On a Degrassi "high"

Courtesy of IMDb

Shortly after starting this blog, I wrote about Degrassi High, which was one of my favorite series growing up. In the post, I mentioned Degrassi: The Next Generation. I recently started revisiting this series, after watching Degrassi Goes Hollywood, thanks to finding out that Dan Levy is in that movie. Watching it made me want to learn more about the characters, so I decided to try the series from the very beginning, when it started in 2001. Since then, I've watched two seasons and am starting the third soon. I figure I would share my thoughts on the first two seasons and then continue on with these blog posts as I keep going with the series. I found the episodes (along with the Hollywood movie) on YouTube, but there are a lot of ads and pop-ups. They're worth dealing with though!

As I mentioned in my post from a long time ago, Degrassi: TNG covers a lot of heavy issues that affect preteens and teens. In just two seasons, they've covered bullying (including cancel culture, before it was a thing), homosexuality/homophobia, body shaming, rape, racism, eating disorders, child abuse, theft, drug/alcohol abuse, catfishing, grief, etc. I'm surprised they haven't covered teen pregnancy yet, as that was a big trope in the original series, but there are many more seasons to go...

I love that some of the characters from the original series are back, namely Joey, Caitlin, Lucy, Spike, and Snake. Even Mr. Raditch is still around. Sadly, the guy who played Wheels passed away a long time ago. Joey actually looks really good without hair and I am hoping he and Caitlin will get back together eventually. I was laughing so much when they talked about the Zit Remedy and played their classic hit song.

Courtesy of Dougsploitation

The fun part is knowing that some of the characters in the Hollywood movie are in the series from the beginning. It's interesting seeing them so young and watching them grow up on this show as time goes by. It's interesting to watch as an adult because the characters are close in age to my older two kids and I keep thinking of how they'd be grounded for life if they pulled some of the stunts that the preteens and teens do on this show. I'm glad that they receive consequences though. I felt really bad for this one teacher when some of the students were playing pranks on her and then we find out that her husband is really sick. The characters have lots of layers to them though. One minute, I'll hate someone, and then next I'll be crying for them. (And yes, I've actually cried for some episodes.)

I do feel like the seasons jump around a bit and all of a sudden it's the end of the school year with some things that didn't get resolved. I also really want to see Heather Sinclair. She gets mentioned all the time but never shows her face.

Sex Talk Sue (Johanson) makes a couple of appearances on the show. It's funny because I recognized her right away from when I watched her show with a friend in 2004.

The theme song for Degrassi: TNG is definitely a change from the original series theme song. See which one you like better. The current one is an ear worm and I tend to skip through it now.

Thoughts on some of the characters (major players so far):
Liberty: I feel like Alana from Dear Evan Hansen was modeled off Liberty, not just for looks, but also for personality. I feel like Liberty is a tougher nut to crack, but she's grown on me and I like that she stands her ground. She even reminds me of myself in some ways. Like being the one behind the scenes all the time. The floor hockey episode was totally me, but for speech team.

J.T.: He reminds me so much of my younger son in looks and personality, except he's more of a girl-crazy extrovert. (He's the kid on the way bottom of the picture at the beginning of this post.) He's also good with animals.

Toby: He reminds me of a younger version of a guy I dated for a short time. Not a bad thing at all. And he's Jewish too. I hope they do more with that.

Ashley: I like how Ashley has come into her own a lot. She came off as annoying in season one, but I like her new look and the personality to go along with it. She also has a great singing voice.

Craig: If I were to crush on anyone from the show (like if I were a teenager), it would be him. I feel so bad for what he goes through in the beginning and at the end of season two. I love that he's connected with Joey Jeremiah, as well.

Courtesy of Amino

Jimmy: I didn't realize that the guy who plays Jimmy is Drake. I knew he was on the show, but his name comes up as Aubrey Graham and I had to do some research on that. He looks so young and awkward in the first couple of seasons, but I've seen pics of how he looks over time and the "transformation" into Drake. Jimmy tends to annoy me in general though. There are moments when he can be nice, but he runs hot and cold a lot of the time.

Courtesy of TV Guide

Sean: I like him with Emma, but his attitude can be annoying. He's either pitying himself or fighting with someone. Also, his brother creeps me out.

Emma: She also reminds me of myself in some ways. I love that she's Spike's daughter and it's nice to see the dynamic between the two of them. She's more outspoken than I am, but I like that she stands up for what she believes in, no matter the cost. I didn't like how she sneaked out of the house to meet a guy from the Internet though!

Manny: I originally saw her in the Hollywood movie and was really impressed by her, so it's fun to see her start out as a preteen and see her change between 2001 and 2009. I feel like there were only two episodes so far that were really about Manny....when she goes on a date and when she tries out for the cheerleading squad.

Paige: I referenced her earlier. She's the mean girl, but she does sometimes show her softer side. And I did feel really bad for her because of a certain incident. I like the rapport she has with J.T.. Like she's not supposed to like him since he's younger, but they have these really great moments together. I just can't stand how manipulative and bossy she can be sometimes.

Hazel: Hazel is Paige's best friend and she really showed a new side of herself in the episode about racism. I think she's mellowed out a bit since then.

Terri: There are times I like her and times I don't. I didn't like how she was going along with Paige to manipulate Ashley with her tarot cards. However, I liked when she stood up for herself when she was being body shamed.

Spinner: He's also very layered and I like him sometimes, but not others. I got annoyed at him for playing pranks on his teacher and for bringing bugs into school to prove a point. However, I love that he'll protect his younger sister, even though he has some mean ways of doing so.

Ellie: She gets introduced in season two. I first saw her in the Hollywood movie and thought she was really interesting. She starts off with more of a goth look, but I can see that it tapers off over time. The actress who plays her was on one episode of Schitt's Creek, playing a character who had previously dated someone who became gay. So it's funny that Ellie has that same situation early on in TNG.

Marco: The guy that Ellie likes in season two. I'm glad they introduced the topic of homosexuality through his character. He was also in the Hollywood movie and seems genuinely cool.

Courtesy of Fan Forum

If anyone has watched TNG, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. If you haven't yet, it's never too late to get started...