Past Seasons Talk: All Things Degrassi

[formerlyfreedom]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from all of Degrassi's seasons. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for current episode threads, character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[choclatechip45]

I recently watched some old episodes of TNG and a couple things stood out. 1) Manny was the best developed character and she was a really great friend to her classmates and Darcy. 2) Paige's shorthand lingo gets really bad in her later seasons and its gets even more grating when Alex develops it too. 3) They really should have fleshed out Marco's character arc in college and made him suffer depression. It would have made sense after the gambling and gay prostitution epiosdes. Plus it would have been interesting to see how Ellie and Paige would of have dealt with it since Marco was pretty much always there for them.

[love21]

Marco with depression would have been an interesting storyline. I also felt like after J.T.'s death they missed a perfect opportunity to give Toby a meaty storyline. His best friend died and then he lost his other closest friend on the show Rick two seasons earlier. I liked that they addressed Toby struggling and coming to terms in the season 7 premiere though.

[choclatechip45]

I always felt they did not give Toby a meaty storyline because the actor was not that great. The guy who played him was not awful, but there were some instances for example when Liberty comes over to the group  at the hospital to find out the status of JT the way he just plops a hug on her really takes me out of the scene. Speaking of Toby I hate the way he brought up JT to Liberty at the Prom/Graduation episode. I watched that episode recently and I wanted to slap him.

Edited May 15, 2014 by choclatechip45

[Chairperson Meow]

I wanted Toby/Holly J for real. I saw an old episode and.....I'll hate Emma forever, I think.

[luckyroll3]

I woke up to one of the 2010 Degrassi's this morning, the one where Adam get's thrown into the glass door when they find out he's transgender.  The elusive asian girl, you know the one who was a ballerina and was in the credits for about 3 seasons but never had a storyline besides that one random guy (who also disappeared I think) she dated.  What was the point of her character?  I just remember always seeing her in the credits and every time I would say, who is that?  And then she was no longer there.  I couldn't even tell you her name.  I hate when the show does that.

 

And I am very excited that the season starts back up tonight....I was going through Degrassi withdrawal!

Edited June 3, 2014 by luckyroll3

[love21]

The Leia character was supposed to be dominant, gossipy and a pathological liar, but the actress was really shy and inexperienced so they changed the characters personality for the actress. I saw that in an interview with the actress.

[Chairperson Meow]

I remember that there was an episode where they were all at Peter's love shack and she lied that she knew Fallout Boy. She dated Danny, brother of Liberty. Nicknamed Webster by Manny. Beat up JT in an epic nerd fight upon learning Liberty was pregnant.

Now there's a character with awesome history. Can't they age the JT/Liberty baby and have him come back.

[PinkSprinkles]

I remember back when TeenNick was The-N (and far more awesome) and everyone hardcore hated Chante. No one could figure out how she was still at Degrassi when she was eventually featured. I mean, she had been in episodes dating back to (I think) when Paige was still at Degrassi and was still there after Manny/Toby et. al graduated even though it looked as though she was older than them. Ah, Degrassi black holes. <3 

[WhoaWhoKnew]

Yes! Chante was at degrassi back when Jimmy could walk. And I think she was in 10th grade then. She graduated in 2011 or something.

Edited June 18, 2014 by WhoaWhoKnew

[PinkSprinkles]

Any Eli and Adam non-fans? I always felt like the sole pink sprinkle on a donut when I brought up any fault with these two on TeenNick. I hope I'm not the only one that found these two insufferable at times. 

[omgsowicked]

I used to like Eli and Adam (OK, I was obsessed with Eli) but by the end of their run, I was just ready for them to go (with Adam, it was more because the actress seemed over it, and if the actor doesn't care, why should I?). I don't think Eli's officially gone yet, though, not while Clare's still on the show. Ugh, please don't bother with another dramatic reunion, I don't care about those two anymore.

 

And while I appreciate that Degrassi was more real on The N, I don't miss the censoring. The N used to blur posters in the background (which were about anti-racism and anti-bullying, I think) and refused to air several controversial episodes (Manny's abortion episode aired three years after Canada saw it). Maybe The N would have gotten with the times but that doesn't necessarily mean Degrassi wouldn't have become the glossy, drama-filled show it is today.

[luckyroll3]

I dislike Eli whenever he's paired with Clair, which is almost all the time he's been on the show.  Other than that, I think his character is great (if they kept him away from Clair).  

