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Season 5 First Impressions Part 2
by cerebral assassin
Back again as the big CTV break looms over us and with basically 2/3's of the season over I decided it was once again time to publish my first impressions column. So here are my Degrassi Season 5 First Impressions for episodes 507-513.
507: Turned Out Part 1
Dare I say it... BEST EPISODE THIS SEASON THUS FAR. This episode was extremely entertaining and intense. A very good balance.
I'm gonna start with the subplot this week. Emma and Peter sure are heating up, but what will Manny think? I loved Manny and Craig trying to setup Emma with Derrick, very entertaining scene, even though their date was a disaster. That was the epitome of incompatible. I actually kinda felt sorry for Derrick he and I would get along good, I love comics and wrestling. Than Peter, him hitting on Emma was completely expected. I knew him and Emma would get together from the beginning of the season. I actually like them as a couple, but everyone knows this is headed for Manny and Emma fight number 8,985,397. I mean how many times can they have those two hate each other and make up. But aside from where it's leading the subplot itself was quite entertaining.
Now onto the big one, this is where the big ongoing story this season climaxes, the coup de grâce. JT sets things straight, he thinks he is headed in the right direction. He gets his girlfriend back, they are gonna move out and keep the baby. He is happy, even though he has to quit his TV job. Will this finally turn out OK. Of course not this is Degrassi. The episode is basically building JT's character up for a huge fall. He is on top of the world finally, and soon he will face so many consequences of his actions that we may never see him again, for one reason or another. Get ready for a roller coaster ride, we are knee deep in what very well could be the "Time Stands Still" of season 5. I believe it will have that much impact, if not more. Ryan and Sarah's acting in this episode is superb, the scene where they tell JT's grandma is sooo INTENSE, I was cringing while watching it. When JT stole the pills I almost yelled out stop, this episode was so engrossing. I also loved how we finally got some back story on JT, he lives with his Grandma and his dad left his Mom when he was young, it's really cool how the writers stuck that in there.
508: Turned Out Part 2
WOW!!!!!!!!! Edge of your seat till the tear jerking end. And once again I find myself saying BEST EPISODE OF SEASON 5 thus far. Even with a less than stellar subplot this episode is on top.
Speaking of the subplot, I really don't have much feelings on it either way. It was just kinda there. I mean there was nothing wrong with it, it was necessary to setup a future plot, it was an okay story. I just don't know if it was just overshadowed so much by the main plot, or what but it really didn't stick out to me. It's nice for continuity to see Manny living at the Simpson/Nelson house, and man has Jack gotten big (I guess he is 2 1/2 now.) I think Spike kinda overreacted -- I mean Snake is right, he gave up a lot for the family, so why shouldn't he deserve a motorcycle if he wants one. Finger of shame to Mrs. H, she says her ex left her for his intern and here she is flirting with a married man??? Everyone can see what's coming here from a mile away, so I'm done with the subplot.
Now onto the main course, I think this really lived up to being the Time Stands Still of this season even without the death and shooting. Intense from the open eerie moments of Jay and JT meeting, up to JT passing out. I was so engrossed in this episode I really lost track of everything around me. Superb acting all the way around. Sarah, Mike, the drug dealer, and especially Ryan. Ryan got his chance to shine in this episode, he proved he can play dramatic scenes as good as if not better than even Jake Epstein when given the chance to step out of his comedic role. I felt the fear in his gaze and when his voice cracked and he started crying at the end it almost made me cry. I truly hope this is not the last we see Ryan in a dramatic role. And with a possible season 6 I really think we have a good chance. Especially since it looks like Liberty's father "the lawyer", another plot convenience (or was this mentioned before I can't remember,) is trying to cut a deal with the pharmacy owner on behalf of JT. I didn't see Liberty giving the baby up for adoption coming at all it worked really well as a huge surprise ending.
This episode all in all was really heavy, extremely well written, and had great acting. I am actually going to venture to say it was the best Degrassi episode ever.
