Kirkland watches Degrassi

[=BK=]

To avoid cluttering up the General TV Thread every night I made a thread just for this. Back in 2015 I started a watch through of Degrassi but didn't make it too far, only into season 3. I've since restarted. Here I will make notes and observations and pose questions. I'm going to repost my random ramblings from the General thread and after that I'll try to make things more organized. 

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I've been rewatching Degrassi TNG and man, certain things make me realize how dated the early seasons are now. Everyone has flip phones, Jimmy's top of the line MP3 player was so big you could bludgeon someone with it, when Manny wants to be hot she throws on a high thong and lowrider jeans which is an outfit straight out of a 2002 music video, no one besides Jimmy gives Spinner shit for his blatant homophobia, not even his girlfriend with the openly gay brother.

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Resuming my Degrassi watch-through. I like to note things that seem out of time or just odd or just general observations.

Marco's boyfriend is pressuring him to come out to his family when one of them is very clearly "traditional". Seems like he should know that might not be the best idea in the world.

The asshole girl uses Queer as an insult. Especially odd since I think the show used Fag before. Even the more aggressive of the two uses Queer under his breath.

Oh god the CRT TV monitors.

Rick is back. This isn't the shooting episode but it just made me think. This is Canadian. Where the fuck does he just get a gun?

IRL would they ever let a kid like Rick come back to school? I feel like at most he'd be transferred to the next nearest school or put in alternative school.

Emma and Paige are such well written characters. Emma easily could be the evergreen goodie-goodie that never has a bad or wrong moment. Paige even easier could be the stereotypical uber-bitch, popular pretty girl that's evil to the core. Instead Emma has her total dick moments and Paige is actually a nice person and sympathetic to the people she knows.

The turn from abuser to bullying victim for Rick is done well for a one episode story.

Sean and Ellie thought: Are 16 year olds even legally able to live outside an adult's home? Like if I have a kid can I just let them live somewhere else with no adults?

Ashley's father: Is Life Partner even a used term anymore?

I feel old. Manny is supposed to be the hot girl but she looks like a baby to me.

A cutting kit. Jesus that's creepy to look at. I never actually knew anyone who cut.

There's like 4 old dudes sitting at a table watching a High School bikini carwash. Ew.

Side thought:I really like this intro. The show loses something when it becomes all greenscreen instead of school shots.

I find it odd looking back that I like this show so much. There's no one I directly identify with. 

Spinner is the worst boyfriend ever. He's a total uncaring dude-bro douche.

Rick, in what goddamn world is Emma going to kiss you when the last time you spoke to her she told you she still wanted nothing to do with you.

Oh.She did it. Even the cheek kiss seems like it'd be social suicide that'd get her bullied too.

RFR picked way better music than this show. Almost everything here is low level indie.

And with a new haircut Spinner's heel turn to complete bully is done.

This is the first half of the shooting two parter. I feel like we could have used more of Rick between his return and now. Maybe it comes off better in a weekly format but this could have been a season ender I think.

Once again, this is Canada. Why is there just a gun in his house? It's not even an antique. It looks brand new. I feel like I've asked this and been answered before.

Emma's mom says that no one gets shot at Degrassi yet when she went there a dude shot himself in the head in the bathrooms and her now husband was the one that found the body.  Again, how gun?

 

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More Degrassi observations and thoughts.

I never heard a teenager worry about ratting on people the way TV teenagers do. They're still kids and most still default to "oooh, I'm going to tell the teacher!" on most things.

The dude Sean deafened is a dick and it was self defense. Why feel bad about it?

JT reminds me of my childhood best friend so much.

Ashley has lost nearly all her Goth-ness

Also this thing with Paige crushing on the student teacher is an interesting plot. He's in the right age range for her but he's a teacher. 

Speaking of Paige, she has some odd thoughts on Yoga. What's with the cult joke?

Ok, I always thought Paige looked like the oldest kid but there's no way she passes for 21. 

Oh wait, it's Canada. Maybe she can pass for 18 then.

I just noticed you can see one of the Season 1 characters in the intro still but she just doesn't get a credit anymore.