[Chairperson Meow]

The only time I liked Eli was during crazy play when he set the script on fire. Adam always annoyed me because the actor never cared.

[Slade347]

I was mostly indifferent with Adam, although I did enjoy his relationships with Dave and Drew as well as the courtship between him and Becky.

 

Eli? The only time I've ever enjoyed that bastard was when he was getting stoned with Jake and Mo.

[MaiSoCalled]

I always really liked the idea of Adam, but I never cared for the character. The only thing I found interesting was the story of a transgender teenager. But I never really cared for Adam's personality. I do appreciate that the show was willing to make Adam a flawed, and at times obnoxious character. I can't recall a time when I felt Adam was on a trans soapbox. At the end of the day, I can't tell you much about Adam other than he was trans, Drew's brother, Eli's friend, and occasionally a tool. Did he have defining interests or passions? That could have been an interesting story on its own - that Adam was so focused on being seen as male, he never learned who he was outside of that. 

 

I like what Adam brought to the show; the explorations of Fiona, Becky, and Imogen's different sexual preferences through the lens of Adam has been fascinating. But he will never make my top 10 Degrassi character list.

 

Eli might. He took over the show at times, but he has charisma. He and Clare worked well together, and I enjoyed them when they were together. I was less of a fan when they were apart. I also really liked Eli's friendship with Fiona. 

Edited July 8, 2014 by maraleia
FYI-changed term to transgender per standards of correct terminology

[love21]

I liked Adam somewhat but he wouldn't be on my top 10 favorites list either. The only storylines of his that really appealed to me are the transgender related ones like My Body Is A Cage and Cry Me A River. He didn't do enough interesting things otherwise, but I was starting to become interested in his character again with the Becky romance until they killed him off. One thing I liked about his character though is he kind of mingled with everybody. Best friends with Eclare, brother to Drew, good friends with Dave, had that one plot with Maya's group etc.

 

I really liked Eli. Had he left at the season 12 graduation I would have thought highly of him at the end of his run. What they've done with him this season doesn't erase what I liked about season 10-12, but they're making it easier not to miss him once his time on the show is up.

Edited July 5, 2014 by love21

[MaiSoCalled]

Has any character done well when kept after graduation? Spinner maybe, but anyone else? 

[meatball77]

Nope

 

If any of the actors are available it would be great for one of the former cast members to come back as a teacher.

[Daisy]

Marco was a degrassi teacher (only a Sub though). 

[choclatechip45]

I was watching some of the newer Degrassi episodes. I think the writers have done a better with the cast interacting naturally . I think its because some characters are siblings and it seems like they have been focusing on extracurricular activities. I feel like the death of Adam and Cam's episodes were much better than JT's episode. Even though I was more invested in JT because I saw his him grow up they just focused on the wrong people for his episode. The Toby/Liberty storyline was stupid and so was the Ellie/Ashley interview. At least it made sense for what Jimmy said because he was shot. It just seemed strange Ellie would do a story for a college paper, I understand the Degrassi connection, but we had not seen her in interact with JT in years. The only time I really broke down was during  the episode original grade 7 hug at the hospital, JT with Mia's daughter and Liberty breaking down. It just seemed off to me I felt more emotional after Adam and Cam's death when I barley knew either character.

Edited July 19, 2014 by choclatechip45

[meatball77]

I think the early seasons had kids grouped off, there were the popular kids and the nerdy ones (JT and Toby) and then the absurdity of them following the older kids to college.  The cast was huge.  Now everyone basically moves in the same circles which makes for more organic storytelling when there's a big event that effects everyone. 

 

When rewatching I figured what I really miss is the different levels of maturity that you see when there's a group of niners that's young and has young problems as compared with the older kids.  The young kid dating the older boy (Ali and Johnny for example)  The kids currently all seem the same age no matter what grade they're in.

[kristywoods]

One of my least favorite characters when she first arrived was Fiona Coyne. I grew to like her eventually. While driving in my car yesterday the song Fiona Coyne by Saint Pepsi came on. The dj said it's named after a Degrassi character. Weird. I am not sure if linking to you tube is allowed but you can see the video there.

Edited July 22, 2014 by kristywoods

[meatball77]

Well in her first season her character was all about how much she loved her brother.

 

I watched the episode where Claire is obsessed with writing vampire fan fiction about Drew, she even bit him.

