Degrassi: The Next Generation

Finally! After what seemed like forever, the Degrassi writers gave us an episode featuring some of our favorites that we hadn't heard lately. While Manny prepared for her debutant ball, Jimmy met a girl in physical therapy just as his relationship with Ashley began to fizzle out.

With her 18th birthday rapidly approaching, Manny found herself in another tight spot with her parents. In addition to forcing her to partake in a traditional Filipino debutant ball, the college fair hit Degrassi, providing yet another opportunity for Manny to clash with her folks. Manny has always wanted to pursue a career in theater but with her parents paying for college, Papa Santos had his own ideas regarding his daughter's career path. All of the pressure she was getting from her parents caused Manny to crash the family BMW with no other option but to go to Jay for help in secretly fixing it. When Jay came through just in time to get the car back without Manny's parents noticing, Manny cooked up a scheme to show her parents they can't continue to run her life. She asked Jay to escort her to the ball, hoping his typical Jay behavior would come out in full force. Her plan failed, however, when Mr. Santos took a liking to Jay despite his messy past.

As Jimmy started an intense round of physical therapy, he and Ashley's relationship seemed to be heading to Splitsville when he discovered his rap track had been deleted off of their demo. When he confronted her about it, Ashley tried to explain how it all came back to how Craig screwed her over, but Jimmy couldn't help but feel hurt by her betrayal. At the same time, Jimmy met a new girl named Trina in physical therapy. It was clear that Jimmy and Trina hit it off, making it difficult for Jimmy to have any desire to reconcile with Ashley. Even when Jimmy decided to push forward with the demo (rap track included) he quickly realized that superstardom wasn't his dream. He didn't want his disability to be the reason for his fame.

The episode ended with Manny's debut. All hopes of getting to her father were dashed when a cleaned-up Jay showed up looking spiffy. When all appeared hopeless, it was time for Manny to show off her acting chops. She decided to show her father what it would be like if she allowed men like him to dictate her future. After a pretty hilarious show, Mr. Santos caved and allowed his daughter to go after her dream of acting. The credits rolled as Manny and Papa Santos shared a father/daughter dance.

This week seemed to mark the end of another miniseason of Degrassi. The episode itself didn't pack much punch and the season as a whole was disappointing. You would think merging two rival schools would make for a bit more drama but it all seemed too tame as a follow-up to the season in which JT was killed. As many of us have wondered, where was Emma all season? We got a little bit of screen time from her in this week's show but only as Manny's sidekick. She briefly mentioned that Sean joined the Army, but otherwise, we got nothing. Emma, Liberty and Manny looked amazing all decked out for the ball but looking good ain't enough. Hopefully the writers will hear the complaints we've all had and bring on some juicy stories next season. Until then, thanks for reading. See y'all next semester!

Last week on Degrassi, Spinner found out he has testicular cancer and let all of his rage out on the Lakehearst bully. In Part 2 of that storyline, Spinner continued to deal with his health issue.

Just when Spinner extended the olive branch to the Lakehearst bullies, he found out that his fight with Johnny was uploaded to the Web and has developed quite the following. Johnny was interested in capitalizing on this Internet fame and tried to coerce Spinner into staging more fights. He even offered up his barking friend Bruce to be the next to step into the ring. Spinner wasn't into it until he found out his cancer treatment would involve losing one of his testicles. Then, in what was supposed to be a highly emotional scene, Spinner took a page from the book of Britney and shaved off his hair. With a new 'do and a need to prove his manliness, he sought out Johnny for Round 2 of their fight.

At the college house, Marco's social life was taking a serious nosedive. Ellie was too busy with her rekindled romance and Paige was busy with work, so the only person willing to spend time with Marco was the new roommate. The two decided to have a boys' night out, seeing as Marco is the perfect wingman.

Back at the high school, Spinner's latest battle made its rounds on the Internet and everyone at school got a peek. But when Spinner approached Jane, she was afraid of his seemingly uncontrollable rage. In an attempt to win her sympathy, he fessed up that he had cancer and was scheduled to have surgery after school. Despite his confession to Jane, he later approached the Lakehearst kids and challenged Johnny's friend to a fight. A concerned Jane went to discuss Spinner's behavior with Jimmy, hoping he could talk some sense into his best friend. As Spinner was about to start up Round 3, Jimmy convinced him to make it to his appointment. The next day at school, Spinner moved past his fighting ways and tried to make some progress in his relationship with Jane.

