[Inesal]

The great

Fiona/Imogen - Beyond smart portrait that comprehends how one's pessimistic assumptions are often a barrier to one's fulfillment, realistically depicts how friendships are often formed by outcasts through a connective link, and demonstates that the queer teen love story does not need to make it's primary force the travails of coming out. Romantic, incisive and one of the best things Degrassi has ever done.

K.C./baby's parents and Dave/the comic - When a scene has one both cringing in embarrassment and feeling empathy for everyone, it says alot. That moment when we see K.C. starting to cross the line had me feeling awful for him and just as bad for those two parents. Dave and the comic was also a tough one to watch. The poor comic is just doing his living and does what any comic does in that siuation. Make it clear the audience is no there to watch some audience member's shenanigans but to watch him. Dave loses it and has to be escorted out. These two sequences work because we comprehend all the sides and understand their viewpoints. While K.C. and Dave are wrong in their behavior and the adults are completely in the right, K.C. and Dave don't lose our compassion (and this coming from someone who can't stand Dave).

Snake confronts Connor over the panty stealing - Snake has been poorly used and it is doubtful anyone would fall for Marisol and Katie's lie (logic tells one that a teen who comes forward to make a confession when they are not a suspect may cover for others but they are highly unlikely to say others were they when they weren't.) Yet Snake did get in this highly charged scene with Connor in which he captured disappointment and understanding.

Munro Chambers's acting - The most complex and challenging role yet Chambers hits pretty much every note.

Tristan/Tori friendship - Just a sweet, realistic portrayal of a friendship capturing such moments as the annoyance when one's straight female bff's time is taken up by a guy and or the want to help one's gay bff get a boyfriend.

[MegaJ]

Okay, new character breakdown:

Marisol - Season 11 mutha freakin' MVP. Oh my god. She's mean. She's bitchy. But she's so awesome. I think what completely sells the character is the actress, who has a great grasp on her. I mean, I can admit that she's done come crappy things, but what makes the character real to me and not some mean girl stereotype is that she's nice in her own way. She's loyal to Katie, jokes around with Drew despite the mean things he said, warmed up to Mo, all without losing the edge. There's no cliche hidden soft side to the character, it's just HER, take her or leave her. Lauren Collins can do it, so can Charlotte Arnold and now Shanice Banton.

Katie - She was very hard to figure out. I don't think the writers grasped her until around Don't Panic. A lot of people called her a Holly J clone, but she's far from that. Holly J is confident and secure, and Katie is not. She's very emotionally fragile; despite her tough talk and cold demeanor, she's had a ED and now painkiller addiction. Not to mention that even in a leadership position, she shrinks back letting Marisol walk all over her or just following the crowd blindly. She needs to realize that she isn't this cold, tough strong woman and just embrace herself as a caring, vulnerable person. Whenever she's being sisterly to Katie, that seems more honest and natural than her being a hardass.

Jake - The Cake can fall in the oven, but Jake himself is awesome. And he pretty much goes with everyone! The actor has a natural chemistry with every member of the cast, let's hope the CW doesn't snatch him up. You can definitely tell TPTB noticed, I think he had the most cast interaction out of anyone.

Imogen - Again, with Katie I don't think the writers "got" her until Part 2. Part one, she was kinda creepy with the Eli stuff and just seemed like she was just some insane fangirl. Part 2, despite how sudden the change was (not to mention dropping her plot with Bianca) fit the character more. She's immature for her age, doesn't quite want to grow up yet and unpopular (at least with the other girls) because of it. I hope she gets plots to her self later on, independent of Fiona.

Mo - He's cool. I wish they kept his crush on Alli, it would've been cool to still see him involved with the Bhandaris a bit more. Other than that, he's nice comic relief, a more realistic character with no serious drama.

Maya - I keep wanting to call her Olivia. But I like her, and I think she could've used more time in season 11. She's a nice kid, smart, insightful, and I think a lot of people could understand her frustration with being the smartest person in the room.

Tori - She looks so much like Cassie, it's distracting. But I like her in the plots that she's had, she's mainly supporting but she has the charisma to be the best friend of anyone.

