S14.E06: (You Drive Me) Crazy

[omgsowicked]

Maya can’t sleep because of her Cam/Miles nightmares. Jack reveals to Imogen that she practices polyamory. Imogen, who is usually fine with the abstract, is honest with Jack about wanting monogamy. Frankie finds disturbing comics on Hunter’s computer.

 

[omgsowicked]

Frankie - She didn't become a brat due to the team but now that she's an "outsider" it's so much more apparent how nasty the cheerleaders are (under the influence of Zoe). I liked how they involved Hunter in the story, as well as introduced a new character (who was quite sweet). I liked seeing Hunter and Frankie's relationship and seeing Frankie ditch the cheerleaders to sit with Arlene (and then introduce her to Hunter). Frankie's become my favorite character, such a sweetie. It could come off as fake, all her morals and goodness, but Sara Waisglass plays it just right.

 

I don't necessarily think that Hunter's drawings means he's a psycho but paired with his comments, I am concerned... but they ended the plot on a cheerful note, so I guess I'm not supposed to be? Still, I wouldn't be surprised if he walked into the school with a bunch of rifles one day but I hope they surprise us by not doing that. Oh, and I absolutely didn't miss that "cheerleaders dying in a fire" comment of his... mmm-hmm. I don't think he's behind the upcoming fire, though... I think Frankie will be.

 

Maya - I'm glad we're inching closer and closer to her finally dealing with her residual Cam issues. I hope, when she's ready, she tells Tristan and Miles why she was acting like this because as it stands, she really does look like a crazy ex-girlfriend. I think Tristan would soften up a bit (though he'd probably still hold a grudge because he's just like that), and Miles would finally know that Cam ever existed, which would certainly help things, lmfao. I'm no fan of Zig/Maya but I'm starting to enjoy them as friends. I'm so glad someone finally said that she needs help. Had to laugh at Zig doing Tai Chi... how random! Zoe continues to be a nasty piece of work, while Grace is apparently a pro at everything.

 

Imogen - I don't really like any of the characters involved in this plot, so I wasn't very interested in this. I thought Jack was full of crap (and quite cold, dumping Imogen like that), so it was actually kind of nice to hear that she was, in fact, full of crap. But then for her to come out with all this, "I've moved a lot but you're right, I love you and I want to be exclusive," stuff... it just felt weak. At the very least, I'm glad Imogen quickly decided to be honest with Jack (as opposed to this carrying on for a few episodes). However, considering that there are only a few more months of school left, they don't have much time together (because if Imogen leaves and Jack remains, they'll want to pair her up with someone new).

[MegaJ]

You drive me crazy...I just can't sleep...

 

A-Plot. Oh Maya. Damn, she lost it bad during this episode. Breaking into Miles's house and hacking his Facerange was beyond the pale. Throughout it all, I did understand her motivation, she still obviously blames herself for what happened to Cam and pretty much will do anything to avoid feeling that way again. Olivia's performance was great here, I hope she came around and started to like Maya again. Of course, the fandom will probably let Maya have it in favor of Triles. Speaking of them, they grated in this episode, Tristan especially. I wanted Zig or Grace to deck him. Shouldn't you be thanking Maya for making Yates go away so you can hook up with Miles? SMH.

 

Zoe and Maya's relationship is still this frenemy thing and it comes off pretty good here, there's the mutual respect but their personalities just kind of bounce off each other. Glad to see Zoe help Maya with her anxiety attack.

Also appreciated the misdirection of Grace and Zig "relaxing" lunch activity.

 

B-Plot. Yeah, they did kind of crap on polyamory a little. It's definitely not for me, but I thought they could've presented Jack's side better and not use it so much for Jack not willing to commit. I guess we're several years from polyamory being treated more respectfully, though I understand the hesitation, I mean it's a show for teenagers. The scene of Imogen interrupting Jack teaching a little girl ballet class was gold.

