Nekoshoujo

I noticed this hadn't been started yet, but now that we've all had a week or so to process this long season let's take a look at what happened when Degrassi hit the boiling point and got in too deep!

Plot Break Down of Season 10:
1001 What A Girl Wants pt1:
A: Sav/Holly J
B: Fiona
C: Dave/Alli

1002 What A Girl Wants pt2:
A: Fiona
B: Sav/Holly J
C: Dave/Alli

1003 Breakaway pt1:
A: Fiona
B: Sav/Anya
C: Clare/Jenna

1004 Breakaway pt2:
A: Holly J/Fiona
B: Sav/Anya
C: Clare/Jenna

1005/1006 99 Problems pt1/2:
A: Riley/Drew
B: Alli
C: KC/Jenna

1007/1008 Better Off Alone 1/2:
A: KC
B: Clare/Eli
C: Alli

1009/1010 I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself 1/2:
A: Sav
B: Jenna
C: Fiona

1011/1012 Try Honesty 1/2:
A: Holly J/Declan
B: Eli/Fitz
C: Dave/Wesley/Connor

1013/1014 You Don’t Know My Name 1/2:
A: Alli/Drew
B: Sav/Holly J
C: Connor

1015/1016 My Body Is A Cage 1/2:
A: Adam
B: Anya
C: Dave

1017/1018 Tears Dry On Their Own 1/2:
A: Jenna/KC
B: Connor
C: Anya/Riley

1019/1020 Still Fighting It 1/2:
A: Riley/Zane
B: Eli/Clare
C: Wesley

1021/1022 Purple Pills 1/2:
A: Fiona
B: Adam
C: Riley

1023/1024 All Falls Down 1/2:
A: Alli/Drew/Bianca
B: Eli/Clare/Fitz
C: Sav/Holly J

1025/1026 Don’t Let Me Get Me 1/2:
A: Alli
B: Jenna

1027/1028 Love Lockdown 1/2:
A: Holly J/Declan
B: Clare/Eli
C: Chantay

1029/1030 Umbrella 1/2:
A: Clare/Eli
B: Drew/Fiona/Adam
B: Wesley/Dave

1031/1032 Halo 1/2:
A: Jenna/KC/(Sav/Holly J)
B: Wesley/Anya
C: Adam

1033/1034 When Love Takes Over 1/2:
A: Adam/Fiona
B: Anya
C: Dave

1035/1036 The Way We Get By 1/2:
A: Drew/Bianca
B: Alli
C: Riley


1037/1038 Jesus ETC 1/2:
A: Eli/Clare/Fitz
B: Sav/Alli
C: KC/Jenna

1039/1040 Hide and seek 1/2:
A: Holly J
B: Alli
C: Wesley

1041/1042 Chasing Pavements 1/2:
A: Fiona
B: Alli
C: Anya/Owen

1043/1044 Drop The World 1/2:
A: Eli/Clare
B: Sav/Holly J/Fiona
C: KC/Jenna

Who ended up with the most plots:
Alli (20)
Holly J (17)
Sav (16)
Jenna (16)
Fiona (16)
Clare (14)
Eli (14)
KC (12)
Anya (12)
Dave (10)
Drew (10)
Riley (10)
Adam (10)
Wesley (10)
Connor (6)
Fitz (6)
Bianca (4)
Declan (4)
Zane (2)
Owen (2)

Here's some basic discussion questions (stolen from the S9 thread):
Favorite and least favorite episodes?
Favorite and least favorite major plot lines?
Most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment?
Which characters didn't get enough screen time?
How would you rate this season compared to other seasons?
Stand out characters for you this season?

kindle

Wow thanks for this.

As for a pleasant surprise, I thought Anya's storylines were standout to me. I wish they could've gone into darker or more serious territory with her mother's disease, though she did a pretty good job with what she worked with anyways. Also, I love that she's shown as an independent and less co-dependent person since last breaking up with Sav. She's also touched on a topic I like seeing in teen dramas, which is female empowerment and feminist issues when it came to the Owen situation.

I think we all know my disappointment in the love/relationship area *cough*SavvyJ*cough*. But, I have no major issues with anything else. I pretty much take Degrassi with face-value in terms of TV standards and actual reviewing goes anyways.

