Degrassi: Next Class season three discussion (all episodes US-wide Netflix 1/6, in Canada on Family 1/9)

[MegaJ]

So we kick off Degrassi: Next Class season 3 (first half of season 16 for those keeping track) next year. We're following up on the bus crash last season, following up on character plots from last year and later this year, we're saying goodbye to Maya's class as this is a graduation year. So I guess no more "whole season equals first semester" thing anymore. Plot descrips:
 

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301 – #BreakTheInternet (Monday 1/9/17)
Degrassi is giving a warm welcome to an influx of Syrian refugees and a spiteful Lola posts a controversial photo.

302 – #IWokeUpLikeThis (Tuesday 1/10/17)
The Gamers are determined to make their vlog a success. Maya discovers an interest in ‘tragedy porn’. Esme tests Zig’s limits on how far is too far to go at school.

303 – #WorstGiftEver (Wednesday (1/11/17)
Jonah and Grace pitch the Student Council on a play about the Degrassi bus accident. Goldi has questions about what it really means to be Muslim.

304 – #PicsOrItDidntHappen (Thursday (1/12/17)
Maya meets Saad, who shares a mutual interest in the dark side. Frankie feels that Jonah is hiding something.

305 – #HugeIfTrue (Friday 1/13/17)
Shay, Lola and Frankie cozy up for girl’s night until it becomes…less cozy. Is Frankie ready for more intimacy and will Shay’s insecurities put her own relationship in jeopardy?

306 – #ThatFeelingWhen (Monday 1/16/17)
Frankie is driving herself crazy over Jonah. Miles and Lola work on the play, together experiencing an emotional roller coaster. Zoe and Rasha are also taking a kind of thrill ride.

307 – #Unsubscribe (Tuesday 1/17/17)
Zoe and Rasha are determined to make it work, even if it means keeping secrets. Grace is faced with a life and death decision and needs a friend.

308 – #IRegretNothing (Wednesday 1/18/17)
Lola’s friends are not there for her. If Tristan makes it to the play, will Miles’ indiscretions be revealed? Maya’s obsession with death is getting out of control.

309 – #Woke (Thursday 1/19/17)
Maya can’t deal with her depression. Frankie and Jonah are trying to figure things out. It’s Ms. Rivas’ wedding and Zoe violates her mother’s wishes and brings Rasha anyway.

310 – #ImSleep (Friday 1/20/17)
Everyone loves it but Tristan clearly senses the truth. Maya appears to be happier… but appearances can be deceiving. Opening night and the play receives rave reviews.

 

[Lady Calypso]

So I watched the two seasons a while ago but I'm not sure why I'm still watching.

Those summaries definitely give a lot away. Everyone's fine after the bus crash (or, at least alive). Maya seems affected the most with her obsessing with her near death experience, because we always need more Maya. Miles seems to cheat on Tristan with Lola, because of course Lola will get involved yet again with a cheating storyline. Zoe gets a girlfriend. 

Also, for a Canadian show, it's rather dumb that Canada doesn't have this show on Netflix but the US does AND they get it earlier. 

[SimoneS]

I figured that no one would die in the bus crash. The episode descriptions give away a lot. I find Maya becoming depressed and getting obsessed with the death to be the strangest development. It is so out of character. I would find it more believable if an obsession with death was triggered in Tris who had a heart attack when he was younger.

Miles cheating on Tris does not surprise me. They are not going to keep them together until graduation. They will break up and we go from there.

 

They will be doing an abortion story, I just hope that it is not Lola and Miles. Let someone else deal with having an abortion. Ugh, I just found that Lola will be getting pregnant and having an abortion. Poor Tris. I hope he gets something to do other than pining over Miles.

Edited December 10, 2016 by SimoneS

[Lady Calypso]

On 12/8/2016 at 11:34 PM, SimoneS said:

I find Maya becoming depressed and getting obsessed with the death to be the strangest development. It is so out of character.

I agree. I think it's because what we've seen of Maya, her development isn't always...completed. After Cam's suicide, she had very odd behaviour but not really because of Cam's death, since she never talked about it. So having a bus crash trigger her obsession with death? Unless they do bring it back to Cam's death, then I don't see how they'll be able to make it interesting for me. Plus, Maya's the new Clare for me. They both started out fun and interesting but their centric stories in every other episode made me slowly despise them until finally, I just stopped caring to watch any of their stories. 

On 12/8/2016 at 11:34 PM, SimoneS said:

Miles cheating on Tris does not surprise me. They are not going to keep them together until graduation. They will break up and we go from there.

You know, I'm a little tired of the constant Miles drama. I like him as a character and I know that he has his issues, but he seems to always be in the wrong when he's in a relationship with Tristan. I would have maybe preferred for Tristan to be the one who cheats on Miles, only because it could have related to the bus crash in some way, and Miles wouldn't be a shitty boyfriend like he usually is. It's in character, but it could have been interesting for Tristan to be the one who gets this deeper storyline. But now, he's just going to be suspicious of Miles and then he'll find out and break up with Miles. And then hence, another half season of them being separated but still being in each other's orbits. 