 

And I really missed seeing Imogen/Eli together. I wish they did more of them as a couple, but you know Eli's crazy.

 

C-Plot. Aw, Shay and Lola sucked in this. But Frankie didn't. I really like Frankie and the actress who plays her, there's such an ease and she really feels like a real person. Hunter to me actually didn't really come off as unhinged here, just kinda of misunderstood though I see how Frankie and Winston could be alarmed by the comic. And Hunter gave some sound advice to Frankie; I had forgotten that Frankie also likes comics and she realized she's more in line with Arlene as opposed to the cheerleaders.

So all in all, a good episode.

[luckyroll3]

Not a bad episode. 

 

I found a bit insensitive that Zig was all, "people say that they're going to kill themselves everyday", especially when he was there when the whole Cam thing happened.  In fact, wasn't he the last person to speak to Cam before he ran off to the greenhouse?  I was a bit annoyed that Cam's name didn't come up at all during this episode; not even Maya looking at a picture of him or something. 

 

So, Miles is home sick and Tristan takes off of school to play nurse?  What the hell?  Have their teachers not noticed they haven't been in class at all this semester?  We are 6 episodes in and they have literally been in class twice!  I guess Miles' parents know for the most part, since he's always home and they seem to work out of the house, but what the hell is up with Tristan's parents.  Have we ever seen or heard anything about Tristan's parents?   I mean, Snake didn't even call to notify his parents that he was being assaulted by a teacher who is now suspended.  I guess it's par for the course in Degrassi.  At least next week, an adult is actually questioning why the cheerleaders have so much money.

And I really missed seeing Imogen/Eli together. I wish they did more of them as a couple, but you know Eli's crazy.

Lol!  That's the same thing I said about Eli when Imogen asked him relationship advice. 

B-Plot. Yeah, they did kind of crap on polyamory a little. It's definitely not for me, but I thought they could've presented Jack's side better and not use it so much for Jack not willing to commit. I guess we're several years from polyamory being treated more respectfully, though I understand the hesitation, I mean it's a show for teenagers. The scene of Imogen interrupting Jack teaching a little girl ballet class was gold.

I figured that whole "polyamory" thing was Jack doing her normal, I'm so above normal teenager shit, bit.  So I wasn't surprised when she backtracked after getting called out on it.

[Daisy]

Not a bad episode. 

 

I found a bit insensitive that Zig was all, "people say that they're going to kill themselves everyday", especially when he was there when the whole Cam thing happened.  In fact, wasn't he the last person to speak to Cam before he ran off to the greenhouse?  I was a bit annoyed that Cam's name didn't come up at all during this episode; not even Maya looking at a picture of him or something. 

 

So, Miles is home sick and Tristan takes off of school to play nurse?  What the hell?  Have their teachers not noticed they haven't been in class at all this semester?  We are 6 episodes in and they have literally been in class twice!  I guess Miles' parents know for the most part, since he's always home and they seem to work out of the house, but what the hell is up with Tristan's parents.  Have we ever seen or heard anything about Tristan's parents?   I mean, Snake didn't even call to notify his parents that he was being assaulted by a teacher who is now suspended.  I guess it's par for the course in Degrassi.  At least next week, an adult is actually questioning why the cheerleaders have so much money.

Lol!  That's the same thing I said about Eli when Imogen asked him relationship advice. 

I figured that whole "polyamory" thing was Jack doing her normal, I'm so above normal teenager shit, bit.  So I wasn't surprised when she backtracked after getting called out on it.

 

I can sort of buy why Tristan's parents aren't being mentioned. when Teacher Creeper was going after him, Tristan was mentioning how his parents constantly ignore him, and have been fighting. (insinuating divorce, and that would be why Teacher Creeper was able to go after him). What I hate is that this whole storyline just seems to have dropped.  