Kwinks

I really wish that they had delved deeper into this plotline. Both of my parents have had cancer. My father had it three times, and my mother just once, and it was hell for my family every time. I was really irritated that they switched it out for a storyline involving her and Dr. Chris, and I'm really disappointed that it seems her mother's cancer was just used as a way to have Anya introduced to him. Bleh.

kindle

With you on that, Kwinks. I thought the Dr. Chris thing was so unnecessary and really not interesting at all actually.

JustMe2000

Thanks for starting this thread (and providing that rundown).

The one thing I loved about what we got with Anya's story this season was that we got to see some of her relationship with her parents. Regardless of what happens with her and the doctor (and color me majorly disappointed that the storyline seemed to be a setup for their potential romantic relationship), I'm hoping we see more of her and her parents this upcoming season.

Kwinks

I thought the breakups towards the finale and in the finale felt incredibly...odd and unbelievable. And I'm saying this as someone who doesn't even ship Savy J. It bothered me a lot actually. It felt like the writers were just pulling things out of their ass at that point, to be honest.

Nekoshoujo

Alright posting to say some stuff...

I have to agree with what some of you guys are, I really thought Anya's plot in MBIAC was quite strong and I wish we could have had more follow up with her family and not just set up for another relationship.

Favorite and least favorite episodes?
Top favorite episodes:
- My Body Is A Cage parts 1 & 2
- Umbrella part 2
- I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself 1 & 2
- All Falls Down 1 & 2

Already wrote up something on the first two: MBIAC & Umbrella part 2

I Just Don't Know What To Do With MyselfThis was the episode that got me psyched for the season! I don't care about the subplots so diving right into the A-plot: I wasn't really a big Sav fan, although towards the end of S9 I think I saw some potential but then this episode happened and he became one of my favorite characters. To me this is the perfect kind of Degrassi episode. It was one of those storylines that was easy for plenty of people to relate to. Parental issues, just wanting to have some fun, dealing with disappointment, panicing when things go wrong- who hasn't done those things? I also have to say for an episode so early in the season this plot was carried by only one character from a past season. The one three players were new kids we knew nothing about and I think it's one of the few times Degrassi has successfully introduced a group of characters without it seeming strange or clunky. On top of that it was really just a fun mix of personalities. Although this episode started my favorite new cast friendship of them all: Adam/Eli I'm a little sad that the Eli/Adam/Sav trio was never rivisited. They could have thrown another little B-plot in there, no? For me this just represents the perfect "soft" Degrassi episode: strong characters, a fun plot, someone to root for (Sav is my hero too!), and a little pinch of danger that's not really that threatening. This episode will forever hold a very special place in my heart.

Seriously though we need to reunite my three favorite boys again next season, okay writers?

All Falls Down is really more of an honorable mention but I really did not appreciate it the first time I watched if. After getting over they hype and revisiting it, I fell in love with that episode. It was great to get to see a different side of Fitz I really hope this is the Fitz that comes back next season: still a bully but one with a heart.That first hallway scene with Clare was quite cute! The way they connected the plots with Adam going between the A and B plot was very clever. Bianca proved herself to be a kick butt little feminist. Ziley was perfectly adorable- gave me hope for prom! Holly J's strip tease was a 10! Melinda and Daniel's chemistry was insanely creepy which brought a whole new angle to those Owen/Alli scenes: very intense. It was the start of Alli being likable again. Hotblack was honestly- in my opinion- the best placed song of the season. And really my top two reasons: All the music was diegetic which greatly impressed me. That was a Degrassi first and it really helped add some intensity to this episode. Seriously it also enhanced every scene making some more disturbing and others just more relatable. And honestly Munro's acting in that hallway scene- just wow. I think that was some of the best acting on the show in 10 seasons.

As for least favorite episodes, I thought You Don't Know My Name's A-plot was boring, pretty much anything Kenna realated.
Drop The World was epically disappointing BUT I think it was one of the best acted episodes overall this season. Every single person involved in that episode was at the top of their game.


Favorite and least favorite major plot lines?
Favorites:
- Adam's storyline throughout
- Fitz vs. Eli/The Misfits
- Fiona's transformation this season

Most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment?
When the carnival promo came out Eli and Adam were the characters I was most excited for so I can't say that was a surprise however... Sav & Savvy J were!
In season 9 I was a big Hollan J fan, and so of course I was going into the season upset by the idea of Savvy J and yet they turned out to be my second favorite ship of the season. Sav in general was a surprise. Never would I thought I would call him a favorite character but honestly I absolutely adore him.

