3x11/12 Holiday Recap

It’s right there on the tin. This is a Holiday episode Christmas to be more specific and this is one of the few times aside from a Thanksgiving Dinner gone wrong in season six and a Valentines Episode or two that we have such an episode. There have been a few Holiday themed webisodes including Halloween themed ‘Degrassi of the Dead’ ‘Curse of Degrassi’ and ‘Monster Moon’ and Christmas ones like ‘What if Jay Can’t be Happy’ as well as a Christmas Carol themed one that I believe was called ‘Ghosts of Degrassi’s Past’ but don’t quote me….

This is one of the first so called ‘Movie Special’ and is also going to be a looooooong one to recap since most of it’s about the Manny/Craig/Ashley triangle and the rest is mostly about Joey. I think there is a C plot but I don’t remember and so I’ll just have to watch and see.

The episode begins as Craig, Angela, and Joey are unloading a tree from their van where it then pans to the tree being decorated or almost decorated as the family as well as Joey’s girlfriend, Ashley, Caitlin, and the Simpson-Neilson’s are there decorating. While they are together Manny rings the house and asks if it’s a good time….then she replies oh she’s there and Craig lies to say Spinner we’ll talk later.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (though in some airings the song is cut and at the beginning it just flashes A Degrassi Holiday Special or something like that.

Back to the party Joey and Caitlin are talking….Caitlin is spending the day alone as she’s going to a spa as a Christmas bonus to herself. As they make a toast to Sydney who’d helped with the decorating and she kisses Joey its clear Caitlin is jealous. The following day at the Jeremiah home Joey proudly announces she found Angie’s lucky hair clips and is ready to go for her ice skating recital. Sydney can’t go due to work and plans to take Angie out Boxing Day shopping to make up for it. At the rink Angie is skating in the Nutcracker. Craig is taking pictures as he sits with Joey. We soon see Manny is the teacher/coach and as Caitlin shows up Craig excuses himself.

After the show Craig meets Manny in the lobby and they kiss. Craig invites Manny over after the show and soon Spinner shows up. Manny gets back to her class and Spinner confronts Craig…or rather commends him for being a stud being with Ashley who is like a fine champagne and Manny who is hot like ice cream but HOT. It seriously pisses me off the double standard that men can screw around and be studs while women are whores but I won’t rant.

Joey and Caitlin are hanging out at the house and Sydney shows up from work. It’s clear the latter is a bit jealous and put off by Joey’s ex flame being around.

Craig shows up in the garage where Manny’s waiting and they make out some more. Manny wants to give him an early Christmas gift…a scarf she made herself. She then tells Craig all she wants for Christmas is one thing….to dump Ashley and be all hers.

At school the next day they are getting ready for the Holiday around the World Pageant and Craig and Ashley are practicing a duet and Manny walks past shooting Craig daggers causing him to bust a string. Ashley asks what’s up and Craig says nothing.

Sydney stops by Caitlin’s office with Poinsettias and they have some girl talk and eventually asks for her to sit for Angie.

Jimmy is reading A Christmas Carol aloud in Kwan’s class as Craig sees Manny in the hall he excuses himself and Manny cry’s. She says she loves him and she thought they had a connecting and that she loves him way more than Ashley. Frankly I don’t think either girl belongs with Craig but that’s just because I’m biased to another Craig ship.

Angie and Caitlin are making clay figures. Joey got a pipe, Craig got a Guitar and she wanted to make something for Sydney. Then she goes upstairs to put on her skate costume and Craig comes home and soon begins to ask Caitlin for relationship advice….which you know had worked so well the last times she gave it out. She tells him love is about being with the right person.

Craig shows up not at Ashley’s but the ice rink where Manny is skating. He tells her he’s made a mistake and she’s the one and it’s always been her. I’d like to believe this especially since he did crush on her pre makeover in season two before declaring she was too immature but yea they are teenagers they don’t know what they want.

Joey and Sydney come home and see Angie and Caitlin sleeping. Sydney is mad Angie is wearing the costume because it was for her recital and not for seeing TV and getting food on. She’s not mad at Angie but she shoots Caitlin daggers. Then Joey and Caitlin end up kissing.

