inyourmarrow

Whoops, I totally meant that I think they need to do another abortion storyline, NOT adoption. Again, if they're indeed going there with Zoe's character, I actually feel like abortion would be her only option. While it's an incident that should've never happened between them, it did. Neither Zoe nor Zig would want to keep that baby, I'd imagine and they sure as hell aren't ready to be parents. I also couldn't see Zoe wanting to see the entire pregnancy through just to give the baby up. And since her mom is apparently a strict Catholic and their relationship is not very healthy, I don't expect Zoe to even have the discussion with her mom. And according to Canadian law, she doesn't need to. I mean, others probably have a better sense of the Degrassi writers than I do, but I don't think it's insulting at all to have a guy inserted into Zoe's sexuality arc. To me that calls to mind the idea people have that just because a girl sleeps with guys, she can't be a lesbian, she has to be bisexual, and that's just not true. Zig being a male is a non-issue. Lesbians can and have sex with men all the time. It doesn't feel like an issue to me where Zoe is concerned because it's completely obvious that she no feelings for him; she was purely vindictive, and as she said, Zig was there and it was easy. But everything that happened during and after episode 7 increasingly doesn't make sense me. I used to be dead set on them making Zoe pregnant, but I'm not even sure that will be the case.

I certainly agree to an extent about female characters on the show being punished for being sexually active, but here's the thing: pregnancy is a part of the equation. Even if one is having the safest, most responsible sex, there's always a chance (even the slightest) of pregnancy (and the option of abortion and adoption, STIs, et al.). No matter how many years go by, storylines written, it's a reality that always exists. I don't find pregnancy storylines lazy - it's more so how they're approached that can be lazy and contrived. Personally with Gen Z now watching Next Class, I think it's important to see the show depict abortion as a viable alternative (as well as they did with Manny). I think, IF they're even going this route with Zoe's character, it could be very different in that they could/should focus on the political aspect (as it's been in the news heavily over the past year), ex. showing how there are radical pro-lifers who protest and threaten patients of Planned Parenthood, etc. Degrassi is certainly due for a storyline like that. As someone who's all for it, I'm also aware that approaching this particular arc with Zoe, as she has SO MANY OTHER THINGS happening, can be very convoluted, which won't due the writing for her character arc any favors if they can't find one thing and focus on that. It's no surprise that the writers love to give Ana meaty material (and I'm not complaining, she's my fave), and she's certainly capable of handling that material just fine, but as I said -- it's most likely too much for one character. ETA: I totally meant abortion, not adoption.

After a quick Google search, it looks like the only other storyline that's remotely close to Manny's abortion was when Anya took the Plan B pill.

Normally, I would absolutely agree with you here. And for the sake of fueling the conversation, I'm going to break down my reading of the scenario... Erica has been portrayed to be the pretty, smart, popular girl...someone completely out of Geoff's league (as we're conditioned to think). Additionally, Erica has - more than once - expressed her disinterest in Geoff in anything more than friendship. And really, outside of the Drew Kremp storyline, Erica hasn't really expressed interested in romance at all (which I've appreciated). Within the confines of this Erica/Geoff pairing, we've gotten hints of her reconsidering him. Whether you, or I, or anyone else reads this as being contrived to the benefit of your previously mentioned love story trope, it's there. (God, this is such poor syntax, so I hope that makes sense). And as long as she's reconsidering, I'm interested, insofar as I hope we get more of her POV on it (something we rarely get from Erica to begin with). My other thought is, if Geoff was more of a Drew Kremp type, would his advances be considered "creepy stalker" or "romantic"? I'm willing to bet some would absolutely think of it as the latter. There's not doubt, that his efforts are justly considered to be just that, but is it because we've known Geoff to be a bit socially inept? And culturally, we've been conditioned to view "socially inept/awkward" as creepy while the "confident, cool guy" gets to be romantic. Again, no matter who's going after Erica, her dismal should be respected, but we just haven't had enough of her POV for me to not be interested in why she's given him a second glance, or why he's starting to wear her down. Man, that's disorganized. Sorry for that. Plus, while chemistry is subjective, I think the actors have it. And that's pleasant for me to watch.

I really kind of love that Hayely Orrantia sort of just fell into acting unintentionally. The payoff of the "Hello" gag was the reveal of each sculpture and Erica's subsequent reactions. I still wish they'd give her more to do. They are obviously moving forward with the Erica/Geoff pairing, but I like how slow of a burn it is. The development feels realistic; and I gauge we'll get some kind of payoff at the tail-end of the season. Always love to see Allie Grant. Some show really needs to lock her down full-time. I continue to love Barry and Lainey, and while the sculptures were a bust, his intentions and efforts were sweetly commendable. I love that Barry is just big. He's a walking, breathing hyperbole. I also appreciate that we continue to see Dana; as first loves/childhood sweethearts go, she and Adam are pretty ideal.