 

Tristan still hates Maya. ... for what? for telling Simpson? it would be one thing if he and Teacher Creeper were still together, but they're not. Tristan knows that he wasn't up on up because Winston and Frankie told him that Teacher Creeper totally made a pass on him. So. Where exactly is this intense hate coming from? Because as much as I 'used' to like Tristan, I am totally over him and his attitude. (also, skipping school to take care of boyfriend is still equally creepy, FYI). 

(the show seriously needs to address Tristan/Teacher Creeper again). 

I think that was the problem - just that there are many threads that are just dangling about tying to Cam etc, and no one ever mentions it at all. 

 

i'm kind of over Jack too. 

 

but Frankie is Love. 

[dohe]

If the show routinely mocked polyamory, I would have concern but the queer teen, afraid of commitment due to being afraid of being hurt, playing the I don't want to be exclusive card is realistic.  In college, the "monogamy is heteronormative" rationalization was so common it was a running joke.  Now back then, most people I knew who said they wanted to be polyamorous just wanted to have sex with different people or were driven by a fear of commitment for other reasons.  I discuss it with friends to this day.  I pulled it too.  We laugh.  We also understand we either did not understand the term which is about being in love with more than one person not just having sex with more than one person or we purposefully distorted the term so we could rationalize our behavior. 

 

So I can't be mad at this show's take on it especially when I believe the show made it clear that Jack's behavior was out of fear all along.   Her actions and responses gave away that it was never a sincere desire.  She could barely hide her disappointment when Imogen agreed to it.  When confronted with really losing Imogen, she caved quickly. 

 

What was interesting is that Imogen, being Imogen, gave it a try briefly.  She could never fully commit as she desires Jack while asking Eli on a date is simply a diversion.  That said she could not be clearer that she has no sexual interest in Eli so it was both a callback and a it is never going to happen moment.

 

Down the line it would be interesting to see a polyamorous romance.  I think Miles being with both Tristan and Maya would have been fascinating. 

 

Daisy, I stayed home in high school to take care of my sick boyfriend.  While the show may not have gone there, there are other reasons that a guy stays home to take care of his sick boyfriend. 

Edited December 4, 2014 by dohe

[Falafel]

Maybe I am reading something gross into this that isn't there, but I kind of got a creepy possessive/incest vibe from the Frankie/Hunter thing. Part of it is tying this episode back to the Snapchat photos and how shortly after Frankie took them, Hunter was checking his phone for naked Snapchat pics. I still think it was super bizarre that Hunter was checking his phone for boob pics while hanging out with his sister. But while the girl in the cartoon looked like Whateverherface, didn't the cartoon also look like Frankie? Frankie assumed it was that other girl, but we don't actually know for sure. Hunter was being super protective about how the cheerleaders were mean to Frankie and how he would never want to help them. The way he grabbed her in his room was also weird. Something is really off about this storyline, and given that we've gone down the road of child porn running rampant at Degrassi already, I'm not sure it's that far fetched. I mean, they did once have a storyline where a kid couldn't help himself from stealing girl's panties, which was super gross. Nothing is really out of bounds with this show, somehow. Unfortunately, everything revolving around Frankie right now is super skeevy and I hate it because I think her character is better than that. I love her with Winston. I guess his comment that he'd rather see the cheerleaders die in a fire makes him a suspect for starting the big fire.

 

This Maya thing is reaching the point where something's gotta give. This has been going on for a few episodes now. I was interested, and I still am, but they got to do something with it. As a side note, I want to know where Miles is going too. We had a good episode where it was clear something was up, and since then all we have seen is Maya obsessing. Maya may be losing it because of her connection to Cam, but something is also actually wrong with Miles right now.

 

I usually root for the lesbian storylines and couples, since I am one, but I just don't like Jack at all.

 

Random note: Maya and Imogen were wearing cartoons in this episode. Hunter obviously drew a cartoon. So all three plots had cartoons in them. Nice touch from the fashion department.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Falafel

[mjgchick]

Would Degrassi actually go there by having Hunter into his twin sister? Remember when Fiona laid one on Declan? The show just made it seem like Fiona was just looking for attention but who kisses their twin brother for attention?