Craig shows up at Ashley’s and from Toby greeting him with Happy Hanukkah I’d assume he’s there to celebrate the holiday and light the menorah. Ashley greets him and asks if anything is alright. Craig says yes but that he needs to talk and Ashley tells him to wait and gives him her grandfather’s guitar that she was bequeathed. Craig can’t go through with it and tells Ashley he loves her and god why is this reminding me of the whole Bianca/Drew/Katie mess in ‘Come As You Are’.

The next day Hazel and Paige are comparing notes on their holidays and then the camera pans to Craig playing his guitar with Ashley. Manny walks by upset saying that she needs to finalize Craig’s make up for the tec rehearsal. Instead she confronts Craig saying that she was supposed to talk to Ashley and Craig says that he did break up he just left out details so Ashley would still sing with him promising Manny that next term things would be sorted out and they wouldn’t have to sneak around…….to be continued.

Craig and Spinner are at the mall and Spinner comments about who can believe how much you can buy for just a dollar and I’m LOLing thinking of celebrity Degrassi fan Shane Dawson and his recent 99cent store haul video. Spinner comments about how at least he didn’t spend $100 on a used top and Craig comments it was $80 for a vintage Ramones’s Tee for Ashley before buying a charm bracelet for Manny.

Caitlin sees Christine who is taking Jack to get his photo with Santa and tells her about how she kissed Joey. Christine tells her to write all her thoughts in a letter and then re-read it when things calm down. They get the photo back and Caitlin is blocking the baby.

I KNOW I CAN MAKE IT THROUGH

Caitlin is typing out her letter to Joey however instead of holding it to read over later she drops it into Joey’s mail slot instantly regretting it and begins to attempt to break into the house and ends up stuck in a window like Pooh in the honey tree claiming to Joey she lost her palm pilot and her life is on it. Joey and Angie head upstairs to look while Sydney knows something’s up.

Craig and Ashley are in the garage and Ashley’s cold. Craig goes to make her cocoa and she pulls up a blanket to wrap herself in. Under the blanket she finds Craig’s gifts the T shirt, a sweater, and the charm bracelet.

Sydney calls Caitlin out on her lie saying she knows Caitlin still has feelings for Joey as Craig picks up the letter. She snatches it from him and tearfully rips it up.

Terri gives Simpson a wig which is a gift from the grade ten class.

Joey shows up at Caitlin’s office and Caitlin gets a plane ticket to fly away for the holiday and they share a bittersweet moment.

Before the big show Craig gives Manny her Christmas present which is the sweater or was it a pashmina it’s hard to tell and the bracelet.

Liberty is giving the rundown of the program to Marco and we get the ninth Heather Sinclair mention of the series so far….first of the season. Ashley tells Manny she can’t believe she’s nervous and it must be because she’s singing with Craig. Manny tells her to separate her emotions and just let it go. She comments on the bracelet Manny is wearing and Manny tells her she got it from just a guy she’s been seeing for a while….just a guy. Ashley then sees the sweater/pashmina in her bag and asks if the guy was Craig. Manny says he didn’t want to tell her cause he didn’t want her to see he’s moved on so quickly. ‘Moved on’ Ashley questions before saying she and Craig are still together (but not for long)

The pageant begins and Toby is onstage finishing up his presentation when it’s soon Craig and Ashley’s time. Craig begins to sing however Ashley stays silent and then it’s the SLAP HEARD ROUND THE WORLD. Seriously if only YouTube and FaceRange and the like were around at this point that shit would be viral in no time. Ashley then confronts him about what he was doing sneaking around with Manny behind her back. Snatching her grandfather’s guitar she storms off. Craig asks Manny if she told her and Manny replies that no, Craig was stupid thinking he’d get away with it and drops the bracelet to the ground. Craig admits to Joey how he cheated on Ashley and how he screwed up. Joey tells him how he and Caitlin were engaged and he cheated on her and it’s his biggest regret and he can relate but Craig will get over it and be happy. Craig says like you’re happy and Caitlin’s happy and he calls Joey out on their sparks and that Sydney knows. Joey then asks Sydney if the other day she told Caitlin to leave and she admits it saying that it’s clear he loves her and asks for him to tell her there aren’t still feelings but there are and she leaves him. Like step-father like son. Caitlin is about to fly off when Joey calls just as she’s about to turn her phone off for takeoff. He tells her to look outside and he and the kids are waiting. He tells her that he wants to spend Christmas with her and it’s like an epic moment right out of Love Actually.