[PUBLIC] Degrassi 901/902: Just Can't Get Enough Parts 1 & 2
wow! It's that time again! It seems like oh so long ago since we left off with Danger Zone... Actually, watching this episode was rather surreal. I'm glad we got both parts at once. I think I'm going to like the show better in these hour long blocks. I have a lot of mixed feeling about this episode. I wasn't really disappointed, but it felt a lot different than season 8, so maybe that's whats confusing me.
Anway, on to the review! Starting off the season right by not posting this a week after the episode airs...
THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW, DON'T READ! (also this one is rather lengthy)
Degrassi Season 9 Opening Theme Notes:
Somehow the theme song sounds better to me when linked with the opening credits. It's not the best theme, but it doesn't make my ears bleed, so that's a start. The opening credits are mostly the same as last year, with Liberty (I can't believe she's gone ;_;), Derek, Mia, and Kelly removed. It turns out Bruce and Leia are still regulars just not important enough to get new promo photos. The photographer must have been low on film that day... I was disappointed they kept the Niners scene the same. It seems so outdated with the robot and Clare in her uniform. I would have rather seen them reshoot that. Declan and Fiona's scene was really cute. Also Jenna and Dave are in the same scene. I want interaction with them in the show. Now. I swear if this doesn't happen I will be forced to write AU fanfiction about them, so please writers don't bring me down like that!
Degrassi: The Next Generation 901/902: Just Can't Get Enough Parts 1 and 2
A-Plot Summary: Peter's life is falling apart. He's alone. He didn't get into the music class his friends are taking. And to top it off Mia decides to take a modelling job in Paris. Upset that Mia is leaving him, Peter decides he'll just go with her to Paris; but in order to fit into Mia's world, Peter takes Meth at a party. When his addiction gets out of control, it may end up costing him everything.
A-Plot Opinion: Alright, can I start off by saying THANK GOODNESS THAT PIA NONSENSE IS OVER!!!! Also Mia is gone! I feel like I should bake a cake or something to celebrate. This was the best move ever. Nina's doing great on The Vampire Diaries and I can already tell Degrassi will be 10 times better without worring when we have to sit through yet another Pia plot. I see the Degrassi writers wanted to prove they knew their fandom with Chante's Meter vs. Pia question. FYI Chante- It's Pia, that debate ended last season. I think this was the first time I could actually stand Peter and Mia's relationship. I can't help thinking that's because I knew it would be over by the end of the hour.
Mia's write off was better than the usual send offs. Strangely this pissed me off. I don't know why they make Alex and Darcy leave on such sour notes and send Mia off smelling like roses. And I can't believe Mia is leaving Izzy for five months... way to be a parent.
But I really liked the part where Peter called Mia selfish. <3
I actually felt bad for Peter. I think that says a lot right there. We really saw an extreme side to him. He was so insecure here. I didn't like that they went out of their way to dumb Peter down, it seemed a little OOC. Especially the way he was acting at the party. I found it strange that he couldn't handle being with that crowd. Some of the things he said just seemed to come out of nowhere. S5!Peter would have owned this situation. I almost felt second hand embarrassment for him when he sang his song at the party. But I did like the scene where he was talking to Fiona and Vicki. Although I can't believe Vicki had to tell him to take it to the bathroom. That's just Drug Using 101.
I really hope this is not the last time we see Meth!Peter, Jamie's acts high better than he does normal. Plus Meth!Peter was hilarious!
I was so glad there were Piley scenes! Way more than I was expecting. Riley is really a good friend to Peter. It filled my heart with glee that he (and Spin) stayed and took care of Peter when Danny and Sav left. I think it just proved how superficial the Sav/Peter and Danny/Peter friendships are (I barely consider Danny and Peter friends at all). Plus Riley was making a lot of sense even before then. He had a lot of good points, like really what was Peter going to do in Paris. That was such a stupid idea, I don't know what Peter was thinking or Mia either. Speaking of Sav, his hair's still long here, but better than the mullet he had going last season. I wonder when we'll see his new cut...
I have to give kudos to Degrassi though. They didn't really mess this one up. Everything seemed to flow very naturally. And they used Declan very effectively to show the dangers of meth. Using the website was nice because they were able to include the photos, and that conversation actually seemed to make sense.
