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Early Season 5 Analysis: DTNG: From Quality, to Excellence
by fb45dtng
I have been reading many people's thoughts on season 5 thus far and the "big" continuing storyline this season of Liberty's pregnancy. I am finding that there seems to be much more of a "variety" (so to speak) in the compliments of this season as opposed to season 4. What I mean here is that, in the post Time Stands Still period of season four, it seemed as if a lot of discussion simply revolved around people loving or hating Craig. Granted, there are a lot of people who still liked the show, there just didn’t seem to be much discussion outside of...well...Craig.
Now I am not taking away anything from Jake Epstein as I believe he is a very talented person; however, it just seemed like there were a lot of other great aspects of the show that seemed to, well, get left out of the latter part of season 4. Of course, there were still good topics discussed and episodes in this group--I still think Eye of the Tiger is a great episode, but in my opinion it seemed different. At this stage in its career, Degrassi was simply just a good show that I loved.
Season 5, however, is starting to add what seemed to be lacking. The screenplay is similiar to season one and two, only now, the characters are much more developed and the storylines much more intense. People are talking about so many different things: the pregnancy, spinner's situation, Jimmy, and even the upcoming "crisis" with the older cast members (one in particular). The episodes seem to have been written in a much more in depth manner. Even simple things like the "Accidents Will Happen" reference in Foolin' are adding to this great start of a season. People are not just commenting on one specific thing--they're mentioning all different aspects of the show. Quite honestly, I have never been so excited for upcoming episodes as I am for Turned Out Pts 1 and 2.
Also, the characters themselves seem to be much more in depth. I never liked Liberty, but I think that Sarah Barrable-Tishauer has taken people aback by her performances. She is really taking shape in the role Liberty has this year. A lot of people like Stacey Farber. She has portrayed Ellie in a fabulous way in years past. However, again, it seems like this season she brings so much more to the part than previously. I really enjoy watching Ellie on screen right now. And, Ryan Cooley is currently making a tremendous mark on the show right now. I'm not going to reveal my thoughts just yet on him as I believe the next two episodes will (good or bad) determine his contributions to the show as either an enjoyable supporting actor (many times by comedic relief) or a splendid lead actor. By supporting and leads I mean (Lead - basically characters who have made a grand contribution -Craig, Paige, Emma, etc... : Supporting - Absolutely necessary, yet, no major impact -Toby, Hazel, Darcy, Dylan, etc...)
Now I know JT and Liberty have been seeming to get a decent amount of airtime as of current, but with so many episodes remaining, its hard to say whether or not that will continue to be the case. Also though, the JT, Liberty ongoing story line right now is so in depth that it seems necessary to incorporate them into the shows right now. With the one exception of the whole family planning thing with Danny, their airtime has been very intriguing as we are talking about a nine month, extremely emotional, TEEN pregnancy.
Of course, most of what I have mentioned is based on opinion. But a lot of what I said cannot be denied. People who have previously stated that they can't stand JT and Liberty, are now very excited to see what will come of them in the upcoming episodes. That alone says to me that a show is doing something right. But this isn't the only example, just the most relevant at the time. For example, the whole thing with Jimmy was previously uninteresting to me, but now I'm finding myself wondering what will become of him. Spinner as well, just to name another.
In conclusion, I am basically trying to get across that I think this season of Degrassi has thus far bumped the shows reputation from one of a quality, teen television drama, to one of a great primetime series. It is now a great series that I LOVE!!!
The above article was published by dTNGHO, please credit if cited or used
author contact info: jdm3715@yahoo.com
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