to accept his apology and tells him she’s done with boys.

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Baby Daddy Drew

Reality has finally set in for Drew, who realizes he’s going to be a dad.  He breaks the news to Dallas, who urges Drew to talk to Clare about all of the options in regards to the baby.  Drew tells Clare they’re too young to be parents, but she tells him it’s her choice and she’s keeping the baby.  She then tells Drew that he doesn’t have to be involved in the baby’s life.

Drew is relieved to find out he’s not obligated to be responsible for the baby, and sets his sights on settling things with Becky after days of avoiding her.  However, Dallas tells Drew that his decision to not be a part of his baby’s life is stupid.  Dallas tells Drew about the anger the kid will feel, and what could happen if you suddenly wanted to be a part of the kid’s life.  In Dallas’ case, he hints that he wanted nothing to do with his son Rocky at first, but by the time he did it was too late.  This causes Drew to reconsider, and despite Clare not really wanting him involved, Drew says he will be a part of the baby’s life somehow.

Drew also tries to make things right with an injured Becky Baker.  When Drew confirms that Clare is pregnant, Becky breaks up with him.

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Random Thoughts

*There’s several things to note about Miles’ storyline:
1) Miles is unaware of how similar he is to his father, and that comparison gets under his skin.  This has to be one of the deepest looks at a parent/child relationship we’ve seen on this show.  As disturbing as this is, it’s even more disturbing watching my fellow fans talk about how they relate to this plot.

2) I keep mentioning that Degrassi’s doing this thing where characters’ personal issues bleed out and directly affect how they interact with those around them.  I’ll bring it up again when I talk about Zoëmund later, but once again the death of Cam lingers and is a driving force behind Maya’s behavior.  She’s the only person that sees what’s going on with Miles.  He isn’t okay, just like Cam wasn’t okay when he committed suicide.  Maya sees the warning signs and you’d better believe she’s not going to let it go, regardless of what Miles says.

3) I feel genuinely bad for Miles.  Mr.  Hollingsworth didn’t take Miles golfing or buy him a car because he loves him.  All this kid wants is to be loved by his father, but everything Mr. Hollingsworth does is motivated by his own political interests.

*Zig and Zoë were on two different pages in this episode.  Grace helped convince Zig that Zoë isn’t necessarily okay after what happened with the sexual assault and trial.  His conversation with Zoë about her not needing to send him pictures was him trying to be genuine and understanding because he likes her.  However, Zoë completely misinterpreted his intentions.  Because of Becky’s ridiculous behavior in Smells Like Teen Spirit, Zoë saw Zig as casting some kind of judgement against her for being sexually assaulted.  There are times where Zoë seems fine, and others where she’s clearly not okay.  I’ve been impressed with how Degrassi has made her character go through back-and-forth swings since the assault; it would’ve been easy for them to completely reset Zoë’s character in season 14 and pretend like nothing ever happened.

*Good job, Drew.  It only took a 30-minute episode for the good side of Drew to overtake his chronic, moronic side.

*So…what exactly was the point of Drecky? I understand the mechanics of how/why they came together.  But I don’t understand the decision to bring together a ship that clearly wouldn’t sit well with fans, only to have them break up all of two episodes after they got together.

*Oh, so that’s what happened with Dallas’ kid.  Bless Ramona Barckert…of course she would find a way to insert some sort of reference and explain why the hell Dallas’ son Rocky randomly appeared in a handful of episodes, and hasn’t appeared since.  I roll my eyes when people pull out their rose-colored glasses and act as if during the TNG years every storyline was wonderfully fleshed out and Degrassi never dropped plots that could’ve been continued.  If that were truly the case, I would’ve gone into tonight’s episode expecting a Rocky mention as opposed to assuming he would never be mentioned again because he hasn’t been mentioned in about 20 episodes.  This kind of random closure to a plot that was opened up such a long time ago and seemed dead RARELY happened in the TNG days.  Given the fact Dallas is a secondary character, I almost guarantee back in the TNG days the concept of Dallas as a father would’ve been blackholed after the nuts allergy incident.