[luckyroll3]

Her fanfic was about Declan, and that was one of the funniest episodes ever on Degrassi.  Declan was also super sweet to her when it was revealed.  Way too good for Clare.

[Guest]

I am not sure if linking to you tube is allowed but you can see the video there.

 

Linking to youtube is ok.  Also, when you copy the link, it should embed here automatically.  Directions are here.

[meatball77]

Any Eli and Adam non-fans? I always felt like the sole pink sprinkle on a donut when I brought up any fault with these two on TeenNick. I hope I'm not the only one that found these two insufferable at times. 

Adam was very badly cast.  The character would have been fantastic if they'd actually cast a transgender teen in the role.

 

I hated Eli, his woe is me from his first episode drove me nuts. 

[starri]

I loved the idea of Adam, and I've always thought Ramona Milana who plays Adam and Drew's mother is a goddess, but after a while, it really bothered me that they didn't try very hard to make Jordan Todosey look like a boy.  And while I never really cared for Eli, the immediate accepting and supporting friendship Adam formed with both Eli and Clare had me warm up on Clare a lot.

 

I get that the show is a melodrama and that part of what makes people watch is that not everyone always gets a happy ending, but to be perfectly honest, it's always really bothered me the way that the show's LGBT characters have exited.  Nothing quite so bad as just randomly killing off Adam because he couldn't get of HastyGram while he was driving, but after everything they went through to reunite Marco and Dylan, that was handled almost as an afterthought, Riley and Zane got denied a reconciliation even though they were perfectly set up for one, Fiona and Imogen was also too abrupt, and I was downright offended by what they did to Paige and Alex.

[Jonathan Seagull]

Responding to some discussion from the latest episode thread:

Weren't Riley and Anya a couple for a while?  I mean, I think the show had pretty much set up that he was gay and really in denial about it, but I remember them having a quasi-real relationship, as opposed to Ellie being Marco's beard

IIRC, Riley and Anya never really dated. I think he might have asked her out or something but she figured out pretty quickly that he's gay and they became friends. He tried to date Fiona when he was still more in denial and had anger issues, which made Fiona peace out.

So Riley did make attempts to date girls, but I'm pretty sure it was clear from the beginning that he was gay (or bisexual). I think the first Riley episode was the one where he kissed Peter.

 

To respond to some of the other discussion in the thread: I haaaaaaaaaaaaaated Eli when he was first introduced. Really hated. I thought they were trying way too hard with the character (He only wears black and red! To go with his his jet black hair and his hearse. Yes, a fucking hearse. And he totally listens to music that I'm sure the producers think is super hardcore! And he's deep and sensitive and poetic and eloquent!) It didn't help that Munro Chambers smirked his way through 80% of his dialogue in his first couple seasons. I really just wanted to punch Eli until maybe midway through Season 11.

 

Re: Adam. I was also a little disappointed that they just got a regular actress for the role. I can understand it being a little more difficult to find a trans actress at that age, but Jordan just didn't do it for me. I don't want to lay too much blame at her feet because she's young, and the show does have directors, but I just did not feel like there was much effort put into making Adam believable, especially since about Season 12.

 

Re: Chantay. Yeah, I'm pretty sure she first showed up in, like, Season 4 (Yup). I kind of lost track of the show around Season 8, but when I started watching again I was like "Wait a second. That cannot be the same character." What's the math, there? She graduated in S11...was a junior in 8/9...sophomore in 6/7...freshman in 5...8th in 4. That's actually not as bad as I was thinking. I did like that she finally got her own plot before graduating, though.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Jonathan Seagull

[starri]

 

I just did not feel like there was much effort put into making Adam believable, especially since about Season 12.

Not to mention that their way of trying to make her look more like a boy was to put her in increasingly baggy clothing.  

 

As bad as Chante got it, Hazel got it worse.  There have been a few "Note: Poochie died" departures since then (see: KC, Tori), but aside from Hazel hiding that she was a Muslim, and sort of being the default girlfriend whenever one of the popular kids needed a romantic attachment, there was no point to her whatsoever.  What does it say that the most memorable thing about her is her "Who's gay?" when she interrupted a conversation between Paige and Dylan about Marco.

 

Did it ever bother anyone else the way the bitchy girls always ended up getting their rough edges filed off?  Paige, Holly J, Marisol, and now Zoe.  With Paige and Holly J it at least felt like character growth, and I think that might be happening with Zoe too (understandable, given what she's been through of late), but the show needs a love-to-hate girl.

