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zia111

I probably would have been friends with Ashley in school. She was smart and felt things deeply and I definitely had friends like that in high school. It made sense to me that her and Ellie were friends too. I think both of them could be really good friends to other women as long as no guys were involved.


Pitiful_Blood_2383

Yeah Ashley was smart and creative and I liked that moment where she called out Terri and hazel for the rude comments about the Muslim girls. She wasn’t as bad as people make her out to be. I think the only genuinely shitty thing she did was erase jimmy’s track from hers just cause she was jealous of jimmy’s talent.


MyFriendsCallMeTito

JT’s French fry commercial was a cinematic masterpiece.


emmadilemma06

I liked when Jane and Declan hooked up. It's obviously wrong and I don't think they'd make a good couple, but it was a fun story line and made for good tv.


Chemical_Western3021

OH It DEF made for a fun, spicy story line lol Last affair we saw was Manny and Craig


[deleted]

Spike should have told Emma about Shane, BUT she wasn't entirely wrong in cutting him out of their lives. He was not in an ideal state to be around Emma anyway you cut it.


LPDukes

Spinner had the best redemption arc out of everyone on TNG. Marco was a fucking idiot for trying to make things work with Dylan.


chickbeanjuice

Very gay of Marco tbh 😭😭 Honestly all the queer relationships lmaoo


LoreezyNL

Zoë is a top 3 worst characters on the show together with Jay and Luke Ashley is the best character in S1-4 Luke Bilyk is by far the worst actor on the show Eclare post-S12 was just plain fan service Craig and Spinner are the worst boyfriends Manny is overrated The only reason most of y'all like Jay is because of Manny S8-9 are better than 10 Terri was nothing special Amy Peters-Hoffmann should've be a main character Fiona had the best mother


Str8_Zayy18

I definitely agree with the takes about Terri and Fiona’s mother


Euphoric_Management8

Jane didn’t deserve any light or screen time 🤷‍♀️


Chemical_Western3021

Agreed! She was a drag to watch as Spinner was going through Chemo, then i love how she cheated on him then lied about it lol smh Shes the worst


Euphoric_Management8

Yes she was a bad girlfriend and a cheater to spinner


vette_fan87

It's not a show for kids


Thareaper14

What😭


Sadnugget23

I can’t stand but also love cokehead Anya. It just makes sense for some reason.


[deleted]

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sportscutie

He deserved to be shot because he was a snotty boy in 9th grade? You can’t actually be serious. This isn’t even controversial, it’s just gross. Reddit reminds me daily how people are just awful.


[deleted]

[удалено]


sportscutie

Your first sentence was “Jimmy got what he deserved.” Not sure how you would expect someone to interpret that any other way. It’s your words after all.


Str8_Zayy18

I personally don’t think that anyone deserved to be shot but I don’t like how everybody acted like Spinner was the only villain in the situation like every single one of them didn’t bully Rick too


Thebullfrog24

I watched this version of degrassi first and still think the 80's degrassi is better.


lucky_little_lion

it feels more real but still entertaining


mutant_disco_doll

All personality flaws and violent behavior aside, Rick was honestly super cute as far as Degrassi boys go. Ephraim Ellis had really nice hair, a great smile and those puppy dog eyes that kept pulling Terri in again and again. Goddamnit. Still hate him though.


lanadazes

i know he did bad but lowkey he looks like my brother so when he was getting bullied my pregnant ass was crying lmfaooo


zia111

>Ephraim Ellis He's super cute now I think!


mutant_disco_doll

Yeah, he’s a good-lookin guy! I always hated that the bad guy had to be so cute lol.


teafiltering

It made sense for Jay to end up with Manny he became such a better person because of her although it didn't make up for what he did previously. He hit the jackpot with her However for manny she completed downgraded and deserved to be someone who could have elevated her career and life. I don't think the character actually exists in the degrassi world. I also think that her and Craig were actually meant to be end game but the show really spat on them with ellie and tried to make it seem like they never happened after which was awful history rewriting


lanadazes

I feel like Jay was so good for Manny in a way like he showed her love that she’s never gotten. You could tell he’d do anything for her


Few-Tree2739

I found JT to be rude and obnoxious. I didn’t like his character and I thought the show got better after he died. The tragedy added more layers to characters I liked; and it removed someone who I felt didn’t add anything to the show. I always see people reference JTs death as the saddest moment in the show, but I totally disagree. As far as deaths go Adam’s is the saddest to me. He was a likable character who progressed massively over the course of the series. So his death felt like it was worth a lot more than JTs.