But I'd also rather not have a cheating storyline yet again. Sometimes, the show creates some very interesting arcs, and then other times, it's...cheating and love triangles. I guess I find the personal arcs a lot more interesting. 

Spoiler

Well, I guess it has been a while since we had an abortion storyline. It could be a good one with Lola, who I'm having trouble warming up to. She keeps getting involved in cheating storylines or stories that affect her friendships and there's only so much I can take with her. So this'll be the third 'cheating' storyline she's involved in (Winston, kind of Tiny since she knew Shay was into him, and now Miles) so I'm willing to see if this helps to change her into a more positive person. 

[SimoneS]

33 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

You know, I'm a little tired of the constant Miles drama. I like him as a character and I know that he has his issues, but he seems to always be in the wrong when he's in a relationship with Tristan. I would have maybe preferred for Tristan to be the one who cheats on Miles, only because it could have related to the bus crash in some way, and Miles wouldn't be a shitty boyfriend like he usually is. It's in character, but it could have been interesting for Tristan to be the one who gets this deeper storyline. But now, he's just going to be suspicious of Miles and then he'll find out and break up with Miles. And then hence, another half season of them being separated but still being in each other's orbits. 

But I'd also rather not have a cheating storyline yet again. Sometimes, the show creates some very interesting arcs, and then other times, it's...cheating and love triangles. I guess I find the personal arcs a lot more interesting. 

  Reveal hidden contents

Well, I guess it has been a while since we had an abortion storyline. It could be a good one with Lola, who I'm having trouble warming up to. She keeps getting involved in cheating storylines or stories that affect her friendships and there's only so much I can take with her. So this'll be the third 'cheating' storyline she's involved in (Winston, kind of Tiny since she knew Shay was into him, and now Miles) so I'm willing to see if this helps to change her into a more positive person. 

I think that all Miles' problems stem from his abusive father. Miles claims to hate him, but he constantly replicates his bad behavior. Cheating on Tris is just another step in his journey to becoming his father. While I get where you are coming from preferring that Tris to cheat on Miles, I would find that totally unbelievable. Even with trauma from the bus crash, Tris loves Miles way too much (unhealthily even) to cheat. 

What I do want to happen is for Tris finally move on from Miles after this break up. The last time they broke up Tris remained in love with Miles and did not have another substantial relationship while Miles flirted and slept with other people which I didn't like. Tris and Miles have become my favorite couple since Joey and Caitlyn (who will own my heart forever), but I will stick hot pokers in my eyes if season 4 is all about Tris and Miles doing their usual dance with each other, only to reunite. No, no, no, this is Degrassi after all.

Edited December 10, 2016 by SimoneS

[jsm1125]

Does this mean that Winston is not going to be written off the show? I didn't see him mentioned in any of the episode descriptions.

[SimoneS]

19 hours ago, jsm1125 said:

Does this mean that Winston is not going to be written off the show? I didn't see him mentioned in any of the episode descriptions.

Winston isn't mentioned in the descriptions, but I am pretty sure that he is still on the show.

About Tristan:

He is seriously injured in the bus crash and is in the hospital for most of season 3. There is speculation that the actor was working on other projects which is why he misses several episodes.

Edited December 13, 2016 by SimoneS

[SimoneS]

Here is the first teaser for the January 6th premiere: 

http://www.eonline.com/news/815972/who-might-not-survive-degrassi-next-class-bus-crash-season-3-s-dark-teaser-offers-clues

[Chairperson Meow]

I don't see Zig in those episode descriptions.  I'll be bold and guess Zig dies.  That would mess Maya up.  On the outs with two boyfriends and they die?  Or was Zig not on the bus?  I forget.  

Never mind.  He's in the episode 2 description.  I do hate Tristan.  He annoys me.  I'd rather see Miles do anything else tbh.  

Edited December 27, 2016 by Chairperson Meow

[luckyroll3]

Perino is still the greatest teacher.  Love that he's still around after all these years.

[SimoneS]

I just binged watched season 3. I was pretty disappointed. Overall, I thought it was weak and wasted the fall out of the bus crash. I removed the spoiler tags below because all the episodes have been released on Netflix and this is an all episode discussion thread.

While I understood the time jump, I didn't like where they picked up. I will start my biggest problems: Tristan and Maya.  Tris should have never been in that coma so long. It was clearly done so we would be subjected to Miles' drama, but I spent most of my time rolling my eyes. I wish that the show had brought back Owen like they did with Katie for Maya's story.  I also think that it was a huge mistake giving the depression story to Maya. I think that she did a good job with it, but it just didn't work with her character. If they had not put him in a coma for so damn long, Tris would have been the better character for the depression story. He had that minor heart attack before, has struggled with loneliness, and was sexually abused by that teacher. It would have made much more sense for him to become depressed after being injured. Also, mental illness occur in teen boys and young adult males far more than in females that age. 