My biggest disappointment was kinda the opposite of my surprise. Kenna completely ruined KC for me this season. In season 9, KC was my absolute favorite character but after Better Off Alone his character completely fell apart in order to prop up Jenna- who was now a star of the season. After BOA KC was regulated to a supporting role in Jenna's storyline. His personality often fell flat- I'm thinking Halo where his change of heart about the pregnancy was not built up or explained in any way- and he stopped being "KC" and became half of Kenna, Jenna's babydaddy. So that was a major disappointment for me.

Especially since BOA was a really great episode, I think it would my second honorable mention after AFD.

The way the pregnancy storyline played out bothered me too. It seemed to be on the right track in TDOTO but then it veered into a fairytale that confused me greatly- straight down to the happy ending. TDOTO looked like the start of a realistic storyline that would have a been a great chance to give some much needed depth to Jenna. But instead we were treated to an unrealistic folly into a relationship with very little depth and a lot of fluffy nonsense.

Also major disappointment in Drew & Bianca just being cool with Kenna after getting majorly dissed. Bianca's Kenna fangirl tweet? N O T C O O L

And most importantly, that this season so damn realationship centric. Get back to the issues please!


Which characters didn't get enough screen time?
Bianca! Bianca! Bianca! Bianca! Bianca!
I hope this all just means that they are setting her up to be one of next season's darlings (like Fiona and Jenna's transformations this season) to make up for it. As much as I enjoyed her often cropping up in everyone's plots, I would have loved at least one episode that gave us a deep look into who she is. I'll be waiting on that next season.

Same with Anya because I think she deserved an A-plot. I would have loved to see them go deeper into her plot with her mom.

How would you rate this season compared to other seasons?
This was my favorite season of Degrassi. I have no idea why I'm feeling more connected to the new cast than the old but honestly I am.

Stand out characters for you this season?
Adam- His entire storyline was well done and not sterotypical. I loved that we had a chance to see him with a bunch of different people. He's moved me to tears, I feel protective of him, and I want him to be happy more than any other character I've liked before.
Eli- wow! Was not expecting what we got from him. I think he tends to be the character I relate to the most aside from Fiona. I loved the wild ride we took us on throughout the season. Also it's great to see Munro in a role that shows off his talents.
Fiona- Again a character I relate to. In a lot of ways I feel like season 10 belonged to her. She went on a journey this season and there wasn't a single episode where she bothered me or I disliked her. I think that says a lot.
Clare- Loved seeing her come out of her shell. I think she's has a very natural progression these past 3 seasons and I was glad to see she found a place where she felt she finally belonged. I was rewatching SMU and in her story she talks about not fitting in anywhere. But this season with her boys- it gave me a little hope that there's a place for everyone.
Sav- Another kid really coming out of his shell. Sav has show some real maturity this season. I like seeing him playing lots of different roles too. I'll support this boy till the end!

Seriously though Misfits friendship has deeply moved me this season. I've never felt so strongly about a connection between characters before. They got down as my favorite TV friendship of all time. That could count as another surprise because I had no idea I was going to feel this way about them. I was not prepared for these feelings~
Which reminds me this board needs a "degrassi inspired tattoo thread"

kindle

I love your character analysis of everyone, really thought out! I forgot to do a shout out to Adam too, he's actually one of my favourite characters right now. Whenever I tuned in to watch a new episode, I'd always hope to see him on in any capacity.

My only skepticism is with Bianca. I know there's potential, as there is with any misunderstood and provocative female character, but I guess I'm stubborn and don't particularly like 'loose' girls. The only exception I have is with Summer from the OC, and she turned out to be less than experienced, less than Bianca is portrayed anyways (but, who can resist Rachel Bilson). Meh, must just be the prude in me.

PurplexMoon

Favorite and least favorite episodes?
Favorites: Better Off Alone, 99 Problems, My Body Is A Cage, Still Fighting It, Purple Pills & Chasing Pavements.
Least:Umbrella, You Don't Know My Name, Try Honesty, Love Lockdown, Drop the World, What A Girl Wants.

Favorite and least favorite major plot lines?
Favorites: Fiona's character development, Jenna's pregnancy, Riley's sexuality, Anya's mom's cancer, Adam's trans reveal.
Least: Ecrap post boiling point, Adam's crush on Fiona, & Sav and Holly J dating.