My favorite scene was the science lab scene with Peter, Riley, and Johnny. Johnny had interaction with all kinds of people in this episode! He also made this scene pretty awesome. He stole Peter's MP3 player, blew up Peter's experiment, and caused Peter to throw himself on the ground- that's like a no effort take down! Even Riley laughed! Way to take advantage of your strung out classmates, Johnny. There was also a girl in this scene who looked a lot like Jamie Lynn Spears- just a random observation.
I really liked Declan and Fiona. I'm actually glad they were included in this plot. While other people thought so, I didn't think Declan was over the top; although some of his material could have been in the hands of another actor. For instance, Declan calling everyone Sir would have gotten on my nerves if Landon didn't say it in such an adorable way. Plus it's cool because you know it's really an insult (oh, the upper class...). My favorite was when he asked Peter if he had hooked up with Vicki, the look on his face was priceless. I'm so glad Landon got this part. I think he's going to be amazing! I don't have much of an opinion on Fiona yet, aside from I how much I want to raid her closet. But so far I think she'll be one of my favorites this season. I love all the red flags going up about Declan and Fiona's relationship. Peter thought they were dating, their own cousin was suggesting something was going on... Can't wait to see where that goes.
Declan and Fiona's mom was JOY TANNER!!! whoa! I was so surprised. I hope we get to see her again. Although every time she was on screen all I could think of was Gee, Nora cleans up nice...
B-Plot (part 1) Summary: Clare and Alli are BFF. But a new girl named Jenna threatens to ruin their relationship when she takes an interest in Clare.
B-Plot (part 1) Opinion: I think this plot was a little different than I thought it would be. Once again, it could just be because it's a new season. It seemed like the writers wanted you get the feeling Clare felt put down by Alli. I think that's why they had Alli make Clare hold her bag when she first saw her. I think that there is a certain amount of truth in that. But in this episode it seemed a little too exaggerated. I didn't like that Clare ignored Alli's call either. I hope that we'll be seeing the old Clare/Alli relationship again. I did like their exchange in the hallway though. I hate to admit it, but that had to be one of my favorite scenes from the episode. KC and Clare were holding hands, there was a bit of Jalli love, KC and Johnny actually noted each other's existence- what's not to love?
My original feelings about Jenna have not changed a bit after this episode. I think I am going to hate her. She is really fake, a lot more than I thought she'd be. She's also comes of as... I'm not really sure how to put this, but she seems like a slut. The dirty jokes, coming right out and admitting to being a boyfriend stealer, the way she talked about her old school being full of backstabbers... all signs of her true nature. I did kinda like when she called Holly J, Ms.J though. I can't wait to see more of their relationship!
They've already started to set up the Clare/KC/Jenna triangle. I think Clare actually messed up here when she said Jenna wasn't KC's type. It looks like Jenna may have taken that as a challenge. KC certainly seemed interested at the dance. I get the feeling that their hook up will be covered in one episode. Klare will probably break up in that episode and get back together after. This is probably more one sided than it seems since I don't think Jenna will be interested in KC for himself.
My favorite part of the B-plot was the hallway conversation between Alli and KC. This part actually made me laugh. Their faces were both just priceless. ("Not that I have one.") I'm glad we still get to see their friendship. And that KC's being more open about his life... well at least with Clare he is.
The Niners have changed a lot in the past year. Sam's haircut really suits him, and AJ had a late growth spirt. Melinda looked gorgeous as usual, and Aislinn seems to have really grown up since last year. And I'm loving her style this year (three cheers for cardigans!).
Best line of this plot: Alli- "When did our school become some bizarre, white version of FAME?"
I was thinking that same thing, Alli...
B-Plot (part 2) Summary: Things between Holly J and Blue seem to be going well. Ever since the shooting at the dot, Blue has seen Holly J as true hero. But he also seems to be forgetting she's just a girl. When he starts putting unwanted pressure on her, Holly J may have to sacrifice love in order to be herself.
B-Plot (part 2) Opinion: The end of Blue J. That was fast. Honestly I don't mind. They're relationship seems like it got a little twisted. Any love I had for them in season 8 was gone by the end of this episode. It just didn't seem healthy. I really don't like when guys try to change their girlfriends and the expectations Blue had for Holly J seemed a little strange. Blue also seemed different than he did last season, like he was a little less laid back. I absolutely hated the last part where he told her she could still change. I'm still hoping he gets a plot of his own, but I don't think I'll like him as much as I assumed I would this season. LONG LIVE SPOLLY J!
I did find it odd that Blue was the one being pushy and controlling since the character descriptions suggested it was the other way around.
