13x01/02 Summertime

The season opens with shots of the school and a marque announcing the Summer Day Camp the school will be running. Maya and Tristan eagerly race up the steps so glad to be on campus despite it being Summer break and they are excited. It’s going to be the BEST SUMMER EVER as they are planning on spending the next two months in Paris. Upon entering the school Maya literally runs into Miles who is in the office with Winston and upon seeing her heart eyes Tristan informs her that Tori’s family has moved away and she’s his new hag….er Bestie so no boys for her.

They arrive in the French classroom for a final meeting about the trip where we see Alli, Conner, and Jenna are also in attendance. Madame says two people are missing and Alli says how Clare has an appointment so she’s taking notes for her and soon another person arrives in the form of West Drive star Zoe Rivas. Tristan is fanboying saying she’s amazeballs and upon introducing himself to her and finding out she along with the cast is fans of his fan blog Tristan declares he’s making Zoe his new BFF and  says they can all be friends. Zoe invites Tristan (and Maya she guesses) to a concert. Tristan is in but reminds Maya about her super early curfew.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (the opening credits we’ve had since season 8 are gone and are replaced with a shortened version of the theme song and a title card that looks like it was created in windows movie maker….it’s horrible and prayer circle we get the old sequins back next season)

Clare, Jenna and Alli are doing some last minute shopping for Paris. Clare is checking her phone waiting to hear if indeed she is suffering from the big C while Alli enlists her friends to be wing women in the hopes of a Parisian Summer Love since she’s so over Dallas. Clare’s phone rings and Alli and Jenna ask how she and Eli keep things interesting and after reading Eli’s text asking if she’s seen the latest episode of Mad Men they plant the seeds in her head to spice things up causing her to take a photo of a mannequin in the lingerie shops window and send it to him.

The Matlins are sitting having ice cream for the last time as Katie’s about to head out for her summer job and then University ultimately being black-holed, like seriously she’s never mentioned again with all the drama that happens to Maya who herself is about to leave for Paris. Margaret is reading over a check list while Katie is taking photos when Maya asks about the concert. She’s worried that Zoe will swipe Tristan as her friend and other people are going. Margaret says fine but her curfew is still ten o’clock though Katie convinces Margaret to change it to 11:30 instead.

Back at Degrassi and still the same day Simpson is talking to incumbent president Drew about his responsibilities in running the Summer Day Camp as fellow second year senior to be Imogen shows up as councilor orientation begins. She tells Adam at least there is one cool person there, two if she counts herself. Adam is upset cause Becky is going to Florida for the Summer and it’s implied that after  all that went down in Time of My Life her and Fiona are done. Imogen tells Adam that they can be friends over the summer to help him quell the loneliness he will feel in missing his girlfriend.

It’s that evening and Clare is home calling Eli who is in New York working as a production assistant and is busy. She asks if he got the picture and tells him that she misses him and that they should try something new….like Skype sex and so they set a time.

Zoe, Tristan, and Maya are waiting to go into the show and Tristian is fawning over Zoe who is telling her all about the West Drive cast and her glamorous lifestyle. She tells them being with her they don’t have to wait yet while Tristan and Zoe do get in Maya is stopped cause the show is 13 and over (Maya is 14) and Tristan and Zoe won’t vouch for her leading her to walk around to the back ally where she plans to sneak in as a pizza girl. Miles is sitting on the buildings fire escape smoking and laughing at her attempt. He was at the school enrolling for September and they banter a bit before he tells her he can get her in and shows her a backstage pass. He offers her a drag but she refuses and they make proper introductions.

The Summer kick off concert begins as Maya, Miles, Zoe and Tristan make their way backstage. Maya is thinking this is going to be the most exciting summer ever while all Tristan can think about is how he’s spending it with Zoe despite MAYA being the one to get her backstage. Tristan teases that Maya is always chasing after some guy and how last year she’d been stringing two guys along. Maya outs the fact that Zoe was leaving off the show and they start to fight which leads to water being spilled on the power grid. They are then escorted off the premise because of this and the fact that Miles was NOT with the band.

Clare and Eli are now on Skype and Clare shows Eli the new sext bra she just bought. Eli doesn’t know what should happen next and Clare says she can take off her pants and Eli should take something off too however before they can Helen calls Clare saying she needs to talk to her cause the hospital called. Clare says she’ll be right back and for Eli not to worry.

The concert is going on despite the power snafu as Imogen asks Becky about her summer lifeguarding in Florida. Becky admits she’ll be working with all guys and how things will be tempting. Becky says Imogen will also be around allot of boys and when Imogen says Adam is the only one worthwhile Becky asks if she’s still into girls. Imogen admits she’s open minded and Becky tells her to open her mind and stay far away from her boyfriend. Adam returns to the girls and Becky instantly plants a kiss on his lips before taking him away.

Some foreboding music plays as Helen tells Clare the heartbreaking news that yes, she’s got cancer. There is no dialogue but the visuals say it all.