[Lone Wolf]

but what the hell is up with Tristan's parents.  Have we ever seen or heard anything about Tristan's parents?

 

My GF's constant refrain when watching this show is, "Where are the parents?"  I tell her it's a teen soaper so it's going to represent the kids as being more independent than they would be IRL, but she's a mom herself so she takes that stuff seriously.

 

Randomness:

 

Zig should have offered to sing Maya some Drake as a lullaby instead of that douchebag Kanye. The writers missed a nice little inside joke/callback that time right there.

 

When did Zoe turn into a mean girl?

 

Hunter's pretty passionate about his hatred of cheerleaders.  Preferring to see them die in a fire than help them sounds like (some pretty clumsy) foreshadowing to me.

 

"Very funny, Phyllis Diller"?  Okay, Immy and Jack may be hipper than thou, but I don't think you could find a high school kid outside the Degrassi universe (or in this show's target demo) who would know who she was.  Was that supposed to be a teachable moment for the viewers?

 

So Rubber Roomers don't get high in the middle of the day.  C'mon, Marxist references notwithstanding (as they're breaking into Miles's house), if they're juvies, they're juvies.  Wake and bake! 

 

Eli was doing the bartender-dispensing-advice thing, but being it's Degrassi, he had to be serving up wheat grass shots at The Dot.

 

Can't believe Immy would have walked into the studio and not realized there was a class going on. And she made 2 eyeball references - first that she thought that they were weird and then when she wanted to binge watch TV until hers fell out of her head.

 

That's it.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Lone Wolf

[Daisy]

I

Daisy, I stayed home in high school to take care of my sick boyfriend.  While the show may not have gone there, there are other reasons that a guy stays home to take care of his sick boyfriend. 

 

 

i should apologise. (I didn 't mean. creepy bad. just. creepy in the sense because I feel like Tristan is giving everything up for Miles in a sense.) I just couldn't do that. (but i was a total nerd and never skipped class ... until my university prep courses because i was bored, could sign myself out and i usually spent the tie reading in thelbrary). my mom would have KILLED me had i missed school to take care of my boyfriend had i have won.  I just needed to clarify thatone :)

[luckyroll3]

When did Zoe turn into a mean girl?

 

Since always.  It's definitely one of those things that the writers have actually kept consistent in her characterization, even after her trauma, which I appreciate.

 

"Very funny, Phyllis Diller"?  Okay, Immy and Jack may be hipper than thou, but I don't think you could find a high school kid outside the Degrassi universe (or in this show's target demo) who would know who she was.

 

I also thought this was very odd and out of place.  I don't believe anyone their age knows who Phyllis Diller is.

[starri]

 

If the show routinely mocked polyamory, I would have concern but the queer teen, afraid of commitment due to being afraid of being hurt, playing the I don't want to be exclusive card is realistic.

What kind of bothered me about that was not so much that they were mocking it, but how it was presented.

 

I understand that Degrassi is a show for and about teenagers, and that polyamory is a controversial topic that even full-fledged adults can't always make work.  But...hell, it's the internet, it's got the veneer of being anonymous.  My husband and I have an open marriage.  It's less about us not wishing to be heteronormative (god, I hate that word), but more an acknowledgement that A) we're not 100% completely sexually compatible, and B) he works full time, and is in grad school, I'm in professional school, we don't see each other a great deal during the school year.  

 

Anyway, what bugged about Jack raising the topic was her parroting the same lines that you often see on poly message boards about how much more enlightened-than-thou that poly people are, only to turn around and walk that back when it Imogen called her bluff and that she was spooked because of the depths of her feelings.  It's like they wanted to raise the point that there is more than one option out there, but were too scared to follow through, and they approached what's a fairly nuanced topic with all the subtly the show customarily gives to anything that's delicate.

 

Also, Immy is way, way too good for Jack.