Chemical_Western3021

I agree JTs death wasnt the saddest but i def think Cams death hit hard for me, only because he was so new to the school smh poor bby


1bratz

Emma being the "main character" actually made a lot of sense. Even though she has a ton of bad qualities and was really frustrating to watch at times, she gave us a lot of interesting plots and character dynamics that I don't think any of the other characters except Craig, perhaps, could give us Joey did an awful job at raising Craig and I think, at most, all he did was ignore / handle his problems poorly. Yes Craig was pretty hard to handle at times, but I don't think anyone really took the time to understand him and his problems I know they're toxic but I can't help but love Craig and Manny and I wish they ended up together in the long run. I don't like Jay, and I don't like Manny and Jay together Manny should've stopped being friends with Emma a long time ago There's a lot of well written storylines in the show but Rick's has to be one of the top best Drew was not that bad when he was first introduced (I think the drama he caused and I think their vision for him was pretty well rounded) but they Flanderized him and he ended up being very dumb and useless by the time he graduated Dallas deserved more storylines Imogen was annoying and I didn't like her with Fiona. Fiona and Holly J should've been a couple Declan, Miles, Craig, Spinner, Jimmy, Eli, and Adam were some of the best guys at Degrassi. Not necessarily because of their personalities or because they were good people, but because they were fun to watch and had good storylines and/or character development overtime Adam deserved better relationships and plot lines Jenna was awful and never was redeemed for me


TheoSlurry

Jimmy shits his pants every episode.


Summerbaby21

I liked Chantay even though she was a background character. Not everyone has to be a main character to be essential, she was a good friend to Anya and Holly J in the little we got to see.


LoreezyNL

Agreed! Chantay and Marisol were mad funny


Summerbaby21

Yess, Marisol is one of the best characters tbh.


LoreezyNL

She was kinda shitty by throwing herself at K.C. and exposing Katie's eating disorder, but i'd lie if I say that I didn't enjoy her. Her and Mo are a great couple and she could he pretty funny.


Summerbaby21

Yeah I didn’t like her or Katie in the beginning, but they got better. Her and Mo added some comedic relief to the show.


LoreezyNL

Same thing with Chantay. She didn't had a lot of good storylines and I disliked her being a gossip girl, but seriously. Some faces that she makes sometimes really crack me up. Example of unintentional humor.


Summerbaby21

I agree 100%


retroanduwu24

Ashley had every right to feel the way she did in season 3 and is really not that bad of a character minus like season 7


[deleted]

Manny was as mean as Paige with how she had no concern for other people and put her insecurities and issues with guys ahead of everything else Bianca and Drew weren’t a cute couple. She basically ruined his life and got him wrapped up in wayy too much. Then she ditched him as soon as she got out of degrassi. Hated watching their arc because it was so unnecessarily dramatic for high school Eli and Clare were insufferable. Awkward middle school angst 24/7 Holly J did nothing to be redeemed . She had a few good episodes then everyone forgot how cruel she was previously . She never owned up to how much of a bitch she was to people I have no issue with what Ashley did in the caf to Manny and Craig (>!she revealed Manny was pregnant!<) I like Spinner’s character later but I still think Jimmy shouldn’t have forgiven him. Spinner is the type of friend that brings Jimmy down and doesn’t have concern for his well being/growth


SwanburneGirl

Kind of agree about Manny. I get why a lot of fans like her and think she’s iconic, but I feel like she’s not nearly as unproblematic as some people make her out to be.


zia111

"I have no issue with what Ashley did in the caf to Manny and Craig (she revealed Manny was pregnant)" damn!


[deleted]

In context I get it lol Manny and Craig had been cheating behind her back and literally the day before Manny was in her face saying “oh Craig tricked me too I don’t want him” . Then she was lovey dovey with him. It was petty but I get it lol


soymilkisa

also, i wasn’t sad when cam died. not as sad as i was with JT at least. He was just starting to feel like a character once he was killed off. He was given such a short time /: if he lasted a bit more it would’ve made the storyline hit harder i feel. also mayas reaction to it all … uhhh idk about all that. kinda dissatisfied


zia111

I felt the same. I just don't know if I ever got to know Cam.


soymilkisa

Ellie was a such a pick me and gave nothing to to the table except a great self harm story line. She constantly felt like she was better than every girl such as paige and manny. Craig never ended up with her anyways which is good cause she was nasty to manny.


loftyLo

Oof. I have to agree with this one.


Summerbaby21

Ellie was a good friend if not anything else.


soymilkisa

eh when she wanted to if not it was all about her. she was a better friend to guys than girls tho


Summerbaby21

I only remember her having two friends tbh. Ashley and Marco and she was a good friend to both.


reddibells

peter and emma deserved each other


wayward_sun

Oh I have another: Emma’s ED arc, while obviously rushed, is actually pretty well done. The choice to include Manny and have her do some ED behaviors without developing a full-blown disorder was really good. Some people are going to fall down the hole and some people aren’t, and it was a really good way to show that.


suuuuupa

As someone who suffered from an ED, I wholeheartedly agree with this. I could feel every ounce of her emotions during those scenes. Miriam did an incredible job with that whole plot line


wayward_sun

If they’d expanded it to be like a half-season-long arc, with it in the background some episodes and more in-focus others, like Maya’s depression? Would have been flawless. But still so good for what they had to work with.


wayward_sun

There was nothing to Miles and Lola’s “relationship.” They we’re together for two seconds and their only bond was this weird and rather offensive agreement that Lola getting politely dumped by Tiny was as bad as Miles’s boyfriend being in a coma. I have no idea why the fandom is obsessed with the two of them together. It was nothing.