Holy shit, gay wedding and ADD issues in the same episodes. Funny that neither thing seems like a hot button subject nowdays. 

Why does Craig need a credit card so bad if he's got the money in cash? Can you not get a hotel room with real money? 

Jesus Christ, the ancient card scanners.

Oh crap. I's Bi-Polar. Why was I thinking ADD?

As said, my next post will be tonight's observations. I'll attach episode name and numbers.

[=BK=]

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Season 4 Episode 13: Bark at the Moon: Paige attempts to get Mr. O alone, while Spinner is disappointed when Manny becomes interested in a new student.

Manny's outfits are starting to get strange.

Goddamn I wish my school had burritos.

Why would the school-board reassign the Principal? Like, he wasn't innocent but that's not a punishment. It's shoving him off onto other kids in a place that'll make him more miserable.

For the hot girl Manny has the hots for the ugliest dudes. 

I feel weirder about Manny kissing Spinner than I do about Paige kissing an adult.

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Season 4 Episode 14: Secret: Part 1 & 2: Ever since the trauma of the shooting, Emma has been distancing herself from her friends and neglecting her typical interests. Emma discovers a scandalous secret when she goes to the ravine with Jay but instead of turning everyone in, Emma decides to join in on the raunchy ravine activities.

Ah, the blowjobs for bracelets episodes. Does that made up thing still hit the news every two years?

So does Jay make a habit out of randomly molesting girls? Emma has shown no interest in him at all and they only know each other because they have a mutual friend. 

Oh shit, he actually said blowjob. I figured they'd stick to "oral" 

Ellie was absolutely my kind of girl in Highschool at this point.

From giggling at a stage-kiss to blowjobs in the back of a van in ten minutes.

I just realized how weird it is having Jimmy play basketball in the intro after he's been SHOT AND PARALYZED BELOW THE WAIST. 

Emma comes off like such a dick in this episode. Again, she's a wonderful character.

The B plot changing from part 1 to part 2 is jarring. 

This is the last plot I remember involving Alex. I hope I'm wrong about that.

Emma's acting goes down the hole when she has to be seductive. 

Is it reaching to say it was intentional that the herbal drink JT made Emma was uh, thick and white?

I find it Funny Jimmy is all about this Rock band given who he is IRL.

"Social disease " You can say Blowjob but not STD?

 

 

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Season 4 Episode 16: Eye of The Tiger: Everyone is thrilled when Jimmy finally returns to school. Unfortunately for Spinner, Jimmy's return means revealing the truth about what happened that fateful day and dealing with the repercussions. Spinner deeply wants to redeem himself but how can he fully be forgiven for telling Rick that the prank was Jimmy's idea? Danny disapproves of the relationship between J.T. and Liberty.

Nothing reminds me how old this show is more than looking at the computer screens and seeing the graphics.

I suddenly remembered how they try to "pretty" Liberty up later on and it's a mistake. She looks like such a real kid.

Also, her brother hit puberty since the last time I remember seeing/hearing him. 

Is Liberty supposed to be mixed race? Her Dad is a whole lot darker.

Kinda....I guess "neat" to see Spinner in Rick's shoes with the whole school against him. 

Spinner looks like the kind of dude that'd get drunk in an ally. 

I swear I remember the previous Principal being the one to expel Spinner..

 

 

 

[MalaCloudy Black]

So are you going to watch all of TNG or just what's considered the "classic" episodes (i.e. the ones with Spinner, Emma, Paige etc at Degrassi)? It's interesting to track how the show changes as the cast does. It seems like they gain more freedom in terms of what they can show and what they can say, but that might be because of the moves to different channels having an effect.

[=BK=]

All. I'm even going past TNG into the Netflix show.

[MalaCloudy Black]

The Netflix series is bae, I said, unironically. It's actually really good imo and they can tackle more intense stuff because of the freedom given to them by being on Netflix. There's a whole mental health arc that goes on in Next Class that I don't think they'd have ever been able to do on regular TV.

[=BK=]

I mean, TNG gets pretty intense. Abortion, cutting, alcohol abuse, Bipolar episodes, abusive relationships, date rape, school shooting, stabbings. 