[Jonathan Seagull]

I think that's actually a huge part of the show's modus operandi -- introducing an antagonistic character (bitchy girl, bully, whatever) and eventually making them sympathetic and likeable. I hated Zoe, and also had no doubt they would do the same thing with her. They did it with Paige, Alex, Jay, Johnny, Bianca, Holly J, Peter, Owen, arguably Marisol (I never really warmed up her), and even Spinner to a lesser extent. Not to mention people like Fiona and Imogen.

 

In fact, I was thinking the other day that I can literally only think of one character who was initially introduced as at least decent, and was later developed into a total asshole -- Derek. I'm not sure if something happened there, but in S8 they made him into a complete jerk and bully (remember that time he kicked Jane while she was down?) and then he disappeared halfway through the season.

 

Hazel is arguably the most famous example of a character being on the show long-term with almost nothing to do. Although Chantay was technically on the show longer, but not as a regular. Hazel did get that awesome B-plot where she was upset about Paige dating Alex. Her and Chantay at least got to graduate, though. I don't remember anything particularly wrong with what happened with KC -- sure, he was written out early (as in, before graduation), but he managed over 4 years on the show with fairly notable storylines, and he got a reasonably proper goodbye. Poor Tori just got put on a bus with quick line. Or Terri. Or Joey. Or Wesley. Watch out if your name ends with an "ee" sound, I guess.

Not to mention that their way of trying to make her look more like a boy was to put her in increasingly baggy clothing.  

I think the only time I bought it a little more was in Season 10/11 when they had the uniforms and his hair was pretty short.

[starri]

You know, I'd even forgotten Wesley was a character.  Like, it took me a minute to remember who you were talking about.

 

 

They did it with Paige, Alex, Jay, Johnny, Bianca, Holly J, Peter, Owen, arguably Marisol (I never really warmed up her), and even Spinner to a lesser extent. Not to mention people like Fiona and Imogen.

I think my bigger issue might be that in a few of those cases, particularly Paige and Zoe, they got on the redemption arc by being sexually assaulted.  I thought both of those were incredibly well-handled--especially given how the Steubenville aspects of Zoe's story were done so sensitively when the show is more often as subtle as a brick to the skull (and I think a lot of the credit for that should go to Ana Golja and Sarah Fisher), but it still kind of bothers me.

 

I honestly don't remember anything redemptive about Owen except for his obvious love for Tristan, and to be frank, until they teased this pairing of Tristan and Miles, I've actually not been all that fond of Tristan either.

[choclatechip45]

 

In fact, I was thinking the other day that I can literally only think of one character who was initially introduced as at least decent, and was later developed into a total asshole -- Derek. I'm not sure if something happened there, but in S8 they made him into a complete jerk and bully (remember that time he kicked Jane while she was down?) and then he disappeared halfway through the season.

Derek was an ass when they introduced him. Jimmy was supposed to mentor him and help with his basketball game and Derek said "I don't need help from a cripple". It wasn't until Jimmy beat him one-on-one he ended up being nice.

[Jonathan Seagull]

Heh, that's kind of an unwritten asterisk I mentally attach to the "at least decent" thing. Yes, he was an ass in his first episode. After that, though, he was pretty harmless (if immature). He tried to talk to Liberty about being adopted -- which I think she kind of freaked out about, but he meant well. Then there was that episode where we were obviously meant to be sympathetic to Derek when Perino* was getting all inappropriately in-your-face angry with Derek. I'm not saying he was ever super awesome or likeable, but he's the only character I know of that they intentionally made more of an antagonist jerk later on.

 

@starri - It always kind of bugged me that the show never actually confronted Owen's homophobia. Giving him Tristan as a brother was interesting, but I think it actually called more attention to it, for me. Of course, they never really did that with Jay, either, and he's one of my favorite characters. Owen's arc with Anya kind of showed him being a little more mature and responsible, IIRC, but I thought they wasted him after that. S12 would have been the ideal time to get into the character more, but he was almost entirely sidelined the whole season. I think there was potential in Owen that the show never really took advantage of. BTW, also not big on Tristan. I'm torn because on the one hand I think he's a very realistic character. But I really have a hard time thinking of attributes to the character that I actually like.

