S13.E36: Out of My Head

[omgsowicked]

Mr. Yates tells Tristan their affair must be kept secret. Elsewhere, Imogen tries hard to impress Jack; and Frankie discovers Winston is to blame for her losing her modeling gig.

 

[omgsowicked]

- That scene with Tristan and Maya was quite raw, I really liked it. It was good to hear more than just about Yates, but to hear how jealous he was of Maya and how exciting her love life is. Even saying that she couldn't help but to interfere, which she's been doing all season... it made it all more real and believable. Yates is such a creeper and an asshole, blaming Tristan and say he's naive and immature. Dude. What do you expect from a 16/17 year old?!

 

And an aside, I loved how Zig just went, "OK," and walked off with a smile after Tristan told him to shut up about the basement, haha.

 

- I just don't care for Imogen or her quirkiness. How much of a child is she that she'd drastically change her designs the day of, potentially ruining the show (that her friend cares so much about)? And then she stays put because Becky put her in time out. I seriously don't care that she's wacky and different, she's too old for this. I'm glad they all sorted it out, and I'm hoping that being on the same page with Jack will help her chill out and not pull this kind of shit again (for a while, at least).

 

- Frankie's story was very good. I think I'd like her as the next Emma/Clare/Maya when it comes time for the new group to take over (8 seasons from now, lol). I had no interest in her and Winston but their scene together kind of sold me on them, particularly their laugh after kissing each other while she was in that gigantic cup dress (which was actually kind of cool). They could have laid off the "brother/sister" pet names between Miles and Frankie, though, because it was unnecessary. I buy them as siblings.

 

Also, they had her friend Keisha (?) in WAY too short a dress in those hallway scenes. Forget the dress code, wouldn't that be uncomfortable? But Frankie was refreshing in a basic t-shirt and jeans. I'd love to see the students in more typical/basic clothing.

[luckyroll3]

Also, they had her friend Keisha (?) in WAY too short a dress in those hallway scenes.

 

That dress was completely inappropriate for school.  And I'm surprised that as "strict" as Degrassi has been on wardrobe over the past few years, that not one teacher or admin addressed it.

 

The Tristan/Maya scene at the end was extremely gut wrenching, and very well done by both actors.  Looking forward to seeing how this plays out in regards to their friendship.  And Yates continues to be extremely creepy.  Glad they suspended his ass right off the bat.  That rule must suck for those teachers who are falsely accused, but good riddance to those fuckers who are actually preying on their students.

[MaiSoCalled]

The Maya/Tristin fight scene is one of the best things I've seen on Degrassi in years. Every aspect of it felt true to the characters, and the actors brought their all to that moment. It was painful to watch, in the best possible way. I am fascinated to see what happens next for these two, and wonder if this is a sign that this generation's Emma/Manny is not Maya/Zoe as we all assumed, but Maya/Tristin. 

[greekmom]

That dress was completely inappropriate for school.  And I'm surprised that as "strict" as Degrassi has been on wardrobe over the past few years, that not one teacher or admin addressed it.

 

Because it wasn't the issue of the week.

[Milaxx]

I was happy to see the Tristan/Mr Yates romance did go on for too many episode. I'm sure the riff between him and May will go on, but that affair was wrong on far too many  levels. I'm just a little sad that Tristan's first time was wit this guy.

[MegaJ]

A-Plot. This is the plot I NEEDED from the Tristan character. For too long, he's floated as the gay best friend of the girls, and finally this plot gives him some dimension. His rage at Maya, pretty much spelled everything out: he's lonely. His friends are off hooking up with boys all over the place and getting into love triangles and he's off by his lonesome. Also being very openly gay in high school adds to that isolation. It's no wonder Mr. Yates was able to manipulate him so thoroughly. Maya was right, of course to report him but I liked how Degrassi turned it into a "no good deeds go unpunished" thing. Man, the final scene was dynamite. You could see the jealously Tristan radiated.