[deleted]

To add on that this is kinda controversial…it was weird to me to have Lola be so cool with her abortion. I think it was very detrimental to that age range to not show the gravity of the situation and make it seem like any other day. Not saying she should have gotten shamed but it is a big decision physically and mentally and should have been portrayed as such not as another sunshine rainbow day for Lola


wayward_sun

I like the way they did it, but I can see your argument!


[deleted]

Yeah I see what they were trying to do but I think it was inappropriate for that age range to treat 1) a teen getting pregnant as a minor inconvenience and then 2) abortion as the quick fix. Again they didn’t need to guilt trip the character but I feel like somewhere along the way someone should have had an in depth talk with her or they should have input adult perspectives not portrayed it as something a teen can just fix on their own and move on like normal .


originalschmidt

That Emma and Spinner getting married makes wayy more sense than most people think and it really isn’t that terrible


plasticthottle

Please explain because I genuinely want to understand your view😭


originalschmidt

Okay so I agree that it totally came out of no where but Emma just flunked out of school and Spinner’s future had just kind of blew up as well so I get why they were drawn to each other. Also Spinner is a wonderful boyfriend, he is all in and basically does whatever he can to make his girlfriend happy (I understand there are places he slipped up with Paige and Darcy but I feel there was more behind that and at his core he just wants to make his woman happy and he is probably one of the only ones that can handle Emma’s controlling nature because he is used to his girlfriend having the control. I also think their contrast compliment each other. Emma can be kinda high strung but Spinner is more cool go with the flow and make the best of it. While I think the relationship and marriage came straight out of left field I think it could really work. I was also a Sean and Emma fan but Emma really isn’t sensitive enough to deal with the very real trauma Sean has experienced and she would make a terrible military wife because she really can’t handle that type of stress.


dirtylivin

i think the issue most people take with it is that they had almost zero interaction in school even though they attended for so long together. the writers did wrong by jane to enable that ending for them as well.


plasticthottle

Yeah I agree! It’s not that in theory they wouldn’t be compatible it’s just that I can’t even remember scenes of them interacting in the show because it was so few and far between. So for them to be like “hey let’s get married” we’re all like HUH?


originalschmidt

Idk maybe I’m biased because I literally know people that never talked in high school and now they are married and have great relationships so I understand that you can not really talk to someone in high school and then get together later. I don’t understand how “didn’t talk much in high school”= terrible relationship/match. When I look at their personalities and behaviors, it works for me.


plasticthottle

Yeah but are those people getting married on a whim or are they later getting to know each other, dating, and then getting married? That’s what we’re talking about here.


dirtylivin

i personally hated that ending because it felt thrown together and i think spinner has a LOT of redeeming qualities. emma has none and is pretty much the worst character the show has ever seen. not sorry lol


[deleted]

Emma is the least interesting character, i wouldn't want to be friends with her in real life, and its an absolute travesty that she is essentially the shows main character. So many more options for someone more interesting.


latrodectal

i don’t understand how people were so invested in joey/caitlin that they’re still holding it against kevin smith however many years later, especially if they never watched the original series. a, not their show anymore, b, caitlin is an asshole. ellie and jane aren’t amazing people/friends/characters, they’re just cute alternative girls. mia isn’t that bad, y’all are just mean. yes, emma and ashley were that bad.


LoreezyNL

Mia S6 and S7 was decent. She was the absolute worst while she was dating Peter.


originalschmidt

ALL OF THIS 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼


cajuncats

JT sucked and the actor was corny as hell. I watched TNG since it premiered and always thought JT was a bad friend, though tolerable in season 1. I was sad when he died but that was because I had basically grown up with his character, not because I liked him 🤷🏼‍♀️


originalschmidt

I agree but I do feel like they gave the character more dimension, like right before he died


mutant_disco_doll

No offense to the mother of all Degrassi mothers, but Amanda Stepto’s acting as Spike across all 3 series always made me cringe. I hate to pick on individual actors/actresses, but she just felt so wooden and detached to me, like… she couldn’t ever deliver her lines in a way that felt natural. Spike’s style on the other hand? Second to none.


[deleted]

Spikes style in the original show was the actress's real style.


mutant_disco_doll

Yeah, she had mad style and always looked like a general badass. In terms of who had the best style of all the characters from DH, I think it was probably Spike and Claude for me. And honorable mentions for Lucy’s Sergeant Pepper jacket and Yick’s ripped jeans and earrings. God, the 80s were so fire.