I've heard the new show doesn't handle things as realistically as TNG and that's a bummer because that's why TNG is great.

[MalaCloudy Black]

Eh, I wouldn't agree with that. Next Class has a lot of the same stuff (wow, Degrassi recycling plots?!) and it's handled pretty well I thought.

[Your Mom]

3 hours ago, =BK= said:

I mean, TNG gets pretty intense. Abortion, cutting, alcohol abuse, Bipolar episodes, abusive relationships, date rape, school shooting, stabbings. 

I've heard the new show doesn't handle things as realistically as TNG and that's a bummer because that's why TNG is great.

Man I was thinking about giving it a chance for a full watch too but yeah that doesn't sound healthy for me

[=BK=]

Just now, The Chiksrara Special said:

Man I was thinking about giving it a chance for a full watch too but yeah that doesn't sound healthy for me

Well, it's meant to help kids process and deal with these subjects so it's done with care. It's a fun drama but in the end it is officially qualified as Educational Programing.

Also, you're an adult and parent and alllll the adult parents (mostly) already went through this stuff in Degrassi High and are fine in TNG so that might tone it down for you a bit because there's people to relate to there that are above the murk of it all.

The first episode(I think it's a two parter) is a issue episode so that could be a fine test.

Oh and uh, personal recommendation, if I were you and I decided to watch then I'd skip the episodes called "Shout" part one and two.

[=BK=]

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Season 4 Episode 17: Queen of Hearts: Ellie starts playing cards for fun with Craig, Alex, Dylan, and other friends. However, Alex raises the stakes when she encourages the group to play with real money. Ellie joins the high-stakes game but ends up gambling with her future rather than for fun. Paige has a secret affair with Mr. O and begins to wonder whether he has been telling her the whole truth.

Gambling! I'm told this is a plot that crops up 3 or 4 times throughout all of Degrassi. 

Where the hell is 16 year old Ellie living now that Sean is gone? Is this her own apartment? Who's paying?

A song that sounds good to my ears. This only reinforces the idea that Ellie is best girl. 

Still wondering why they stuck with this intro after Jimmy got shot.

What kind of kids play cards out of their free will? We only ever played when we were locked in a class room.

Ellie's mom looks super creepy.

What is with girls and Cowboy hats on this show?

...how did they get Jimmy's wheelchair to the basement?

At the start of the ep Paige acted like Manny couldn't know about her and the teach but now they're openly talking about it.

I love how everyone has good and bad. Even Alex who would be classed as a "bully".

Also holy shit, she's paid no price for her involvement in dumping the paint on Rick.

 

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Season 4 Episode 18: Modern Love: Paige and Matt Oleander desperately try to keep their relationship a secret but it seems to be an impossible mission when Mr. Simpson spies them together at the park and Manny spreads rumors about them to Hazel. Emma has a ladies night and all her girlfriends are head over heals for Emma's new neighbor, Chester.

And the Trish style pink cowboy hat appears again.

Wanna keep a relationship secret? Go to the public park!

Is subliminal messaging Oleander's only topic?

Yes dumbass, call your ex a whore when her Step-Dad is your lead teacher.

This Darcy girl becomes main cast later, right?

Again, this guy. Looks like a foot yet they swoon.

Ok, this girl fight is so dated. The clothes, the music. Everything.

Also that's not how Highshcool girls fight. Even the really, really pretty ones try to club the other girl and most times the really, really, really pretty ones are the ones that'll bust someone's face.

He may look like a foot but he's the only guy outside your circle not calling you a whore, Emma, don't look at him like that.

This whole thing does kinda highlight the strange age gap between Marco and Paige's brother. 

 

 

 

[apsham]

I watch Degrassi Jr. High and the original Degrassi High along with the finale movie religiously once or two a year - I'm very sad I lost access to my terrible PBS set of DVDs for the show in my split up.

[MalaCloudy Black]

I didn't know they had DVDs of those episodes. I used to watch Junior High on PBS at like 3am, when we had cable and nothing else was on TV. I remember there being episodes about underage drinking (I think) and me being a SUPER COOL TEEN I would drink along to those episodes because I was SO FUNNY.