 

It was ridiculous that Tristan's parents weren't called in after Maya made the allegation, but I've accepted it as it probably would've made this more complicated given the time this plot got. Mr. Yates was a total creeper (punctuated by that ick-tastic ambush in the closet) and I don't think this plot is over just yet, though I'm not sure how they'll fit in considering

I'm pretty sure we're going in a Triles direction in the season finale.

 

B-Plot and C-Plot. By contrast, the next two plots brought the show back to Earth some with relatable issues, being intimidated by your crush and jealously and uneasiness of feelings. Jack being good at like, everything feels more natural than when Grace does it and Frankie and Chewy were sweet.

I will say that I did like some of the dresses on display.

[galax-arena]

On After Degrassi, the hosts were criticizing Maya for reporting Yates to Simpson, saying that Tristan knew what he was getting into. Ugh. 

[luckyroll3]

What's "After Degrassi"?

[galax-arena]

It was a live after-show by MTV Canada that would have on various cast members to talk about the ep that had just aired. The Degrassi wiki tells me that the show was cancelled this month, though. Good. 

[possibilities]

Were the hosts adults, or kids? I am really horrified if the showrunners actually think Maya was wrong and that Yates is a victim here. That is beyond disturbing.

[galax-arena]

Lauren Toyota was born in 1982 and Phoebe Dykstra was born in 1988. So they're definitely not kids, but adults who should know better. Unfortunately, I think that their attitude probably isn't that uncommon among adults, either. It's just horrifying. That said, I don't think they believe that Yates is necessarily a victim, only that Maya shouldn't have butted in, which is bad enough. 

 

Someone posted a recap of what they said here:

lauren: "meddling maya" (then they even went and cut a short video of maya meddling in her friends lives....trying to help them.)
"would never never have ratted him out"
"it’s not her place"
"he knew what was going on"
HE MADE A DECISION. HE WENT TO MR. YATES. HE SEDUCED HIM. HE KNEW HE WAS READY FOR A SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP
let him make his own mistakes
he’s gonna get caught anyway, let him learn his own lesson
maya promised she wouldn’t tell
tristan did the right thing by yelling in the hallway
"we can’t get into discussions of the law because we’re going to get into some dark territory if i keep going"

Seriously, what the hell?

[luckyroll3]

Oh wow.  They sound like idiots.  I'm horrified that Lauren is my age; she's trying way too hard to look and sound like a 22 year old.

 

ETA

Found the clip online and geez, they are dumb.  The fact that the 2 younger girls from the audience sitting on the stage had to argue that Yates was in the wrong and that Tristan doesn't know what's he doing, is a shame.  

Edited July 11, 2014 by luckyroll3

[Milaxx]

Seriously, what the hell?

 

WTH is right. That's some pretty immature thinking. I might expect that from a 16 year old, not a grown person.

[possibilities]

If seeing the show so far doesn't convince everyone that Yates is a predator, I'm not sure what else they can do to show it, short of him holding Tristan hostage or beating the crap out of him. Yates consistently manipulates the kid by using shame and humiliation to get him to "prove" he's "mature," he shows no regard for his feelings, he gives him freaking absinthe-- not even a beer which is bad enough for an underage kid to be given by a random adult trying to get into his pants, but absinthe-- I swear, when they brought out the absinthe, I thought the show was laying it on twelve layers too thick. But if they know of actual adults who think the situation is not worth reporting, then I see why they are trying to add flourishes, and I don't know what else they can do. I hope they are better writers than I am, and that the rest of the story will in fact get through to some of these people.

 

There has been a lot of stuff this season about the whistleblower and "bystander" roles. Becky turning in her brother and having her parents pressure her to recant, Maya not being able to ignore Zig's situation, now Maya with Tristan/Yates. I really like that they are tackling this sort of thing. The ability to do something when you could look the other way is a huge, huge strength for kids to acquire, and can only do good things for the world around them.