Echoing all of this! I don't know how popular Zoe and Miles are as a couple - and whilst I'm not actively shipping/rooting for them, this is dynamic that works for me both in a romantic context and certainly a platonic one. I find their moments of romance to be one of the least problematic on the show in comparison to some of the other relationships.

Favorite character(s): Top spot is a dead heat between Paige and Manny for me. Aside from enjoying them as individuals, their character dynamic was always intriguing to me. I really just love Lauren and Cassie a lot (Cassie needs a show; LA Complex deserved better). I also loved Ellie and Marco. As with my love for Lauren and Cassie, I equally adored Stacey and Adamo, and if it weren't for my love of the actors, I'm not sure I would've (and could've imagined) enjoying their portrayals as much as I did/still do. And I'll add Holly J. and Jane (minus the cheating) into this mix as (surprise, surprise), I've found Charlotte and Paula to be two of the better actresses this show has ever had. Of this "Next Class" crew, Zoe and Frankie are far and away my faves, and the only reasons I'm really watching at this point. Ana Golja as Zoe is impressive and so charismatic. Mark my words, once that girl graduates from her Degrassi days, she's going to pull a Dobrev and blow up. I'm convinced of that. And Sara Waisglass as Frankie sparkles and is too adorable for words. I see a lot of potential in her character. Definitely 2 of the top performers of this bunch. Special shout out to Jay/Mike Lobel. I also liked Spinner because I found it easy to ship him with his love interests. In spite of some of the less-than-stellar circumstances that transpired with each pairing, I really enjoyed him with Paige (#1 ship), Manny, Darcy, and Jane. I even accepted the ridiculousness that was Emma and Spinner because Shane and Miriam had dated/were dating (I don't know the timeline). Least-liked character(s): Ashely - holy crap the most irritating character ever and I can't roll my eyes hard enough at her entire existence. Sean - if only because Daniel's performance never did it for me, so bland and wooden (and he had great material to work with). Also, the fandom's overwhelming tongue bathing only fueled my aversion to him because I. DON'T. GET. IT. Drew sucks, and Luke is a god-awful actor.

So I checked out of Degrassi after the "Degrassi Goes Hollywood" movie and basically all the OG next generation cast left. Binged this new class season because (hey, Netflix!), and instantly gravitated towards Zoe. She comes off very Paige 2.0 to me. The actress, Ana Golja, just has this spark about her. Went back to binge watch season 13, and was very impressed by her performance (and the work of the overall crew/production) for her sexual assault storyline. And now she's basically the character who's reeling me back into this show. That girl conveys so much through her eyes, it's fun to watch. Random thoughts: I think/hope Grace is asexual, and that's a storyline we'll get to see. I think she might have romantic feelings for Zoe, but is not at all sexually attracted to her. If they go this route, this could be a very interesting arc...the conflict of Zoe quite possibly being/falling in love with her ailing best friend, who cannot reciprocate physical intimacy? LOVE this possibility. Which brings me to Zoe's impulsive revenge (lord, my problematic fave)... I'm of the camp that is convinced she and Zig had sex in the woods, and I'm hoping it leads to an abortion storyline. With Gen Z watching this new class, it's about time. Specifically when you consider the topic of Planned Parenthood and women's rights this past year. The actress has the chops to pull off the material. I really want this to be the direction they go. Also, can we discuss the exchange she and Zig had in the woods? Considering the topic of consent, a bit disturbing (though, not at all unbelievable) to see Zoe be the one to be the aggressor here (she's probably just so driven by the need to control the situation and avenge for her hurt feelings). But what was interesting was that Zig was the one who ended up getting consent from her ("Are you sure?"), LIKE -- really, dude? I mean, good, I guess? But I would've thought his initial reaction would've been to push her away because of. HIS. GIRLFRIEND. I mean, it takes two to tango, but I do believe he could've had the upper hand here and completely reject Zoe's advances. MESS. I'm in. I love Frankie and Jonah, superficially, as I think the actors have fantastic chemistry. That's all. To the person above who compared Lola to Strawberry Shortcake: YES. She is a sweetie, and I loved her little masturbation plot. Yay, female sex positivity! I also like Miles (the actor is great, imo). Those Hollingsworth kids need an IV of TLC. Very intrigued by all of them as individuals. I hope Eric Osbourne isn't taking off any time soon; I wonder if Miles will delay boarding school to help with Hunter. I like Tristan just fine, and his chemistry with Miles. Not a fan of his biphobic comments regarding Miles though. Would like a little more. While familiarizing myself with seasons 13 and 14, Maya came off very Mary Sue-ish to me and I was over her pretty quickly. But I like her character development in this new season (always on board for feminism). And while she's not a favorite of mine, it sucks that she's continually getting shit on; this Grace/Zoe/Zig biz is going to mess her shit up, if Zoe is indeed preggers. I need more from Tiny and Shay. I have absolutely no interest in Winston. Esme could be interesting, and I'm waiting till she and Zoe cross paths. Now that could be a rivalry. Now that they're on Netflix, you gotta love some of the innuendo sprinkled in. My fave moment being when Zoe and Grace where kissing, and they fall back onto the bed, they cut to the next scene of the heart monitor reading "69" and I died a little.