Meanwhile, the morning after Marco's big night out he seemed to have found a new best friend (or maybe something more?). Paige and Ellie reminded him that he's a bit overemotional and he tends to get too emotionally invested too quickly. Going against Paige and Ellie's advice, Marco interrupted Griffin's meeting to invite him to a sale at a local store. Griffin seemed a little weirded out by the whole thing but agreed to go anyhow. When he arrived home late, missing his plans with Marco, Marco was pissed. They had a chat about whether Marco's homosexuality was an issue for Griffin, but in reality it was Marco who had the issue. His need for constant companionship was getting the best of him and he needed to find a way to deal with it. His solution: A cute little bunny rabbit named Hip-Hop.

I gotta say, I was a bit disappointed by the conclusion of this two-parter. The whole idea of Johnny wanting to keep fighting because their videos were a hit on the Internet seemed pretty bizarre (mainly because he kept getting his butt handed to him). I was also bothered by Spinner's attempt to skip his surgery. I get that the idea of losing a testicle is earth-shattering to a teenage boy, but is it worth dying for? Not so much! And yet he was prepared to do so in order to preserve his manhood. I also haven't enjoyed a Marco storyline since Dylan left. He's become a really needy, selfish person and I don't feel sympathy about anything that happens to him. Next week looks like the end for Jimmy and Ashley, and I for one can't wait! As I've stated before, I'm not a big fan of Ashley, either. I think Marco and Ashley are like two peas in one really self-centered pod.

After last week's shortened Halloween episode of Degrassi, most of us were hoping this week's return would be worth the wait. Oh boy was it ever!

As things at the high school picked back up, the Lakehearst kids were up to their old tricks of causing trouble and picking fights. The same thuggish dude who was an accomplice in JT's stabbing has been wreaking havoc at Degrassi by picking fights with anyone willing to stoop to his childish level. Having had enough of it, our old friend Spinner (remember him?) stepped in and tried to put a stop to the Lakeheart bullies. Of course, he had an ulterior motive trying to impress his new crush Jane, but his actions were heroic by anyone's standards. Although Spinner didn't use violence to prevent the fight in the cafeteria, the principal caught wind of the altercation and gave Spinner a stern warning that he's still on thin ice.

Meanwhile, Spinner's ex Darcy was almost done with her therapy sessions after trying to take her life following her rape. The only problem being that she still wouldn't reveal to the school therapist what drove her to suicide in the first place. Instead, she claimed to be feeling 100 percent better and would no longer need therapy to help her deal with life's stresses. However, things were not as they seemed and Darcy began to act out in the classroom in an attempt to disguise her emotional pain.

Back in Spinner's neck of the woods, Spinner felt a shooting pain in his groin while working out with Jimmy. He chalked it up to his lack of a love life and shrugged it off. But when the pain didn't subside, he was left with no other choice but to go and see a doctor. The doctor found a lump on his testicles. When he returned to school, Spinner played it off like it was nothing. He talked sports with Jimmy and took Jane out to the pool hall. But when the shooting pain came back on his date, he cut things short and ran away. At that moment, Spinner went from being in denial to full-on fright mode.

After being sent to detention for acting out in class, Darcy continued her mean streak by getting pissy with Mr. Simpson when he wouldn't lie for her about why she was in detention. She desperately wanted to be done with therapy and her streak of bad behavior could only extend her need for it. When Simpson wouldn't oblige, she threw another tantrum. While being sent to apologize to Mr. Simpson, Darcy refused to deliver a meaningful apology and when asked why, she finally came clean about what happened to her.

At the doctor's office, Spinner learns that he is in the early stages of testicular cancer. Although the doctor assures him that it's very treatable, he only hears the C word and it freaks him out. When he goes back to school again, the same Lakehearst bully is still torturing Degrassi students. In one quick moment, Spinner channels all of his rage and attacks the bully, bringing to a close Part 1 of this story arch.

This episode was really well done. I loved how they showed Spinner as this hero with huge physical strength while internally his body was under attack. Upon learning of his illness, he gave a realistic reaction by needing to prove that he was still a healthy, strong man by beating on the Lakehearst bully. The Darcy story worked in a similar way. She, too, was trying to appear happy and healthy on the outside while internally her secret was eating away at her. I can't wait to see how things play out next week. Just one random question before I go: Where the H is Emma this season?



You can watch full episodes of Degrassi in our Online Video Guide.

Before I can get into this week's episode, I have to put it out there that I'm a huge fan of zombie movies. I've seen 'em all! My favorite of them being Shaun of the Dead, which (in case you haven't seen it) takes a more comedic approach to the classic zombie story. When I found out the Halloween episode of Degrassi was going to be about zombies invading the high school, my love for this show was completely renewed. I thought it was ridiculously cool when they got Kevin Smith to do a guest stint, but this week's episode brought it to an even higher level. And just to sweeten the deal, the writers made a great decision not to include any of the new Lakehurst kids in the mix. But now for my recap.

You had to guess something odd was happening when the episode kicked off by going right into the opening theme. What? No setup for this week's dramafest? Instead, they interrupted the credits for an emergency alert. Apparently, genetically modified vegetables have caused a global catastrophe and the undead are roaming the streets. Peter, Manny, Paige, Jay and Ashley (another Breakfast Club-esque grouping) have found shelter inside the high school but the undead bodies of their classmates are all around them. Great day for Paige to decide to visit her alma mater! As the group contemplates their next move, Manny insists that Emma will come to save the day. Perfect timing for a zombified Emma to appear outside the window. With no options left, Jay decides to make a run for a car only to be greeted by the undead principal, who takes a big juicy bite out of his neck. The remaining four make their way to the gymnasium, where zombie Jimmy awaits them. In true Ashley tradition, she uses this completely inopportune time to declare her love for her undead boyfriend. Silly Ashley fell for his "even when I'm dead I still don't have use of my legs" trick and just as soon as she turned her back, poor little Ashley went bye-bye.

With only three people left, Peter switches into hero mode by disappearing into a horde of zombies attempting to distract them from the girls inside the gym. Then with just Manny and Paige left, the two have to set ill feelings aside if they have any hope of getting out alive. The best line of the episode came when Manny asks "Are you hitting on me?" in response to Paige's comment that despite their long-standing rivalry, she's glad they're alive together. As they make their way through the air ducts, they come upon the science lab where mad scientist Derek is performing experiments on a zombie Spinner. Clearly out of his mind, Derek's plan is to blow up the school and repopulate the earth with the school's only surviving females. Just when all hope seems lost, Paige uses her flirtatious ways to lead deranged Derek right into Spinner's biting range and the girls make a run for it as Derek uses his dying breath to push the button to blow up the school. In a selfless act, Paige pushes Manny out of harm's way. As Manny makes her way to the school bus, she finds Peter walking among the zombies. Apparently all they had to do was act like they were one of them to survive. Manny and Peter drive off on the bus on their quest to repopulate the world.

Overall, my real complaint about this week's show was that it was only 15 minutes long. I get the fact that they probably spent their entire budget on the added effects, but come on, what a scam? The episode ended after 15 minutes and the rest was just a making-of. How do you create a making-of segment that's as long as the actual segment? Regardless, I was entertained. It had all the elements of the classic zombie movie. Ashley's "I love you" monologue is a must for any zombie flick and I'm pretty sure Derek's mad scientist bit was a reference to Day of the Dead. And of course, as is the case with most great zombie movies, the end leaves no room for a sequel. Everyone is dead. Good stuff!

Before I can get into this week's episode, I have to put it out there that I'm a huge zombie movie fan. I've seen 'em all! My favorite of them being Shaun of the Dead which (in case you haven't seen it) takes a more comedic approach to the classic zombie story. When I found out the Halloween episode of Degrassi was going to be about zombies invading the high school, my love for this show was completely renewed. I thought it was ridiculously cool when they got Kevin Smith to do a guest stint but this week's episode brought it to a new level. And just to sweeten the deal, the writers made a great decision not to include any of the new Lakehurst kids in the mix. Now for my recap:

You had to guess something odd was happening when the episode kicked off by going right into the opening theme. What? No setup for this week's drama fest? Instead, they interrupted the credits for an emergency alert. Apparently, genetically modified vegetables have caused a global catastrophe and the undead are roaming the streets. Peter, Manny, Paige, Jay, and Ashley (another Breakfast Club-esque grouping) have found shelter inside the high school but the undead bodies of their classmates are all around them. Great day for Paige to decide to visit her alma mater! As the group contemplates their next move, Manny insists that Emma will come to save the day. Perfect timing for a zombified Emma to appear outside the window. With no options left, Jay decides to make a run for a car only to be greeted by the undead principal who takes a big juicy bite out of his neck. The remaining 4 make their way to the gymnasium where zombie Jimmy awaits them. In true Ashley tradition, she uses the completely inopportune time to declare her love for her undead boyfriend. Silly Ashley fell for his "even when I'm dead I still don't have use of my legs" trick and just as soon as she turned her back poor little Ashley went bye-bye.