Tristan - He's a sassy one for sure, and our first gay kid who's actually out when we meet him. And apparently his parents are cool with it, and just Owen is upset. I like his scenes with Owen, with Owen not wanting to be seen with him but giving his advice. And I think he has a lot of courage and resolve not to tone down his campiness.

Zig - He's just a kid. I don't think the writers figured out what to do with him yet. He does feel pretty real, I'll admit.

[Nekoshoujo]

Originally Posted by MegaJ (View Post) I'd never though I'd say this but Clare and Eli are better together than apart. With The Boiling Point, it was nice seeing their relationship build and them helping each other and going through intense drama. Not to mention their personalities/backstories bouncing off each other at times (Quick little irony I always liked about them, just looking at Clare and Eli, which kid would you say had the broken home and uncaring parents?) Clare and Eli apart? Ick. They did the wrong thing by paring them up with other character in the beginning, Clare only got tolerable around Not Ready To Make Nice because she and Jake already broken up and Imogen was almost a non-entity in Eli's downward spiral. So, I'd never though I say this, bring on the EClare season 12!

I have to agree so much with this. When they're together it's almost like they can settle down a little bit. When they're apart and still obsessing over each other or pulling in other characters who are clearly just love interests it feels too much like a waste. Which is the reason Jake and Imogen have only begun to shine away from Eclare. Someone once said Eclare is like a black hole and they meant it in a negative way but I think it's also something that works for them. They sorta balance each other out even though they're both over the top dramatic at times. It's like they can handle each other but when someone else is involved with them (romantically) Eli and Clare just kinda take over and the other person gets overshadowed. Let's face it, Eclare is a force- that's why there's always such a reaction to them negative or positive. But it also works for them. I think it'll be great to see where they are in season 12, hopefully the writers skip on the stupid romantic love triangle or whatever crap and just let them handle some series storylines together. That's when they work best anyway.

Originally Posted by Inesal (View Post) Tristan/Tori friendship - Just a sweet, realistic portrayal of a friendship capturing such moments as the annoyance when one's straight female bff's time is taken up by a guy and or the want to help one's gay bff get a boyfriend.

This is another duo who are at their best when they're together. I love them as the chorus to Maya's storylines. Alexa and Lyle have a comfortable kind of chemistry that makes their little looks and eyerolls perfectly on point. And they are sweet and realistic. They have a younger, more upbeat energy than our other friendship duos (like Alli/Jenna or Eli/Adam) and that sets them apart. I hope they don't drop that as these two grow up.

[MegaJ]

I have to agree so much with this. When they're together it's almost like they can settle down a little bit. When they're apart and still obsessing over each other or pulling in other characters who are clearly just love interests it feels too much like a waste. Which is the reason Jake and Imogen have only begun to shine away from Eclare. Someone once said Eclare is like a black hole and they meant it in a negative way but I think it's also something that works for them. They sorta balance each other out even though they're both over the top dramatic at times. It's like they can handle each other but when someone else is involved with them (romantically) Eli and Clare just kinda take over and the other person gets overshadowed. Let's face it, Eclare is a force- that's why there's always such a reaction to them negative or positive. But it also works for them.

Again, another ironic thing about EClare: Everyone argues they're too dramatic for each other and the viewers, but what Clare and Eli did in season 11 is arguably more dramatic than anything they went through as a couple. Clare's parents divorced, her mom remarried quickly and she started dating her own stepbrother and then she ran away to a marijuana selling couple. Eli had a meltdown on stage! Even with the dramatic parts of EClare, you can tell they love each other and they actually help one another. Eli helped Clare with her family and Clare did her damnedest to help Eli with his issues. Without them together, they were aimless and sort of destructive.

[Forwood4Bamon]