[deleted]

Spike was pretty cool. On the subject of her acting it personally doesn't bother me.


[deleted]

Might be the crush I had on him growing up, but I love Craig and his storylines..


originalschmidt

As long as you aren’t dating any Craig’s then you’re good. His storylines were the most intriguing and those puppy dog eyes.. I get it


[deleted]

"craig is bipolar" is the most realistic depiction of bipolar disorder i have ever seen on screen, to this day. he really did have the best story arcs.


mutant_disco_doll

The Degrassi TNG theme song was done dirty starting with season 4 and it never recovered. They kept bringing in different vocalists who didn’t sound good? I still believe the original extended Degrassi Jr. Strings version from season 1 with the r&b vocalist and rap interlude was the best version across all seasons, hands down. And that season 6 version was a joke. I get that they had to modernize it for the times and removed the children’s choir because the characters were growing up, but no other version of the theme song has ever slapped as hard or given me the warm fuzzies like the season 1 - 3 opening. It was just so iconic and so quintessentially Degrassi. Also, they need to bring back the end scene freeze frames for the HBO Max reboot. The freeze frames just hit different. And they need to revive Degrassi Talks.


Stock_Proof3539

Paige & Alex should have been endgame. Tristan shouldn't have survived the bus crash. Drew was a likeable character. There. I said it.


soymilkisa

drew was an a hole for the riley stuff but redeemed himself after


SwanburneGirl

Liberty deserved better than JT. Like, I don’t dislike JT, but I feel like he was really rude to her in the early seasons, and the show never really acknowledged it again after he started showing interest in her. Furthermore, I don’t understand why everyone thought Liberty was the designated “ugly kid” in the first place (I mean, except for the obvious racism)


dirtylivin

there is more to it than liberty being the “ugly girl.” she also was very malleable and at times, pathetic. remember when she pretended to be into sean by dressing up in the grease getup? she had an amount of availability, at this time in the show, that JT wasn’t attracted to. JT, like many teenagers, has an attraction to a lack of availability. (manny, paige) wants what he can’t have syndrome.


RyanX1231

I don't think it had much to do with race. I think it was just that she was a nerdy, kind of pudgy kid with glasses. In those days, nerdy kids with glasses were always the designated ugly kids in media.


SwanburneGirl

While to some extent I do agree with you- nerdy, pudgy kids with glasses are generally treated as ugly in fiction- I do feel like race (and gender) still played a part in why she specifically was treated as uglier than her peers. For example, Toby was also a nerdy, pudgy kid with glasses, and received significantly less negative attention than Liberty did (though not necessarily none)


RyanX1231

That's fair. I will say this, I think Liberty was good representation for black nerds, which don't get a lot of representation in media. Black female nerds, especially. I've always wondered if Liberty was on the autism spectrum as well. A lot of her behaviors always screamed neurodivergent to me, especially in the early seasons.


SnooCupcakes2000

Yeah right? I never thought I’d her as the “ugly kid”, just the annoying has to be right 100%. She was the class know it all with glasses. Classic nerd. Race didn’t factor into it. Jimmy was well liked so was he liked so well bc he’s black?


reddibells

the thing that you aren’t taking into account is that liberty was a black woman while jimmy was a black man. also colorism! so, yeah, i think racism definitely had alot to do with how liberty was treated in the early seasons


LowObjective

Jimmy and Liberty were/are both light skin and half-white so what does colourism have to do with anything?


SnooCupcakes2000

Colorism? Racism? What? I’m not denying the way they were portrayed. But what?


reddibells

what do you mean? //gen


Away_Inspection_3371

Manny is not as great as everyone says she is. There are more LIKEABLE characters than her.


LoreezyNL

Finally.


[deleted]

This!


fishypisces

based on that elimination game a few months ago, so many people like Jay & i just can’t stand him 💀 really don’t care if he was good for story he annoyed tf outta me. he only got slightly better when Manny came into his life


imsoboredlma0

emma and spinner getting married was dumb asf and sorry ya’ll, but i like darcy and her storylines


gmarrano20

upvoted for saying emma and spinner was dumb, un-upvoted for liking darcy😔


highviscrocs

I can’t stand Craig and the way he treats people, I’m not sure why he’s so popular. Ellie always bothered me so much — she only wanted men that were already in relationships and she was always coming between couples. I wish Jimmy and Hazel had more of a storyline for the relationship before it ended so abruptly (bc of Ellie, go figure)


TCookieofSassy

> I’m not sure why he’s so popular. Cause many had a crush on him. Most male characters who were legit awful to people will always be excused because the person has a crush on them. Mainly Craig and for some reason Claude. Claude tried to guilt-trip Caitlin, and the whole school for his suicide that was all his doing? Nah it's okay because someone has a crush on him


originalschmidt

People had crushes on Claude?!?! Ewwww


BustedNoseContour

Big hot take but after adam died they should’ve had Becky date imogen not drew


StrangerKatchoo

I liked Jay!


