S13.E28: Everything Is Everything

[Tara Ariano]

Dallas finds out shocking news at the science fair; Tristan starts developing feelings for his new teacher; Clare tries to sabotage Drew and his date when she becomes jealous.

[MegaJ]

A-Plot. Dallas was using his terrible experience with the cops to judge all white people. As a black male, I've been there =/ This hit really close to home. There was some smart writing choices here; Alli (Indian/Muslim ethnicity and a girl) did not accuse Dallas of lying/overreacting and also offered to back him up (remembering the detainment) but getting mad he didn't handle the situation well and Alli's father recounting his experience and telling Dallas he had to fight smart. That's something some social justice warriors need to remember as opposed to blowing up Twitter (#CancelColbert anyone?) And finally, the Bhandallas trigger was pulled. Solid stuff.

 

B-Plot. CLEW! I'm so happy because I love this couple and nothing good can come out of this so I'm here for all of this drama. Clare is a mess, but I get it. She's in love with Eli. She's mad he cheated on her while she was recovering from cancer. Her ego's bruised that she didn't think Drew admired her. She's all over the place but I really can't blame her. And Drew saw through that dating site thing, so I guess he isn't as dumb as I thought.

 

C-Plot. UGH. I'm going to take this storyline as an apology for Sav/Ms. Oh. I know Sav was of age, but he was still a student and she was a teacher and it was wholly inappropriate and while I know that sometimes Degrassi deliberately throws in the questionable moral, I was very angry they did that. So this storyline, while it makes my skin crawl, was needed to show that teacher/student stuff is not acceptable. Arteest Teacher is clearing preying on him, knowing Tristan is in a vulnerable place and Tristan is too thirsty to see it for what it is. Also, good writing for Zoe to immediately be suspicious especially after what she went through with Drew.

[omgsowicked]

I loved how they brought in Mr. Bhandari (and Alli) for Dallas' racism plot. I thought that helped give this plot more impact. Plus, since we don't see him talking to his parents or Audra very often, if at all, having an adult (especially one who's also a minority) to help guide him through this was a very good thing. I highly doubt we'll see much of Alli's parents again but I'd like to hope that Dallas dating Alli means more Dallas/Mr. B interaction, I thought they were pretty good together.

 

As for the Alli/Dallas relationship, I wish I could be happy about it, now that it's finally happened. But lately Dallas has been acting like a noble knight, simply waiting to swoop in and save the princess, so when he raised that trophy... that just grossed me out. Plus, I didn't like, particularly after what happened with Leo, that Alli kept saying how much Dallas helped her. I wish Jenna had been around to say, "girl, you earned this, take some credit".

 

So yeah, they're definitely going there with Tristan and the teacher. That's disturbing enough but the teacher is bold as hell, putting his intentions right out there with that book suggestion... like he knows that Tristan is so desperate and idealistic that he'll fall prey to his disgusting little plan. Not only is this going to be bad, point blank, but I see it being abusive, too, with how the teacher keeps screwing with his already fragile emotions ("hey, a secret collective," "no, you can't be in it," "you're my favorite student," "what terrible work").

 

And I'm so unabashedly here for Clare and Drew... though this storyline isn't the best. I wish he'd started dating on his own instead, with Clare elbowing her way in afterward, if that was really necessary. As it was, it was just stupid to watch her set this whole thing up, then tear it down, then try to fix it... only to have Drew break it off with the new girl. They're too old for this.

 

I did love their conversation in the... student room? Whatever room that is. There were a few strange statements that made me go, "wait, so Drew doesn't like her?" and "Clare, get it together!" but overall, I thought they did a good job showing how complex and confusing this is for the two of them. I like that he brought up that he's been actively staying away because she's in a relationship. Seems like Clare forgot about that, ha. Yeah, she can't keep doing this, it's not fair to Drew or herself. Nor Eli, I guess... not that he offered her much courtesy with his little Lenore move.

[SeenYouWitKieffah]

I liked this episode a lot. Bhandallas came together nicely, if a little too white-knighty. Loved the conversation between Dallas and Mr. Bhandari. Alli's dad has shown real growth over the years, which makes him a pretty well fleshed-out character, compared to most adults and students.

Clare and Drew - was surprised that he figured out Annabella, but loved that the Eden plot resolved itself quickly, because when Clare first sat behind her in class I groaned out loud at the thought of several episodes of Clare subtly sabotaging the relationship. I'm glad that Clare and Drew know where each other stand and now it's just a matter of Clare pulling the trigger.

Favorite though - Tristan/Mr. Yates. TOTAL CREEPER. And he is manipulating Tristan just right to make this a secret, emotionally abusive relationship. I'm a terrible person and I like when these weird, overly dramatic and sad things happen to fictional people. Much more interesting than another triangle. Drew-Clare-Eli is more than enough for that right now, not to mention the just-ended Imogen/Becky/Jacque(sp?) thing. Anyway, they have set this Tristan story up for some real honest development, with the subtle things the teacher is doing to lay the groundwork for a secret relationship where he has all the power - Tristan is lonely and vulnerable, and romanticizes everything, so I can totally see him loving the idea of a clandestine relationship. I was so sad and grossed out for him when Yates pulled the "I had to be mean so no one would know how much I like you" - I can see that theme being repeated over and over, and getting bigger, possibly to the point where it affects Tristan's schoolwork, since, y'know, Yates is A TEACHER. Creep.

[aradia22]

Ugh. Clare. I seriously cannot remember the last time I liked Clare when she wasn't with Eli. Every time she's not involved in an epic romance E-Clare plot, she's just unbearable. I should be able to relate to Clare but instead she's all the worst stereotypes about smart girls rolled up in a big ball of judgmental and controlling behavior. I just don't find Clew believable. Putting aside that Drew is kind of shallow (even though Ali and Bianca are smart, they're also stereotypically attractive) Clare also doesn't have a great personality. I wish we could have stuck with Eden. Even though it's really weird that you'd need online dating to connect with someone at your own school.

 

"Annabella's not your type." "Says who? I like who I like."

Um, says the writers until they decided to change your character. Not that a character rewrite is unusual for Degrassi but don't pretend we haven't been around this whole time.

 

Are there no guidance counselors at Degrassi? Not that I was ever motivated to talk to a guidance counselor about my problems but still, it seems like that's what Tristan is looking for. Lol at the Heloise and Abelard thing. I thought they were just going to make it a throwaway line. I didn't think they'd actually reveal that the "unhappy ending" was castration. Though it's weird that Tristan still finds it romantic. They are not being shy about telegraphing this student/teacher plot. Is this the fastest they've ever gone with one of these? Also, WTF, how does Zoe know how to pronounce "Heloise"? 

 

Generally this Dallas plot, particularly with the inclusion of Mr. Bhandari, is one of the better plotlines that we don't get very often on Degrassi. Even with Dallas lifting the trophy, this is one of the better Degrassi relationships. Is that depressing?