Next up, Miles and Lola randomly getting close and sleeping together. It would have been far more believable this cheating story had played out with Miles and Maya. Having them get close again over concern about Tris and then fall into bed would have been far more dramatic. It would have also driven a wedge between Tris and Maya who already have had their problems over Miles. I can only think that the writers chose Lola so that Miles would not be emotionally torn and Tris would shrug off his cheating which frankly was the most unbelievable aspect of the story. I am going to chalk it up to Tris still recovering. I expect a huge emotional break up scene next season where Tris dumps Miles hard or I will truly be crushed. Least I forget, Miles' play was dumb as hell. I also couldn't believe that Shay and Frankie couldn't figure out that Miles was the father of Lola's baby. The one thing I noticed is that they showed Miles in bed with Lola and have never done that any of the male gay couples. We have never seen Miles and Tris or Riley and Zane or Marco and Dylan in bed together.

Then there is Zig pairing up with Esme. Really show?! Talk about coming out of nowhere. Worse yet, they have no chemistry. Zig is so much better with Maya. If they were determined to give Maya the depression story and keep them broken up. He should have been far more involved and should have been there for her as a friend the same way she was for him when he was in the gang.

Zoe's romance with Rasha was so underwhelming. I expected more intensity between them. I also didn't like injecting the mother's marriage into their story. However, I did like Zoe's mother kicking her out because this still happens and it needs to be shown.

My last, but not least complaint is that Tris, Miles, Maya, Zig, etc. will be graduating at the end of season 4 and the writers have not done a good job fleshing out grade nine and ten students. I would like Tiny and Shay to have much more challenging stories. I think the actor who plays Hunter is good and that boner story was way too dumb. He should still be struggling with his anger issues which have apparently put on hold.

The things I did like: I like how the show addressed the controversy about the students who were Syrian refugees and Goldie's struggle about being Muslim. I am glad that they had Rasha point out that Syria was a secular country before the Sunni extremists gained power during the civil war.  I liked how the problems between Frankie and Jonah played out. It was realistic and the break up was the natural result. I also liked that Grace's health problems are continuing and that she is facing a life and death situation. Grace and Jonah would make a good couple if the show goes in that direction. Tiny and Shay are a cute couple. I liked Lola's abortion story, but I don't get why she couldn't use the abortion pill.

Edited January 6, 2017 by SimoneS

[luckyroll3]

I wasn't a big fan of this season either, for much of the same reasons you mentioned above.  Plus, everyone seemed so overly self-involved and insincere,  even more than normal, especially considering the big tragedy they'd all just gone through.

Also, all the kids looked so damn old/grown.  I miss the days when the kids on Degrassi looked like kids,  awkwardness and all.  Maya and several of the others looked like they were pushing 30.

I was also wondering where the new freshmen and sophomores were.

[ScrapNini]

I binged too.  Without giving any spoilers, I want to vehemently disagree with the above poster.  I have been watching Degrassi since 1988... a real lifer over here, and I think this was one of the best "seasons" ever.  I love this format for telling the stories;(yes, the wait between new episodes sucks... but) what we get is pretty tight.  I cried.  I don't easily cry at shows.  

[SimoneS]

4 hours ago, luckyroll3 said:

Plus, everyone seemed so overly self-involved and insincere,  even more than normal, especially considering the big tragedy they'd all just gone through.

Exactly. So many of the students were on the bus. I would have liked to see each of them have a difficult story related to that experience. The "it goes there" was missing for me. I put my other thoughts in here:

I thought it was so odd that Grace and Maya who had become such good friends only talked about song writing. Don't they spend any time together any more?  Also, we never saw Maya or Zoe visit Tristan. Where were the friendships? It was so weird that Esme was the most upset at the hospital after Maya tried to kill herself. You would think that Zig, Tris, and Miles would be the most affected. 

 

Quote

Also, all the kids looked so damn old/grown.  I miss the days when the kids on Degrassi looked like kids,  awkwardness and all.  Maya and several of the others looked like they were pushing 30.

Okay, this made me laugh. You are especially right about Maya who definitely aged some years. I thought Zoe, Zig, Goldie without the hijab, Jonah, Grace and Rasha looked in their early twenties. Miles and Tristan could pass for seniors, but not for much longer. Supposedly, the actors are eligible to audition from 14 years. It is time they start casting 14 year olds again.

Edited January 7, 2017 by SimoneS

[absnow54]

Supposedly, the actors are eligible to audition from 14 years. It is time they start casting 14 year olds again.

It's funny because Olivia, Ricardo, and Lyle were all 13-15 when they were cast as freshmen for Season 11, but because of Degrassi's warped timeline (which is quasi-fixed with the shortened seasons) they've been in high school for, like, 6 years. I'm kind of glad that they didn't incorporate a 9-er class this season though, because the cast is already so bloated, there's not enough time to feature them all with the shortened seasons. I'm after the seniors graduate they'll bring in a new block of actors who are all age appropriate.

[Racj82]

51 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

I wasn't a big fan of this season either, for much of the same reasons you mentioned above.  Plus, everyone seemed so overly self-involved and insincere,  even more than normal, especially considering the big tragedy they'd all just gone through.

Also, all the kids looked so damn old/grown.  I miss the days when the kids on Degrassi looked like kids,  awkwardness and all.  Maya and several of the others looked like they were pushing 30.