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This week everyone moved up or down on the list except for Jack and Jenna, who are still sitting at the very bottom.  Miles clearly takes the top spot this week, and for now it’s looking like he and Zoë will be hovering around the top for a while.

I was super excited to see Dallas and Grace move up…they both moved up the highest number of spots from where they were last week.  Tiny and Eli dropped the most spots from their positions last week…they’ve yet to appear this season, so they’re now among the ranks of characters who have been M.I.A. so far.

1) Miles Hollingsworth (Last week: #2)
Part of me is waiting for this plot to plateau, but it just keeps getting more interesting.  What makes this plot work is that it’s not really over the top…the friction between Miles and his dad is at a level that easily hits close to home for viewers in a tumultuous relationship with their own parents.  I feel sorry for Miles; no one seems to really know or understand what he’s going through except for Maya, and Miles is intent on keeping her at a distance.  And instead of fighting back against his dad it seems as if Miles has conceded to the shallow relationship with his dad…if he can’t get the love he wants from his dad, he can at least get something valuable out of it (material things).

2) Zoë Rivas (#1)
Boy did Zoë overreact toward Zig in Wise Up.  But it just goes to show how much of an effect her sexual assault still has on her life, even after Luke and Neil received the punishment they deserve.  We haven’t received the “Happily Ever After” treatment with this arch; Zoë wants to move past it, but the dark cloud still finds a way to creep in and hover over her life.  Zig is just a casualty of Zoë’s frustration, which looks to get worse in upcoming episodes.

3) Drew Torres (#4)
He’s able to jump above Clare since Degrassi flipped from Clare’s POV in 1401 to Drew’s in 1402.  If it weren’t for the guidance from people like Adam, Audra, Bianca and Dallas over the years, Drew’s future would consist of him either being dead in a ditch or doing porn for a sketchy website for a living.  He’s a good guy who clearly needs someone around to keep his head on straight, and thankfully Dallas was there to talk some sense into him about the baby.  Good Drew wins the battle against Dumbass Drew for the moment.

4) Maya Matlin  (#7)
God, I really hope the Degrassi writers realize how fantastic of a character Maya Matlin can be without romantic boy drama.  Her streak of being great continues, as she’s the only one who notices how wrong things are with Miles.  The disturbing part of this is knowing how many people we interact with in our own lives, oblivious to how bad things might be for them emotionally.  That isn’t a knock on Tristan, Zoë, or Winston.  But Maya’s own personal issues (Cam’s suicide) have her on red alert for the warning signs for unstable behavior…I don’t blame her one bit for aggressively intervening.

5) Zig Novak (#8)
I haven’t hopped on the Zoëmund bandwagon yet, but I’ve enjoyed the flirting these two have done in season 14.  Zig had nothing but good intentions when telling Zoë she didn’t need to send him nudes, but she took things the wrong way.  Zoë’s got her own major path to travel this season, as does Zig.  However, I am a sucker for enjoying watching guys trying to go after an unattainable girl (JT/Manny, Parcy, Bhandurner, Bhandallas).  A slow burn with Zoëmund could win me over in the end.

6) Clare Edwards (#3)
We got the impression in Wise Up that Clare wasn’t interested in having Drew be a part of the baby’s life, but she caved upon Drew’s insistence that he be involved.  Does she see Drew as being too irresponsible to handle the task (sort of a Spike/Shane parallel from Degrassi Junior High), or does she think he’ll get in the way of other things (Columbia, Eli)?

7) Frankie Hollingsworth (#9)

8)Becky Baker (#5)

9) Mike Dallas (#14)
Finally, a reason to bring Dallas into the top 10! He’s a top-notch secondary character who executes his role perfectly.  He’s been in Drew’s situation and doesn’t want him to make the same mistakes, so he delivers some of the best advice Mr. Torres will receive in his life.

10) Tristan Milligan (#6)
At this point, Tristan (and Triles for that matter) is just a device for Miles’ overall arch.