Originally Posted by Nekoshoujo (View Post) Season 11 seemed like a total 180 from season 10. All and all I felt like Now or Never and 11.5 weren't as cohesive as they should have been and that could be because technically they're two different school years. It was underwhelming as a whole but when it was good it was really good- I'm thinking Extraordinary Machine and Smash into You. Characters who were stronger in S10 were weaker this year. Fiona and Eli sorta lost what makes them great in the second half although since they're headed down some new paths they'll probably bounce back next season. Imogen and Jake got better and better as the season went on. They're really coming into their own and I really like both of them a lot right now. On the other hand, Katie for me was stronger in the start. It feels like the writers told us a lot about her that in the end wasn't true. For a girl who doesn't like drama she sure is good a being a drama queen. The Niners were all good introductions. I actually like that the writers seem to be taking their time with them. So far they work well in all the combinations we've seen: Tori/Tristan, Maya/Tori, Tori/Zig, Zig/Maya, Tristan/Tori/Zig, Tristan/Tori/Maya. That says a lot and I know we have a good base for the future generation. Hopefully next season the writers dig a little deeper into their personal lives especially in regards to Zig who we still know next to nothing about. Balancing screen time was a huge issue this season. I hate to say that taking Wesley out of the equation seems like a benefit to me. Wasting another plot on trying to create a love triangle for him would have been a shame. And in part because of his absence the cast is finally coming together really well. We're getting a lot of nice friendships and relationships and it does feel like a real school with everyone involved in each others' plots. Next season the writers would be smart to try and give at least one solid plot to all their leads preferably finding a way to get everyone an A-plot and subplot each. I think it's possible with all the connections they're building since it's easy for characters to share plots with each other. Bianca, Adam, Owen, Tristan, and Connor could all use more screen time. In the second half Dave really shined to me but sadly his powerful plot was taken over by petty relationship drama with Alli. I think this represents the greater problem with Degrassi today: Fandom is more important than plot. That seriously needs to stop. As far as characters who changed for me this season, I'm always flip flopping when it comes to Alli. She was great all through Now or Never but ended up annoying me with her petty behavior and jealousy in 11.5. I feel like Alli holds everyone to such high standards to the point of ridiculousness. Normally having Alli pop in spices up a plot but in the second half of the season it served only to bring in a lot of wining. However, her friendship with Jenna remains a welcome. Speaking of Jenna she's probably my season 11 MVP. Talk about a transformation. She's been through a lot and has clearly learned from it all. One of the few characters who seems to be doing the character development thing right, she got a new role as "voice of reason" in 11.5. Honestly? I think it really works for her. She's also making some much needed new connections. Her friendship with Jake feels natural and low key, it's just that we barely got to see it! Hopefully that's amended in season 12. Especially since they both have connection to Mo- there's a trio I'd like to see! I think I would like to see her branch out beyond KC now. Her entire time on the show, her storyline has connected to him. It's almost impossible to view Jenna as a character away from that relationship and that's still a problem for me. I'd like to see Jenna have a strong storyline that doesn't connect to her relationship with KC or what resulted from it. Clare also stands out as a character that developed throughout the season, it just took her a little longer. With Clare I get it: she's been through a lot and she took her personal issues out on those around her. Clare's always had a balance problem, either she's letting people walk all over her blinded by her locality to her friends or she's so focused on herself she can't see what's going on with others. But in 11.5 after things settled with Jake, it seems like maybe she's finally got it. Her words to Eli in the finale meant more than that she's still interested- they meant that she's finally looking out for herself while trying to help an be with the people around her. She's not going to let herself get hurt just to suits someone's needs and she's not going to hurt others to suit hers. I think that's where Clare's been headed all along it just took her awhile to get there. Marisol was the surprise for me this season. In Now or Never it seemed like writers weren't interested in developing her beyond being Katie's eternal bff/frienemy. But go figure in 11.5 Marisol found her own place apart from Katie's shadow. Not only did she stand on her own but she overshadowed Katie in some ways. At least she did for me. Marisol continues to be one of the most realistic characters on the show. She's not just a one hit wonder. Yes she's a mean girl. But under that she's also a hard worker who has gotten where she is by actually putting the effort in. We saw that in the cheer-leading plot with Tori and the finale with Fiona. Fiona might not know the value of the dollar, but clearly Little Miss Steaks waitress, Marisol does. It's interesting to see that her "good" traits have been their all along but are only now getting the focus they deserve. I was worried that by giving Marisol more time in the spotlight they'd try to play the sympathetic mean girl card with some sad backstory. Thankfully they didn't. Marisol doesn't need a sob story to be likable. That's so below her. Marisol is likable because even with all her stupid screw ups, and self serving behavior she's real. It helps that Shanice has the kind of charisma that brings life to even the most cliche lines. Writers, please don't waste this next season! Give Marisol something really awesome to work with.

let me add they keep breaking up my absolute favorite couples and what about Alli and Clare and Alli and Jenna's friendship? and where's Adam? and no more peter at all. He was in last season, and no Sav or Declan.

