7x13/14-Bust A Move--recap

AkA Degrassi Spring Break.

Now we’re up to the part of the series where various episodes would be packaged/marketed as specials or movie events and at least stateside this episode is one of them.

Jay is at the garage filming an audition tape for Manny’s university interview. Jay wants to film a sex tape to tide him over while his ‘fiancé’ is off at university despite the fact that this little arrangement is supposed to be null and void the moment caps fly in the air…..or not…..

WHATEVER IT TAKES

7x12 Live to Tell--recap

Johnny, Bruce and Darcy are in detention. The boys are making comments about Miss H and Darcy comments oh they like older women that much be why they don’t have girlfriends to which the boys reply about how she still where’s her ring when she and Peter have ‘had sex’ since that’s the story the student body knows. Johnny and Bruce earn another week and Simpson gives Darcy time off for good behavior since it’s her last day. She gives Simpson a hug thanking him.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

7x07 We Got the Beat--recap

The episode opens with Manny (now back as a brunette) practicing dancing with her cousin. She’s practicing for her ‘Debut’ it’s a family tradition for her eighteenth birthday though she’d rather just hit up a karaoke club.  She’s told all the family will be there and that they give her money which will go to pay for university. Her dad says if she doesn’t want to waltz with her cousin he’d gladly step in and she shakes her head. Her cousin is fine.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

7x4 It’s Tricky—recap

I remember in a season one re-cap I’d gotten this episode title and season six’s Can’t Hardly Wait Confused. I think it’s because both had Jimmy/Ashley plots and to be honest with over 300 episodes sometimes titles just blur together.

Spinner is listening to Craig’s first album that dropped and I’m LOLing that the cover art is a season four gallery still. Toby comments how if Craig were still around the talent show line up wouldn’t suck and Emma points out how some of his songs are clearly about certain people. She’s The Ash (Ashley) Thong Girl Wrong Girl (Manny) Red Headed For Trouble (Ellie). He’d wrote all the songs in rehab except for My Window which Ashley says she wrote. Jimmy is giddy because he got a shout out in Craig’s liner notes….Ashley didn’t even though he used her music. Toby tells her he’s putting her up to play at the showcase.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

6x07 Working for the Weekend:

Darcy apologizes to Spinner for the breakup it was the right thing to do and she hopes they can still be friends.  Spinner seems sad that she’s saying this when didn’t HE break up with HER cause of the pictures….I mean I know it was just last episode and it’s been maybe a day, day in a half for me between viewing Eyes Without a Face and this but….yea.

So Spinner goes into Simpson’s class just squeaking by and there is a special guest. The guidance counselor is letting them know the results of their career aptitude tests are in. Jimmy got Criminal Lawyer while Ashley got Criminal Law. They talk about going to NYU for Law school and maybe opening up a practice together one day. Spinner’s isn’t as ambitions….his first choice career is Clown though for foreshadowing purpose it’s important to note his second choice is Police Officer and later on he does try to get into the academy.

WHATEVER IT TAKES…..

6x05/6 Eyes Without A Face--recap

I’m so glad I’m FINALLY up to this episode not so much cause of its content but this is the first appearance of any of the current season thirteen student cast members as we spot Clare Edwards who would be in grade eight unless she is younger here and was later SORASed to be a freshman in season eight (note this season and next are the same school year)

Speaking of the episode opens with Darcy and Spinner making out in the car as Spinner is dropping Darcy off. They are worried that her parents or worse Clare. Spinner comments how both sisters are saints. Darcy tells him Clare’s the saint (oh if only she knew how just a few years later Clare would be having Skype sex with her boyfriend….yea). Cut to Darcy being on her ‘MyRoom’ page and Baby!Clare asking her why she is addicted to her stupid blog that no one reads. The sisters have a sisterly moment where Darcy tells Clare she does have readers and Clare comments that it’s nice to know she has friends even if they are invisible.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

6x04 Can’t Hardly Wait—

 Way back in season one when I did re-caps I’d made reference to this episode though I think I’d said it was season seven’s ‘It’s Tricky’ with this plot. I think I got confused since both are rather Jimmy/Ashley heavy and while they did seem like a super couple of sorts I’ve never really liked them together.

Ashley shows up and looks at Jimmy who is drawing and hands him a new whistle as he’s the coach of the JV girl’s basketball team. She then starts to look at his work and sees little sketches like the one screen printed on his shirt (Marco saw the sketch and thought it would be a good design and it’s a nice foreshadow into how Jimmy mass markets later on) as well as a drawing of ex Hazel. Ashley asks when he’ll draw his current girlfriend and from the looks of things she wants him to if I may quote Titanic….Draw her like one of his French Girls replacing the heart of the ocean for his coach’s whistle.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

SEASON 6 CHARACTERS

5x18/19 High Fidelity

Wow time flies and we’re now at the end of another season….five down and seven more to go….well eight if you count season thirteen already in progress. Also fun fact…. Part two of this episode makes the hundredth episode can you believe we’ve gotten this far already….for the record as of this posting 322 episodes have aired (320 since I’ve actually typed this up and placed this post into the queue)…..

Manny and Emma ask why Darcy didn’t come into the Dot for coffee however Spinner shoos them away so he can have time with Darcy. Darcy tells Spinner she got a councilor job at bible camp and is going to miss Spinner all summer. He’s going to miss her too and they start to make out however before they get too far Darcy stops him telling him they made an abstinence vow to stay virgins till marriage…..virgin…yea Spinner is one of those.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

5x01/2 Venus--recap

A new season means a New Year, new looks, new characters and lots and lots of new drama including a highly memorable Degrassi moment at least to me.

It’s the end of summer and Emma and Manny are lying out at the local pool. Emma’s got her eye on Peter whose surround by a bevy of beautiful girls and as Manny whose been bitten by the acting bug is telling her friend she hopes that she gets a call back from the agent she sent her profile to Emma hopes Peter notices her. She worries that she’s got stomach rolls and flabby thighs which is massive foreshaddowment for later in the season and soon she explains to Manny how Peter is the first guy she’s liked since Sean. (I guess Chris is being ret-conned or the rebound guy means nothing to her) Emma can have the guys….Manny has one goal….fame.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (I believe it was the same theme music honestly wasn’t really paying attention. The Ashley/Craig and Jimmy/Spinner title cards have changed into a Craig/Jimmy one panning to Spinner who is awkwardly watching his ex-friends (Ashley is gone from the opening and from cannon until the finale) The Sean/Raditch scene has now become Peter/Miss H and there has been an added Jay/Alex scene promoting them to the main cast.

4x21/22 Going Down The Road--recap

This is an interesting episode because it just feels a bit disjoined from most of the narrative of the season as a whole.

The episode opens with Alanis, Jason, and Kevin in a scene from the movie. They call cut and Kevin starts to talk to Craig and Ashley. He asks why Craig isn’t working on his song and he says how he wants to spend time with Ashley before she heads off to England for the summer.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

4x20 West End Girls--recap

I am not going to go into the fact that I am a strong believer that if a show is lucky enough to make it to four seasons that it’s 20^th episode should at least have some pot reference going for it. While there is no weed in sight however this episode as well as the finale (and a season five outing and season eight movie) feature Degrassi super fan Kevin Smith as well as his stoner alter ego Silent Bob (along with Jason Mewes as ‘Jay’ from that franchise….)

The episode opens as the spirit squat is rehearsing for the year end assembly. They are doing Manny’s choreography and Paige steps up saying how she’s proud of things. She and Manny start to get into things verbally.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

4x16 Eye of the Tiger-recap

This episode opens up as Jimmy arrives back at Degrassi for the first time after the shooting. As he is being lowered off the handy-bus it looks as if the entire school is outside watching him. As this happens Jimmy’s eyes meet with Spinner.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

4x14/15 Secret--recap

This episode is another one that is on my favorites list. Just letting you guys know that.

The episode opens with it being rehearsals for Dracula. Jay is working on sets and comments that Emma is a bit tense and will snap in half if she doesn’t relax. There is a cue and she misses it.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

4x11/12 Voices Cary--recap

Craig and Ashley are kissing after school and Craig asks if he’s going to see her tomorrow. Ashley comments about how her dad’s wedding seems to be taking over her life. Now before I go on I once again need to just point out that this episode originally aired in Canada in Late 2004 and in the US in Early 2005. I do this because marriage equality is a major hot topic at least stateside at present and to have two gay males having a wedding (or rather a commitment ceremony but still) almost ten years ago on a show geared towards kids and teens is utterly progressive so snaps for Canada. Anyway Ashley is listing off her duties which include going to the airport….Craig comments he likes airports….people saying hellos goodbyes I love yous. Ashley smiles asking if he was saying it to her and he teases he only says it at airports. Their moment however is cut short as Kate arrives to pick Ashley up.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

4x10 Neutron Dance--recap

Downtown Sasquatch is having practice sans Jimmy and are sounding better though not the best. They have only three days to use the recording time and they wish Jimmy was there. Ashley is being all Yoko telling them they should sing Dust Aka the song Craig wrote as an apology to her at the battle of the bands.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

4x05 Anywhere I Lay My Head Recap

 Ellie has spent the night over Sean’s after falling asleep watching a bad movie. Ellie’s curfew is 11….PM not AM and she knows her mom is going to be upset. She asks if the ringer is off because she didn’t hear any calls and Sean comments that maybe her mom passed out drinking. Ellie doesn’t want to go there with him and as she leaves Sean asks her to move in.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

4x01/02 The Ghost In The Machine --recap

With a new season comes new character looks such as Spinner’s longer hair and Craig ditching the curls.

The season opens as Spinner, Paige, and Craig are at Joey’s car lot as Spinner is christening the new car he just purchased. Spinner and Paige then go for a ride and are talking about taking the car to the drive in for a date. Things are going all too perfect as they pull into Paige’s driveway and the cops pull up behind them. Worried that Spinner received a speeding ticket it turns out that the cops are there to serve Paige as it’s finally time for Dean’s trial after all these years.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (complete with new back-track and removal of Terri from the credits)

SEASON 4 CHARACTERS

3x22 The Power of Love--recap

As another season comes to a close we get an episode that like more modern episodes has an A-B-C format translation tons of shit goes down.

The episode begins with it being the last day of school and Simpson is watching the students emptying lockers. Jimmy is leaving to go to Basketball Camp in California over the summer though he wishes he didn’t have to as while it’s the best of the best when he signed up for it he didn’t have a girlfriend he’d have to leave behind for the next few months and so he is planning the perfect night for him and his friends complete with a limo and nice pre dance dinner. Meanwhile Paige is celebrating her yearlong banishment to the wasteland (remember episodes one and two?)

WHATEVER IT TAKES