11) Alli Bhandari (#12)

12) Grace Cardinal (#18)
Secondary characters are such underrated roles on Degrassi.  It allows characters to deliver a sharp persona without having their existence become exhausting with constant A-plot exposure.  Plus Degrassi loves to rely on any given character’s friends to be the voice of reason in a plot…Grace is one of the good ones.

13) Hunter Hollingsworth (#15)

14)  Winston Chu (#13)

15) Eli Goldsworthy (#10)

16) Tiny King (#11)

17) Connor DeLaurier (#16)

18) Imogen Moreno (#17)

19) Jack (–)

20) Jenna Middleton (–)

UNRANKED: Lola Pacini, Shay Powers, Arelene Takahashi, Jonah Haak.  Okay, so Lola and Shay both had lines in Wise Up.  But for the mean time they are literally playing support characters within a specific character device (the cheerleading squad).  Notice how the squad simply followed Zoë around this episode, and surrounded her as if she’s a queen that’s to be adored.  The only difference between Lola and Shay and the rest of the cheerleaders right now is those two actually get to speak.

Degrassi Nudes

Frankie and Winston are in her bedroom coming up with fundraiser ideas when the young couple starts making out on Frankie’s bed.  When Winston grabs for Frankie’s chest she stops him, telling him she likes him but doesn’t know if she’s ready to go that far.  She also doesn’t want to be caught in a “compromising position” with her family downstairs.  Winston jokingly takes his shirt off and starts tickling her, and of course since Frankie mentioned not wanting to get caught that means Hunter, Miles and her mother walk in on the couple.  Mrs. Hollingsworth tells Frankie she’s not allowed to have boys in her room anymore, and Frankie gets upset because Miles is basically allowed to do whatever he wants.

Still upset over the double standard that boys can do whatever and girls are either seen as “perfect angels” or “sluts,” Frankie shares her tirade with the cheerleading squad.  The group needs several thousand dollars for new uniforms and other things.  With Zoë in the frame of mind that guys take what they want and now it’s time for the girls to fight back, she comes up with a fundraising idea: Degrassi Nudes.

Using Grace’s help, the squad sets up a private website where guys at Degrassi can request nude pics.  They pay money with a credit card, then the girls send topless photos of themselves through Oomfchat.  The only rules are 1) the pics must be anonymous, and 2) no one outside of the cheerleading squad must know anything.  While everyone on the squad is all for it, Frankie is the only one who doesn’t want to do it.  However, she eventually caves to the pressure.  At home, Frankie gets dressed up for a campaign event, but her mom wants her to change in to a “less sexy” dress.  Frankie’s still upset at her mom’s double standards, and Mrs. Hollingsworth refuses to give Frankie any freedom.  An angry Frankie receives a request for a nude pic, and sends one in the heat of the moment.  Later, she sees her brother Hunter looking at nudes on Oomfchat; Frankie tells Zoë they need to quit, but her request falls on deaf ears since they’re making lots of money now.

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Maya’s Mental Breakdown

All Maya seems to think about nowadays is Miles’ well being; she knows something is wrong, but no one seems to notice.  She brings up her concerns to Tiny and Zig, who only joke about the fact Miles “is gay” now.  During her period in the rubber room, Maya has a daydream where Miles jumps off the same railing Cam did in the season 12 episode, Rusty Cage.  Ms. Grell calls Maya’s mom about Maya’s screaming incident, and Maya’s forced to tell her mom that she’s afraid Miles will hurt himself.

Miles eventually shows up at Maya’s house livid, because her mom told his mom what Maya said.  Miles demands Maya get over him and stay out of his life, leaving Maya to feel like a screwup.  Having heard the conversation, Zig enters the room and tells Maya she’s not a screwup; he would certainly be worse off than he is now if it weren’t for her help.

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Who Is Becky Baker?