Most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment?
Pleasant Surprise: Not really sure. I can't think of anything that really surprised me in a good way.

Disappointment: The Breaking Point/In Too Deep. The Boiling Point was good for the most part, but after? Excuse my lack of better words, but it was absolute crap.

Which characters didn't get enough screen time?
Bianca and Chantay.

How would you rate this season compared to other seasons?
Depends on which part you're talking about. If we're talking the Boiling Point I'd rank it in about 6th place out of all 10 seasons. After the Boiling Point, I'd rank it close to the bottom.

Stand out characters for you this season?
Definitely Fiona. After being really one-dimensional last season and being overshadowed by Declan, she really got her time to shine this season and had great character development. Last season I didn't care for her that much, but I really liked her in the movie. As Season 10 progressed I began to like her more and more and she has become one of my favorite characters.

JustMe2000

Some of you may know that I tabulate the amount of lines that each character will have in an episode (usually post it in the Spepper thread, because that's what I do ). It's a very unscientific process, but perhaps it gives you a general idea of which characters were featured the most. I was asked to post my totals here, so here you go, fellow Mod.

The first half of Season 10 (through 1024)
Holly J- 468
Fiona- 384
Alli- 359
Sav- 349
Clare- 321
Drew- 312
Jenna- 302
Anya- 269
Eli- 277
Riley- 252
Adam- 243
Dave- 213
KC- 206
Connor- 149
Wes- 148
Declan- 133
Zane- 99
Bianca- 96
Fitz- 94
Mrs. Coyne- 77
Snake- 75
Bobby- 61
Armstrong- 56
Mrs. Torres- 54
Owen- 44
Chantay- 43
Ms. Oh- 39
Mrs. Sinclair- 38
LoveQueen 16- 37
Ms. Guthrie- 35

The second half of Season 10:
Holly J- 407
Clare- 375
Fiona- 318
Alli- 303
Eli- 275
Jenna- 245
Adam- 238
Sav- 228
Anya- 224
Drew- 205
KC- 166
Wes- 132
Dave- 130
Chantay- 115
Declan- 82
Bianca- 79
Riley- 68
Mrs. Bhandari- 54
Snake- 49
Dr. Chris- 48
Mr. Bhandari- 47
Mrs. Edwards- 46
Fitz- 45
Zane- 39
Johnny- 38
Mrs. Coyne- 30
Ms. Oh- 30
Connor- 28
Mr. Edwards- 26
Malika- 26

All of Season 10:
Holly J- 875
Fiona- 702
Clare- 696
Alli- 662
Sav- 577
Eli- 552
Jenna- 547
Drew- 516
Anya- 493
Adam- 481
KC- 372
Dave- 343
Riley- 320
Wes- 270
Declan- 215
Connor- 177
Bianca- 175
Chantay- 158
Fitz- 139
Zane- 138
Snake- 124
Mrs. Coyne- 107
Mr. Bhandari- 79
Mrs. Bhandari- 76
Ms. Oh- 69
Owen- 67
Bobby- 66
Dr. Chris- 64
Mrs. Torres- 63
Armstrong- 61

Nekoshoujo

^ wow, that's a lot of work! But the end result makes a lot of sense. Interesting seeing where Adam fell for the first half of the season. His A-plot in MBIAC must have brought him up quite a bit.


So for the past few seasons I've written up my thoughts on each character featured that season for my blog. And it took me awhile to write this up for season 10 because there was so much to think about. Anyway I figured I'd share.

Sav: This season Sav was my surprise favorite. He got a chance to make a fresh new start once Sanya was broken up for real. This break up really brought out the best in both characters. It was the first time we had really seen Sav outside of the boyfriend role and since he wasn’t such a great boyfriend to Anya this made him a lot more likable. Ultimately I feel like Sav is a character that’s easy to relate to. While he’s good at many things, he doesn’t quite stand out as a shining star. He’s more of an everyman. This worked really well for his storylines because they were never over the top. His big episode, I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, was one of my favorites of the season. That episode proved that just regular teenage struggles can make great television. Ray’s acting this season also showed he has grown a lot as an actor since his debut in season 7. His late season storyline with Alli and his family finally gave him a chance to show that he can effectively act out a range of emotions. For me, that storyline with the Bhandari family was really touching and I even shed a tear or two. Well done, Ray. And well done Sav! Please continue to be awesome next season.