With only 3 people left, Peter switches into hero mode by disappearing into a horde of zombies attempting to distract them from the girls inside the gym. With just Manny and Paige left, the two had to set ill feelings aside if they had any hope of getting out alive. The best line of the episode came when Manny asked "Are you hitting on me?" in response to Paige's comment that despite their long-standing rivalry, she was glad they were alive together. As they made their way through the air ducts, they came upon the science lab where mad scientist Derek was performing experiments on a zombie Spinner. Clearly out of his mind, Derek's plan was to blow up the school and repopulate the earth with the school's only surviving females. Just when all hope seemed lost, Paige used her flirtatious ways to lead deranged Derek right into Spinner's biting range and the girls made a run for it as Derek used his dying breath to push the button to blow up the school. In a selfless act, Paige pushed Manny out of harms way getting blown away by the explosion. As Manny makes her way to the school bus, she finds Peter walking among the zombies. Apparently all they had to do was act like they were one of them to survive. Manny and Peter drove off on the bus on their quest to repopulate the world.

Overall, my real complaint about this week's show was that it was only 15 minutes long. I get the fact that they probably spent their entire budget on the added effects but come on. What a scam? The episode ended after 15 minutes and the rest was just a making of. How do you create a making of segment that's as long as the actual segment? Regardless, I was entertained. It had all the elements of the classic zombie movie. Ashley's "I love you" monologue is a must for any zombie flick and I'm pretty sure Derek's mad scientist bit was a reference to Day of the Dead. And of course, as is the case with most great zombie movies, the end leaves no room for a sequel. Everyone is dead. Good stuff!

It seems like forever since we've gotten a Degrassi episode that didn't focus on the Alex-Paige or Peter-Darcy relationships. This week, the Degrassi gods answered our prayers and gave us an update on Ashley and Jimmy's coupledom, along with the rest of the high-school kids. I tend to prefer the high-school-centric episodes over the college eps, since those college kids don't ever seem to leave that house. Don't they have classes? Nevertheless, I was just really glad to finally have some time with a couple of the kids who we haven't seen in a while.

The episode picked up after Craig Manning's debut album dropped. His old friends all got a copy and it didn't take long for them to figure out who the songs "She Is the Ash," "Redheaded for Trouble," and "Thong Girl Wrong Girl" were about. He even had some younger fans at Degrassi who were envious of Ashley's past with him. The success of Craig's album (and his failure to credit her on one of his songs) got Ashley to reconsider her old dream of making it as a musician. Not wanting to keep Jimmy out of her dreams for the future, she suggested they perform one of her tunes at the talent show. She later decided she'd rather achieve solo success, only to be met with jeers from the crowd at the auditions. Jimmy came in to save the day by freestyling over Ashley's boring tune, but she was royally pissed that she'd been outshined once again. When the new roommate at the college house expressed interest in seeing Jimmy perform live, Ashley set aside her annoyances and let Jimmy take center stage. Her real feelings bubbled to the surface, though, when they were asked to create a demo for a record company and she removed Jimmy's rap track before burning the CD. Definitely doesn't make their future together look bright!

Meanwhile, the Lakehurst kids were still getting adjusted to life in the new school. Mia and Holly J. found themselves sharing a locker and a mutual affinity for one of the school's resident hotties. Neither of them were willing to back down. Then, to make a bad situation worse, the two were pitted against each other in debate class, with their boy as the moderator. With the topic of foreign adoption, it was pretty obvious that Holly J. was going to use this opportunity to take Mia down by poking fun at her having a kid. Although the low blow didn't bother their crush, the boy later shot down her invitation to hang out, making it seem as though he had plenty of issues of his own to sort out.

This wasn't one of my fave episodes so far. I've always found it difficult to like Ashley. She likes playing the victim, but in the end she always does something to take away any sympathy I feel for her. In this episode, if she had really come clean to Jimmy about how she felt, she would have had no reason to delete his rap track from the demo. She's always been too concerned with how she'll be perceived by others; it's made her very sneaky and manipulative. She didn't want Jimmy to be upset so she waited until the very last minute to pull a fast one and destroy his chances of being discovered as a rapper. What a great girlfriend!?

BTW, anybody check out the Degrassi-morphosis quiz on The-N.com? Apparently, I'm a Manny. Hmm.

After the intensity of last week's episode, us Degrassi fans needed a bit of a breather. Between the drugging, the rape and the suicide attempt, I was kind of expecting the second episode of the new season to not have a whole lot going on. But the title of this episode says it all. While certain relationships are slowly blossoming, others are quickly wilting away. Over in college world, Alex was beginning to overstay her welcome at Paige's pad while the roommates began their search to fill the room for rent. Despite overcoming some difficult times recently, Alex needs to figure out her next move. Playing house with Paige might be fun but it's not helping her get any closer to achieving her post-Degrassi aspirations. As Paige tried to move on from her crash-and-burn at Banting, Alex reconnected with Jay and let a bit of the old Alex out again. Getting stoned in the house where you are just a freeloading guest is not the best way to keep yourself in your hosts' good graces.

Meanwhile, Paige found herself in the job from hell. In an attempt to live out her dream career in the fashion world (btw, when did this become her ultimate career goal? I guess she really enjoyed running Jimmy's store!), she played lackey to a mega-B of a boss. Just what our girl needs to get over those panic attacks she was suffering from just last year. Paige's new gig drove a wedge between her and Alex, and I have to say, I kind of agreed with her stripper comment to Alex. How dare she come down on Paige for ironing and wrapping gifts as a career when she was pole-dancing and stripping down? Where's the dignity in that? It seems like that little tiff was the end for Alex and Paige and possibly Alex's run as a series regular. I must say, their tearful goodbye got me a little choked up. The two of those girls have been through so much together and the chances of them reuniting for a third time seems pretty unlikely.

At the high school, Manny found herself reliving last semester when she tried to rekindle things with Damian. It was a nice attempt that failed miserably when the couple couldn't agree on the issue of keeping Lakehearst and Degrassi divided. The two seemed fine with just having a flirty friendship but then rumors circulated that their relationship ended because Manny is a racist. After setting the record straight, the high-schoolers decided it would be best to unite the clubs and teams and put an end to this rivalry once and for all. I liked that Manny rejected Damian's attempt to try one more date. She jumps into these relationships too quickly and I find her to be more enjoyable when she's living the single life.

With the obvious exception of the end of Alex and Paige, it was a pretty uneventful episode. My thinking is that the unification of the two schools won't go over as smoothly as planned. I see Liberty and Damian having issues over school leadership and Holly J. and Manny are sure to disagree over cheerleading. It's going to be fun to watch this all play out. The high-school kids are totally gonna outshine the collegiates this year!

Despite most of us having been disappointed with the conclusion of last season when The N started airing promos for the new episodes of Degrassi, I must admit, I was sucked right back in. Although I found the rivalry between Degrassi High and Lakehurst last season to be a bit forced, the brutal stabbing of J.T. had me just as angry as his former classmates were. J.T. was a character loved by the fans and his death was not something that can happen in just one or two episodes. In the latter half of Season 6, it seemed as though that was exactly what the writers had planned to do. Aside from the occasional mention here and there, things were getting back to normal at Degrassi, with J.T. only getting a special page in the back of the yearbook, never to be mentioned again. But the unresolved tension between the schools came to a head this week when Degrassi and Lakehurst merged after a fire ripped though Lakehurst High. What delinquents! As the episode kicked off, we were treated to a few new faces in the opening credits that we can expect to see as on a fairly regular basis as this season plays out. Apparently Holly J. Sinclaire (younger sister to the infamous but unseen Heather Sinclaire) and Mia are here to stay. But anyhow, on to this week's dramafest.

Toby finally got some closure regarding J.T.'s death. He was understandably frustrated when "J.T.'s killers" invaded his school and he refused to accept their offer of a peace treaty. It wasn't until Liberty talked some sense into him and visited J.T.'s grave that he was finally able to let go of his grudge. Meanwhile, in the college world, Marco bored me with his neverending Dylan drama. Although I used to find Marco and Dylan's coupledom sweet, I've come to really dislike Marco — I find him way too needy. I understand that Dylan is his first love but he's now had two opportunities to be with guys who actually give him the attention he wants, yet he continues to pine over Dylan. Hopefully this new guy will be the one to help him get over Dylan.

The bulk of the episode, however, dealt with Darcy and Peter's relationship. Poor, innocent Darcy! Just as things with Peter seemed to be going well, her life spiraled out of control, never to be the same again. During a snowboarding excursion with Manny and some new Lakehurst classmates, Peter put the pressure on Darcy to get a bit more physical with him. She refused and the two split up, each turning to alcohol to calm their nerves. Apparently nobody has ever warned naive little Darcy not to leave her drink unattended at a party, so the unthinkable occurred. She woke up the next morning naked and in bed next to Peter. The two assumed they were too drunk to remember going all the way, but Darcy was still freaked that she broke her vow of abstinence. But when a story broke of a serial rapist on the loose, Darcy and Peter began to suspect that there is something off about their night together. In the midst of being ridiculed by her classmates and the friendship club, Darcy had to also take precautions about her health. When the test results came back, it turned out she has chlamydia. The news was too much for her to bear. The fairy-tale life that she had envisioned for herself as a child now seems like an impossible dream. With her life in shambles, she attempted to slit her wrists during cheerleading practice. Manny discovered her in the shower and got her help just in the nick of time. Although it will take a lifetime to recover from this, Darcy can take solace in knowing she has friends who will support her during this tough time. Manny and Peter even surprised her with a new promise ring, telling her what she had been through just doesn't count. Manny and Peter walked her down the halls of Degrassi, holding her up to face her unknown future.

I was pretty much blown away by this episode. My main criticism of last season was that the storylines were pretty weak. This season, the Degrassi we all know and love was back in full force. There was so much going on aside from Darcy's drama, and so much potential for upcoming episodes. Holly J. and the new girl with the nose ring (anyone catch her name?) are great additions to the cast. Based on the promos I've seen, it looks like the nose-ring girl will develop a thing for Spinner and Holly J. will try to establish herself as the new alpha female of Degrassi High. I've never been happier to be back in school!

Attention Degrassi: The Next Generation fans: The new season kicks off this Friday night and it's looking to be a good one. Lakehurst and Degrassi, once bitter rivals, now united under one roof. Bring on the drama!

Check out the preview clips on TVGuide.com's Degrassi: The Next Generation page or by clicking the link underneath this post.

In this week's episode of Degrassi, Paige became gay and there was a pregnancy scare at the high school. No, it wasn't a rerun, but it wasn't anything new either. If I weren't loving the Alex storyline, this blog would be a rant of my annoyances with this season. However, the conclusion of this two-parter put an end to Lextasy (Alex's stripper alter-ego) and what I can only hope is the ultimate end of Emma and Sean.

As soon as Alex put aside her feminist views and got up on the stage, it was only a matter of time before one of her clients propositioned her to take things to the next level. Leave it to some sleazy rich guy coming on to her to give her the wake-up call she needed to finally toss in the G-string and the body glitter. But with all the insanity Alex has gone through recently, the last thing she needed was Paige throwing yet another hissy fit, no matter how valid her points may have been. It's not about you, Paige! It's about keeping food on the table and a roof over your head. And just when things couldn't get worse for Alex, it turns out Mama Nunez used Alex's tips to bail out her deadbeat boyfriend. I was totally with Alex when she decided enough was enough and left the nest for a more stable home environment. I just hope Paige has gotten over those panic attacks.

Moving on...the whole Emma/Sean fiasco completely annoyed me throughout this and last week's episodes. They were planning for a child that they weren't even sure existed. When Emma took the pregnancy test and it came up negative, it didn't convince her. I understand that missing her period freaked her out, but that's when you schedule an appointment with your doctor and hope for the best. Don't start picking out colors for the nursery and force your boyfriend to change his plans for the future before you've gotten accurate confirmation that you have a bun in the oven. Emma is usually so much smarter than that. It was good to see that both Manny and Spike were ready to support her no matter what the second test results brought, but it was a lot better that her "friend" came to town right before she was about to take it. Teen pregnancy was so sophomore and junior year!

The two-parter and this season of Degrassi ended with the Winterfest dance. By the way, what was with there being no mention of this episode actually being the season finale? If it weren't for the teaser for the next season starting in the fall, I would still have no clue that my blogging duties are being put on hold for a while. Nevertheless, I was happy we got a brief update on all the cast members we've been missing over the past few weeks. It looks like Jimmy and Ashley are still together. Liberty and Toby seem to be coping with JT's death pretty well (and it looks like Toby has become Mr. Popular... winning the crown for ice king and all). Even though the second half of this season was a bit of a letdown for me, the writers certainly have me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what's going to happen when the students from Lakehurst start attending Degrassi. See you all in the fall!

This was by far the most depressing episode of Degrassi that I've seen since JT's death. We've watched for months as Alex has attempted to clean up her image and score those grades that will get her into university. She made amends to the people at Degrassi whom she has wronged in the past. She's tried her best to rid herself of the bad influences in her life and find a circle of friends that don't trade plastic bracelets for sexual favors. Yet despite all of these positive changes, life just can't cut Alex a break.

Although I've had a lot to say about the quality of the episodes this season, this one def. took the show one step out of the trenches. My heart dropped in the opening scene when it became clear that the scumbag "father figure" in Alex's life was taking her and her mother for all they're worth (which was very little to begin with.) Then, just in the nick of time to stir up some more trouble for poor Alex, her old friend Jay shows up with a new girlfriend who recommends she take a job at a local strip club to get some extra cash. Aside from having terrible taste in men, the girl seemed to be genuinely concerned for Alex when she was debating shakin' her assets on the club's stage. Yeah, she hooked Alex up with the job in the first place, but she did try to warn her that the owner was pretty sleazy and that even just that first dance will change her forever. And just to make things more difficult for Alex, Paige decided that now would be a good time to try out that whole lesbian thing again.

In less exciting news, it's looking like there's going to be a new member of the teenage pregnancy club at Degrassi High School. First Manny had her big "A," then Liberty gave up her baby for adoption, now it seems Emma has quite the decision on her hands as well. I would hope that after realizing that her own mother was faced with the exact same decision when she was a senior, Emma will be the one member of the club who chooses to raise her child knowing that she has a family that will support her decision. She's a smart cookie... she'll get through this just like the others. I have to add, though, I found Sean's acting in this episode to be pretty laughable. That scene outside in the snow, which should have been a pretty intense moment for Emma and Sean, was just some downtime for me between the more interesting moments in the episode. I was a lot more interested to see Manny finally turn up in an earlier part of the show (even for the brief amount of screen time she had).

Even though it seems like everyone's favorite Canadian prime-time soap is once again on the upswing, we will have to wait and see how things turn out next week with the conclusion of this two-parter. On that subject, the number of two-parters this show tosses our way kind of annoys me. Can't they at least make a few of them hour-longs? Whatever... I was just glad to get away from the Peter/Darcy drama for a week. Though I don't hate their relationship like most of you, where's Liberty? Toby? Ellie? Jimmy? Ashley? Come on Degrassi writers, show the rest of the cast some love!

What a lame episode! If it weren’t for one of my super fans (Thanks, T!!) pointing out that I was late posting a new entry, I could’ve skipped this week entirely. I had been waiting for a non-Paige episode to come our way and I certainly didn’t think this Marco-centric episode would be such a snoozefest.

Let me start out by saying that I have sat and watched poker tournaments on television. I’ve even sat and watched my roommate do the online poker thing for a little while and it was 10 times more exciting than watching Marco do it. First off, why would he even think that playing with Jay and his gaggle of goons would work out for him in the end? Even if he didn’t lose his money to them, the homophobes would never let him leave there with all of their cash! Then, to further complicate things, the genius decides to let his new poker buddies into Jimmy and Spinner’s store for Round 2. It just seemed so out of character for Marco, the former VP of Degrassi HS. The rush of winning money when gambling is definitely thrilling, but it was the company he was playing with that really got to me. A poker night between friends is understandable, but to sit down at a table with a bunch of low-lifes (who are just taking a break from spreading STDs down at the ravine) just makes no sense. I just can’t buy missing Dylan as an excuse, and apparently neither could Marco’s dad! And just to top it off, Marco tries to play the coming out card simply as a way to distract his father from coming down on him about stealing money from the family. What has college done to these kids?

Over at the high school this week, we’ve got some more developments with the Darcy/Peter affair. They’re really giving these two a lot of screen time lately. I love how overly dramatic their relationship has been from the start. The late-night rocks on the window... the secret meetings in the basement... disguises in the park... ahh, to be young and in love again! Really though, what is with these two? We know Peter can’t really be too head-over-heels for Darcy and how could Darcy just forget about friendship club? She is friendship club! I almost think there could be a spin-off with that little crew. Picture it: The drama of trying to stay pure in god’s eyes while trying to survive high school without being a total social outcast. That has the CW written all over it (now that 7th Heaven is out of the picture.) Anyhow, I’m kinda hoping that Peter does get shipped off to military school so he and Darcy could share a night together and then he could immediately go off after telling her that he was just after her body the whole time. End of story... moving on! What do you all think?

That's all for this week and I promise: My next blog will go up Friday night shortly after the new episode. I wouldn’t want to disappoint!

Remember last week when I was hating on Paige and her selfish/needy ways? If you're a fan of Paige... you may want to stop reading this now. There is so much more hating left to do.

This week Paige returned home just in time to stir up some drama for all the friends she left behind to attend Banting. Spinner, Alex and Ellie would have been a whole lot better off if Paige stayed at Banting and kept her little panic attacks to herself. Sure, I picked up on the parallels between Emma's presentation in Simpson's class and Paige's actions during this episode but I don't buy it. If Paige had met new love interests rather than playing with the hearts of her own and her new roommate's exes, it could have been justified. However, she made all the wrong choices and (surprise, surprise) it blew up in her face by the end of the half hour. At least she has a place to live and a great new gig as manager of Jimmy's T-shirt company. Now onto some interesting story... I'm a bit Paiged-out.

Emma was finally ready (and sober enough) to take the next step with Sean. Her little run-in with Snake at the pharmacy was hysterically awkward and I loved how she was completely up front about it rather than trying to hide it and sneak around. The fact that her mom made the wrong choices regarding this issue back in the '80s (Degrassi Junior High) made it so fitting that it would be Emma who questioned the double standard women face when it comes to sex nearly 20 years later. In Snake's defense though, no father or step-father should be subjected to a PowerPoint presentation of his daughter ogling a half-naked boy. He can still be accepting of Emma as a sexual being without being confronted with the pictorial evidence.