Jack and Imogen decide to hit up a roller derby match, and invite a lonely Becky.  However, Becky suggests that she needs to find a date so she’s not a third wheel.  Jackogen helps Becky set up a dating profile to meet a new guy, despite her being a debbie downer during the process.  She meets the guy at the roller derby and he seems like he’d be a perfect match:  he’s smart, outgoing, athletic and Christian.  However, Becky finds herself hating him because he’s too perky and reminds her too much of her old self.

This new, jaded Becky bails on her date and ends up bumping into Drew on the street.  He tells her he misses her and his life since the pregnancy bombshell has been complicated.  Becky tells them she wants complicated in her life, and the two share a kiss.

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Episode 1404 will air on Tuesday, November 8th at 9pm EST on TeenNick and MTV Canada.

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Clare has to muster up the courage to tell Eli about her situation. Winston is making some headway with Frankie but is insecure about his friendship with Miles. A normally confident Zig feels emasculated when he loses an arm wrestle to Grace.
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MTV Promo

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TeenNick :15 (Winston/Miles/Tristan)

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TeenNick :15 (Drew/Clare)

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1) Miles Hollingsworth (Last week: #1)
He only appeared briefly in If You Could Only See, but his emotional reaction toward Maya’s “nosiness” ensured his position at the top of the power rankings.  In 1402 he seemed to have given up, and now he’s just being stubborn toward any possible help since he views doing anything to change the dynamic with is father as futile.

2) Zoë Rivas (–)
The effect of Zoë’s sexual assault doesn’t linger, it’s a gigantic cloud that Zoë’s riding on and now consuming others with.  The amount of actual power Zoë wields on this show is absolutely INSANE.  If you’ve been paying attention since Zoë took over the cheerleading squad, those girls (excluding Jack and Frankie) have been blindly following her around like lost puppies, hanging onto her every word.  These are young, impressionable girls whose “leader” is leading them down a very dangerous path.  Degrassi Nudes is a ticking time bomb, and the only question now is how will it blow up in everyone’s faces.  Worst case scenario is Simpson finding out, because then we’re looking at suspensions and legal ramifications, since they are distributing child porn after all.

3) Maya Matlin  (#4)
Oh hey there, long-running continuity.  Maya still can’t get over Cam’s death and the fact she didn’t catch the warning signs and didn’t do enough to possibly save his life.  She’s now projecting all of those fears onto Miles, but right now he’s in denial and unwilling to talk about his problems or get help.  What I did love is that Zig came into the room right after Miles blew up at Maya, reminding her that he would currently be worse off if she hadn’t intervened as aggressively as she did.

4) Frankie Hollingsworth (#7)
I’m really enjoying season 14 so far, but I’m having a really difficult pinpointing WHY.  It’s one of those things where everything just seems to be on point; the characters are interesting and so are the storylines.  I know a lot of people think season 13 sucked, but I also think fans really underestimated the effect of Jordy suddenly leaving the show and the ripple effect it had on a majority of season 13.  So far in season 14, Degrassi seems to be free of that messy cloud.

And that leads me into Frankie and her storyline in 1403.  This is one of those plots where there isn’t just one central idea to focus on…there are multiple things happening in this plot, and they’re all interesting:  1) Frankie is a good girl; she’s smart, gets good grades and stays out of trouble.  We see the clear double standard in the way she’s perceived and treated by her mom and how Miles is treated.  Simply put, she’s not trusted to protect herself and make responsible choices, despite the fact we literally watched her make a smart choice with Winston. 2) I was hoping for young, innocent plots involving Frankie and Winston, and we got it.  These are two inexperienced teens who are smart enough not to rush into anything.  Also, Frankie said “No” to Winston’s attempt to reach second base, and he complied without questioning her decision.  3) Zoë’s got her own personal reasons for operation “Degrassi Nudes,” and Frankie’s the only person on the squad who was vehemently against doing it.  But as we see, no matter how smart someone is, peer pressure is a very powerful force. It’s easy to say you won’t do something until social pressure becomes a factor, especially at Frankie’s age.  4) I don’t think Frankie would’ve actually sent a nude pic if it weren’t for the second conversation she had with her mom.  It’s one of those “angry in the moment” things where she decided to do it simply to retaliate against her mom’s stupidity.  5) Oh Lord, let’s not even go there when Frankie realized her brother Hunter is one of the guys requesting nude Oomfchats.  But I think that’s the breaking point for Frankie, and I would actually like to see her be the one who blows the squad’s cover.

