I am over halfway through the series and still completely hooked. A lot of new people have joined the show, but some characters have completely fallen off the radar. I wanted to list a few of those before sharing my thoughts on seasons seven and eight.
1. Teri: I know she got injured and all, but I thought she was getting better. Instead, she was just written off completely.
2. Joey: Where did he go?!? I thought Caitlin bought his house for him so he could stay there longer. Instead, he just disappeared. I also saw on IMDb that the girl who plays his daughter comes back to Degrassi later as a different character.
3. Alex: After things ended with Paige, that was the end of the road for her, apparently.
4. Kendra: Does Spinner no longer have a sister? No one even mentions her anymore.
5. Toby: I had a feeling his time on the show was coming to an end, but at least he has a guest appearance in season eight.
6. Sean: He joined the army, but will we ever find out what happened when he went to Afghanistan? I hope he's okay, at least.
7. Griffin: I liked him and was hoping he'd stick around, but I guess when everyone left the house, he left the show?
8. Hazel: She basically disappeared after graduation.
One of the characters from the past couple of seasons is not in the season nine credits and there hasn't been mention of them yet in the season. I won't say who yet....
Check out my first post about this series.
Check out my thoughts on seasons three and four.
Check out my thoughts on seasons five and six.
Season Seven:
Not sure if I like Manny as a blonde and/or with those bangs. I'm glad she went back to her natural color eventually.
I'm glad Marco is finally pulling the plug on his relationship with Dylan. Creepy about the guy trying to pimp Marco. I'm glad he didn't go for it.
Surprised that Alex isn't in the opening credits but some new people are. I'm guessing they're going to become regulars. And if Toby was moved off the credits and is still around, then I have hope for Alex to show up often. Although I'm worried if she and Paige are done for good. Weirdly, I was more on Paige's side for the whole reason for their breakup. Paige found a job she liked and was trying to be good at it and Alex sabotaged it because of her own principles. I get why Alex was upset over Paige's job, but it wasn't her place to get Paige fired. It looks like Paige got her job back anyway, even if it's totally Devil Wears Prada.
Spinner has cancer now?!? Given I've seen that he's going to be around in future seasons, I'm not too worried. I still feel bad for him though. I'm glad things are good between him and Jane.
Why did Holly go to Lakehurst if Heather (her older sister) went to Degrassi? Also, Holly is evil. Worse than Paige ever was when she used to be mean. I felt bad for Anya at first, but after she made that rude comment to Mia, she's on her own. I'm glad she finally sees Holly for what she really is though and that she is standing up to her and cutting off their friendship.
That was not cool what Darcy did to Snake. I can't believe he doesn't hate her for it. I hope the damage can be undone. I would have slapped her if I were Emma. Regardless of what she's been through, she needs to get professional help for it already! I hope the boot camp will help Darcy in the long run.
I'm worried about Snake, thanks to what Darcy did. I feel so bad for him! I'm glad Emma is supporting him and that Spike has come around.
Emma was pretty daring with exposing herself to make a point. So awkward that Snake had to see that.
I like Manny with Jay and am disappointed that he keeps screwing up so royally. If the Degrassi Goes Hollywood movie is any indication, maybe there's a chance for them later down the road...
It was nice seeing Caitlin again. I didn't like what Ellie did to her, regardless of what happened with Jesse. Caitlin looks great with her new hair color and style. I hope Ellie doesn't become an alcoholic and I'm glad she dumped Jesse.
I like that all the episode titles are names of songs.
I didn't like what Derek did to Danny at the store. I'm glad Danny isn't letting him off the hook so easily, even after he made the video. The store manager was what we call "Karen" these days. What a racist b-tch!
I really like Mia and I am rooting for her. Isabella is so cute too. I hope Lucas really has grown up and can take responsibility as a dad. It's stressful enough to be a mom as an adult, so I can't even imagine what it's like for a teenager. I hope Emma can connect her with Spike.