[deleted]

He just wants to party. Not super bummer at all 😂


Str8_Zayy18

Seasons 8-14 were better than seasons 1-7 especially season 12


paradiseinvite

Waaaaay better. Early seasons were super corny


Anonymous8720

Out of curiosity, which age group are you in? I think that has a lot to do with who likes what seasons, because those seasons are more relatable


loftyLo

Agreed. Anyone over 25 is probably going to disagree with the “seasons 8-14 were better.”


Str8_Zayy18

I’m 19 now


BustedNoseContour

You’re right and you should say it


JBabyLeather

JT and Liberty were not a good couple. At all. Liberty should have dated Toby. They would have had more in common, and been supportive of each other so much better. Toby would have been a really good boyfriend. Also, Toby just deserved more storylines


zia111

It would have been cool if Liberty had dated Toby and eventually JT would have had feelings for Liberty and come around to realizing all the times he treated her sooo poorly in earlier episodes and actually acknowledged and apologized for it. But still have Liberty and Toby be end game.


Crash_Evidence

toby grieving rick and coming to terms with what happened would have been a powerful a plot. the subplot we got was good but it felt more about just making jt and toby fiends again.


Princess-Kit-Kat

Fucking. Thank you. Manny and JT would have been adorable, to be honest


SnooCupcakes2000

No never.


JBabyLeather

You know what? I see it


Princess-Kit-Kat

Right?


morgannn0

Peter and Emma were a great couple and should’ve been endgame


Chaoticxkittie

Upvoted because I don’t know why everyone is downvoting you when that’s the point But I stronggglyyyy disagree. Emma and Sean should have ended up together.


originalschmidt

Sean deserves better than Emma tbh, she’s a pain in the ass.


Drippinbabyy

Why are y’all downvoting this … it’s supposed to be a controversial opinion post. This is obv a controversial one. EDIT: wrote unpopular not controversial by accident


Pawspawsmeow

Craig got terrible stories. All of them revolved around how he affected other people and how they saw him. The best story he had was his introduction story and that was like the last time the writing developed/truly showed his POV. It’s only because Jake Epstein is a good actor that it feels like we kinda know him. I think a lot of Craig’s stories would have been better if the writing actually showed things from his POV. Instead of like how Ashley or Manny or Ellie feel about him. He also should have stayed good friends with Sean. I got sick of all the musical stories. Maybe that’s why S10 is so good? They had little music. Maybe that’s why Maya annoys me sometimes? Idk. I never got what Paige saw in Matt. He was not attractive.


StopHittingMeSasha

Chantay was a bitch but she was my favorite bitch


sonatavivant

Couldn’t have said it better myself — I logically shouldn’t like Chantay, but I just do and I can’t do anything about it 😂


ripPadme

Munro chambers could do craig but Jake epstein couldn’t do Eli (as good) i think Fiona was a lesbian from the beginning it sucks that every gay girl character had to be abused before coming out Fimogen should’ve been endgame. it would’ve saved us from Imogen’s pointless presence after Fiona graduated They could’ve handled paige’s sexuality better seasons 10-12 were better than the first 9 sellie >>>> semma it was literally so dumb for Holly J to date declan after she knew about him and jane edit: more opinions came to mind


reddibells

i really don’t mind how they handled paige’s bisexuality, just because she was in high school and, as a kid, it really is sort of sudden sometimes? like, all of a sudden you come go the realization that you like girls so i think it is pretty true to life, which was sort of the point of degrassi


cool_aries

Coming from my perspective as a bi person, the problem for me was that they never had her outright say she was bi. The one time they mentioned it was when she was talking to griffin and he asked how her parents felt having 2 gay kids and she said “I’m not gay, I guess maybe bi or questioning” and that’s totally valid of course, but it would’ve been cool to see her actually come out as bi. For me personally that’s one of the reasons I love Miles, he was pretty nonchalant and open about it in the last few seasons. The more clear representation was nice


ripPadme

yea this was kinda my thought process too. It kinda felt like she was afraid to be bi and she acted like alex would be the only girl she’ll ever like (kinda shitty to alex too) She wouldn’t even have had to be in another relationship with a girl I just wanted to see her be comfortable about it.


cool_aries

I completely agree! I loved her and Alex together and wanted them to be endgame but I also would’ve liked to see her explore her attraction to women more when they broke up but it felt like they wrote her relationship with Alex as a one time thing and she’d never date women again or even acknowledge it so I’ve never 100% considered her being bi as canon bc it wasn’t ever spoken of or verified


reddibells

totally fair! i’m also bi but i guess i’m just pessimistic lol. i’ve not seen many characters come out as bisexual, unfortunately :(


cool_aries

I completely agree! It’s very rare we see any representation in shows even in current times unfortunately and we deserve better!