5) Zig Novak (–)
I guess Zig’s character is an example of being unable to pinpoint specifically what’s great about season 14, because there’s so many good things happening.  His and Tiny’s response to Miles’ sexuality was 100% believable. They view him as just “liking guys” now, and joked about Miles “being turned gay” when we know that Miles’ sexuality is far more fluid.  Then in the same breath, Zig realizes Maya’s genuinely upset after her outburst in the rubber room, and he shows his appreciation for her later in the episode.  His casual commentary about Miles’ sexuality is stupid, but it also doesn’t make him a monstrous homophobe.  It’s too easy to get caught up in labeling characters as either good or bad based on specific behavior, when an overwhelming majority of us in the real world reside in a gray area.  We do good things and we all also do bad or stupid things, and I like how Degrassi presented both sides through a character in a single episode…it’s realistic.

Oh, and bonus points for Degrassi for getting edgy with its dialogue and having Zig say, “Moneybags is a dick.” Too bad they had to replace it with “dork” in ADR.

6) Drew Torres (#3)

7) Clare Edwards (#6)

8)Becky Baker (–)
Just keep in mind that at the moment, Becky has no one. I assumed Drecky would be dead after 1402, since Jonah will appear sooner rather than later.  Oddly enough, Drecky reuniting in 1403 makes more sense than the rushed development of Drecky during Zoë’s sexual assault trial.  That guy Becky tried to date reminded her way too much of who she used to be and what she’s lost since the trial.  It doesn’t matter how complicated things are with the Clew baby…Drew is familiar territory, and at this point in time familiar is better than being alone.

9) Grace Cardinal (#12)
Fans love to place too much value on the amount of screen time characters receive.  The generic way of thinking is if you receive a bunch of time, that means you’re the most important; if you don’t, you’re completely useless. As far as I’m concerned that’s way too simple of a mindset to look at things…to an extent.

If a certain character gets a bunch of storylines in a season, that means nothing to me in terms of their overall value. It’s all about the QUALITY of screen time that matters to me in the landscape of a 30-minute episode.  Grace appeared in a handful of scenes in 1403 and slayed all of them.  Hunter was effective in his role that helped shape the Hollingsworth family scenes.  Shay Powers only had a handful of lines, but one of them ended up being hands down the most memorable line of the night and of season 14 so far.

It’s almost a curse to hope your favorite character becomes a major character, because even since the TNG days Degrassi has a tendency to take characters and run them into the ground with A-level exposure (“character fatigue” has been happening every season since at least season 4).  At the same time you can’t give everyone equal screen time because then you have a bunch of half-assed characters running around, development wise.  For all of the Clare’s and Connor’s of this show there are characters who navigate somewhere in the middle:  Grace KILLS the limited amount of screen time she receives, as does Mike Dallas.  I’m not saying she shouldn’t receive plots of her own. If she receives some, that’s okay. If she doesn’t, that’s okay too (bringing up potential archs then doing nothing with them, aka Dallas and his kid, is not okay though).  But my point is that Jake Martin, who never really had a major arch of his own, proved that you don’t need to be a major character receiving tons of development through your own storylines to be important, make an impact and be well loved by Degrassi fans.  Do not undervalue or underestimate the power of secondary characters.

10) Mike Dallas (#10)

11) Winston Chu (#14)
Kudos to Winston for being an understanding boyfriend in 1403.  A couple of years ago I threw out a Degrassi brainstorming idea about them tackling a romantic relationship destroying a friendship.  I’m very excited to see if that’s what will go down between Winston/Miles/Tristan next week in 1404.