Holly J: I think what makes Holly J so popular is the fact that she tends to be very versatile in terms of personality and in storyline. There’s a lot of layers to her character and every season we get to view a few more. HJ was a real stand out this year. While Holly J was one of my favorites in season 9, I was sad to see that the attitude that had made her HBIC in the first place seemed to be dying out. Not that happy-go-lucky!Holly J wasn’t fun to watch, but she lacked the kind of depth we got from her this season. I think we all knew HJ hadn’t put her scheming ways behind her so I’m glad that the writers found a way to organically include them in her storylines. I wasn’t such a fan of the Anya-fake-pregnancy storyline but it also helped HJ regain some of her spark. This was also the first season where we saw HJ in a real supporting role. Previously her bits at being “supportive friend” fell pretty flat. But by showing HJ as a friend to Anya, Fiona, and Chantay the writers were able to humanize her. I think Holly J is a shining example of how developing a character as more than just a player in their own storyline benefits the show as a whole.

Clare: Clare really started coming out of her shell last season after KC broke up with her. I think that the Clare we saw in season 10 was a perfect continuation of that storyline. As far as her likability I think that she had her ups and downs this season but in a way that’s why she was one of my favorites. There were a few points throughout the season when I didn’t find her likable, but because of that I found her to be relatable. Clare makes mistakes but she also tries her best to learn from them. In fact she’s really the type of character who learns from everything that happens to her. I think there were a few missed opportunities in terms of friendship this season. Aislinn and Jessica’s natural chemistry from season 9 translately hilariously in Breakaway, but dispite being good friends they never seemed to interact beyond that. My hope for season 11 is that the writers find a way to sneak in a few more Clare/Jenna moments- bonus points if they’re comedic. But my old OTP was not the only friendship I wish they would further explore with Clare, I would love to see them have some more Clare/Adam scenes that don’t revolve around Eli. Also Aislinn gets some bonus points for her work in Drop The World. She made the most out of some subpar material, and it was her best episode acting wise so far. My advice to Clare next season? Stop listening to Alli so much and throw out that horrific Hot Topic wannabe goth outfit. *shutters*

Eli: Eli was a surprise in the sense that he had a boatload of original storylines. That’s quite something for a character in their first season on an established tv show. I can’t say I would have predicted the Julia storyline or the hoarding storyline at the start of season 10. But they were both strong choices in terms of developing Eli as a character. I will say that from a character development stand point, Eli’s weakness seems to be the writers’ not knowing quite how to handle him. Rewatching season 10 it seems like the writers were opening door after door with Eli, but as a result they weren’t sure which one to go through. This has me a tiny bit worried about where he is heading as a character next season. While Eli has an ability to be relatable to many different kinds of viewers. He is also the easiest character to manipulate in an unnatural way. I’m sure many people know someone like Eli or are themselves a lot like Eli, but those people will also be quick to point out when Eli does something that seems out of character. It’s a dangerous balance. However, Munro’s strength as an actor works as a bit of a safety net here. He is able to carry a lot of different kinds of storylines, so hopefully no matter the direction the writers take Munro will be able to handle it.

Fiona: I think I’m going to remember season 10 as Fiona’s season. Her storyline was probably the most thoughtful one of all. While some characters seem like they have storylines that were randomly pulled out of a hat, Fiona’s storylines all connected in a way that never required her personality, habits, or lifestyle to be strained. Fiona’s drinking and sexual orientation were both lightly hinted at before they became the subject of her storyline. This created a certain flow unique to her character. Fiona also happened to be one of the few characters that were able to carry dramatic storylines without seeming over the top. A lot of credit for this has to be given to Annie because she knocked every single scene out of the park this year. I think Annie also gave us the sprinkle of crazy many fans -like myself- had been craving since Darcy was written out of the show. There aren’t many Degrassi characters who have pulled off a perfect season, so congrats Fiona; it’s been a pleasure watching you! I’ll continue to root for this girl forever.