509:Tell It To My Heart
While an ok episode in it's own right this episode is probably my second least favorite episode so far this season, right above Death of a Disco Dancer. The Marco main plot was way to contrived in my opinion, I mean a play competition? the underlying story was just lame. While Adamo's acting was great and him coming out to his father was a very intense scene the whole plot felt really out of place. It's kinda like how I felt about the subplot of "I Still Haven't Found..." the actual basics of the issues were good but the plot itself was badly done. They could have had a much better episode for Marco to come out to his father. All in all the main plot got it's job done but it was a bumpy ride to say the least. Maybe I expected more from the episode or something but with the exception of "Death of a Disco Dancer" when you compare this to the rest of the season so far it's just not as good on the writer's side. Another problem may have been that the main plot was not part of an ongoing thread this season. Pretty much every episode's main plot this season has been part of an ongoing plot thread, this one was just kinda stuck in there. The Marco coming out to his dad plot thread would have been better served as a season 4 episode after he came out to his mom. I will say the line of the night goes to Marco though, that Yoda impression made me laugh.
On to the subplot, I actually ENJOYED this subplot a lot more than the main plot, it was very well planned out. I like how they have Emma playing both sides in this Manny and Peter war, but her acting? After thinking about it I've concluded the biggest problem with her acting is it's just not Emma, her attitude, the way she talks, walks, all of it. I actually blame the writers more than I blame Mariam for that. They changed Emma way to suddenly. I guess you could say that Emma just changed in Season 4 after almost getting shot than giving Jay head, I mean yeah people can change but it's just such a big leap, it's a really long stretch. But I guess rather than complain about it I'm just going to go with it since this is the direction they are taking. I actually do like the Peter/Emma storyline. When it all comes to a head and Manny finds out there is going to be some fireworks. I like how we are actually seeing another side of Peter now. His home life isn't the best, I know it's no excuse for what he did to Manny, but you do kinda feel sorry for the guy, and Jamie is an excellent actor. I loved the scene where Emma attacked him, that was some aggressive making out there. Jay evidently taught Emma a thing or two. It's going to be really interesting to watch this relationship unfold under Manny's radar. I like how Emma finally is starting to accept her feelings for Peter at the end, when she realizes they do have some things in common and decides to not go through with the payback. Plus unlike the main plot we have an ongoing plot thread that actually will have some impact on the rest of the season.
For a Degrassi episode, this episode was kinda just there. Nothing to wrong with it but not up to par with rest of the season. I believe I would have like this episode a lot more had it been in Season 4, but being in season 5 with everything else going on it just kinda gets lost in the shuffle.
510: Redemption Song
I just watched Redemption Song, I must say that this makes up for last weeks episode ten-fold. Two ongoing season plot threads came to a head all in one episode, and I must say this episode was the exact right mixture of entertainment and drama. Both plots kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. Yet they entertained very well at the same time.
First off the Spinner/Darcy plot this storyline came right to a big climax here. Spinner it seems is finally finding something in his life that will make him happy again, through his girlfriend and new found faith. But as we know this is Degrassi and no one can stay happy for too long so I expect a lot more Drama from Spinner this year. This whole plot really surprised me, I pretty much knew that Spinner was going to become Christian this episode, but I didn't expect at all how the writers went about it. Namely his and Jay's whole relationship crashing down in a fist fight. I loved how this was written. Very good plot and very unexpected. I loved the fact that Darcy showed a lot more into her character here. Before all we knew is she was a cheerleader and became Christian not too long ago. This was a very big growing episode as far as Darcy's character is concerned. Shane did a great job of acting in this episode, when he had the flashback and looked at the pictures of him and Darcy, you knew what he was feeling no words were necessary, very intense scene.