12) Hunter Hollingsworth (#13)

13) Alli Bhandari (#11)

14)  Tristan Milligan (#10)

15) Shay Powers (Unranked)
“No boy’s worthy of my room.”  BEST QUOTE OF THE NIGHT.  I also loved her delivery of that line.  Hazel’s role was restricted and Chantay was barely used until her latter seasons.  Liberty Van Zandt is the closest thing this show’s had to an A-level black female..fingers crossed Shay can surpass that.

16) Imogen Moreno (#18)
Great support by Imogen for Becky in this episode.

How important is God in your life?
BECKY: Well he hasn’t been here for me lately…
IMOGEN: …because he works in mysterious ways.

How close are you to your family?
BECKY: They used to be my rock…
IMOGEN: …and they will be again.

17) Jack (#19)

18) Connor DeLaurier (#17)

19) Tiny King (#16)

20) Eli Goldsworthy (#15)

21) Lola Pacini (Unranked)

22) Jenna Middleton (#20)

UNRANKED: Arelene Takahashi, Jonah Haak.

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Episode 1405, There’s Your Trouble, will air on Tuesday, November 25th at 9pm EST on TeenNick and MTV Canada.

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Becky visits her brother in juvenile detention, but she can’t bring herself to forgive him. Desparate for a distraction, she auditions for a new school band. Zoë pushes the cheer squad too hard and they crack under the pressure. A major obstacle affects Eli and Clare’s relationship.
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MTV :30

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TeenNick :15 (Becky)

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TeenNick :15 (Clare)

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I know I said I didn’t wanna get into review stuff since I can’t go all the way, but since people keep asking for the grades…well let’s see how this works out.  Don’t yell at me when I give bad grades to your favorite plots with little explanation!

Clare Edwards: “Nothing has to change”

Eli is returning to Toronto for the summer and Clare has yet to tell him that she’s pregnant.  Clare’s mother Helen eventually finds out from Drew’s mom Audra.  Clare insists that nothing will change in her life, and Helen tells her they need to work through this together.  Instead of meeting with Eli, Helen tells him Clare’s sick since they now must meet with the Torres family.

When Clare, Drew, Helen and Audra all meet, the moms scoff at Clare’s idea that she’s still going to Columbia and will raise the baby in New York with Eli’s help.  Audra and Helen both agree that Clare needs to stay in Toronto so that Drew can be involved and they can be a support system for the baby.  However, a frustrated Clare doesn’t want her future planned out by other people and she walks out.

Drew chases Clare and they wind up at The Dot.  Eventually, Eli shows up, baffled at why “sick” Clare is at The Dot with Drew.  Clare finally confesses that she’s pregnant.  Eli’s initially upset because a pregnancy puts a wrench in their plans: they’re supposed to live together in New York. However, Clare drops another bombshell when she tells Eli the baby is Drew’s.  Eli can’t handle the news, and despite Clare telling him she loves him and can’t imagine life without him, he tells her he “doesn’t care” and walks away.

GRADE: B
QUICK REVIEW:  Facing reality is hard, and many people have their own coping mechanisms.  Clare’s is simple: she views her pregnancy as a (baby) bump in the road to Columbia, and she’s convinced she can just plan her future around it.  It’s unrealistic thinking, and I like how the show has made it clear Clare is the only one unaware that the pregnancy changes not only her life, but the lives of everyone around her.

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Zig Wants To “Man Up”

Zig gets pissy after getting beat by Grace in an arm wrestling contest.  Not only did Tiny film the competition, he also created a gif of Zig losing, and it goes viral.  Zig doesn’t like the fact people think he’s weak because he lost to a girl, and when Tiny refuses to delete the gif, Zig slams him up against the lockers.  The move lands Zig and Tiny in detention, but Zig eventually apologizes.

In order to redeem Zig’s “manliness,” Grace offers Zig a challenge: if he gets a homemade tattoo, Tiny will take down Zig’s gifs. Initially Zig agrees, but backs out just as Grace is about to give him the tattoo.  He tells her he doesn’t need to prove his manliness this way and they all agree.