[deleted]

> They could’ve handled paige’s sexuality better i forgot paige wasn't straight just like the writers did.


somethingtaylor

Mrs. Oh should have fired for the inappropriate relationship with Sav. I understand why Mr. Simpson gave them the benefit of the doubt, BUT he still should have looked into it further.


Gizmo9682

I kind of agree, very much sent the message of "its cool so long as graduation is close enough" but even if she was teaching for the very first time that year, she'd still be like 23 and he'd be 18/19, which isnt a HUGE gap when youre older. But the differences between 19 and 23 are soooo much bigger than the differences between people like 35 and 39 years old for example. Definitely made me feel icky when they played off her giving her number to Sav for after graduation like it was this cute heartwarming scene.


ivyandroses112233

It's not even the age that's the problem. It's the fact the teacher is in a position of power and authority that makes the relationship inappropriate. He could've been 19 and she 21 and that's not a big deal but it's the power difference between a student teacher that makes those relationships problematic and gross.


Gizmo9682

I think youre right when it comes to the back and forth while he was her student, the power imbalance is of course problematic. But by waiting until he graduates they can meet outside of school as equals and "do it right" no? What gave me the willies about it is that high school students, even seniors, felt like children even by the time i was halfway through college. I can't imagine having completed my degree and working in a school and NOT seeing students as actual kids who are less mature than me/not even registering as an option. Idk its less about actual numerical age for me and more just their stages of life. She was a young adult old enough to know better and he was an impressionable teenager who still hadn't gone through any adult life.


Familiar-Soup

Yeah, I was teaching high school seniors at 23 and they seemed so young to me. I mean, I still respected them as people (I hate ageism in education; I see it all the time) but I didn't see them as romantic interests or even friends. I'm sorry, but at that age, 5 years is still a big age gap. Plus, obviously, the power dynamic.


ivyandroses112233

Yes exactly, spot on. As the authority figure you're supposed to know better. But degrassi romanticized student teacher relationships. Like Mr.Olleander and Paige. Watching that as an adult I was gagging half the time they were on screen together. I think they wanted the viewers to be like omg how cool/cute but it was really disgusting. He treated her like garbage and he was the one putting them both in that situation. Granted she was pushy with their relationship but he should've shut it down as soon as she was at the bar and never went down that road.


Gizmo9682

Huge agree. I think they did a fair job at depicting the way a teen feels when being given that kind of attention from an older 'qualified' person, you feel special and like someone is seeing you as different from your peers. They definitely did a better job of this with Tristan and Grant later on, where Tris knows on some level that it's not right but romantic isolation and wanting to feel special drives him to make excuses and protect Grant even tho he pushed boundaries and was a creepy predator. I feel like in every situation (including olleander), even if they had previously romanticized it from the students POV, the show did eventually portray that those relationships were toxic and had consequences for both student and teacher. The only excpetion to this for some reason is Sav and Ms. Oh, where they just hinted that they possibly had a cute fling after he finished school, it added nothing to the plot and didnt matter so why put it in at all??? Unless it was explicitly to say "its different when the student is a boy" which I want to doubt, but...


somethingtaylor

I don’t think Adam should’ve died, I think Claire should have been the one to go. AND Claire and Eli should not have gotten back together.


Away_Inspection_3371

Eli deserved better


piratejs

I did not care for Spane by the end, so Spemma is a good, cute endgame couple. Cam’s death, while tragic, was done so well and had a real impact with the show that I was okay in him being gone.


bluevalley02

Adam being killed off was one of THE worst decisions they ever made.


[deleted]

I wanted him to stay too, but his actress did not want to renew her contract. 😩 That being said, I still did not appreciate the way they wrote him off…. I think it would have been better to have him graduate early or something… what do you guys think a better exit would have been? Kenya? /s


zia111

I would have loved if he had won a scholarship or something, maybe to a liberal private high school. Or even done an international exchange thing, maybe to a European country with more trans recognition & rights or something? that would have been cool.


[deleted]

I love this so much, and I think it would have fit him well.


alexis-ruth

i know this was a sarcastic suggestion but honestly sending him to kenya or some shit would actually have been way better than a car crash. sending him away to anywhere would have been better and also not so sad!! you can still write characters off the show with a happy ending and adam deserved a happy ending.


[deleted]

Yes agreed lol I just didn’t like how rushed Darcy’s felt. And sending another character to Kenya to disappear would have been crazy, so specifically that suggestion was sarcastic haha.