[kaleidocat]

JustMe2000 is writing up wrote up episode descriptions for season 11 for our episode survivor. I think he likes doing that. I hope he does...but maybe he just knows that I would never ever do it. Let's see what I can remember from season 11 and what my favorites are before I take a peek at what he put together...

- Jenna and KC's attempt to raise Tyson. Hands down. Best storyline. It is up there with the rest of the Degrassi TNG's most memorable plots. Even haters agree. That's when you know you've got a gem.

- Connor's interest in the opposite sex, desire to be one of the guys, and how it led to his panty raiding. Don't drop the aspergers writers! It always catches my interest and I can tell that some thought goes into the development of the plot. I like it when I can tell that the kid gloves/general audience gloves are being used because they know they are tackling an issue and want to be clear with what the intention of the episode is (the conversation he has with Mr. Simpson clarified his behavior and achieved every desire I had for the plot). Reminds me of the good old season 1-4 days.

- Cry Me a River. I still remember my viewing of this. So intense. So much thought went into thinking about Adam and his rival Dave - both were really relatable. This episode actually made me a fan of Dave since it took him away from class clown status and reached for something deeper with a flawed character.

- Katie's introduction.

Originally Posted by MegaJ (View Post) Katie - She was very hard to figure out. I don't think the writers grasped her until around Don't Panic. A lot of people called her a Holly J clone, but she's far from that. Holly J is confident and secure, and Katie is not. She's very emotionally fragile; despite her tough talk and cold demeanor, she's had a ED and now painkiller addiction. Not to mention that even in a leadership position, she shrinks back letting Marisol walk all over her or just following the crowd blindly. She needs to realize that she isn't this cold, tough strong woman and just embrace herself as a caring, vulnerable person. Whenever she's being sisterly to Katie, that seems more honest and natural than her being a hardass.

I appreciated this quite a bit and I wish that others would accept her as someone who was never intended to be a Paige or Holly J. Only I don't think that she was hard to figure out. I could tell the moment we saw her encourage Drew to use karate that she had been through her own struggle. I think she was always intended to be what you described, although it was a curious way to introduce her. I rather like it though...she's not what you thought she would be. And I have no idea what she will end up being once she has that figured out. There's a lot of room for her to grow here and that's one of the things I'm most excited for.

- Anya's doubts regarding her future and how it led to her dabbling in coke. I was most excited for this and it didn't disappoint. It surprisingly wasn't overly preachy but still had the message of be strong and overcome this even though you feel uncertain as opposed to drugs are bad, don't do them! It developed in a way that wasn't surprisingly that our little larper could find herself in this situation. I still remember certain scenes like Anya at the club, bombing her college interview, and especially when she thought she could let what she thought was a slacker Owen tag along with her and mom to take away attention from her lack of plans only to discover he has an idea of what he will do in the future. I even remember the necklace Anya used to conceal her cocaine and how she exited the bathroom telling her mother that she "didn't care." I don't remember what it exactly it was she didn't care about. I just remember that felt like such a satisfying ending to a part one episode.

- I remember I enjoyed most of the Drew vs the gang storyline at the time, but it's not something that would hold up over time. I have no desire to watch it again but hey, it broke me out of my love to hate pattern that I have with the character. But now we're back to that with the love triangle with Katie and Bianca.

[Holland Fan Forever]

-The Anson/Vince/Gang storyline, mainly for what it brought out in Bianca. Drew's part was okay, but even comparing his PTSD to Bianca's transformation it comes up short. Bianca went from a two-dimensional floozy to a very dynamic character. It is very reminiscent of what they did with Alex, but I like Alex so there.

I think that the writers have already done a better job with Bianca than they ever did with Alex because to me in the end Alex's storylines were really all about Paige or Jay and not so much about Alex alone or her character growth.