GRADE: B
QUICK REVIEW: It’s an above-average filler plot with a simple, but important theme.  Regardless of how we want the world to work, it will still work in messed up and completely unfair ways. Zig was made fun of for not being “man enough” because a female beat him at arm wrestling.  He’s been programmed to feel embarrassed by something like that, and everyone has been programmed to tease him for it.  In the end, Zig learned that being a real man means not needing to prove your “manhood” to others…and as a 31-year-old dude still watching Degrassi, I would know.

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Bros Before Boyfriends?

When Miles chooses Tristan over Winston to be seatmates in science class, Winston feels as if he’s losing his best friend.  Zoë tells Winston he needs to tell Miles the truth, but that’s easier said than done.  Winston gets upset when Tristan ruins his “bro date” with Miles, and Winston goes off.

Winston finally tells Miles he feels like Tristan has come between them, and Miles assures Winston they’re still best friends.

GRADE: B
QUICK REVIEW: I was hoping for more of a slow burn, but this is yet another simple storyline (Degrassi seems to be incorporating quite a few of these in season 14).  It took a lot of guts for Winston to just come out and admit he was jealous of Miles and Tristan’s relationship, because a lot of people would allow that kind of jealousy to fester until it exploded and damaged the friendship beyond repair.

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RANDOM THOUGHTS

*Boy, is Clare delusional.  I don’t mean that in a condescending way…she’s in serious denial about the level of responsibility that comes with having and raising a child.  Clare Edwards always has a plan, but this time she’s using her mentality of “sticking with the plan” of going to Columbia and living with Eli to avoid accepting the reality of the situation.

*Eli SHOULD be upset.  Regardless of what anyone tries to tell me, I’m not going to be convinced that Eli Goldsworthy is a monstrous psychopath out to mentally abuse Clare every chance he can get.  Granted it’s a FACT Eli can be an asshole, but that extreme view is just as ridiculous as someone viewing him as a saint.

For the millionth time I’ll point out Degrassi Personality Regression to the Mean: Season 10/11 Eli (an extreme arch type) is not the same as Season 12/13/14 Eli.  There are only two things that remain consistent over these periods: Eli loving Clare in a way where he compares their relationship to a fairytale, and Eclare’s primary issue always boiling down to a lack of communication (take what you will from that in your argument for or against the health of Eclare’s relationship).

Eli’s reaction to Clare’s news isn’t surprising and it’s something I would expect from any guy in that position.  Eclare seems to have made a bunch of plans about their future together, so you’d better believe finding out the person you love is suddenly having a baby with someone else would be a bombshell.  But let’s be very clear: it also won’t excuse any excessively aggressive behavior we may see when Drew and Eli go head to head next week.

*The Eclare endgame vision is set.  Eli and Clare living in a studio apartment in New York. No major ship on this show has ever been endgame (Jay and Manny don’t count as major to me), and I’d be lying if I said I’m not on edge wondering if Degrassi will actually go through with it.  I’m of the mindset that if Clare graduates and goes to Columbia, and Eli plans to return to NYU, these two will be endgame.  There would be no point in having them both in New York and them not end up together in the end.

As of right now I’m leaning toward the side that believes it’ll happen.  Seeds of doubt have been planted in the show and fandom as to whether or not the baby is Drew’s.  Based on the show’s current timeline, a lot of us believe Clare will have a miscarriage.  We’re post spring break, so there’s maybe a couple of months until graduation: they simply will not let Clare graduate and leave the show while still pregnant.  An Eli baby or no baby leaves the door open for an Eclare ending that won’t be resolved until Clare’s final episode on this show.

*Poor Drew? This guy is basically just a passenger on this baby train Clare is navigating.  Bless him for trying to do the right thing and be supportive of Clare (because it means being supportive of his child).  It was funny watching poor Drew sit there in silence during the Edwards/Torres meeting as the ladies did all of the talking.  Clare, Helen and Audra are all dominant personalities and oddly enough, they’re exactly the kind of women Drew needs in his life to keep his head on straight.  With all three of them around to keep him in check, there is no way Drew would slack on his duties as a dad.

