2x01/02 When Doves Cry

Welcome to a new season and new school year of Degrassi. Emma and co are now in grade eight while Ashley and co are in grade nine…..what does this mean? Are we going to have a split narrative between Junior High and High School? Is one teen group going to fade into obscurity? Well this question will be answered quite early in my almost two pages had written episode notes however first let up meet a new character who this episode and many an arch for the next three seasons will be about.

The episode opens with Emma and Joey’s daughter Angie playing in the fountains in the park as a teen boy is hiding in the distance taking photos of them. Before you wonder this guy is not a stalker but the new character mentioned above. His name is Craig and the following scene he arrives home and his father is going off on the fact that he was supposed to be home by six. Craig apologizes however soon his dad flips out smashing dishes in the process.

WHATEVER IT TAKES….. (Same open but a few new scenes added to the sequence)

Toby and JT now arrive at Degrassi saying how eighth grade was supposed to be their year to rule however now they are once more at the bottom of the food chain as the High School has moved in (see told you the question would be answered) However there is an upside. OLDER WOMEN!

Craig arrives at Degrassi on the first day telling his father he’ll get home on his own. As Emma and Manny first spot them they are in love. SPOILER ALERT Craig will end up with one of them down the road.

Jimmy and Spinner are upset that they are stuck at Degrassi for another four years while Craig bumps into Sean in the hallway all flusters.

In Kwan’s grade eight homeroom she explains that the choice to close down the High School was a last minute choice for the school board and there hadn’t been a contingency plan put in effect and to expect things to be a little crowded. Liberty wonders if there will be separate student council and announcements. This was supposed to be her year after all….she was going to take the reins from Ashley and run the school and now….

JT and Toby plan on sharing a locker due to the overcrowding and Emma and Manny predict that it’s going to not last and their friendship will be put in jeopardy. Honestly it’s been a while since I’ve watched earlier seasons but I do know down the line this season there is a plot about them and the locker so discovering yet another foreshadowing line made me smile.

Paige is walking down the hallway complaining to Terri and Hazel that she has a mullet and that it’ll cost $30 to get her hair fixed and her parents want her to clean the garage to get it. Ashley approaches her friends or shall I say former friends as Paige and Hazel give her a look and walk on while Terri tells her to give them time.

After school instead of going back home Craig goes to the park to watch Angie once more however this time he’s not all stalker-ish. Craig is letting her check out his camera and she tells him that her dad and her are visiting Mommy and asks if Craig wants to come. Craig says he can’t go and to not tell her father that he was there. Angie is called away by her sitter who asks who she was talking to. She replies her brother.

Toby shows JT he has created a computer system to match him up with an upperclassman and says Terri would be JT’s best match. Shaking his head JT says his sights are set on Paige.

Joey and Angie are visiting Julia’s grave and Angie lets it slip that she saw Craig earlier and it’s shown he is lurking once more watching on and taking pictures. Joey confronts him about it.

Now before we continue I just want to point out a great parallel between Craig and a current character one Eli Goldsworthy. While TPTB or at least TeenNick outright stated Eli is an expy of fraternal name twin Ellie whom we’ll meet in episode 2x04 I see him more as Crellie (Craig + Ellie)’s love child sent back from the future….Both Craig and Eli are bipolar (Craig’s diagnosed in season 4 and Eli in season 11) and both have a lost love one named Julia (Craig’s mom and Eli’s 1^st girlfriend) Also both have a similar style of leather jackets and skinny jeans….now if only Eli played guitar though that’s the part of Craig that has fallen to Craig/Sean/Spinner hybrid Zig Novak….

Back to the episode now.

Craig is in the darkroom when he’s called for dinner. The subject of Julia comes up before Craig’s dad Albert says Joey called and makes his bitterness that Julia left him a Surgeon for Joey a Used Car Salesman abundant.

JT approaches Paige the next day saying his wish is her command and Paige says she wishes JT was gone however he plans not to back down anytime soon.

