S14.E08: Hush

[omgsowicked]

Tristan organizes an intervention for Miles, but it only pushes him further away. Zoë is sure that Hunter is the blackmailer and confronts him. Becky loves writing songs with Jonah but could he want to do more than make music?

 

[possibilities]

What Miles said to Tristan was so harsh, I almost doubled over like I'd been punched in the gut.

 

Lots of illegal behavior being covered up, with "child porn" and hit and run plots simultaneously.

 

Are we to believe that Miles is going off the rails because of his father pushing him against the wall? He's never been the most stable of kids, but from what he said to Maya, it looks like that's what drove him over the edge. I really hope they go that direction with his story, instead of making it about how pot is somehow randomly addicitve all of a sudden.

 

In other news, I think the actor playing Miles shows really convincing chemistry with Tristan-- more convincing than Tristan shows with Miles. I see way more chemistry between the two of them than any of the other Degrassi couples, who always come off astoundingly lacking in chemistry, more cute than hot-- this includes all couples the show has ever had, whether they were same or mixed gender pairings, annoying or fun, seemed matched well or ridiculously unsuited. It's like the actors are instructed to play things innocent or young or something, and the guy playing Miles decided to go another way with it and no one stopped him.

 

Maya is feeling better due to therapy but they haven't shown the therapy or what about it is working-- that seems like a strange omission. Are they trying to bury the Cam connection, and just make it a story about getting help?

 

How long til Becky chooses Christian Band Buddy over Drew? They never show Becky and Drew together anymore, except to establish that they still are together. It's like the show has already moved on, deciding that Drew and Clare have a more interesting story and that Becky needs to go back to her Christian focus. It never really did make sense that Becky and Drew were a couple, especially with Becky and Drew's very own brother having dated before. But since they went that way, I thought they had something in mind they were intending to explore, other than glossing over the whole thing.

 

Grace remains the go to person for everyone else's story. But isn't she going to be in as much trouble as everyone else who was involved with the site? She set up the website and made money from it. I don't see how she can claim she had no idea what it was about. And if she's of age (she seems so much older than everyone else), she could even be in more trouble than the rest of them. I also think Zoe would throw her under the bus without hesitation, if they get caught.Grace has shown that she does a lot of illegal things. I can easily see Zoe either claiming Grace pressured the squad into doing the photos, or revealing Grace's other activities in some sort of spiteful/ass-saving plea bargain. I dunno. I just think this season is leading up to some huge bust of everyone. There's a moralistic axe somewhere, about to fall.

 

I knew Hunter wasn't the one sending the texts. Miles doesn't seem alert enough to do it. Does that mean it's Frankie? It doesn't really seem like her style, and she knows she would be caught in the web as well, if it went public, since she participated for a while. And she could go to Simpson or some other official if she really wanted to blow the whistle. it will really psuck if Hunter gets in trouble because the squad reveals his comic, when he's really not doing anything wrong.

[Slade347]

I think it's Hunter's new friend, Arlene, that's sending the text messages. I'm guessing she and Hunter bonded quickly enough that she's hanging out at the Hollingsworths, which would explain why that was the place Grace's app zeroed in on when tracking the texts.

 

Miles is still an unbearable asshole. Not a particularly compelling one either, imo. I wish they didn't spend so much time focusing on his character.

 

I'm still not sure what to think of Jonah just yet. I do know that I found his and Becky's music to be pretty painful.

 

I really wish they'd be more explicit in saying that much, if not most of Maya's issues trace back to Cam's suicide. I guess that could still be coming, though.

 

I'm not sure if I should laugh or shake my head at how starved for attention Lola is. One of these writers is going to have a field day exploring that issue when she gets her first focused story line.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Slade347

[possibilities]

Which one is Lola?

[starri]

 

Which one is Lola?

The bubble-headed girl with the bubblegum hair.

 

Look, I know that a lot of cast members on Degrassi over the years have had some...ahem...unconventional looks, but Guyliner is really kind of unfortunate looking, and I don't think it's just the latter day Billie Joe Armstrong.

 

Ah, Miles.  The high-flying, risk-taking, high-octane life of a weed addict, eh?

[MegaJ]

Another low-key episode, almost filler-ish but it was enjoyable.

 

A-Plot. Miles continues his downward spiral. The conversation he had with Maya in the car about his dad was illuminating; he never thought that he would be scared of his dad after he pushed him. I am concerned with all this school he is skipping, you can't just skip like, 10 days without possibly being held back but this show will ignore it. Also him taking Maya to be checked out to the doctor? Wouldn't a teacher or some other adult do that or call Maya's mother....you know what? I'm not going to deal with that.