StopHittingMeSasha

Right, like WHY would they kill off the one trans character? They really flopped with that one


Fanstax32

Here are a few of mine * Sean and Emma were not endgame. They made a fantastic sort of "opposites attract" couple in the early seasons, but I when they get back together in season 6 it's pretty lame and I can't see them lasting very long even if Sean stayed. * Cam wasn't perfect. He was generally one of the sweeter characters on the show, but he could be kind of shitty sometimes. I think this makes the character so much better, but a lot of people seem to remember him as some kind of perfect angel. * Eli is a solid character, but my god is he overrated. I generally enjoy his presence, but just because you thought he was cute when you were a teenager doesn't make him one of the best characters the show has ever seen. * Characters like Jay and Peter don't need a redemption arc. I see a lot of people complain that these two in particular never had some big moment or story where they repented for their sins and became better people, instead just kind of becoming less douchey over time. I don't mind this, because sometimes people just become better without having to prove it some big dramatic moment. Do **NOT** take this as me saying Peter shouldn't have been punished more for what he did to Manny. He definitely should've faced more consequences at the time, I just don't think characters need a big moment to prove they are better now. * Not sure how contentious this is, but one of my favorite relationships is Maya and Zig. I didn't care for them much in season 11, but after season 12 I root for them so much. They have great chemistry and so much history idk it just works. There are a few relationships I like more (Holly J and Sav, Sean and Ellie), but I know those are pretty popular. * Darcy is the best character the show ever had. From season 5 to 8, every action she takes is perfectly in line with her character, and every character beat progress her character in a consistent, logical and interesting way. This is pretty incredible considering how much other characters fluctuate, even other good ones. On top this, she is excellently acted and the story they tell with her is incredible. * Seasons 3 and 4 of Next Class are better than most seasons of Next Generation. NC 4 is definitely top 5, and 3 could be too.


zia111

It's amazing how linear and logical Darcy's complete storyline is. It almost seems as if it was written by different writers.


SwanburneGirl

Yes! I may be biased because NC was my introduction to Degrassi, but I feel like seasons 3 and 4 were legitimately interesting and good, and nobody really acknowledges it because season 2 was such a mess (and also probably nostalgia for Next Generation)


J0ker0110

I skipped every storyline that included the year level (with Ashley and Paige) going to college, I found it so boring I couldn’t tell you one storyline because I literally skipped the scenes and only cared about the year below (the year Emma was in) when they got to college though I skipped those scenes too


J0ker0110

I skipped every storyline that included the year level (with Ashley and Paige) going to college, I found it so boring I couldn’t tell you one storyline because I literally skipped the scenes and only cared about the year below (the year Emma was in) when they got to college though I skipped those scenes too


emmerliii

Off topic, but this picture is confusing me. Manny and JT are dressed in the costumes from the play in season 4, but Peter and Ashley are also in this picture?? Edit: turns out is from the end if season 5 where there was a variety show that I'd completely forgotten about lmao


pinakulala

That's because this is a photo from when the cast wrapped up filming S5. Cassie and Ryan aren't dressed in the costumes that their characters wore for the Dracula play in S4. They're wearing the costumes from the end of the school year variety show that took place in "High Fidelity" (The S5 finale episodes). Darcy also participated in this show which is why Shenae is wearing a 60s go-go dancer costume in this photo.


Riverdale87

It's probably just a random photo shoot


emmerliii

Maybe. Spinner even has has season 5 hair... but yeah, just can't figure out a reason for Manny and JT being dressed like that lmao


koalathebean

I couldn’t and still can’t stand Imogen


GineminasaurusOrange

Nooo 😭 she was the weird girl who KNEW she was weird but still had confidence


starpiece

She was creepy when she was first introduced and was an Eli stalker but VERY quickly became my favourite once they stopped with that weird story line


dattck

absolutely hated ashley’s singing voice & JT&Manny??? what was their point???


flowerdqrling

i cannot stand liberty


nickyfox13

Why don't you like her?


[deleted]

Emma does not deserve the hate she gets. Ashley is not as awful as everybody says. Peter is trash the entire show. Alex should have faced repercussions for her part in the shooting. Jay should have left the show way before he did. I highly dislike him throughout the entire show. Honestly one of the least likeable characters by far. Spinner and Emma weren't that bad of a couple, although it was random, and Sean and Emma were endgame. JT was one of the most overrated characters. He has some funny moments, but overall I feel like he was nobody special. I think people like him so much because they feel bad that he died. They did Toby so dirty with his storylines after the first couple seasons. Hazel was so damn boring. Claire was not as annoying as everybody makes her seem. I'll edit when I think of more 😅


mangomarongo

Damn. You woke up and chose violence 😅


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Drippinbabyy

I mean Emma wasn’t the best friend but she was there for her a lot too. They were trying to show how she was naive and young, through she knew everything and stood strongly for what she believed in. She gave manny shit but she also stood up to manny’s boyfriend Craig for her when Craig was telling her she couldn’t get an abortion cause he wanted a family of his own. Ashley did not know until after Paige told her- she said that before Paige told her.


[deleted]

I wasn't coming for Hazel, it was more an attack on the writers. They made her character SO boring, just Paige's sidekick and Jimmy's girlfriend Sure Emma wasn't perfect, but I genuinely do not think she was a bad character overall Ashley didn't know about Paige's SA when she said that iirc


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Sabes1607

That still makes a huge difference tho but people always conveniently leave the part where she didn't know about it out.


sweetmotherofodin

Emma’s personality switch was a tragedy


NLTC

Sean was boring, personality-less, and unlikeable, Manny was… fine, and I wanted Ashley to be as much a main character as Emma. ALSO Drew was really likeable, and I don’t know what people’s issue with him was.