I am glad Jimmy blackmailed his father. I know that sounds weird to say, but I saw that coming and it's nice that Jimmy got to choose something he wanted for himself. I like him and Trina together. I also love what he did for Spinner during the science exam. I'm glad he didn't get caught doing it either.
Too crazy about Marco and Ellie hooking up. I'm glad it hasn't ruined their friendship. It will be interesting to see where things go from here.
I'm actually impressed by Liberty doing something outside the norm. I am glad her friends forgave her for it. It was cool that she was able to get Natasha Bedingfield to sing at the prom. I wonder if she and Damian will stay on the series, now that they're going to the same college.
I wonder if Peter will actually try to get emancipation from his parents.
I got teary eyed when they put the graduation cap by JT's picture at the very end of the season.
Season Eight:
They went back to the original theme song, but changed it up a bit. So many new people in the cast, as well as people from before who weren't in the opener until now.
I thought Liberty got into Banting. I was surprised to see her at Smithdale. I'm actually annoyed that Emma switched the room assignments for everyone. It's not the worst thing to room with someone new. Maybe she missed out on meeting her new best friend this way. The whole racist sorority thing made me so uncomfortable. Those girls are such idiots and I'm glad Liberty didn't join.
I hate that Mia felt she had to sleep with Tom Blake to get the job. I wish they had told her she had it already. Can I say again how adorable Isabella is?!? She's even talking more now! I don't blame Leah for being mad at her, but it wasn't her place to tell Danny what Mia did. I feel bad for her when Holly used it against her with the media.
I feel bad for Clare (Darcy's sister) with the open mic situation. However, the vibrator situation was priceless. I'm glad that led to an honest conversation with her mom. I also love that she is at the center of a quasi love triangle and she's suddenly hot because of her new clothes.
The new principal is so annoying. Sexist too. I hope he gets fired soon. I love what Clare did to him at the assembly. I'm surprised they let him work there again, even with sensitivity training.
Where did Snake's godson (Connor) come from? Is he the child of some original series characters? Interesting that he has Asperger's. I'm glad that's something they are addressing on the show.
Jane changed a lot between last season and now. I admire her strength with the football team. I also feel bad for her about what happened with her dad when she was a kid. She shows an incredible depth of emotion.
How did Derek become even more of a jerk than he was last season? Wow. Just wow. I'm glad he redeemed himself with Danny in regards to Leah though.
I don't totally feel bad for Holly with the money situation. It sucks, but I don't think she's learned anything from it yet. I'm glad Spinner tried to give her some perspective. I kind of felt bad for her after the cyberbullying incident, even though she was being mean to Alli to begin with. I'm glad she's starting to mellow out a bit more.
I know Drake has moved on to his music career by now, but it was nice to see Jimmy again. I was hoping he'd be able to walk again. It's sweet that he's proposing to Trina.
I like the chemistry between Emma and Kelly. They are cute together. I am so annoyed at her for being so stupid with the pot and getting him kicked out of the dorm building.
Nice that there's another gay storyline, but it makes me miss Marco. I also love that Jordan Garvaris was on an episode! I wonder where they will go with this, since they left it hanging.
I like that Alli has softened up Johnny a bit.
Interesting to see Noah Reid play a bad guy on this show. I like how Holly handled things at The Dot and I'm glad Spinner is okay. I'm also glad that Spinner acknowledged what Holly said and empowered her. It's nice that he's loyal to Jane.
I like seeing how the Hollywood movie fits into the season, even though we never got to see how things developed with Manny and her asshole theater professor in the first place. It looks like it came out of nowhere. Now that I know what happened between her and Jay, I can understand the tension between them. Also, when and how did Paige get a job as an assistant to a diva actress? Did her fashion career just derail?
Meta moment: Hayley mentions Shenae Grimes in part one of Paradise City (Degrassi Goes Hollywood). Shenae played Darcy on this series.
I like that there's promise for things between Manny and Jay and Ellie and Craig. I hope Paige can repair her friendship with Marco.
I'm currently watching season nine, so there will be more of these posts to come...