 

I'm so glad Maya is getting help. But she seems very reluctant to even mention Cam. At first I thought it was the show being coy, but it seems like even Cam's name is a anxiety trigger for her. Tristan was Tristan, I hope he'll wise up and dump Miles because that kid doesn't need to be in any relationship and Tristan needs to work on himself just as much.

 

B-Plot. Nothing much to say here; I did like Jack and Zoe's staredown, I hope that leads to something...it's obvious Power Cheer were the only girls in that contest, lol.

 

So it looks like 'ol Hunter was the red herring. Good call on all the people who guessed it was Arlene. That would be quite an introduction for the character.

 

C-Plot. I know a lot of people despise the triangles on Degrassi, but I liked the whole Jonah/Becky/Drew thing. I don't know why they'll split Drew/Becky after putting them back together, but enh. Jonah obviously likes Becky but won't act on it so its in Becky's court. As for Jonah himself, meh. He didn't grate which I guess is good.
__________________

[omgsowicked]

Miles - Dude's falling apart. I felt that his comment to Tristan was actually a statement about himself. Even though his dad hurt him, he still wants his love and approval, and he probably hates himself for it. However, I do think his comment applies to Tristan (he's very preoccupied with love/romance), and I'm hoping this will be a catalyst for change in him.

 

So far, I've been enjoying Miles and Maya's interactions this season. They're doing so much better without the element of romance between them. I didn't quite like that Maya ended up picking up what was Tristan's story but it might be worth it, since Miles now knows she's in therapy. Maybe he'll see her getting better and want to give it a try, eventually. That is, if is parents allowed him to do so... they'd probably be afraid of it getting in the news; surely they'd send someone ove to check the safety of their home. I really liked that they showed Miles lighting up right after Maya talked about anxiety and stuff... he's scared and anxious about his dad (to the point where he's no longer coming up with schemes to piss him off) and I felt like that scene helped make it clearer that he's not just having some fun, he's using weed to cope.

 

@MegaJ, since Miles wrecked Maya's bike, he gave her a lift to her appointment with her therapist... she wasn't seeing a doctor because he ran her over.

 

Zoe - You know, I have a serious problem with how they're handling Jack. Her personality changes based on what the story calls for, which makes it next to impossible to know who she really is. First she's a pretentious hipster, then she's a popular girl, and at The Dot, she was super intense and vicious (and suddenly regained use of her brain, telling the team that they're gonna go down for distributing child porn). Who is she? Seriously, if you put her in a room with the cheer team, and Imogen and Becky, which personality would she default to?

 

I'm also getting annoyed with Grace... she's the go-to person for all things hacker, which is getting ridiculous, and she doesn't seem to get that she's gonna go down for this Degrassi Nudes stuff as well. She set up the damn app, made money off of it, and has been tracking who's been sending photos, yet she's acting like she's doing these girls a favor by tracking the texts. I know she's a teenager, too, but they've built her up as a street smart, in the know kid, so she it was strange that she wasn't personally concerned.

 

I felt nothing for the cheer team when they won the semi-finals. Even if they hadn't (incorrectly?) blackmailed Hunter, they've been incredibly nasty, so I find it very difficult to root for their cheerleading endeavors. I'm just waiting for them to get theirs. Yeah, the end of this plot gave me such a shady vibe... it seems like Arlene may be behind everything, maybe the girls picking on her bothered her way more than it seemed? But Hunter seemed a little wink-wink about it, so... maybe he's aware of what she's doing? Or maybe this is a big operation, too. LOL.

 

Becky - So this was very straightforward... the Becky/Drew ship is sinking, and the Becky/Jonah ship is about to set sail. I didn't like how insecure Drew was with Becky... has he always been leery of other guys? But I mean, I guess he's kind of right to be uncomfortable (despite not meeting him until that performance) because it's clear they're into each other. I'm still so-so with Jonah... he's a bit stilted and I think it would help to see him interact with another character. When he's with Becky, she's usually singing, and I tend to walk away when that happens, lol. Also, I hope they revisit Jonah's styling because that hairstyle and eyeliner really uglies him up.

[Falafel]

I really dislike Jack. I find her incredibly obnoxious and self-centered and a bit of a shitty person. Imogen can do better, man. Bring back Fiona!