 

Is it wrong of me that I thought it would be more transgressive (and also more realistic) if Grace and Zig had dragged Maya off to smoke weed?  Is the show mandated to only show that smoking pot is bad (see: Jay, Alex), a poor choice if you're sick (Spinner), or makes you stupid (Jake, Moe, Eli)?

 

I must sound like the biggest libertine ever, and I've smoked pot like, twice in the past decade.

[aradia22]

I kind of like that at least one of these teenagers is not ready to jump to "I love you."

 

Are they really teaching kids coding and computer science now in high school?

 

Imogen is adorable. But she does not know who Phyllis Diller is. Oh, this is the Imogen I remember. The one who conforms to whoever she's interested in at the moment.

 

Zig doing Tai Chi was adorable. The writers are so silly sometimes. What teenagers are these characters based on? 

 

I'm fine with Maya being crazy if we admit that Maya is being crazy.

 

Can we have Eli hang around to just talk to Imogen and not be involved in the baby drama? Heck, I wouldn't mind it if he just doled out wisdom like exposition fairy Grace since he was giving off a seen-it-all bartender vibe in this episode.

 

The comic plot wasn't bad. It was a decent way of addressing the issue of loner kids who are into violent comics, video games, music, etc. More Hunter, please. It's not that I find him the most sympathetic but I think they could do much more interesting things with his character than with the others. From the Becky plotline to this one, he feels much more specific and much more real.

 

The polyamory thing was mishandled. And damn them for another "I love you." Degrassi teens fall in "love" way too easily.

 

I never thought I'd say this back when they were doing the play but Imogen and Eli are the best.

 

What? Frankie's attempt at setting up Hunter and Arlene was crazy. There is no way that would have actually worked. But hey, we need to end the episode so why not? Oh, Degrassi.

[aradia22]

 

I found a bit insensitive that Zig was all, "people say that they're going to kill themselves everyday", especially when he was there when the whole Cam thing happened.

I get it. The phrasing was "I want to kill myself" which is different. It reminds me about how when I was much younger we had to start policing ourselves when it came to anything that could be construed as a threat. Suicide and threats of violence should be taken seriously but overreacting to out of context hyperbole creates needless drama.

 

So, Miles is home sick and Tristan takes off of school to play nurse?  What the hell?  Have their teachers not noticed they haven't been in class at all this semester?  We are 6 episodes in and they have literally been in class twice!

Maybe they're saving the fallout for later in the season. His grades will slip or he'll get called in for missing too many classes. He's too young for "you don't have a sufficient number of credits to graduate" to be an issue but there are other ways to address it. Maybe they'll finally also address Miles' need for codependent relationships.

 

Tristan still hates Maya. ... for what? for telling Simpson? it would be one thing if he and Teacher Creeper were still together, but they're not. Tristan knows that he wasn't up on up because Winston and Frankie told him that Teacher Creeper totally made a pass on him. So. Where exactly is this intense hate coming from? Because as much as I 'used' to like Tristan, I am totally over him and his attitude. (also, skipping school to take care of boyfriend is still equally creepy, FYI).

They could fix it with just a few lines of dialogue. Something about how Tristan is tired of being supportive of Maya's drama. Make it more about built up resentment and not just Teacher Creeper. Something about how he's insulted that she thinks Miles is super messed up and just going through a phase with Tristan which was insinuated when Zig and Tiny were teasing her. Yeah, everything isn't right with Miles but starting a relationship with Tristan isn't necessarily a symptom of it.

[meatball77]

 

Are they really teaching kids coding and computer science now in high school?

Yes, they start early.  I've been working with a group of fourth and fifth graders that are coding for an hour a week at school using scratch.  There's also the Hour of Code which is a big push to get everyone coding next week.

[possibilities]

I had mixed feelings about the polyamory treatment. On the one hand, Imogen is the exact person who would say "I love you" and then try to go along with whatever her partner wanted to do, despite her own feelings about it. But she's getting stronger. She did a pretty quick and lucid turnaround.