Declan: Oh Declan, what to say about you. I suppose I should start by saying that while I actually found him likable in season 9, it was a struggle to like him in season 10. Honestly his character made me feel uncomfortable throughout the season. First he seems to be trying to buy Holly J, then there was Love Lockdown… Ultimately, it was the writer’s intentions that confused me in regards to Declan. Were we supposed to like him? Were the writers making him into a villian on purpose? The seasons been over for a while now and I still don’t know. I think that the writers bit off a bit more than they were willing to chew when it came to Declan’s relationship with Holly J. In a way I understand their need to leave Love Lockdown as vague as possible but the message that act sent is something I find quite disturbing. Maybe the writers really should have just given us that incest storyline.

Zane: I want to like Zane. Or actually, I do like him but only because it’s hard not to. I feel like right now Zane as a character is a little stuck. I love me some Ziley but it would really do Zane some good to talk to some other characters. If Zane is still this one sided after next season, it’ll be a real waste of Shannon’s talent and charm.

Owen: The way I feel about Zane applies to Owen as well but for the opposite reasons. Owen is as bad as Zane is good. He’s “the bully” and at this point he is only “the bully.” I’ve never been one to complain about a slow intro though so I honestly hope the writers give his character more to do than pick on Adam and harass Anya in season 11.

Ms.Oh: She’s no Ms.Dawes that’s for sure! Seriously, she has star billing, shouldn’t she be doing something?

Wesley: I have to admit I was originally shocked to see Wesley’s name under starring on last year’s season 10 press release. But I can see why they felt the need to keep this kid around. Spencer has a certain honesty that makes his character enjoyable to watch. I only wish that his storylines were more interesting. Right now Wesley is stuck in the same rut that previous Degrassi “dorks” have fallen into. And if history repeats itself we may see Wes continue on in nothing more than humorous C-plots. Advice for the writers: Give Wesley one good serious episode next season. I bet this kid could carry an A-plot.

Connor: While it’s tempting to dismiss Connor as someone’s sidekick (first KC’s then Dave’s and now Wesley’s) this was a pretty decent season for Connor. In the middle of TBP he actually had a pretty meaty storyline. I was disappointed it played out in subplots for an entire month. Giving Connor the A-plot for once wouldn’t have hurt anyone, right? At least being featured as a subplot gave the storyline a chance play out at a slower pace making it ultimately more intimate and intense. Was I wowed by Connor this season? No. Was I curious to see more? Yes.

Anya: Another stand out character in season 10. I found it was a lot easier to like Anya after her breakup with Sav. Being single gave her the chance to really showcase her personality and prove she was a lot more than just half of Sanya. Anya was also one of the few characters that actually moved me to tears this season. MBIAC was simply fantastic! Not only was the storyline moving, but Samantha finally showed us just how talented she is. Because Anya is usually just a supporting, B-plot character I think it’s easy to forget just how well Samantha can emote. When Anya is feeling something I can’t help but feel it too and I think that connection is what makes Anya a strong character. Her ability to be versatile also keeps her storylines from feeling dragged out. Few other characters can move viewers to tears and also work in a wacky date plot with Wesley. My one worry for Anya next season is that her mother’s cancer storyline will disappear in favor of her romance with Dr.Chris. While I could care less about Anya and Dr.Chris working out I actually felt connected to Anya’s family. The love they show each other came through naturally in MBIAC and deserves to be showcased again.

Chantay: Wow so seven seasons in and Chantay is finally getting some attention. It’s about time. Chantay was another surprise for me. I didn’t really care about her in any of the previous seasons, but this year she got my attention. I really love the way Chantay tells it like it is. There are so many characters who seem to dance around their feelings and ignore what’s going on around them. But Chantay isn’t afraid to offer her opinion or call people out when they’re in the wrong. I really liked seeing Chantay’s friendships with Holly J and Anya- especially Anya. Anya can be a bit goofy and her scenes with Chantay make her seem like a regular teenager girl, not someone perfect and composed all the time. Also it’s nice to know Chantay likes post its as much as I do. Tip for the people at Much Music: Bring back Chantay’s online blog. I actually enjoyed reading that back in season 8. I imagine it will be ever cooler now that I like her character.

Jenna: Okay now here is a character I don’t like so much. But she had her moments this season. I thought she worked well as a comedic B-plot character in the early episodes. And her scenes with Clare were always spot on. I’m surprised these two don’t interact more because they always work well in scenes together. However, for me Jenna stirs up a lot of the issues I have with Degrassi in terms of feminisim. Namely: why are there no feminist characters on the show? Save for maybe Chantay as seen in her lecture to HJ in Try Honesty. In a lot of ways Jenna is a kind of anti-feministic character. While it’s good in some ways to have a girl like this on the show (because many teen girls today don’t even know what a feminist is) I feel like the writers are missing a lot of chances to show this attitude for what it really is: hurtful to women. One of the questions I can’t seem to wrap my head around is why are young girls so quick to hurt another girl in order to win the affections of a boy? This could been seen with Jenna back in season 9 but was a lot more disturbing to me in Halo. Bragging about “stealing” boyfriends? I guess the idea behind the “girl code” is lost on teen girls of today. I’m not saying that Jenna is the only example of this on Degrassi because she hardly is. Just look at how easily Alli forgave Drew for cheating on her and yet how quickly she blamed Bianca for everything. It’s media like this that’s hardwiring girls to see other girls as enemies while at the same time placing all women in relation to men.

But back to Jenna: It’s not like this was an isolated episode. Back in season 9 Jenna teased Clare for being a prude while in season 10, Jenna calls Bianca a ****. When is Jenna going to learn to stop defining other girls by what they do or do not do with boys? Even Manny apologized to Ashley for being with Craig while he was dating Ash. I wanted Jenna to apologize to Clare because I think that would have shown that Jenna does value her friendship with Clare. But throughout this season I couldn’t help but get the impression that Jenna doesn’t value her relationships with any girls.

In some ways Jenna reminds me a lot of Ashley, another character I’m not a huge fan of. But I really enjoyed Ashley in the episode Rock and Roll High School because she gets angry that her ex hurt her. She doesn’t just try to hurt him or get revenge, she channels her feelings into something creative and self fullfilling. Where are the girls like Ashley who demand respect and a meaningful acknowledgement that when a boy cheats he’s the one that should be ashamed. When I saw the promo for season 11, I couldn’t help but wonder if this Jenna/KC/Marisol storyline would be the episode that humanizes Jenna. But the more I thought about it, the more it bothered me. A boy cheats or leaves his girlfriend for someone new and we feel sorry for her? What does this say about girls? It says they are deserving of our pity. You know the word for that? Pitiful. And that says a lot about this show.

First off, this show shouldn’t be encouraging us to feel sorry for these girls. This show should be showing these girls staying strong. They should be showing these girls realize that their “worth” is determined by their strength of character and not by how a boy treats them. So I’m a little scared for upcoming Jenna storyline. I don’t want to feel bad for Jenna because even though I don’t like her character right now, it’s time for her to take some pride in being a girl. I think could be the storyline that really changes Jenna and helps her realize that it’s time to start respecting girls and that starts with respecting herself.

Dave: Oh what a disappointment Dave was this season. He was actually one of my favorites in season 9 because back then he had a good attitude. But now he’s all sour grapes and complaints. Based on the episode summaries for the start of season 11, he might just stay that way.

Adam: I’ve gushed about my love for Adam plenty of times on this blog so I’m sure it’s not surprising that he was my favorite character this season. To me Adam is the full package. He has a great organic storyline, interacts with a variety of people, plays a strong supporting role in other people’s storylines, and is quite likable while not coming off as perfect. I’m also really glad that Degrassi finally has a guy that can be silly and dorky some of the time while having serious storylines. In that way Adam is similar to Anya. And like Anya, this means he’s the kind of character that can really do all kinds of episodes. And no matter what Adam is doing, Jordan always manages to stay top notch. So much so that I constantly forget that Jordan is a girl. Mission accomplished, Degrassi!

KC: oh, KC. In season 9, KC was my favorite character, but he slid lower and lower down my list in season 10. He did start off strong though, Better Off Alone was one of my favorite episodes. I was so glad we got to learn more about his family and I think Degrassi really captured KC’s struggle with trust. Again this was a situation where I found I related a lot to what KC was dealing with. It was also nice to see an episode where there wasn’t an exact right or wrong. But as the season went on the writers seemed to forget KC as an individual. Instead KC became a prop in Jenna’s pregnancy storyline. Although the writers gave us brief tastes of KC’s POV they failed to hand the storyline over to him completely at any point. This just painted KC as the villian in the beginning and made his choice to go back to Jenna seem random because there was no build up. The pregnancy storyline could have really worked for KC but the writers just weren’t willing to take Jenna out of the spotlight long enough for KC’s POV to be told. I’m very scared next season will be the same. Will I ever call KC my favorite again? All signs point to no, too bad.