I guess I'm in the minority because I'm a Megan Fox fan, and I'm really looking forward to her stint on the show. I enjoyed her work in Jennifer's Body and This Is 40, and I think the humor of the show is the perfect pocket for Megan to sit in. I like her because she stays in her lane, never really puts on airs -- she's not the best actress, but she's never behaved in a way to suggest that she believes so. I'm endeared by her because I think a lot of people have a certain image/expectation of her based on her looks, and I always find that she's the exact opposite of what people assume. Hopefully this will be a good showcase for her.

Thanks for posting, Arc! Todd is one of my absolute favorite writers (as is his wife). Such and unflinching and beautiful piece. That is why I love this show so much.

Speaking of, when Vernon brought the cake over to Becca, and they cut it - just the two of them - that was a really great moment. And I know they're only supporting players, but it also felt like very earned humility for the couple. Since the beginning of the series, they've both played themselves up to be the couple with the life that everyone should aspire to, Becca always rubbing it in Lindsay's face and being condescending towards Jimmy and Gretchen; Vernon always acting like a "bro." But now with his burdens out in the open, and Becca realizing her life is just as broken as everyone else's, that particular moment was golden.

Now that it's been acknowledged, I want to see the Goldberg's attempt a Shabbat dinner (curious if the real Goldbergs followed that tradition), because I can only imagine how hilarious that would be. While Tom Cavanagh is filming The Flash, it was nice to see that they brought back the same actor who played Drew Kremp, as we haven't seen that character since his break up with Erica in season one. I also shouldn't be surprised that the real Adam has what looked like years of footage of the real Kremp's family Christmases, and yet I was still a little taken aback seeing it there at the end.

I agree completely with this. I've always felt that what makes YTW feel so authentic to me is that, at one point or another in our lives, we always feel/act our very worst when we're trying so hard to be our best. That is life, at least how I've experienced it. I've never experienced depression like Gretchen, at least not clinically, but I felt and understood her self-loathing, immobility, and (at times) petulance. I'm an only child, creative professional, so I definitely exhibit the narcissism of Jimmy. And I'm basically Lindsay, albeit a bit more self-aware. I'm also one who doesn't really think the show's tone has changed so much as the show is growing and evolving in the same way that its characters are growing and evolving. Its cynicism and dark humor has never felt lost to me either, even in the thick of Gretchen's unraveling. I'm so happy the show has another season. And this finale was so subtle and felt perfectly earned. Like Sunday Funday, every season finale should include a musical element during a Barbara backyard themed-party. The final ILY moment was excellent. All I have to say about Chris and Aya in that moment is FACES. FACES. FACES. I love their faces.

^^ LOL. Well-deserved renewal. No matter what people think of the direction the show has taken, it's still far and away one of the most brilliant comedies currently on TV.

When Krysten Ritter was first cast, and preliminary info had been released regarding the show, I was so excited because I LOVE KR, and expected that I'd love Jessica and KR in the role. Trish has been the biggest surprise for me (as has the dynamic between her and Jessica, which has been such a welcomed focus of the show). She is far and away my favorite character to emerge from this season because I've been completely blindsided. Rachael Taylor's performance was also a wonderful surprise, as I had never been especially impressed by her in anything I'd seen her in previously. I love that the writers completely deviated from conventional genre tropes with her character (that fact that she is Hellcat notwithstanding). I've actually seen quite a bit of internet chatter comparing Trish to "Gone Girl's" Amy Dunne -- albeit much more sane and benevolent, of course -- it's a comparison I kind of love. Could also be that Rachael certainly has some similarities to Rosamund Pike.