*I will forever love seeing Audra and Helen in the same room.  And Jake Martin gets a mention!

*Zig isn’t man enough. Or at least that’s the perception. Degrassi trolled us by personifying the fandom through Tiny and the gif he posted in this episode.  I was kind of “meh” about the tattoo angle at the end, but I liked the show tackling “manliness.”  Zig was embarrassed that he got beat by a girl, and Tiny joked about it because the social norms people push are that men are always physically stronger than women.  Zoë, Lola and Shay teased Zig about losing because of the idea that why would they want a guy who’s “weak?”  Degrassi threw out some interesting things to think about.

*So many things addressed in Winston and Miles’ conversation.  Winston’s jealous of Triles.  Miles points out that Tristan was there for him while everyone else was nowhere to be found.  This is the second time Winston has been questioned about whether or not he’s uncomfortable with Miles’ sexuality.  He says he’s not, and I believe him, but I like how he’s neither overly joyed by it nor a homophobe; he’s realistically confused at how Miles went from Maya to Tristan because again, just like with Zig and his “manliness,” society has rigid (and often ridiculous) ideas of how the world should work.

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1) Miles Hollingsworth (Last week: #1)
Though nothing has hit me like Miles’ plot yet, basically everything in Season 14 has been solid so far.  I believe Degrassi still filmed season 14 in blocks of 4 episodes, so I’m expecting a major shakeup at the top of next week’s rankings.

2) Zoë Rivas (–)
Zoë will sit here until next week.  Unless she does something amazing, there are at least 3 other ladies whose presence in There’s Your Trouble will bump her out of the top 5.

3) Clare Edwards (#7)
Clare’s in serious denial, and now she’s going to start feeling the full weight of her decisions.  With both Drew and Eli now in the picture, she’s going to learn quickly that her plan isn’t going to work after all.

4) Frankie Hollingsworth (–)
Catch the promo for 1405, and it’s easy to picture Frankie as the Hollingsworth at the top of the power rankings soon.

5) Zig Novak (–)

6) Maya Matlin  (#3)
Maya is what my ideal Degrassi character’s usage would be like.  Give them plots of their own (not necessarily an A plot), but also allow them to “cool off” by simply existing as a support character in other people’s plots.

7) Drew Torres (#6)

8) Grace Cardinal (#9)
Grace is a total badass.

9) Becky Baker (#8)
Becky’s sort of been lingering off on her own for a while, but next week is one of my most-anticipated moments of the season:  she finally visits her brother in prison.

10) Mike Dallas (–)
Bhandallas’ brief moment in 1404 was wonderful.

11) Winston Chu (–)
Another solid out from Mr. Chu

12) Alli Bhandari (#13)
See #10.

13) Hunter Hollingsworth (#12)

14)  Shay Powers (#15)

15) Tiny King (#19)

16) Eli Goldsworthy (#20)
Over the course of spring break it seems Eclare has made plans about their future.  Eli has every right to be pissed off.  The prediction of a miscarriage means Eclare will be free to ride off into the sunset once Clare graduates, unless Eli’s behavior in these crucial weeks burns bridges for good.

17) Tristan Milligan (#14)

18) Imogen Moreno (#16)

19) Jack (#17)

20) Lola Pacini (#20)

21) Connor DeLaurier (#18)

22) Jenna Middleton (–)

UNRANKED: Arelene Takahashi, Jonah Haak.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Helen & Audra…because they have to deal with the fact that their kids are now having a kid.

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(You Drive Me) Crazy airs on Tuesday, December 2nd at 9pm on TeenNick and MTV Canada.

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Maya can’t sleep because of her Cam/Miles nightmares. Jack reveals to Imogen that she practices polyamory. Imogen, who is usually fine with the abstract, is honest with Jack about wanting monogamy. Frankie finds disturbing comics on Hunter’s computer.
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MTV :30 Promo

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TeenNick :15 Promo (Maya)

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TeenNick :15 Promo (Jackogen)

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