14 x 11/12 FIRESTARTER

The episode opens as Frankie is reading over the draft of her father’s speech for a young voter’s conference. The siblings are chuckling at all the teen lingo peppered in and if you didn’t see any prior episodes you’d think they were a pretty normal family in the moment. Miles Sr comments that he should fire his assistant and hire Frankie. Said assistant shows up and in talking about current events the degrassi nude scandal comes up…daddy Hollingsworth is shocked and appalled. Miles tells Frankie she may have their father fooled but not him…he knows that she was a part of Degrassi nudes and she needs to find a scapegoat before it ruins their dad’s campaign.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

14x10 Hero Vs Villian

With their win at the Semi's, Power Cheer is practicing for the finals when Simpson comes in to speak to them. He asks if any of them have heard about Degrassi Nudes and that he's holding a school wide assembly to talk to the school about it. Playing dumb, Zoe offers to speak as she has had experience with nudes being distributed of her last season...er...semester. The squad is freaking out however Zoe is chill...they will WIN at Semi's and she knows Hunter won't out them by name as they will out his comic plus her speech will throw people off their sent after all she's a brilliant actress and she can work a room.

WHAEVER IT TAKES

14x08: Hush

Once again for the third episode in a row the sub plot is about how depressed Miles has become...and the character arch keeps dragging and dragging. The opening scene is Frankie and Hunter waking a sleeping and presumably stoned or hung over Miles saying that he needed to drive them to school. Frankie calls him out asking if he's moody cause Tristan is mad or hung over he says he's just tired. Miles Jr soon comes in and snaps at his eldest saying to get over it. He relents and gets up as Frankie grabs his stash of pot...she'll give it back if he promises not to light up until after they get to school.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

14x06: (You Drive Me) Crazy

The episode opens as Maya is having a nightmare of Miles jumping off the catwalk as his depression is reminiscent of Campbell her first boyfriend she couldn't save...though if by now you have seen next class season 3 (or to me season 16A) it makes for an interesting character study bullet point. Zig comes into her room and she tells him she's so anxious she hasn't had a full nights sleep in days and so Zig sings her a lullaby...badly to lighten the mood. She tells him that she needs to get her mind off of Miles and no, listening to Zig's complete works of Kanye West won't cover it.

WHAEVER IT TAKES

14x03 IF YOU COULD SEE

Winston is raising his eyes at Frankie who wants to 'Wax Drew's Chest' as a Power Cheer Fundraiser. She has a list of other ideas but Winston has only one idea to make out with her. He starts to unzip her jacket to get a glimpse of her cleavage after all he's a guy and they are programmed for boobs however while Frankie likes him she doesn't know if she's ready. They have been dating for one month two weeks and four days and she's not ready to round the bases especially when her parents could catch them in a compromising position. Winston then playfully removes his shirt and proceeds to hover over Frankie tickling her prompting Hunter to catch their moment of intimacy followed by Miles and then their mother. Frankie promises it's NOT what it looks like and Winston leaves. Mother tells Frankie no more boys in her room... Frankie asks WHY...after all she is fourteen and Miles has done way more. Mother says it's cause Miles can't get pregnant and Frankie says she can't either cause she doesn't plan on actually having sex.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

14x02 WISE UP

Hunter is quizzing Miles on traffic procedures as he's about to take his road test his mother comments that she wished he focused on his actual school work the way he is focused on this. Frankie then walks in saying that she'd be surprised if the dad lets him take it as she tosses him the daily paper. He did that interview with the reporter and to quote Frankie made their dad look 'like a Batman Villain Who Hates His Gay Son'. Daddy Hollingsworth walks in wanting to talk to Miles and the mom ushers out the twins embarrassingly calling them her 'peanuts'. Miles's dad tells him he's not going to school that day and hands him golf clubs...he has a day off and wants to spend a father son day...they can golf...miles can even drive and he accepts him gay...straight...whatever...

WHATEVER IT TAKES

14x01 Smells Like Teen Spirit

As promised I've pulled up the season on Youtube and have started to slowly but surely finish up my recap project as I want to be a competitionist damn it!

So all I remember from season 13 is that it was long and draggy and ended on the cliffhanger that our beloved Clare is preggers....

So the episode begins as the school is being evacuated due to a fire (why not...just why not the damn school is freaking cursed) and Miles and others are looking anxiously for Frankie...

HOWEVER we don't know if they find her yet as it flashes back to 10 weeks earlier and Becky is in front of the school which is still recovering from the hurricane damages (cursed I tell you!) handing out flyers for Power Cheer and to parallel the cold opening is also looking for Frankie who she hears is an ace tumbler. Drew comments that the school has a Cheer squad already however according to Becky this is not the same thing as Power Squad but it's an actual competitive sport. Zoe and Tristan show interest however Becky informs Tristan it's girls only. The underclassman head in the school as Alli and Dallas head out... it's the beginning on their final quarter of senior year...FINALLY. Alli is looking for Clare but she's MIA...she and Dallas leave and Drew tells Becky he's sure Clare doesn't care about them (I forgot Drecky were a thing for a moment) Becky however isn't being bummed about Clare knowing about them she's more worried cause Power Cheer is HER fresh start and if Zoe is on the team it will keep her from moving past the fact her brother raped the underclassman. Drew tells her to just not let Zoe join..as President he decrees their last term be awesome just as soon as he finds his VP. His VP AKA

Clare is in the ladies room suffering from a bout of morning sickness when Alli comes in...Alli asks if it's the Flu and Clare says she at a bad breakfast burrito...Alli teases saying is she sure it's not morning sickness and Clare all but admits she's knocked up...and it's most likely Drew's put she's getting an abortion she's already decided and picks up the phone to call the clinic... WHOA...again...a total 180 of her character from the early years.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (still what I affectionately call the power point opening...we get a full song again in Next Class though so there is that...)

13x33 My Hero|

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While the last episode had my DVR cutting off the last few moments this one cut off the entire cold open….so

WHATEVER IT TAKES

13x22/23 Unbelievable

I’m really hoping that this episode has taped as like I noted back when still doing postmortems this episode aired in the later timeslot of 10pm while my cable guide still listed it airing at 9pm and so I had to tape it when they did a TWEET peat a few nights later so I’m having to view the episode with pop ups and scrolling though I should still be able to recap this VERY SPECIAL Hour long two part episode.

It’s so special that before it airs we get a disclaimer of its graphic nature.

The episode opens as Zoe is waking up in the pool house as Frankie and Hunter arrive to bring her breakfast. She asks why she’s there and Frankie says it’s cause she drank too much at the party the night (and episode) before. She asks what she did and Frankie shows her some pictures of her dancing on tables and stripping.  Frankie comments how she guesses they aren’t singing at the winter WINTER WINTER (never giving up on that weather snark) talent show cause nobody would vote for them now however Zoe brings up how she fell off of a horse at a public event right into some crap and the next week she won a Teen Choice Award so she’s not dropping out after some stupid party.

WHAEVER IT TAKES

13x20 No Surprises

The episode opens in the Hollingsworth pool (insert another jibe about how Toronto has weather here) as he asks Maya to hop on in with him. Maya claims she has no suit and so he rips off his trunks and coaxes her into stripping down and skinny dipping which she actually does. Everything is fine until Miles’s dad shows up in the yard with his campaign manager (who side note is the woman who helped Clare back when Asher was harassing her which seems like a lifetime ago) Maya leaves and Mr. Hollingsworth tells his son that now isn’t the time for him to be cavorting with girls.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Season 13 Character List: