eclecticSJ

Oh, Connor! Such an underused character. I hope that now that he is back from that program he is better adjusted and is given something serious and not simply use as comic relief! I really want Connor to shine!

kaleidocat

Welcome back Connor!

I enjoyed his absolute point blank questions in "Underneath it All."

So he's going to be on the football team. This is will be interesting. Parenthood had an episode this season with Max (who also has aspbergers) dealing with being excluded in gym class despite being confident in his abilities. It seemed like he ended up retreating and not wanting to participate, which was sad to see. But he did make a friend while opting out of class and sitting on the sidelines. I'm predicting Connor will have more success.

Nekoshoujo

^ I think the writers might take the opposite approach so that we end up finding he has a real talent with football and some people might have a problem with that.

I think what I want most from this storyline is to see Connor interacting with some new people. It seems for the past two seasons he's barely existed outside of the Three Tenners. I'm willing to bet that the Clare/Connor scene we got in the premiere is a hint of that.

eclecticSJ

It seems he will be excluded judging by a line in the Much Music promo said by I think Owen. I also find it weird that Mo will be antagonising Connor. Mo is as much an underdog character as Connor is. They should be sticking together not fighting each other. I'm guessing it might be a bit like the Drew/Riley thing where perhaps they are going for the same spot. Either way I am excited for more Connor!

Nekoshoujo

^ I dunno that doesn't seem that unusual to me. Mo is an underdog but I always got the sense that if he could he would be popular. He puts himself down before others do, but that's a defense. If he sees that Connor is about to move up socially before him, he might try to undermine Connor in some way. It's social preservation.

JustMe2000

^I think that's exactly what we saw play out with Mo in the episode.

I think it's funny that given his own history with online "girlfriends" that Connor's first instinct to deal with Mo was to get him one. This should be interesting.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I loved that we got to see KC and Connor together again, and the call back to KC being one of those who knows about Connor's Asperger's was a great touch.

That raises the question, who does know about Asperger's?

KC, Clare, Alli, and I'm assuming Dave and Wes. Anyone else? Besides Snake, of course.

kaleidocat

I too loved the KC and Connor scenes. All these memories I have of their interaction came flooding back - especially that Connor was the first to know of KC living in a group home and kept that a secret, much like what KC is doing for Connor and his Asperger's and the football team.

Yeah, I think that's all those who know about it. Do you guys think that Connor will tell any of his teammates? And how are they going to react if he does?

JustMe2000

So what do we think about where Connor stands now and his possible new friendship with Mo? I am intrigued with that idea. I think it could be interesting to see these two "losers" form a bond. I'm going to miss the Three Tenners (already do) if this is a result of some sort of break-up, so to speak. And I would love to know when (or if?) we're going to see Wesley again?

TeenNick posted a funny little behind the scenes clip of AJ and Jacob (Mo) rehearsing the single best moment from last Friday's episode.

kaleidocat

Yeah, I'm open to the idea of a friendship with Mo. I do hope that they come to realize that they aren't losers though. I don't really like the idea of that message being sent out. But if right now both feel that way and they grow to appreciate their qualities, I could be okay with that journey. I'd hope that their peers would also acknowledge their strengths, at least on the football field, but maybe that's too much of a happy-go-lucky ending.

Cute behind the scenes clip! It always amazes me to see A.J. out of character. He plays Connor so well. Most underused and under-appreciated character!

JustMe2000

So true- and sadly he's another example of the "if you're a geek, you're on the sidelines for the big stuff" mantra this show has had since it came back over a decade ago.

We did get some interaction with him and KC, and if Wesley is off on the island somewhere, and Dave is off in Adam and Alli land, I can very much get behind seeing more KC/Connor stuff.

Oh and Connor told a joke!

Nekoshoujo

I dunno how I felt about his pink shirt in the promo shots. Normally I'm all for a good pink shirt but it just didn't seem very Connor. A nice mint-green would have suited him more IMO.

JustMe2000

I'm just glad he got an individual promo picture. It's been a little while since he got one by himself, hasn't it? Maybe since his first season on the show?

kaleidocat

Is there any hope for Connor getting a girlfriend this season? I feel like I shouldn't even be saying this since I'm a bit tired of all the romantic pairings on the show ATM and I know it's like the least popular thing to be rooting for. But I am super curious how someone with aspergers would approach that big teen milestone. And then we could have a touching bonding moment between Snake and Connor as he tries to guide him! Buddy KC coaching him? If only Wesley was around for a double date...

Nekoshoujo

Another benefit of Wesley being gone :\

I wouldn't mind seeing Connor with a girlfriend although to be honest the more I've been reflecting on his storylines the less I like the way the writers have tackled Asperger's. Now that I'm seeing more an more characters on TV with it, Degrassi just doesn't hold up. I almost feel like they should take a step back or at least have a storyline that deals with a challenge of having Asperger's without mentioning the disorder at all. That would be impressive.

I would like to see more Mo/Connor. AJ and Jake work well together and they feel natural. Instead of a double date I think I'd prefer a KC/Connor/Mo/Jake guys night. That would bring out it's own social issues and I think it would feel more honest than if Connor had a love interest.

kaleidocat

Don't make me start to dislike them! You are already setting in fears that I set the bar too low with my expectations about how the panty raiding was handled. But I am super curious about other shows that have a character with Aspberger's and any criticisms you have about how Degrassi addresses it. I know you like to write so if you want I'd like to hear some plot bunnies about the challenges of having it without mentioning it. How would the target teen audience react to that and how would we get them to understand it?

I also love the idea of a guys night out.