Onto Jimmy, Hazel, and Ellie, we basically pick up where we left off. I actually blame the whole problem on Hazel. Hazel is jumping to way to many conclusions, and she is making huge deals out of nothing. I'm actually glad her and Jimmy broke up, there relationship had become stagnant since the shooting. It's good to see Jimmy moving on after the shooting. Although I really don't like the Ellie and Jimmy coupling it appears there may be a chance of it, or could it be another red herring? Remember everyone thought a Craig and Ellie relationship was coming too, I think that we may be in for another surprise. Either way I'm glad Jimmy and Hazel are finally over.
511: Lexicon Of Love Part 1
It's that time once again, I just saw Lexicon of Love Part 1, and all I can say is I can't wait for part 2. My biggest fear of this episode was the realism factor, and I'd have to say the episode was pulled off brilliantly. I like how we get another look at Jay and Alex's relationship. It looks like Jay is trying to get back with Alex now that his only friend Spinner has dumped him, but apparently Alex likes someone else... I like how Jason and Kevin were more in the background in this episode as well, although they did have the funniest segment of the episode, when Paige and Alex were dancing and Kevin asked why they are being upstaged at their own party and why they aren't out there doing an erotic dance? Jason was hilarious in that segment. "Don't call me rhetorical that's mean, you're rhetorical." So by what her Mom said, it appears Alex already had a crush on Paige, no wonder she was about to cry when she found out Paige wasn't going to take her to the premiere. We also get a little peak into Alex's abusive home life, which is an added bonus. The scenes between Alex and Paige were well played and you can see how the attraction between the two was really well done. The episode flowed quite nicely from beginning to end with Alex and Paige's scenes getting more and more tense as the two got closer justifying the kiss at the end. I really liked Paige's denial after the kiss too, the scene was classic. I like how Alex is a lot more open with her feelings towards Paige, which I guess you could attribute to her having thought about it for a while now, we know she talks to her Mom about Paige all the time. Paige is just now realising her feelings, you can tell it wasn't Alex or even the kiss that scared her, it was the fact that it felt right... Damn next week in going to be good.
And onto the subplot, you take two semi-related on going plot threads and make a train-wreck out of them. I really liked this plot, first off I love the Peter and Emma sneaking around relationship, it's a really good plot, and the scene were Peter and Emma see their parents making out is so intense, I was literally on the edge of my seat. Than when Emma confronted Snake I think that was the best acting I've seen Miriam do in a long time. It really reminded me of the season 2 Emma. Snakes response was great as well, he's obviously regrets what he did, and it's going to be really interesting to see how this resolves.
And did everyone see a very pregnant Liberty with Toby? I can't help but wonder if Toby is just helping his best friends pregnant girlfriend or if he is trying to move in on her. Either way it's nice to see Toby again. I can't decide whether this or Turned Out is my favorite episode this season yet. I'm going to wait for part two to decide that.
512: Lexicon of Love Part 2
Well, well, well--I'd say Lexicon of Love Parts 1 & 2 just took the place of my favorite episode of Degrassi beating out Turned Out Parts 1 & 2. I don't even know where to begin.
I'll start with the the A plot. I loved the Paige and Alex story. I pretty much expected what was going to happen as I said last week neither Paige or Alex consider themselves lesbians, yet they like each other, it's the whole no labels thing, Alex's line "And you think I am" in response to Paige saying "I'm not a lesbian" pretty well sums this up. I pretty much knew they were going to end up together, but how it got there that was the great part. I absolutely loved both Lauren and Deanna's acting in this episode. The opening sequence with Paige waking Alex up and totally avoiding the subject was excellent. I think Lauren played the confusion and torn feelings in this episode perfectly and the writing was wonderful. You could really feel the tension in all of Paige and Alex's scenes, it was literally edge of your seat drama. I loved Marco and Paige's scene as well, that was a really well written scene. Jay and Alex's interaction was well done also, I actually kinda felt sorry for Jay for once, and apparently Alex did too; also the second mention of Sean this season (first was Emma in Venus) I'm a stickler for continuity in TV shows so I love little things like that. The final scene was really touching too, and it brought everything together nicely; I mean it felt real and it didn't matter if they were two girls or a guy and a girl I could feel the chemistry between them making it quite believable, and I really think that's exactly what the writers and director were going for.