 

Also, I agree about the sexual assault thing. It's kind of manipulative (among other concerns), but like you said I think the show has handled it pretty well when they've done it.

 

*Holy crap, for years now I've been thinking that Perino's first appearance was when he was getting angryface with Derek in S6. I guess that's just his first really notable appearance (that I remember, at least), because apparently he's been on the show since S2. I had no idea.

Edited August 3, 2014 by Jonathan Seagull

[starri]

 

Owen's arc with Anya kind of showed him being a little more mature and responsible, IIRC, but I thought they wasted him after that

I'd actually completely forgotten about that arc, and yes, he did come across as the better of the two in that particular story.

 

But considering how out and out hateful he was to Zane, it was hard for me to like him even when they softened him a little.

 

Truthfully, most of the jock characters I can't get much past ambivalence toward.  My indifference to Drew is about as good as it gets.  Well, and Riley, but the football thing was really only to show his anger problems and how much he was NOT Marco.

 

Still, I think the nadir of those particular stories remains the Icehounds.  I think even the producers admitted that was a mistake.

[meatball77]

So there should be some major additions to the cast the second half of this season right?  Claire and friends are graduating (well, perhaps our babymamma won't be) and Maya/Zoe and friends are going to be Juniors.  Are there any kids going in the senior class?

 

And all the minorities are graduating.  They need to add some non-white kids.

[Jonathan Seagull]

I wouldn't be too surprised if they did something (baby or no) to keep Clare and Eli around past next season. Then again, if they let Emma and Spinner and Paige and Holly J go, they should be able to let those two go. Theoretically. But yeah, pretending for a moment that they won't find a way to keep people around, next season's graduation could be the biggest the show's ever done.

 

After S5 they kept following Paige, Marco, Ellie, and somewhat Alex (Hazel was the only real departure). After S7 they kept following Emma, Manny, Liberty, and Spinner (mostly losing Toby and Jimmy). S12 graduated a whole bunch of people, but I think this would edge it out in terms of long-running characters. They'd potentially be losing Clare (and maybe Eli with her), Alli, Connor, Jenna, Drew, Imogen, Becky, and Dallas. Wiki says Jack is also a senior, which surprises me a little.

 

Minus them, the cast is Maya, Tristan, Zig, Miles, Zoe, Winston, Grace, and Frankie. In terms of people of color, they could theoretically expand the roles of Zoe and Frankie's friend whose name I don't know, and Tiny, who left the gang with Zig.

 

I halfway wonder if they're holding off on introducing any Grade 11s so that they don't have to worry about another graduation for a few seasons. Having said that, they'll probably introduce 5 new juniors next season.

[PersonalSpace]

Minus them, the cast is Maya, Tristan, Zig, Miles, Zoe, Winston, Grace, and Frankie. In terms of people of color, they could theoretically expand the roles of Zoe and Frankie's friend whose name I don't know, and Tiny, who left the gang with Zig.

 

The name of Frankie and Zoë's friend is Keisha. According to Degrassi Wiki she's in grade 9, just like Frankie.

Edited August 5, 2014 by PersonalSpace

[galax-arena]

Re: Adam. I was also a little disappointed that they just got a regular actress for the role. I can understand it being a little more difficult to find a trans actress at that age, but Jordan just didn't do it for me.

Yeah, I feel like it would have been a great opportunity for an aspiring trans actor, who might not get very many chances in the industry otherwise. I’m sure the pool of trans actors is much more limited compared to the pool of cis actors, but if The Fosters managed with Tom Phelan as Cole, I don’t see what was stopping Degrassi, other than not wanting to put forth the effort to find someone. And while I liked Jordan on Life with Derek and thought she had her moments as Adam – although she seriously did stop giving a rat’s ass near the end – I don’t think she's such a singular gift that you could argue that the show cast based on talent only. 

[omgsowicked]

Yeah, I feel like it would have been a great opportunity for an aspiring trans actor, who might not get very many chances in the industry otherwise. I’m sure the pool of trans actors is much more limited compared to the pool of cis actors, but if The Fosters managed with Tom Phelan as Cole, I don’t see what was stopping Degrassi, other than not wanting to put forth the effort to find someone.

 

I think something to keep in mind is that, although it was only four years ago, it was groundbreaking to have a trans character on (teen) television. So while I agree that if they were to have another trans character on the show, they should hire a trans actor, I think at the time, it was just enough to have a trans character. Like, we have Tom Phelan on The Fosters now but I'm not sure that possibility existed a few years ago.