[aradia22]

I would like to see Hunter try to sell a romantic plot. I think it would be adorable. But then I think I'd like to see him sell all kinds of plots. The actor seems to have untapped potential and they could definitely do interesting things with the character. Most everyone else is just a bit too bland right now.

 

The way they're writing Jack on Power Cheer makes no sense to me right now. 

 

Aw, Becky and Jonah sound nice together. But what the hell kind of a band is this? He was auditioning singers but his band only has two members? And where on school property were they rehearsing? How were they allowed to be there? I know Jonah seems nice but Becky why would you go off into the basement with a boy you barely know (and in all likelihood not tell anyone where you were going)? Got to love that progression though. 'Hold your horses. We only wrote part of a song. But if we write the rest and rehearse at lunch we'll be ready to perform at a public venue.' What? Oh, Degrassi.

 

I like that they're bringing the adorable Drew back but it's super weird given that nothing with the baby has really been resolved.

 

I feel like Miles had an outsized reaction to the most possibly the most pathetic intervention ever staged. Were they even any stakes? What were they prepared to do aside from confronting him? Although it was harsh, I appreciated what Miles said to Tristan because it was a nice bit of self-awareness from the show. If only Miles and Maya had more interactions like that.

 

"I have a boyfriend."

"Good to know. I have a houseplant."

 

You have to love Degrassi for Miles big reckless moment to lead to him not looking when he was backing out of his parking space... and I guess not even really hitting Maya given her lack of injuries? All to set up a conversation between them.

 

How long was Miles out in the car to get into full "rebellious burnout" mode?

 

It didn't seem like the Panther's routine was that great. It didn't really go with the music and it seemed like they were doing moves without artistry. Shouldn't there be a bit more dancing involved? It's like a figure skating routine that's all jumps with nothing really in between and no feel for the music.

 

Bring It On joke! Still doesn't beat the houseplant line.

 

Oh, the other big accident was hitting a car door? Degrassi is really pulling its punches.

 

Gasp! It's totally Hunter's little girlfriend, isn't it? What's her name again?

[aradia22]

 

I dunno. I just think this season is leading up to some huge bust of everyone. There's a moralistic axe somewhere, about to fall.

I know Degrassi is very after-school special but I think they could skirt the issue. If they play it out to the full extent it could have far-reaching consequences and the show has shown in recent seasons that it sucks with long term storylines. I could easily see the story being about Arlene (are we sure that's her name?) being bullied and either getting some small revenge or deciding to accept the apology of the Power Cheer girls so none of the adults have to get involved. The weird thing about it being Arlene is that we haven't seen Zoe in particular do anything to her. So maybe the show is still throwing us a red herring.

[MaiSoCalled]

I really dislike Jack. I find her incredibly obnoxious and self-centered and a bit of a shitty person.

I don't know what to make of Jack. I can buy that Jack the dancer would try-out for power squad to support her friend Becky. I can even see free spirited Jack be all about showing her boobs for money because she doesn't think it's a big deal. I can't see the girl we've met hanging out with the power squad without a hint of irony or surprise that she's bonding with these girls who are so different than her. 

 

I want a story about how Jack constantly reinvents herself due to always changing schools and doesn't really know who she is.

 

I fear what we're getting is a Jack who is going to be on the show next year and needs a group of friends when Imogen and Becky graduate. 

[Mabinogia]

I want a story about how Jack constantly reinvents herself due to always changing schools and doesn't really know who she is.

 

 

That could be a really interesting story. I didn't move around a lot as a kid, but I can imagine it would result in a kid who is very adaptable to the people around her, trying to fit in, find her place. It would also fit in with her very weird, above it characterization when she first showed up, since I'm going to be the outsider, I'm going to embrace it, and as she finds her place in the school, she slowly tries on different groups to see what fits.

 

Regardless of canon, this is how I am going to view her, because it makes her a lot more palatable thinking of her as a kid trying to fit into a new environment than just some ever-changing character being shoehorned into different plots just to give her something to do and fill out the cast.

[Chairperson Meow]

I miss the old cheerleader uniforms and the Panther. When Maya asked to help the one episode, I really thought Zoe would stick her in the Panther head. Sigh.

I'm kinda glad this is the end of Tris/Miles. Post Jules/Romeo, Tristian has annoyed me with the smug. The teacher story intrigued me, but Degrassi dropped it. Do they still go there? I'm liking Miles learning more about Maya this way. Maya is a better character now as opposed to Queen Bee popular girl that she was headed to becoming.

I even like Jonah and Becky. But if Eli doesn't wig out and set something on fire before the end of the season - well shenanigans.