I was also wondering where the new freshmen and sophomores were.

They look old? That one I can't agree with. Pretty none of them look grown, most look very much like kids and a lot of teenagers look older than they are anyway. 

But Mya? Mya looks really different and I can't tell why. It was bugging me in episode 2.

[absnow54]

But Mya? Mya looks really different and I can't tell why. It was bugging me in episode 2.

I think the main difference is that she never wears her glasses and let her hair grow out.

[SimoneS]

1 hour ago, absnow54 said:

It's funny because Olivia, Ricardo, and Lyle were all 13-15 when they were cast as freshmen for Season 11, but because of Degrassi's warped timeline (which is quasi-fixed with the shortened seasons) they've been in high school for, like, 6 years. 

I was rewatching some of those seasons not long ago. Lyle definitely looked 14 or so when he was cast. However, I think that the three of them have aged differently. Ricardo and Olivia now look like young adults. It might be the way they dress and the make up, etc. Those girls wearing 4 inch heels at school always take me out of the moment. 

[galax-arena]

 Just finished ep 1. I've read up on spoilers though, so I largely know what's coming. 

First up, I need to get a rant off my chest: Grace, as much as I usually love her character, annoyed me with how she kept nagging Zoe to come out, especially when she told her that no one cares if people are gay now. Grace, sweetie, you're straight. Straight people (okay, and gay people fortunate enough to live in their own super-progressive bubble) are always telling closeted gay people to just come out "because no one cares," whereas the consensus among all the gay people I know (i.e. not the oblivious ones in their own super-progressive bubbles) is to tell the closeted gay kid with homophobic parents to wait until they're no longer financially dependent on them (or at least until they're out of college). It makes my eye twitch whenever I see people blithely dismissing the reality of homophobia today. Yes, being closeted sucks. You know what else sucks? Being kicked out of your home. Living on the streets. Not being able to go to college because your parents have disowned you. Being forced into conversion therapy. I wish more people would recognize that often it's not a matter of self-loathing, but pure survival.   

Vijay pissed me off with his video about Zoe, too - "self-loathing," stfu Vijay and stfd - but I've never really liked Vijay anyway, so. 

Moving on from Zoe-related drama.... I liked Lola back in season 1 because her ignorance was kinda hilarious, but man right now she's just kinda pathetic. 

Count me in as someone who's not a fan of the time skip at all. Suddenly Esme and Zig are together, wha? Okay, we totally knew they were heading that way after Esme helped Zig last season, but still. Some more build-up would have been nice. And the time skip was just so anticlimactic when taken in conjunction with the bus crash cliffhanger, especially since everyone survived. It reminded me of a chapter in an RL Stine book. 

[SimoneS]

Also, I thought that the acting was pretty bad all the way around in season 3. I usually like the actress who plays Zoe, but I thought she was terrible at times. Also, those kisses with Rasha were weak. Could she close her mouth any smaller? Grace, Jonah, Shay, Lola, and Frankie were mediocre at best. Zig and Esme in the hallway were dire as were all their seductive make out scenes. It felt like they were all trying too hard. 

Maya gave a solid performance. Miles had his moments, but everything with Lola feel flat to me. The worse was that awkward half naked scene with the hug. The natural warmth I would have expected given the corny dialogue about hope was not there. 

I bet Lyle Lettau wasn't happy about being in a coma for most of the season. I like him as an actor and think they could do a lot more with him.

Edited January 7, 2017 by SimoneS

[absnow54]

I thought this season was much stronger than the last one. But, oh my God, that last scene was just terrible. So bad. After learning Maya survived her suicide attempt, Zig and Grace immediately decide they're ready to bounce, Miles takes a moment to make it all about him (*wistful sigh* that could have been me), and then the kids laugh as they head out to order a pizza. That clunky scene was about 30 seconds long. What the hell was that? It was just such a bizarre and rushed conclusion.

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

I thought that the acting was pretty bad all the way around in season 3.

I noticed this too. I thought the production quality and writing had improved, but with a few exceptions (Olivia, Sara, and Amanda) the acting was terrible. I love Tiny. Adore him, but damn Richard Walters was bad in that Truth or Dare episode.

[SimoneS]

11 hours ago, absnow54 said:

I thought this season was much stronger than the last one. But, oh my God, that last scene was just terrible. So bad. After learning Maya survived her suicide attempt, Zig and Grace immediately decide they're ready to bounce, Miles takes a moment to make it all about him (*wistful sigh* that could have been me), and then the kids laugh as they head out to order a pizza. That clunky scene was about 30 seconds long. What the hell was that? It was just such a bizarre and rushed conclusion.

IMO, that last scene is emblematic of all the problems of the season. A bunch of characters thrown into a situation where they don't seem to fit or act as expected. None of Maya's friends asked if they could stay and visit her. They didn't even talk about what they could do to support her. They didn't give Tris one line about Maya. As for Miles, the whole season was all about him and how he felt about so his reaction was consistent if nothing else. Again what was Esme who didn't even want to be at the play doing at the hospital? And why was she more upset than Maya's supposed friends?  The pizza thing was ridiculous, but I thought that they did it so they could end the season on a false happy note. I am not sure why that was needed since this is Degrassi.

