12x29/30 the Time of My Life RECAP…..

I can’t believe it….we did it….we went full circle as the first thing posted aside from an intro post about my madding idea to rewatch and re-cap every episode was the postmortem for this episode when it aired back in June…..man time flies when we’re having fun….. As for what happens next…..while I don’t plan on starting a season 13 re-watch until after the completion of 13C at the latest I may go back and recap some of if not all the webisodes if the mood strikes me (if nothing else I’ll be commenting on the remainder of Dorm Life as episodes roll out) …..

Imogen and Eli are making their way toward the Prom venue to meet Fiona though Imogen seems more flustered than usual. Eli observes that she still hasn’t opened her final report card. She’s worried cause if she failed she will have to repeat senior year instead of going off to school with Fiona…..she failed. Fiona shows up and she hides her card as Fiona opens the door and reveals the venue all set up…..

WHATEVER IT TAKES (title card)

12x29/30 Las Vegas—RECAP

This episode was a one-off filler episode between the second and third block and was a nice stand-alone episode that took place over spring break. This is the third time if I’m not mistaken that there has been a Spring Break two parter….the other two times I can recall are Bust A Move (AKA Degrassi Spring Break) in season 7 and Spring Fever (Aka Boom Boom Pow) as the season eleven opener.

This episode opens as Fiona is orchestrating a rehearsal dinner of sorts with Drew and Bianca. Imogen and Adam are also there but are too preoccupied playing video games. Bianca asks Drew if he’s ready and he says he just has to get his suit….but there are two extra tickets and a part of him wants to invite his parents despite not approving of things…..um why didn’t you offer Owen or Dallas those tickets Drew….hmm….just saying.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (Title Card)

11x30/31 Nowhere To Run RECAP

In Canada I don’t know if it was called its original title ‘Bleeding Love’ or not. Anyway this stand-alone two part episode was meant as a bridge/filler between the summer novella and the back fourteen that hasn’t been set to air until the spring of this season. It was pegged by some as a Halloween episode and while it did air around Halloween time in Canada it didn’t air until mid-November stateside the first time that episodes didn’t sync up across North America since season 9. The feel of this episode is a bit weird and not cause it had the same ‘movie’ cinematography as Hollywood, Manhattan, Spring Fever, and season twelve’s Vegas. Also it was purely coincidental that this episode’s recap would be queued to post on Halloween (okay sure so I doubled up a few episodes to make it so but whatever)

Anyway it all begins on a dark and stormy night…..no seriously it does. Clare’s looking at a dress in her room and letting out a scream. Alli, back from her summer in Ottawa comments saying it’s not THAT bad as Clare brings up it’s not the dress it’s the fact that her mom’s getting married to her exes’ dad in the morning. Alli asks if she’s talked to Jake but he’s gone rogue all summer working as a counselor by his cabin. Clare admits she still has feelings for him but she needs to move on. The girls soon hear a foreboding notice and Alli thinks it’s coming from the closet. There is nothing in there but soon the lights flicker out and they see a mysterious shadow by the door. As the lights return Jake’s there and he wants to talk. He tells Clare he was just there to move things into his new room and he’ll see her at the wedding. Clare tells him the space he gave her was a good thing all things considered and tomorrow is a fresh start between them. Jake leaves the room leaning against the wall with a sigh as he opens up the box in his hand to reveal a bouquet of roses.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (in the initial air there was a special title sequence but here on the DVD we get the new season 11 part 2 sequence….. it’s a bit discombobulated cause it has a mix of old scenes and new which wouldn’t be so bad except the old scenes have students in the polo’s for the grades they were in last year sans Katie and Marisol who are in sport uniforms and Fiona who was retained while the new characters obviously have their new polo’s. It begins with the old Adam and Jake/Alli/Clare scenes, then a new scene with the new freshman Tristan, Maya, Tori, and Zig. Then the KC/Jenna/Ty scene despite them giving the baby up and being splitsville, Katie/Marisol, Imogen/Eli/Fiona, Conner/Wesley (despite Spencer not being on the show due to personal reasons then told they exhausted plots for Wesley and firing him), new scene with Mo and Miss Oh which is pretty much the same as the one with her and Sav in part A, Bianca/Simpson/Owen, and finally Dave and Drew)

11x01/2 Spring Fever AKA Boom Boom Pow—RECAP

While this episode is the season opener it was produced at the end of season ten….that said doesn’t expect to see any newbies. And don’t expect to see a new and improved opening title sequence either as this episode is produced on the DVD like the full length movie episodes were.

