8x08/09 Lost In Love recap

This was originally aired in the states as a block opener and was billed as a ‘Valentines Special’ even though obviously in cannon the episode took place sometime mid-fall.

Jane and Danny arrive at school and its ‘Love Week’ Jane comments at how the school is decorated and Sav says he hopes to impress Anya. Jane says she’ll be solo because Spinner has to work and Alli comments that it must suck because her boyfriend won’t be around. Jane explains he’s saving up for the Police Academy (because you know on his aptitude test it did list Policeman alongside Clown and Lumberjack) and she plans to be pre law.

Spinner wakes up and finds a letter from the Academy on the table under a post it from his mom saying good luck. He doesn’t get in.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

7x24 We Built This City recap

Toby comments she thought Liberty would be studying for finals however she tells him she’s been busy with Prom and Grad plans. Speaking of plans he asks if she’s up for a post grad rededication of the ‘JT Yorke Memorial Zen Garden’ Miss H approved that the two of them, Emma and Manny can have a private get together after graduation. Damian buys tickets for Prom for him and Emma however he and Liberty end up flirting. She gets a phone call the school just won a radio contest and Natasha Beddingfield is playing at prom (and que Pocket Full of Sunshine)

WHATEVER IT TAKES (bye bye instrumental opening it was nice knowing you….wish you returned in season thirteen instead of the dreck we have now)

7x23 If This Is It recap

Jimmy and Spinner are in science class and they have a choice do the written test or do a physical project. Spinner needs to ace the test or he won’t pass the class and graduate. Jimmy asks if they can do the project together so Spinner can pass and its green lit. Oh and Spinner is getting his final test results after school about his cancer.

WHAEVER IT TAKES

7x19 Broken Wings recap

 Jimmy is having a flashback/dream sequence of him playing basketball out of the chair as he’s in the gym coaching the girls. He dismisses them and begins to shoot free throws as his parents show up at school. He’s gotten a letter in the mail and they couldn’t wait for him to open it. It’s from Hudson University and he’s been accepted into their pre law program. His dad comments about one day being law partners and his mom comments how it’s a dream come true…whose dream is yet to bee said.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

7x17 Talking In Your Sleep recap

Paige is humming at University House as she’s looking at paint swatches because things are going good and Andrea gave her a raise so she wants to redecorate Dylan’s old room. Ellie and Marco are eh but Griffin is down for it. Marco and Ellie finally say okay to painting and Griffin asks Paige if she’s still up for the bed thing. No not sex though Paige seems to want it. Griffin is just taking her furniture shopping at IKEA.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

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

7x05/6 Death or Glory||recap

The café is still crowded due to the merger. Jimmy asks why they are all chaotic all the time. Spinner doesn’t know there are perks about Lakehurst….. Like Jane. It’s Anarchy around school and they comment how they wish they had political spearheads like Rudy Giuliani or George W Bush to help with the chaos. You can tell this and past seasons where people like Bush were brought up over whoever the Prime Minister or President or whoever is in charge of Canada that the show is beginning to skew more into being Americanized which both has it’s perks and it’s downfalls but we won’t go into that topic unless any readers wish to discuss in comments. Anyway Spinner decides to take matters into his own hands and steps in between Bruce, Johnny, and Lucas telling them how he’d like them to stop. Johnny throws a punch but Spinner’s super hero like reflexes grab the fist and he’s met with a rounding applause.

WHATEVER IT TAKERS

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

SEASON 7 CHARACTERS

6x16 Love My Way recap

Dylan is having a going away party at University House and Paige approaches Jimmy saying how she hears he’s looking for a marketing manager and she’s wondering if he’d hire her. As she’s talking to Jimmy, Spinner is longingly smiling at her. Across the room Ellie and Jesse are fighting yet again this time about how she doesn’t like dancing….(god I didn’t realize just how annoying this ship is….sigh) Alex shows up telling them Carla blew her off for pottery class and Paige smiles saying that at least she has someone there.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

6x13 If You Leave|| recap

The episode opens with the spirit squad having practice. They are good but it’s important to note that the male team members are now gone. They finish up and know they are going to win at finals. Emma tells Manny how this doesn’t feel right with JT only dying two weeks ago. She’s still on edge from it all and asks Manny out for coffee. Manny can’t cause she has an important date…not with new boyfriend Damian but with her mom as she thinks it’s about time she comes back home.

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…..

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

5x14 I Against I

There is a fair at the school for the various student activities to earn money for various endeavors. The Friendship Club has a dunk tank to earn money to feed starving children and Jimmy keeps knocking Spinner into the dunk tank to the point that Marco has to step in to stop telling Jimmy who is all ready to buy another ten dollars’ worth of balls that Spinner is shivering and wet and has had enough. Jimmy reluctantly stops.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

5x13 Together Forever--recap

 Craig and Ellie are lounging around in the garage and Craig is telling Ellie about what his dream car would be. Ellie teases him about it and he asks what her dream ride is when they win at the Northern Sound Showcase. They start getting all flirty with one another and seriously between you and me I personally see so much more chemistry between Jake/Stacy (Craig/Ellie) then I did between him and Cassie (Manny) and Melissa (Ashley) but that’s just one’s opinion. Joey arrives to tell Craig that Manny’s on the phone. Craig tells Joey to tell her he’s studying and Joey shakes his head. When he leaves Ellie tells Craig they really should be working on a History Project though Craig clearly doesn’t have school on the brain just being a rock star.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

5x10 Redemption Song-recap

Before I get into this episode I want to make a timeline rant. This is Toronto they have weather and if this episode is supposed to be a year after the shooting which presumably was in the late fall/early winter then why the heck are Darcy and the Friendship Club dressing all summery for their retreat…..

Like I said the episode opens as Darcy is bikini shopping for the retreat. Spinner makes his way into the fitting room and teases Darcy about giving Jesus a heart attack dressed like that. Jay shows up at the mall and runs into Spinner after this (I assume this is a different mall or Jay’s banishment from season three is null and void) and has some bro time with Spinner till Darcy shows up. Those two banter for a moment before Jay invites Spinner to a party at the ravine. Spinner is totally….possibly….not that into it.

WHATEVER IT TAKES