Edited January 7, 2017 by SimoneS

[absnow54]

10 hours ago, SimoneS said:

Again what was Esme who didn't even want to be at the play doing at the hospital? And why was she more upset than Maya's supposed friends?

This, at least, was a followup to something she said in episode 2, where she told Zig that she was the one to find her mother when she committed suicide. It's implied that she OD'd because when they find Maya on the roof, Zig asks if they should make her throw up, and Esme says that it'll make it worse, which is a callback to her saying "maybe I moved her the wrong way or took too long to call 911." So I think Esme's reaction to Maya and presence at the hospital was realistic, because that's a brutal moment to relive. It was Zig and Grace's more blase attitude that I found jarring. There's no way they would have left the hospital before seeing Maya. Last season we saw Maya hang around to stay with Grace after her health scare, I figured we'd see a complimentary scene here. And Zig has been woven into Maya's story since their first scene. They've seen each other so many highs and lows, and this story called so close to Cam's suicide which he was also heavily involved in and felt responsible for. I didn't think he'd want to leave Maya's side, and that would be the starting catalyst for breaking up him and Esme next season. (Side note: how awful was she this season? I sympathized with her in the second episode when everyone slut shamed her and we learned about her backstory. And I loved her when she was the only one who seemed to think that Miles play was awful. But she was just so one note nasty towards everyone, it didn't outweigh her few redeeming qualities.)

Miles, Zoe, and Tristan being there was entirely unnecessary, though. Tristan and Maya have barely spoken since the middle of Grade 10, and his current condition isn't one where you should throw him in a car to rush to the ER for a couple of hours. Zoe and Maya's antagonistic relationship has been played out, and it hasn't ended in friendship. Sure, she could be there to support Grace, but Jonah would have made more sense since he was actually involved in Maya's story line. And Miles and Maya have spoken once, for 10 seconds, in 100 episodes. I get that everything has to be about him, but seriously, what was he doing there? Tiny would have made sense. Even Saad. Tristan, Miles, and Zoe used to play a major role in Maya's life, but in the context of this season and the rest of Next Class, they didn't belong.

[SimoneS]

11 hours ago, absnow54 said:

This, at least, was a followup to something she said in episode 2, where she told Zig that she was the one to find her mother when she committed suicide. It's implied that she OD'd because when they find Maya on the roof, Zig asks if they should make her throw up, and Esme says that it'll make it worse, which is a callback to her saying "maybe I moved her the wrong way or took too long to call 911." So I think Esme's reaction to Maya and presence at the hospital was realistic, because that's a brutal moment to relive. It was Zig and Grace's more blase attitude that I found jarring. There's no way they would have left the hospital before seeing Maya. Last season we saw Maya hang around to stay with Grace after her health scare, I figured we'd see a complimentary scene here. And Zig has been woven into Maya's story since their first scene. They've seen each other so many highs and lows, and this story called so close to Cam's suicide which he was also heavily involved in and felt responsible for. I didn't think he'd want to leave Maya's side, and that would be the starting catalyst for breaking up him and Esme next season. (Side note: how awful was she this season? I sympathized with her in the second episode when everyone slut shamed her and we learned about her backstory. And I loved her when she was the only one who seemed to think that Miles play was awful. But she was just so one note nasty towards everyone, it didn't outweigh her few redeeming qualities.)

Miles, Zoe, and Tristan being there was entirely unnecessary, though. Tristan and Maya have barely spoken since the middle of Grade 10, and his current condition isn't one where you should throw him in a car to rush to the ER for a couple of hours. Zoe and Maya's antagonistic relationship has been played out, and it hasn't ended in friendship. Sure, she could be there to support Grace, but Jonah would have made more sense since he was actually involved in Maya's story line. And Miles and Maya have spoken once, for 10 seconds, in 100 episodes. I get that everything has to be about him, but seriously, what was he doing there? Tiny would have made sense. Even Saad. Tristan, Miles, and Zoe used to play a major role in Maya's life, but in the context of this season and the rest of Next Class, they didn't belong.

Thanks for that background on Esme's mother committing suicide. I must have zoned out or stepped away from the computer during that bit. It does explain her reaction in the hospital, but still, she was hella more upset than Maya's supposed actual friends.

I completely agree with you about Zig and Grace. They were so tight with Maya. Like you said, Zig especially should not have wanted to leave without seeing Maya or said that he would take Esme home and be right back. Instead he puts his arm around Esme walks off and calls Grace over.  I can see Tristan wanting to be there for Maya, especially after what he has been through so I can fanwank, his mother taking him to the hospital. Miles and Zoe are more iffy, but Miles did love Maya once and he and Zoe would have wanted to be there to support Tristan. Overall, the writing for that hospital scene was callous and a huge fail, IMO. 

BTW, I like Esme and her snark (although not her drug abusing). It is good to have at least one character cut through the bullshit even though she could be pretty awful. She was on point about Miles' self-indulgence and I cracked up when she called out his cheating with Lola. She was right that his play was awful. I cannot believe that Archie actually let them put it on. There wasn't much of him in this season either.