The week's drama escalated with Alex finally confronting Paige about her lingering feelings. It seems like Alex is really coming into her own this season and not taking anyone's BS, especially Paige's. And after last week's kiss, it's clear that Paige has some unfinished business with Alex as well. And yet, once again Paige disappoints by not admitting to her own feelings and running back into The Dot to meet up with the guys. I'm so over her! I hope she's nowhere to be found in next week's Marco-centric episode.

First off, I know this blog is a few days late and for that, I apologize. What can I say? I love this country so much that my Independence Day festivities carried over into the weekend and I couldn't catch up with my shows until today. Plus, the MTV premiere of My Super Sweet 16 Movie was on, featuring Degrassi's very own Manny Santos (Cassie Steele) in a supporting role. But I'm caught up now and ready to talk Degrassi. Now on to this week's ep.

I don't know what happened between this week and last... but for some reason I found myself completely disinterested in Paige's story line. Last week I sympathized with her and her struggle to stay afloat at Banting, but this week she just struck me as annoying and needy. Granted, the girl is on the verge of completely flunking out of college, but that's what happens when you try to pass off an Internet essay as your own. Word of advice, Paige: When it's getting down to crunch time and you find yourself in a bind, try hitting the library and a Starbucks Double-Shot before heading straight to Google. An "incomplete" is way better than a big fat zero (and possible plagiarism charges to boot). It was around this part of the episode that I began to lose interest. It seemed like she had one of her little freak-outs every time things didn't go her way, and rather than confide in her friends during her time of need, she put on a happy face, came up with a cover story and sang the night away. Oh Paige! You mean you can't just transfer schools mid-semester without a transcript or any kind of legitimate excuse? But you were head cheerleader at Degrassi... that's gotta count for something!

Although I'm not feeling the Paige story so much, I'm absolutely loving the budding romance between Darcy and Peter. Anyone else catch how they slipped in a bit of Canadian slang with the line: "You're gonna get us both in sugar!" Maybe I'm just getting old but I've never heard any American high-schoolers speak like that. That one had me practically rolling on the floor. Anyhow, I'm loving that Darcy has completely written off all of Peter's wrongdoings after seeing how his feuding parents treat him and each other. Who cares that he swapped risqué photos of you with an Internet perv? His parents are divorced! I know the Bible teaches to forgive and forget, but seriously Darcy, that dude's issues go way beyond simply being the product of a broken home.

Overall I was glad that Alex finally confronted Paige so we could move past this Banting thing. I'm also very happy that they are taking their time in developing the Darcy/Peter relationship because there's a lot of fun to be had with this one. So that concludes another week of drama on Degrassi. I can't wait for next week when we'll finally get to see what the other Degrassi kids are up to. Judging by the previews, it seems mating season at Degrassi is in full swing.

Nothing says "Hello Summer!" like a special Thanksgiving episode of Degrassi. Season 7 kicked off last night by planting the seeds for what I'm sure will grow into some pretty intense drama over the next few weeks.

It seems freshman year at Banting hasn't met Paige's expectations of college. Apparently Statistics 101 isn't quite as easy as Mr. Simpson's computer class, and it's giving our girl some pretty severe panic attacks. How does Paige escape the stress of college midterms? By paying a visit to her big bro, Dylan, and her best friend, Marco. But really, could a Degrassi Thanksgiving ever be that easy? Besides getting stuck cooking the entire meal, Paige must keep quiet about Dylan and Marco's relationship, figure out if ex-flame Alex has really moved on, and somehow manage to break it to her mother that following in mama's footsteps at Banting isn't going so well. It's a bit much to handle even for alpha-girl Paige, and something tells me her little bonfire in the dorm room is just the beginning of her fall from grace.

Meanwhile, back at good ol' Degrassi High, Peter can't seem to get Darcy off his mind ever since the girl went wild on the Internet. Silly, naive little Darcy actually believes that having Petey brush up on his Bible will get him to shed his bad boy image overnight. I believe the saying goes: Fool me once, shame on you... fool me twice, shame on me. After the incident with the cops and Peter's suspended license, one would hope Darcy would see that he's a lost cause but ya know... it's Degrassi! There needs to be at least a couple rounds of makeups and breakups before this romance gets squashed. I just hope Darcy sticks with her Christian values and doesn't give it up to the smooth-talking rebel.

Although classes may be coming to an end at most schools across the country, the semester at Degrassi is getting under way just in time to feed our hunger for high-school drama. Oh Degrassi... how I've missed you. Now if only they could come up with a way to bring JT back from the dead without going all Buffy the Vampire Slayer on us, I'd be a very happy guy!