Ashley is finishing up an ‘About Me’ speech and soon Craig is called upon and he gives a rather deep and ominous speech about if he were gone would anyone notice.  Kwan calls Heather to speak after Craig (Mention #4)

Emma and Manny talking about Craig and how come all the Hotties are in High School. Emma teasingly mentions they have Toby when he approaches taking them off guard as he looks over toward Emma. He asks if she remembers him and says when they were five their moms made them dance together. It then clicks and Emma introduces Manny to Joey’s step son and then invites him to her mother’s Birthday Party saying she’s babysitting Angie so she’ll be there.

Albert shows off at the car lot and gets into things with Joey telling him he knows Craig is sneaking around and wants it to stop.

Toby continues to insist to JT he’ll never go out with Paige however at the same time Hazel and Spinner coax her into dating JT on a dare….they’ll even pay the $30 for her haircut so she doesn’t have to work for it.

Craig, Emma, and Manny are with Angie at the party when Joey comes back from a botched blind date shocked to see Craig. He tells him that his dad said they can’t see each other and that he wishes things were different because he knows that Angie is Craig’s sister.

Craig leaves to go home to see his darkroom trashed. Albert shows up with Craig’s scrap book and then proceeds to beat him up…..repeatedly and graphically as the episode ends.

PART 2 begins with a recap during the cold opening leading into the theme….

…I KNOW I CAN MAKE IT THROUGH…..

Craig is getting ready for school as he looks at his bruised torso. Flash forward to Albert pulling up handing Craig a wad of cash telling him to buy a new camera before driving off.

JT still going on about Paige who comes up saying she wants a movie and a bite….his treat and to meet her at the mall at 5 that evening. JT is taken aback yet thrilled at the same time.

As a PA announcement about a dance echoes in the hall, Emma and Craig are talking about how he left the party and how his father won’t let him see Angie….well he can see Emma and she is babysitting yet again and if the two are hanging out and Angie just happens to be there…..well Craig can just play dumb now can he. Angie wants to go to the park but Emma has homework so Craig goes with her…..and with that the plan is broken because Craig is with Angie but Emma is nowhere to be seen. Craig and Angie play in the park and Craig tells Angie he was bitten by a dinosaur when she asks about the bruise and then asks her if she wants to go someplace. Joey is home early to see Emma there no Angie….she tells him how Craig took her and he’s pissed off.

Paige meets JT at the mall fashionably late but still there. JT gives her a stuffed bear and they go into the theater.

Joey shows up at the park to no Craig and Angie. This is because they are across the way buying ice cream. Angie sees Craig’s money and is impressed and Craig asks if she wants to run away to British Columbia. Shortly after Joey shows up and Angie asks if daddy can come to British Columbia too. Joey is angry that Craig would think to run off with Angie and despite Craig saying he was kidding which he clearly wasn’t Joey tells Craig to stay away once more.

Craig comes home and Albert asks if Craig got a camera and he says not yet. Then Joey calls and Craig can tell he’s going to get it. Locking himself in his room, Craig packs a bag and calls Sean to meet with him before climbing out the window as his father beats down the door.

JT and Paige go out and they tell jokes and are having a genuinely good time that is until Hazel and Spinner show up asking if it was worth the money they paid her to do this. JT is crushed.

Craig and Sean hang by the train tracks and Craig says how he wants to run away. Sean brings up that earlier he was asked if he was ever hit and asks if Craig was. Then a train comes and Craig decided to play chicken and jump in front of it…He jumps or is pulled back by Sean I couldn’t tell at the last second.

Sean and Emma run to Joey’s telling him about what happened at the Tracks and how Craig is in trouble and wants to run away or worse because of what Albert’s doing. Joey says those are strong accusations but then Angie brings up the ‘dinosaur bites’. Emma stays while Sean and Joey go looking and eventually find Craig at Julia’s grave. Craig asks where he’s going to go home where his dad hits him?

Paige apologizes for deceiving JT and admits she had fun for real and if he wasn’t an underclassman as she too was dating up then maybe she’d consider dating him. Kissing him on the cheek, JT soon hands her the bear that she left at the mall after the date.

Joey drives Craig to Albert’s to get his things and as his dad prods him to stay Craig basically says there are three ways we can do this…. One I call and report you….two you let me go to Joey’s and get help willingly….or three I stay here and take your abuse….and while nothing was said I’m sure in Craig’s mind he was thinking that if option C was picked he’d also be contemplating suicide. Option B thankfully is picked and the episode ends with Craig riding off to Joey’s.