I just hope that season 4 is better and it isn't all about Miles again. I think that it has been filmed already. Now it should just be about when it is released. I wonder what the ratings are like for Degrassi on Netflix. I know that they are casting are seasons 5 and 6 at the moment. I hope it gets renewed. Despite my critiques, I still consider Degrassi the best show for teens and young adults ever.

Edited January 8, 2017 by SimoneS

[MegaJ]

I just finished the whole season and I'll post my thoughts later but as a possible explanation for the final scene in the finale, it could be that the actress was absent and they had to write around. A big reason why the bus crash was written in was because it was speculated that Olivia Schriven and Lyle Latteu have a project together (music group called Cute Whore where they make awful music) that's been increasingly taking ups their time, last year they barely did any promo for the show. And with the bus crash, it was in because it could be used as a reason to keep them off the shelf for a bit. Which is what happened, Maya wasn't really used a lot this first half and Tristan was in a coma and it looks like for season 4 they'll switch with Maya being incapacitated and Tristan attending classes.

[galax-arena]

Finished ep 5.

I didn't really have much sympathy for Baaz when he was whining about how Hunter was sooo lucky because he had a girlfriend. Hey, Baaz, maybe you shouldn't be a twerp who negs girls...

[MegaJ]

Okay, so binged the entire season. Overall, I liked it. It wasn't as strong as the previous season (not using that Next Class season count, fight me), but there was a lot to like here.

- Nice theme overall of safe spaces/triggers and how they're valid things.

- I gotta check but yeah Olivia Scriven and Lyle Lettau weren't in this much and when they were it was minimal and Lyle didn't even have any speaking lines until the final episode so I suppose they prioritized their career making dreadful music. I didn't miss Tristan at all but I felt the show as missing something with Maya not being the emotional center of it all. It would make total sense that the bus crash triggered a depression, she fought her feelings for the longest time in regards to Cam (and nice job tying in Adam with that). That said, I'm not sure if I bought her having this interest in death at least to the point where she's taking these creepy photos. It just seemed kind of over the top, even for this show. It was also nice seeing Katie again, too! I wish Owen would've come for Tristan's storyline. Speaking of which.

- I am so completely and utterly over the constant Miles/Tristan drama and Miles and his feelings and how no matter what that he feels the need to constantly be involved in some drama. I don't care what the fans think, I think the both of them need to apart and Tristan needs to stay asleep, that when I really liked the character.

- Poor Zoe. I like that Grace lulled her into thinking that homophobia is over and done with and then at the end of the show she (and the audience) got a big fat reminder that being LGBT is still very, very hard and can come with hardship and not everyone is accepting. Zoe's mom is a piece a work, truly. It's a sin for Zoe to be a lesbian but not a sin for you to be sponging off her acting career? Mess.

- I did like both Goldi and Rasha's storylines and what it meant to be Muslim. And I did like that Goldi wasn't even convinced on the Qu'ran's view on homosexuality, she's not really the judgemental type in any case. It's too sad her character is graduating this year, I really wish they would include her more. And Goldi is a delight, I love her. Saad was just kinda there.

- So Esme and Shay have a little rivalry. Hee hee, that was cute.

- Frankie needs to chill, supremely. I know by next season they'll pair her off but she really needs some alone time.

- I'm glad they did another abortion plot now that they don't have teennick stomping on their necks. I think showing the procedure and everything that goes into it was good and I liked that Lola had no regrets.

So all and all, a decent season. If it's like anything like last year, we won't get part two until summer so see you then~

[galax-arena]

Finished the season. 

I've never really cared about Winston one way or the other, but it's kinda sad that Hunter's dick had a bigger storyline than he did this season. 

It frustrated me how no one seemed to clue in for the longest time that Maya's issues were a result of the bus crash triggering something in her. I did get Grace's frustration at Maya's insensitivity considering that she (Grace) was looking down the barrel of her own mortality, but why didn't anyone see those photos and go, "Gee, Maya, you seem to have developed a fascination with death. This wouldn't have anything to do with that traumatic bus crash, would it?" 

I liked that Yael and Lola developed a little sort of odd couple friendship. 

Edited January 8, 2017 by galax-arena

[TheNewJanBrady]

If for nothing else, this season was terrific for Lola's abortion storyline. They actually showed the procedure and how yes, it can be a stressful decision to make, but also a matter-of-fact, relief-filled one--it's not always this dramatic, devastating, agonizing thing. I can't remember a show in which I've seen a character have an abortion like it's a regular medical procedure (which it is) and not some botched, bloody back-door operation. Bravo.

[Ikki]

Yeah, I really liked Lola's abortion storyline. It really could help with giving information to teens and others.

I also really liked Rasha and Zoe. Cute. (Poor Zoe with her mom, though.)

And there were things I didn't like (way more about teenage boys' dicks than I really needed), but this is Degrassi, so overall I thought it was pretty enjoyable for what it is.

[luckyroll3]

7 hours ago, galax-arena said:

I've never really cared about Winston one way or the other, but it's kinda sad that Hunter's dick had a bigger storyline than he did this season.