 

I think Eli giving relationship advice is a very bad idea, because dude is volatile and anything but governed by reason. I actually think he's one of the less sensible sources of advice on the show. But it was funny enough, thinking about them doing wheat grass shots and wallowing-- both ridiculous and believable. Eli would never wallow over soda, coffee, water, or a milkshake, he has to kick it up to melodrama, and Imogen's the same way. We shall drink the most foul-tasting thing possible! From a shot glass! While claiming the moral high ground! Cheers!

 

I like Jack, and I chuckled over her speech about polyamory and heteronormativeness-- Degrassi didn't make that up, and I find Jack to be a very credible type of character, in that she's definitely someone I believe exists in the real world. On the other hand, since this is the only treatment of polyamory they've ever had, another part of me wishes they'd given it more respect. Yes, some people abuse it and use it as a cover for their BS. But that's true of monogamy, too, which sometimes breeds control freak behavior, acts as a cover for insecurity, and leads to its own kind of co-dependent drama. Basically, I think both approaches have pitfalls, as well as plusses. One thing I don't like is the idea that kids need to be in exclusive relationships from date 1. It forces them to either commit prematurely or have dramatic break ups, and prevents them from getting to know a variety of kids and experiencing different situations without trauma while figuring out who they are.

 

I think Tristan's parents are the parents of that jock who was gay-bashing a few seasons ago, right? To me this hints at the parents not being all that useful. One kid is a drama queen and the other is a bully. Probably neither of them got much positive attention or useful advice. I remember the jock saying he wasn't homophobic, he just used homophobia to cause trouble for people who were in his way, or something like that. Charming fellow. If anything, his brother (Tristan) is an improvement-- irritating, but not dangerous. Tristan is defensive, and his big brother was offensive. They are actually opposites in a large number of ways.

 

Maya has a legitimate reason to be freaking out. It's not just a random breakdown. But why has no one suggested it might be about Cam? I'd think it would be obvious by now. Zig is pretty adorable with her, but he's coming off pretty dimwitted, not having a clue why sh'es so messed up. That said, I think this has been a good story and a rare instance when they don't drop a thread the second it's out of sight. They let this one go dormant and then flare up later, and I like it.

 

I did not find Zig and Grace going to do tai chi to be one of the more credible moments the show has ever had, but I will forgive it because it was kind of funny in a way.

 

And... does Zig sleep in his street clothes? He kept popping into Maya's room when she woke up screaming from a nightmare, fully dressed like he'd been on the way out the door for school or something. I'm sure the show didn't want to show him in his jammies, but still-- either Maya was sleeping in the day in a darkened room, or Zig was not sleeping at all, either. He never even seemed to look like she'd awakened him, and he got to her bedside really fast.

 

I'm a fan of Frankie. Not all kids are rebellious and stupid and lacking self-respect. She probably has so many bad models at home, that she decided to rebel by being reasonable and sane. I don't know what to make of Hunter. He was right about her friends, and I don't blame him for being alienated. On the other hand, he does seem like kind of a loose canon and,  at best, damaged and sad, at worst terrifying and creepy. I don't know where they're headed with him, but I think it could go either way.

 

Zoe is terrible, but I didn't blame her for being annoyed with Maya's distractedness. Zoe may have had selfish motives, but Maya was being really flaky, and that's not good either, so Zoe's frustration was justified.

[MaiSoCalled]

I think for the show's first introduction to polyamory it was handled reasonably well. We don't know yet if Jack will adjust to monogamy. I think most of us are expecting Jack to stick around next year, so it's possible her next love interest will be more open to polyamory. Maybe another character will come by in a season or two who is a better example of polyamory. 

 

After all, Marco spent a good year using Ellie as a beard before even admitting he was gay. Fast forward to the current cast, and Tristin is openly gay from his first introduction.