The episode opens with scenery porn of Toronto. It’s Spring Break. The Bhandari’s are painting walls, Drew, Bianca, KC, and Dave are out where a DJ is giving out KeKe Palmer tickets and Bianca does a dance to win them as Fiona is trying on swim suites. Bianca is taking Drew home before his curfew as some old buddy of hers, Anson starts to cat call her. He’s a nobody….a has been and she just wants to saver what time she has left with Drew.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (well a title card)

Degrassi Takes Manhattan RECAP

I don’t know if this set of episodes/movie had an alternative title or not for what for all intents and purposes would have been episodes 20-23 however it’s interesting to note that while it’s packaged with the season nine DVD (wrapping up the seniors plots by showing the graduation of Danny, Peter, Jane…) it also served as the launch of the first of three summer ‘Novella’s’ that Degrassi had (mainly setting up Fiona’s arch for the first few episodes of season ten) The movie also brings up the ship that shant be named in the Degrassi fandom though like I said looking back at ‘Holiday Road’ maybe it wasn’t so WTF that came out of nowhere after all. And speaking of the ship that shant be named this movie (so far) is the last appearance of any of the season one student cast sans a season eleven webisode appearance of Paige.

The film opens on a deserted and messy hallway, it’s the last day of school and the seniors are returning books and getting ready to blow the school forever. Spinner closes down the Dot for an hour and Jane, and Danny are pulling Sav out of his final class wile Peter is setting up equipment outside on a stage. The final bell rings and the band is playing an impromptu show.

Declan and Holly J meanwhile are in the lab counting down until New York and generally making out.

Clare comments asking how Alli could fit all her skimpy school cloths in her locker (which aren’t all that bad like I’ve noted in the past….though definitely not what her parental would approve of) she mentions someone is coming and Clare gets all blushy saying goodbye to Declan. Holly teases him asking if she’s going to stalk him to the city and he just laughs it off.

WHATEVER IT TAKES (well a title card comes up)

9x15/16 Why Can’t This Be Love--RECAP

AKA Promises Prom-Misses

As you can see this is another episode packaged with an alternative name at least stateside and also makes me once more question the wonderful world of Degrassi timeline….Okay so the graduating class of season 5 didn’t even have a prom episode and it just had graduation which seemed to be an afterthought to the relationship dramas at that. The class of season 7 had Prom then Graduation in the same episode, same as the class of season 12. Meanwhile the class of season 11a had Graduation first then Prom in the following episode….I’d like to assume it was due to the problems that had stemmed from Vegas Night that school year but who knows….. Anyway this season we’re now onto the Prom Episode (though they refer to it as the formal) HOWEVER there are three more regular episodes this season with graduation being no more than a five minute after thought in ‘Takes Manhattan’

Rant aside the episode opens with Sav opening his locker to a wave of confetti telling Anya that he’d be honored to go to the formal with him. She comments about how her parents want pictures of them both dressed up and would love his moms beautiful garden as a backdrop for photos. Sav doesn’t say anything and when she leaves he explains to Danny his conundrum. He told his parents he and Anya were done for good and so she can’t come over for formal photos. Danny comments saying when Anya finds this tidbit out it’s going to get messy.

WHATEVER IT TAKES

Degrassi Goes Hollywood:Recap

While I am tagging the previous episode as the season finale this movie can alternately be known as 8x19-22 Paradise City though for arguments sake I’m just going to list Danger Zone as the finale…. Anyway since this is two hours (probably about an hour and a half ish on the DVD since it’s without ad breaks) this may be lengthy. Also this is the first and for Ellie, and Craig last time you’ll see some older characters which have been absent since season seven (Marco appears next season while Paige appeared in a webisode during the back end of season eleven)

Anyway the movie begins with some scenery porn of California (I don’t remember if its location shots or stock footage but it’s stunning) Paige is on the phone with Marco gushing about her life as a Hollywood Stylist. He wants to visit but she tells him she’s swamped with clients….. though by client she really means a Diva starlet named Hailey who’s a part of the show ‘The Shores’ which is an inverse take on the Hills (despite Anya implying that the Hills is an actual show in-verse) to whom Paige acts as a personal assistant AkA glorified maid to. Hailey asks how her ‘acting’ is on the show and Paige tells her its reality TV. Hailey asks if she can help her with an outfit for some party…..for her dog. Paige picks up her cell and tells Marco….yea totally not the best time for a visit as the dog ends up taking a piss on her.

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

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.

12x39/40 The Time of My Life—postmortem