LMAO.  So wrong, but so true.  I can only even remember seeing Winston 3 times this season.  At least they didn't just disappear him like some of the others....I'd call that a win.

[Scarlett45]

Things I liked about this season: Yale & Lola's friendship,  Lola herself- from her abortion storyline to how she felt as the only "single one" she's become a well rounded character. 

Things I wish they had done better: Syrian students- more please! Maya's reaction to the bus crash- I felt like she was phoning it in when she was on screen. 

[SimoneS]

On 1/7/2017 at 0:47 PM, MegaJ said:

 Which is what happened, Maya wasn't really used a lot this first half and Tristan was in a coma and it looks like for season 4 they'll switch with Maya being incapacitated and Tristan attending classes.

I wonder if it isn't more likely there will be another time jump so that both Tristan and Maya will have recovered and be back in school in season 4 because

Spoiler

the producer said that the grade 12 students, Tristan, Maya, Miles, Zig, Winston, Zoe, Goldie, etc. are all graduating at the end of season 4.

[TheNewJanBrady]

I've always thought Goldi was gorgeous, but I've never seen the actress without the hijab before. When she took it off--wow. She looked like a stunning WOMAN (which isn't necessarily good for high-school show purposes, I guess!).

[Ikki]

Also, I have to say that play looked so, so not good. The most impressive thing about it seemed to be the tech work, not the acting and certainly not the writing. 

I know Esme is often terrible, but I have been here for that girl since she cut her own hair off in class, and I was extra here for her when she had no faith in that play.

[luckyroll3]

1 hour ago, TheNewJanBrady said:

I've always thought Goldi was gorgeous, but I've never seen the actress without the hijab before. When she took it off--wow. She looked like a stunning WOMAN (which isn't necessarily good for high-school show purposes, I guess!).

Same here.  She freaking stopped me in my tracks!  Good lord she's absolutely beautiful!  And yes, without the hijab she looked like a grown woman, not a teenager.

[SimoneS]

1 hour ago, Ikki said:

Also, I have to say that play looked so, so not good. The most impressive thing about it seemed to be the tech work, not the acting and certainly not the writing. 

You are being kind. I thought it was the worse Degrassi play ever; the dialogue, acting, the insertion of social media, and stories around it. I have never been a big fan of Degrassi's plays, but my favorite is "Romeo and Jules." I loved the songs, costumes, and all the stories around it, especially standing against homophobia. Miles' play was dreck in comparison.

[galax-arena]

You know, from what I've seen online, Eric Osborne seems like a sensible bloke. I kept wondering how he managed to keep a straight face while filming his character's masterpiece. 

TBH, I think that a lot with respect to various Degrassi plots. What did Spencer Macpherson think when he found out that Hunter's two main stories this season involved measuring his dick and popping a boner? I guess if you're an actor, you're used to embarrassing plotlines... 

Edited January 10, 2017 by galax-arena

[Bubbles]

On 2017-01-06 at 11:23 AM, SimoneS said:

I liked Lola's abortion story, but I don't get why she couldn't use the abortion pill.

That's actually fairly realistic for the Canadian setting. The abortion pill only recently became available in Canada and there are a lot of restrictions on it. Also, provincial health plans don't cover it whereas they do cover surgical abortions. 

[SimoneS]

12 hours ago, Bubbles said:

That's actually fairly realistic for the Canadian setting. The abortion pill only recently became available in Canada and there are a lot of restrictions on it. Also, provincial health plans don't cover it whereas they do cover surgical abortions. 

Thanks for the info. It explains why Lola had a surgical abortion. Hopefully, the abortion will pill will be made more widely available in Canada so Degrassi can use it the next time that it does an abortion story.

Edited January 10, 2017 by SimoneS

[Chairperson Meow]

So, what is with Tristian's face?  It looked super plastic.   Like he wasn't real.  I did love that Katie showed up.  I did like the call backs to Cam.  I thought Maya would collapse in whatever the greenhouse is now.  I still can't stand Grace.   She's more annoying every year.  

[Ikki]

55 minutes ago, Falafel said:

P.S. Who wants to start a charity so we can buy Zig some sleeves?

 

(From another thread but thought it would be better replied to here.) I was going to say that I could see Esme starting that charity if not for their relationship. But imagine if when they break up (which, Degrassi, so they will), she goes ahead and starts that charity.

[Akenta]

I enjoyed this season.  I just wished all the episodes were not bunched together in one topic (I don't binge watch and can't remember all the things I wanted to comment on at the beginning).

One thing I've noticed with Degrassi is they don't have any characters stay unlikable.  They all have character growth for the better.  When they introduced Esme, you knew her character would change the most.  It's still only about halfway there, but I expect her for be a favorite before she graduates.

With the first episode I was surprised how much different and older all the characters look.

In one of the episodes, it was mentioned that Zig had a brother.  I don't remember seeing him, but will he be part of the school in the future.

I was happy to see Katie, but really expected to see Owen.