Mr. Hollingsworth shows up to bale the kids out. Its 11:15 and Maya is pushing it to be home in time. Tristan and Maya fight more about Zoey and the prospect of Maya ditching him for guys before Miles gives Maya his credit card for a cab.

Clare finally comes back to her room to see a naked Eli on camera waiting. She asks to take a rain check because she has to tell him something serious. She has cancer. Eli wants to head home ASAP to be by her side and she tells him that he shouldn’t need to quit his job to sit with her and she’d be mad if he came. He tells her he loves her and she tells him she knows and she’ll be okay.

Maya comes in 20 minutes late and smelling like marijuana (which was second hand from Miles) She doesn’t think Maya is responsible to go to Paris however Maya tells her that she has to go cause her only friend in the world is going (because Zig was AWOL for the first chunk of the season but don’t worry he comes back in spades later on) Maya tells her mother she hates her before storming off. Katie tells her that she was being harsh to their mom. Its revealed Katie never even had a curfew to be late for and then Maya brings up the pain pill addiction her sister had before Katie tables their conversation for the morning however Maya doesn’t plan on being there as she storms out.

The following day Camp is about to begin as Drew and Dallas are setting things up when they come across a kissing Adam and Becky. Becky is about to leave and they want to make the most of things. Imogen walks by causing Becky to give her a look before telling Adam to promise her that he’ll stay away from Imogen and be fateful.

Clare arrives at the hospital for her six weeks of in-patient chemotherapy trying to make some light about her situation when reality she’s scared to death as we see in a short montage of her in the hospital bathroom changing into her gown and looking at her reflection as she pulls her hair back off her face picturing herself without it.

Katie calls Maya’s cell worried about her whereabouts. Maya tells her she slept over at Tristian’s while Katie says being rogue won’t help her case. She’s indeed with Tristan at the Dot who tells Maya that it is unfair that she may not get to go on the trip. She goes to pay and Tristan sees that she has Miles’s card still and Mays says she should return it in person after all if her mom thinks she’s a bad ass she’ll be a bad ass.

Dallas comments how his son would have loved the camp if he wasn’t with his mother all summer. Adam then comes up to him and Drew saying he can’t be councilor for the Iguana group cause he can’t be with Imogen however Drew veto’s his want to change groups. Adam tells Imogen he can’t work with her because of Becky and that they need to talk to Drew again as a united front.

Maya arrives at the Hollingsworth mansion her face lighting up like a kid in a candy story. Miles Jr directs Maya to where his son is at the bar stealing booze and Maya hands him his card saying how she wants to be a bad ass like her mother thinks she is. Miles introduces Maya to ‘Chewy’ aka Winston Chu a fellow Degrassian and his best friend.

Clare is in bed and is told she needs to change out of her sweats and back into her gown even though it’s not comfortable.

Maya asks her two new friends just what kind of trouble they’ll get into as they stand on the balcony drinking while Miles Jr announces his mayoral candidacy. As he’s giving his speech, Maya drops a bottle over the side and Miles knows he’s going to get the brunt of things and he does as his father pulls him into the house. Winston assures Maya it will be over soon as the sounds of muffled screams and fighting can be heard. Miles says it’s the norm and that they should go for a swim because he can’t get into any more trouble as he dives into the pool in the middle of the party. Maya realizes then that he’s trouble and walks out.

The Iguana group does introductions and Imogen starts to act immature ignoring Adam and then mocking him as a rouse to get Drew to separate them. Drew tells them they need to behave or else Simpson will be pissed at him and so Drew sits in and takes over for the group.

Clare, still in the sweats calls Eli wanting to hear his voice but getting his voicemail. It just hit her how scared she was and she knows she told him not to come but she needs him there. As she’s crying in the phone Eli shows up saying he left as soon as she told him the news because he needed to be by her side. They embrace and she says she feels fine but everyone is telling her she’s not and she just doesn’t want to get worse.

Maya shows up back home with a bouquet of flowers and an apology to a frantic Margaret. She tells her mom she was such a bitch and she messed up and gets that she most likely won’t go on the trip.

Adam asks Imogen why she wouldn’t switch groups and she says how she doesn’t make friends easily and that she always screws up relationships first with Fiona now with him. Adam suggests they should be secret friends and co councilors.

Maya asks Katie if she’s done with her packing and Katie says yes before asking Maya if she’ll be okay without her. Maya says yes but admits how everyone always leaves, Katie, Tristan, Tori and how she wishes she wasn’t left behind. Margaret then comes into the room saying she and Maya’s dad talked and with the rough year Maya has had and how great an experience it is she can go.

Clare is getting hooked up to her machines while Eli sits by her side.

Everyone is on the bus and Conner and Jenna ask where Clare is. Alli tells them that she has cancer and if it was really serious then she’d of blown off the trip to be by her side. Madame then announces that Miles and Winston will now be going to Paris. Miles says his dad wanted him out of the country and Winston is his bodyguard. Zoe asks if Maya is with Miles and when Maya says no she says how it better stay that way.