[Jonathan Seagull]

That's a good point, and I do admire the show for having a trans character in a fairly significant role for several years. The execution was flawed, but I'm happy they had him as a character.

 

Also, seeing my own quote above, I suddenly realize that I said "trans actress" when I meant actor, since obviously they would looking for a guy for Adam. I think I was still thinking in terms of Jordan as an actress. My bad.

[galax-arena]

Like, we have Tom Phelan on The Fosters now but I'm not sure that possibility existed a few years ago.

I don’t know…. IIRC, Tom Phelan was not a professional actor before being cast in The Fosters, just a regular high school kid. They found their way to the show when The Fosters sent out a wide net open casting call because they specifically wanted a trans actor for the role. I do get how the role of Adam was groundbreaking in and of itself, regardless of whether he was played by a trans actor or not, and I applauded Degrassi when it happened… but I do also believe that there were ordinary transgender high schoolers in Canada four years ago who would have jumped at the chance to play him. I am perhaps being unfair in implying that the Degrassi PTB were just being lazy in not looking for a trans actor; most likely it simply didn't occur to them, because they assumed like a lot of people that the pool was non-existent. (I might have assumed the same thing, I don't remember lol.) 

 

(Just as an aside, I’m using “they/their/them” pronouns because Tom has indicated on their tumblr that that is preferred, as they identify as non-binary trans.)

Edited August 5, 2014 by galax-arena

[Princess Sparkle]

After discovering that all of the seasons were on Amazon Prime, I decided to begin a rewatch from the beginning without all The N edits.  Woo boy, did I forget how much I HATED Emma right off the bat.  And I feel like perhaps the hair and costume people did too, because she was dressed....oddly early on.

[luckyroll3]

Remember the dolphin pants???

[meatball77]

They gave her horrible hair.  She was also written as annoying from the start.

[choclatechip45]

Miriam McDonald has recently said on instagram she was anorexic during the first season of Degrasi.

[Jonathan Seagull]

To be fair, I think Emma's annoyingness in the first couple of seasons was at least somewhat intentional, and meant to be sort of an endearing quirk. I was fine with it mostly. For me, S4 is where the show really started to lose Emma. Miriam had a noticeable growth spurt, and to be honest I think she started playing Emma differently. It seemed like there was an almost constant coyness or something.

 

In contrast, IMO S4 is where Manny starts to really come into her own as a likeable character.

 

In other news, after ignoring them for years, I've suddenly started watching the Degrassi Minis. Have you guys seen them? If not, they're generally 2-3 minute extras focused on certain characters. Some of them are what-ifs and other "just for fun" stuff, but others seem reasonably within continuity. Apparently they started in S5; I'm midway through S6's now. There was one taking place during S5 involving Sean, which was interesting since he wasn't on the actual show then.

 

They're also neat because some of them are based on character interaction that we didn't get much of during the show itself. One was Manny and Marco. The first one I actually saw, a 4-parter which seemed to take place just before Degrassi Goes Hollywood, was focused on Jay (with major parts for Spinner and Holly J and appearances from Jane, Blue, Sav, Anya, Peter, Mia, Clare, and KC). And Clare (remember, S8 Clare) calls Jay "old man," which made me laugh.

[Rick Kitchen]

I was reading the previously.tv thread for the upcoming Unauthorized Saved by the Bell movie, and saw that Dylan Everett, who played Cam, is playing Mark-Paul Goselaar in the SBtB movie.  So I went back to watch the Cam suicide and the episodes after that, and saw that Snake told Eli that he had found a guy who had committed suicide when he was Eli's age, and I didn't remember that, so I went back to look, and Snake found that a guy named Claude had committed suicide.  I didn't watch much of the episodes when Claude was on.  I guess he had a relationship with Caitlin?

[Quof]

Claude was a faux hipster who talked Caitlin into participating in a protest, or spraying graffiti on a polluting factory, or something like that.  Then he abandoned her when the police came.  

[meatball77]

The episode is late in the last season, you should watch it, it's so over the top.  He goes onstage for the talent show and reads this disturbing poem/monolog and then gets really upset when they say no.  Then he left a flower or something for Caitlin in her locker or sent her flowers or something with a note.  Plus, you get to see Joey and Snake wear giant hats using their bellies as mouths as they sing the only song their band wrote.