I liked that we once again saw hints of the Holly J/Anya friendship. It seemed like they were on good terms again after HotM, but this was the first time we actually got to see any signs of friendship. This is probably just because Mia is now gone and Anya needed someone to latch on to. Although, I thought it was strange Anya didn't seem to phased by Mia's absence. I did like that Anya was able to see Holly J getting lost in her new image. But I didn't like that she called Holly J out for complaining. I think she had reason enough to complain.
This plot would have been so boring if Charlotte wasn't a good actress. I think she handled everything really well. Her facial expressions were priceless. I particually liked when she told Dave she'd "look into it". Really perfect. She was completely on point throughout the episode. I think "It's Holly freakin' J" was my favorite one-liner this episode.
I liked Holly J's blue bow clip. Looks like something I'd wear. It was really cute!
This plot also featured Dave! Who is the future grade 9 class rep! At least according to him. I knew he was a niner. Those descriptions lie! He only had brief cameos probably because they wanted all the new kids in the opener, but I didn't mind that. Unlike Jenna it looks like they'll be easing into his character. He had no interaction with Chante, so I wonder if they are on good terms or not. It seems like we will have a plot with the two of them in the future though. At least that's what the spoilers suggest. This I will not mind because I already love him- he likes Toga Days and that is enough to win me over. It doesn't look like he is in the gifted class, but I'm thinking the gifted class may not be around once Ms.H steps back in (again that's just what the spoilers suggest). I'd love to see interaction between him and KC and Connor. And as I said before I'm pulling for JennaXDave maybe he'll be the guy to put a stop to her boyfriend stealing ways.
I also liked how they pulled the all the plots together. The two B-plots in particular meshed really well. Looks like they're also making more of an effort to connect the Niners with the other classes. I hope we'll see more of that this season.
This episode wasn't nearly as good as I thought it would be (or wanted it to be). But let's be honest, this is Degrassi! What else should I have expected?! But it wasn't that bad either- Pretty solid and average. Just a little disappointing since it was a season premiere.
Watch this episode online:
http://www.zshare.net/download/66501607648c1433/
Or download it:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ywotltncyqh
http://www.zshare.net/download/66501607648c1433/
Next time on Degrassi...
903: Shoot To Thrill on Teennick
Promo: N/A
Summary: (from Teennick) Alli discovers the joys of photography -- and the consequences of taking naked pictures.
Speculation: I am so psyched for this episode! I am really glad they chose to do a sexting plot this season and I think Alli was the perfect choice to do the story with. We've already seen that Jalli breaks up (*sadness*) but I'm excited for their scenes. I'm very curious to see Sav's role here, since it looks like the whole school will find out about the photos. I wish we knew more about the B-plot. It seems to be about KC and basketball, so maybe this is when we first meet his new coach. I'll be really happy if they build up the coach plot throughout the season. But it may also be tied into the Clare/KC/Jenna triangle.
AND...
904: Close to Me on CTV
Promo: ???
Summary: (from CTV Media) Jane (Paula Brancati) and Spinner (Shane Kippel) have been through so much together. Jane’s just come out of a difficult year at home, so hanging out with Spinner is safe and… easy. But when a challenge arises for Jane at school to work on the year-end production, not only does she have to come up with a concept to pitch to the class, she also has to work with the smart, poised and gorgeous Declan (Landon Liboiron). Jane tries to resist his charm, but eventually gives in to a little flirtation.
Speculation: So this will be the beginning of the Spinner/Jane/Declan triangle. If I was excited about this before tonight, I am ten times more excited now! I already love Declan and I think he can bring a lot to the table. When I heard about the possibility of a Spane break up I was heartbroken, but I think I might actually like Declan and Jane together. One thing is that we haven't seen Jane date anyone but Spinner, so I'm also interested for that reason.
AND ALSO...
906: Wanna Be Startin' Something on CTV
Promo: ???
Summary: (from MSN) Holly's friendship with Jane is put to the test when she finds out that Jane is cheating on Spinner.
Speculation: This is going to be a crazy week with three new episodes all at once! But this is the last week we'll see it because Canada is ahead for the rest of the season when the episodes are back to being aired in order. While the out of order thing bothers me (I love my timelines!) it will be nice to see these episodes back to back. I am curious about Holly J's involvement here. Aislinn said there were "lots and lots of love triangles" but I think this one might be a love square. We have SpinnerXJane already, with SpinnerXHolly J proposed and DeclanXJane happening and DeclanXHolly J suggested. wow! Good luck keeping this one straight. No idea what the B-plot could be for these episodes.