Bianca: Another surprise character for me this season. When the carnival promo first aired I was not excited about Bianca in the least. The promo made her seem like just another boyfriend stealer. But instead Bianca turned out to be a girl I was not-so-secretly rooting for. Degrassi may not have a feminist character right now but I think Bianca could be one once they explore who she is more. I was impressed by Bianca’s reaction to Alli in AFD. It’s about time a “boyfriend stealer” pointed out the double standards for girls and boys in regards to sex and dating. I think that’s also why I like Drew and Bianca as a couple. She’s not going to make excuses for his behavior. She’s a girl who doesn’t put up anyone’s **** and I love her for it. Bianca is the character I’m most excited about in season 11.

Snake: Degrassi has had some bad principles but damn Snake! Maybe it’s time he ran off to Africa to be with his soulmate Darcy.

Drew: A character I happen to have an unpopular opinion about: I like him. Yes, I am a fan of Drew’s. Why? Because he’s actually realistic. He’s basically a real high school kid. He has a lot of negative personality traits, and he makes a lot of mistakes but I don’t think that makes him a bad person. You will never hear me excuse the way Drew has treated his girlfriends. But sadly that tends to be the way teenage boys act. What I really like about Drew is that his bad boyfriend behavior (say that three times fast!) is balanced out by how well he treats his family. He really, really loves his brother- you can tell. And I like that he has a certain measure of respect for his mother. And while he often comes off as egotistical, I think the writers are doing a good job of revealing how insecure he truly is. Drew is also a pretty decent friend. KC didn’t quite fit in with his friends from past seasons, but Drew and KC manage to not only work but end up being quite likable. Do I think Drew deserved to wear the Degrassi logo at the end of the theme? Nah, but I’m gonna let that slide because beginning and ending the theme with the Torres brothers was cute, and Drew is a character I’m actually excited for in season 11. Hey maybe this year he’ll actually win over some fans!

Riley: In season 8 I found Riley refreshing. By the end of season 10 he was anything but. I really wish the writers would realize that having a gay character doesn’t mean all his storylines have to be about the fact that he is gay. I want Riley to have a completely different storyline next season. But I’m probably not going to get what I want. At least bringing in Riley’s family should bring a little interest in season 11.

Alli: Alli is the character I can’t ever have a steady opinion on. I usually just say I like her because at times I do, I really like her. And then there are times when I really hate her. But this is kinda what keeps Alli fresh for me. She can usually pull out a few surprises every season. But writers, please go light on relationship stories this season, Alli is a lot more enjoyable without them. I’d much rather see Alli interact more with her family. They had a great storyline in season 10, I’d love to see how their household has changed since then.

Fitz: I was glad they expanded Fitz’s role this season. His feud with Eli during TBP was my favorite storyline in season 10. But post-TBP Fitz kinda fell apart for me. I wasn’t feeling the Christian storyline at all. It was a good idea on paper but those episodes just felt entirely off. I hope that’s not where they are leaving Fitz forever. I want to know more about his homelife and I’d love to see him interact with people other than the Misfits and the bad kids. I’d also see what he’s like with a real girlfriend…

Leia: um… No comment.

Peter: Where’d he go? Must be real busy with University work.

Okay so that’s what I thought of the season 10 cast! Sorry if there were typos; I typed this up in the wee hours of the morn. I wonder if Jenna will win me over in season 11…

Forwood4Bamon

this and I loved Eclare this season, the only season I thought they were good. and the introduction of Drew and the start of drianca 3> they were so much more likable this season.

kaleidocat

Ahh season 10! This is a good season for some never before seen treats.

JustMe2000

I've never seen those either. I'll have to watch them.

Looking back, this really was a pretty strong season, especially the first half.

I should go back to tabulating the lines.

kaleidocat

Stumbled across Shark in the Water the other day and brought back memories of that great promo video.



I love the carnival setting and how they used to that to give us this great info to the characters. I might just be a moron but I didn't get it until it was actually happening some of the time. Lots of oohhh moments when rewatching the promo.





dyesprayberry.tumblr.com

Oh my heart is breaking for Riley and Kenna all over again! I think Anya and Savvy J had me the most confused. Was the most intrigued by Eli and Eclare when the promo first aired, believe it or not (prob the tarot cards!death!).