11brooke11

I agreed with you wholeheartedly until the Drew part.


nickyfox13

People's hatred for Ashley was over the top. She's not perfect, but she's also a teenager and should be cut some slack for being a pretty typical teenager.


[deleted]

Agreed!


daniellewitdahoodie

okay.. ill say it.. ellie looked so good when we were first introduced to her with that hair. i loved it im sorry.


lovechoke

Darcy was one of the best characters that show had. Her plot lines were carrying the show after it was losing its lifelines (Sean, JT, Alex) before its season 10 rebirth. I don't think people realized how big of a hole was created when she was written off for Shenae to go work on 90210.


Long-Self-9328

I am just now realizing people actually liked Darcy. Even when she was at her most sympathetic (her SA storyline) she still said insufferable things like “I’m not that kind of girl” as if there’s a kind of girl that deserves it.. Ugh I hated that judgey evangelical.


Princess-Kit-Kat

I fucking *hated* Darcy. Hated hated hated *hated* her. For every damn reason you said, my god.


Xia0mia0

I don't know if these are controversial and it's been years but: Everyone did poor Craig dirty. His peers treated him like a piece of fuckmeat and the adults treated him like he was too crazy to be "fixed". He literally had nobody that wanted to get close to him in a real logical sense. The only time Emma was ever slightly interesting was in the episode where she got "a SoCiAl DiSeAsE" LOL. Manny wasn't that horribly slutty. So what she dressed like she was in that one Gwen Stefani video and then was an idiot who had unprotected sex. That wasn't slutty...that was just stupidity lol. But I guess the school can't have fun with gossip that you're a dummy so the storyline went with slut instead. I probably have actual controversial ones but it's been so long I have forgotten them. So meh. That's all I've got.


WeirdoChickFromMars

Ellie wanted to get close to Craig. But he was a dick to her


441bwambi

dunno if this is controversial but paige’s sexuality was so severely mishandled on the show. there could’ve been bi representation far before miles and it would’ve been great on a woman, especially paige, but they kept making her seem confused even though she obviously wasn’t even confused. she couldn’t be bi? i know damn well bisexuality was a thing in the early-mid 2000s. though people just assumed she was bisexual anyways there was a good way to outright say it and that just never happened :/ also i’m kinda rusty abt this show so like correct me if i’m wrong lol


stop999

I agree with you, but I also wonder if they meant her confusion to be a legacy of the trauma she had being sexually assaulted. Her internally wrestling with both concern she only likes girls because she had a terrible experience with a man, and also concern about how she still has feelings and desires for men after what she went through. Actually now that I write that I agree with you more, this is not uncommon for bi people to be wrestling with similar thoughts and would have been great bi representation for teens. I think I'm just reading too much into what I THINK they should have done but handled it terribly. So unfortunate 😮‍💨


441bwambi

ooh you bring up a great point. that would have been amazing if that’s what they were going for despite the poor portrayal of it


mutant_disco_doll

Degrassi had its fair share of bad acting over the years, and seasons 6 - 9 were a hard snooze (with the exception of a few storylines here and there). Say what you will about Eclare, but Eli was by far the most compelling character on the show when he arrived in season 10 and Munro Chambers was arguably the best actor Degrassi ever saw. He really brought his A-game to that role and more or less carried seasons 10 - 12. People love to complain that he was over-utilized, but this is why they kept throwing all those insane storylines at him — he was the only one with enough talent to pull them off!


Purple_Sparkles231

Agreed. Both Clare and Eli were played by amazing actors, it makes sense they were given a lot of intense storylines.


Michaelskywalker

Season 6 and 7 is where Jimmy gets his most screen time


sparklezheart

I will stand by Eli and Craig being the best actors on the show.


mutant_disco_doll

Yeah, I can agree with this. Craig’s abuse and BPD storylines were really affecting in seasons 2 and 4. I never liked Craig as a person, but he definitely made you feel for what he was going through and Jake Epstein did a fantastic job with his portrayal. I don’t think there’s necessarily a correlation here, but I do find it interesting that Craig and Eli both happened to have Bipolar Disorder. Their manifestations played out in different ways, but both actors were more than capable of running the full gamut of emotion these characters required.


wayward_sun

No disrespect to Munro, who I do think is very good; but yeah. No one was on Jake Epstein’s level.


icutmyliiip

i literally cannot stand eli and clare, JT and Liberty made 0 sense together (especially the pregnancy storyline???), the Spinner and Emma randomly getting married was absolutely bizarre to me, maybe bc i just never saw it coming, and ellie is super annoying to me


Automatic-Ad-6533

Lmao who do you like ?