Kevin Smith's parts were well done and he once again remained in the background, yet still had impact on the episode; I think the writers listened to a lot of the fans last year when they said there was too much Kevin Smith. Either way his "Yoda-like" advice to Paige was a really well done scene. Kevin's scenes are always fun to watch when he has a monologue though.
On to the subplot, I really thought it was overshadowed by the main plot. I mean they usually don't try to do two drama heavy plots in one episode, and I feel what was an excellent plot suffered due to being a subplot to Alex and Paige. On it's own though I loved this plot. I actually liked how it centered more around Emma and how she felt and dealt with what Snake did rather than being about Snake and Spike. I loved how she hated him so much for what he did yet when he was leaving she was trying to stop him; this was extremely realistic in how kids deal with parents separating. The final scene was extremely touching and Miriam's acting has been hit and miss all season but actually she did really excellent in that scene. I still think this plot merited the A plot of a single episode rather than the B plot of a two-parter. If I was a writer I would have taken the Marco plot of him coming out to his dad and rewrite it as the B plot of Lexicon of Love; maybe have Marco's Dad see Marco and Tim together at the premiere. Than have The Emma and Snake plot be the main plot of it's own episode. Not only would that Marco plot have been better but it would have went well with the whole gay theme of Marco coming out and Paige fearing she may be gay. Never the less Lexicon of Love as is was still my favorite episode so far this season even with it's shortcomings.
513: Together Forever
I really liked this episode, I believe the writers did an excellent job of showing Craig being torn between his best friends and his dream. It was well done how Craig was pushing for the whole band and stood up for them until the very end. It was a really good idea to have Ellie finally be the one to tell him go by yourself, it's about you not the band. I really don't think we have seen the last of Craig, my guess is he will be back for graduation. The montage at the end was beautiful, I love how the wrapped up the entire episode including the subplot without any dialogue. Actions speak so much louder than words. Craig saying goodbye to the band before leaving in the car to the airport was great and him and Ellie's goodbye was especially touching. I've seen some people complain about that him and Manny's relationship is in the background here, I mean they don't even have a goodbye scene. I actually liked this part, I mean the episode centered around Craig, the band, and his dream; not around his relationship with Manny so it makes sense that would be secondary. Besides their relationship was still visible onscreen and she was in the car to see him off at the airport in the final scene. It actually makes sense that most of the closure would center around Craig and the band, especially him and Ellie considering how close they had become. I mean Manny is Craig's girlfriend but it all goes back to what Craig said in "Weddings..." Ellie has seen him at his darkest and most venerable times, they have a special kind of relationship. I still say that Stacey and Jake have some of the best on screen chemistry. It's really cool to watch because you can see how Ellie and Craig have this really deep, almost sibling like bond now, and fun to see the Manny jealousy come out too, that was a nice touch keeping in continuity with the previous episodes.
And onto the subplot, I liked how JT is trying to still keep tabs on Liberty and the pregnancy through Vice President Toby. That was a very nice touch to the plot. It makes sense Liberty wants nothing to do with him considering what he did. Toby actually had some screen time for once, we haven't seen that since season 4. His scene with Liberty in the car where he spills all the beans about JT is especially well done, and his scene with JT in front of the Dot was also excellent. Of course like I said before the montage at the end was beautiful, it was nice to see they let JT in the room to see the baby before the adoption agency took it, and the shot of Liberty after they took the baby was tear jerking, the whole thing with Craig's winning song playing flowed so well.
All in all I'd say while it don't beat Lexicon of Love as my favorite episode so far this season, this episode really tied up two season long plot threads rather nicely. It also seems like a good point to break at too as they didn't really leave any early season plot threads hanging.
The above article was published by dTNGHO, please credit if cited or used
author contact info: lordlitwicki@msn.com