The whole coma story was interesting and I wished they gave more information on that.  Locally, we had a girl here was in a car accident on the day she way supposed to graduate high school.  She's still in a coma but reading about her progress on facebook I didn't realize there were so many levels a person can be in.

Looking forward to the next season.

[absnow54]

(From another thread but thought it would be better replied to here.) I was going to say that I could see Esme starting that charity if not for their relationship. But imagine if when they break up (which, Degrassi, so they will), she goes ahead and starts that charity.

Esme has been a good influence on him, since I think he was more consistently sleeved than the last few seasons.

[Chairperson Meow]

9 hours ago, Ikki said:

(From another thread but thought it would be better replied to here.) I was going to say that I could see Esme starting that charity if not for their relationship. But imagine if when they break up (which, Degrassi, so they will), she goes ahead and starts that charity.

We need a hero on this show.  I really like Esme.  she's like Holly J or Paige, but you know she won't get the Degrassi redemption  story,  so it's better.

[Rebecca]

Maya looks really different facially this season..almost like she had work done but I guess it's just the actress maturing? Hopefully, anyway. Very odd her friends didn't seem that struck by what she did and were all, everything great now, k bye at the ER. They rarely bring siblings back and they pick Katie? Zzzz. 

I was really impressed that they showed the abortion procedure with no "fanfare" ... excellent for girls to see. I thought the doctor was great. I still don't have much of an opinion on Lola herself. 

The Hollingsworths sure are an intense bunch. Frankie needs to be single. Yael is made to be so perfect she doesn't seem like a real teen girl. 

Shay is probably the best "newer" cast member, imo. I like Rasha too.

[paulvdb]

Not surprised that Katie would be the sibling they bring back. To me Katie and Maya always felt like the closest sibling relationship on Degrassi. Some siblings got so little screentime together that it always took me a minute to remember that they were siblings on the rare occasions that they were together, for example Toby/Ashley and Tristan/Owen. I had forgotten that Owen was Tristan's brother until I read a post on here saying that Owen should have visited Tristan in the hospital.

[absnow54]

I give them a pass because Toby and Ashley became step siblings when they were in middle school/high school, and I guess they never really went through anything where the other's absence was noticeable (I feel like the biggest thing to happen to Toby was JTs death, and Ashley was around for that.) I definitely feel like Owen was only made to be Tristan's brother as a last minute effort to develop his character without Anya. He was just an irrelevant side character/bully who happened to have chemistry Samantha Munro, and making him Tristan's brother showed a more sympathetic side after the way he treated Adam earlier in the series.

The most glaring sibling absence will always be Darcy, who missed her mother's wedding and then never came to visit her sister when she had cancer. Like, at least show Clare having a one sided conversation on the phone every now and then.

I feel like bringing Katie back was just to justify their casting of Olivia Scriven as her little sister, because although I thought they looked nothing a like in seasons 11 and 12, they really look like sisters now.

[aradia22]

Episode 1. They did something to Hunter's hair. It used to be a little unkempt but in a way that still looked good. It's not just longer now. It has a slightly greasy, lanky vibe. It reminds me of the descriptions of Snape in the Harry Potter books. I think it fits his character before. Before he was still too cute. He reminded me of a little version of Declan.

Syrian refugees, safe spaces, triggering... they're jumping in quickly. 

It was good that the kiss-in only lasted a few minutes. It wouldn't have made any sense for the school to tolerate that as a form of protest. I know it's more trouble to hire adults but I miss when there were more teachers and parents. It would be one thing if they were in college and even then, I don't know if they would be able stage that protest inside the school. Holding hands or something is one thing. Making out inside the school? Calm down, Degrassi.

They teach Law in Grade 11???

I'm pretty sure I hate Vijay's character. Has he ever been anything but the worst?

[aradia22]

Episode 2. I kind of see where Zig and Esme would be a good fit. I mean, not really because all we've ever seen is her having serious issues and not dealing with them and leading other people into bad behavior. But they're kind of opposites. He presents as more intimidating but is a bit of softy. Whereas her conservative appearance masks all the drug use and sexual behavior. And I think it might be good to have a couple on screen again who has sex and it's just... fine. I wasn't so crazy about everyone judging Esme. I mean, yes, Esme has issues. But they were speaking in generalities like any girl who indulges in sexual behavior in a risque way is "damaged." It would have been nice if someone other than Zig had been a voice to speak up for her. Maya chiming in at the end was weird but at least someone finally defended Esme. That said, I'm not sure I should feel good about Zig and Esme bonding over the ways the bad/complicated things that have happened in their lives. 

Wouldn't it have been easier if they just added Lola to their channel in the beginning instead of making Yael do all of that? Since they brought her in as a "consultant" I'm not sure why the guys never considered that. Also, I'm not sure how many youtube gurus look like mini Real Housewives.

Wait, they're studying law but also still doing basic trigonometry?

What was with Maya's furry vest? I guess they wanted her to have a 60's/70's rock look? She looked like she skinned a yak... or a very cheap carpet.

Wow. Maya's counseling session was really unhelpful if she was actually struggling with some sort of emotional imbalance. With the bathtub scene at the end, I anticipate doing a terrible job with this plot.