-The KC/Jenna pregnancy storyline. Hands down the best teen pregnancy arc since Accidents Will Happen. Instead of being squashed into a few episodes with like JT/Liberty or someone becoming a model with Mia, KC and Jenna were actually forced to deal with this. It all felt very realistic, with the all the stress Jenna was going through, KC's lackadaisical attitude to it and the low-income background. The aftermath with KC finally owning up to it was good stuff too. I was worried about the two of them, but this storyline really brought out some great scenes and moments and acting.

I am in the minority here in that I really didn't care for the Jenna/KC storyline because, it took way too long for the writers and the powers that be to take the storyline seriously and the writers and the powers that be also took a long time before they wouldn't just tear down KC down just to prop Jenna up and that bothered me. I actually liked JT and Liberty's pregnancy storyline better because the writers took it seriously and the writers weren't going out of the way to make Liberty or JT look bad just to build the other person up and I also think that JT and Liberty really cared for each other and that the pregnancy forced Jenna and KC to stay together. The pregnancy storyline finally became watchable for me when it wasn't all about Jenna and actually about KC and his feelings. I hope that KC and Jenna never reunite because they are easier to watch when they aren't together.

-Fiona is still one of my favorites and while the Charlie stuff was meh, I did like what it brought out in her and her later storyline with Imogen/Eli was good too. The character shines whenever she has to go through adversity, so yeah she had to lose her money; it's a crutch in her life and also for the writers for a convenient out for storylines.

Fiona is still one of my favorite characters as well and she's not someone who will ever have to worry about screen time or stoylines and the same goes for Eli. I want to see Imogen in her own storyline without Fiona or Eli but, I am not holding my breath for it.

-The graduating class of season 11. It was their last season, the writers weren't going to waste any good ideas on them, so...blah was what we got sans Anya. And that's only because she's a character they never worked with until that season. Holly J's storyline just felt too soapy and while I did like that wham line ("She wants 200,000.") I think this too much to just drop on the audience's head when the character is headed out the door. Riley's storyline was short, but it least it got semi-good resolution. The less said about Sav's storyline, the better.

I don't that the awkward and rushed storylines for the graduating class of 2011 should've been all that surprising because to me the only senior that left that the writers and the powers that be wrote for consistently was Holly J and it was obvious to me early on that Anya's storyline was going to be rushed and that it would suffer from lack of builld up. I think that it got to the point with Sav that I really would've been completely okay with him leaving after Season 10 and I don't want him to return after how he was treated and if he did return we all know that as usual it will be all about Alli all the time. I think that the seniors who left minus Holly J were really upstaged by Eli and Drew and their class in my opnion.

-The complete lack of parental involvement and idiot adults is very disconcerting, and it's getting to the point where it's unrealistic. I can understand not getting your mother involved in your business when you're a teenager, but finding your birth mother after you've learned you're adopted? No Just No. Not to mention Clare's mother being completely detached and not even being told by POLICE that she ran away from home. And pretty every adult involved with Eli sans Bullfrog suck. Ms. Dawes, his psychologist, etc.

I think that the problem with Holly J's adoption storyline wasn't so much the lack of parental involvement it was the fact that she was never really in any real danger to begin with because the Coynes would always be there to help her no matter what. Clare's mother has been completely detached for a long time and Clare's feelings about her parent's divorce and her mother's quick remarriage were ignored in favor of her love life and it got the point where the less I see or hear about the Edwards-Martin family the better. To me, Eli is his generation's Craig Manning in that no matter what he does he really won't have to suffer like he could if the writers and the powers that be really wanted him to.

-I'd never though I'd say this but Clare and Eli are better together than apart. With The Boiling Point, it was nice seeing their relationship build and them helping each other and going through intense drama. Not to mention their personalities/backstories bouncing off each other at times (Quick little irony I always liked about them, just looking at Clare and Eli, which kid would you say had the broken home and uncaring parents?) Clare and Eli apart? Ick. They did the wrong thing by paring them up with other character in the beginning, Clare only got tolerable around Not Ready To Make Nice because she and Jake already broken up and Imogen was almost a non-entity in Eli's downward spiral. So, I'd never though I say this, bring on the EClare season 12!

I think that EClare are the new Semma in that they will always bring in ratings and attention but, the writers and the powers that never really even tried to give them other love interests in that we all knew that Eli/Imogen and Clare and Jake were doomed from the start. I don't think that we will see much of Clare without the whole thing eventually coming back to her love life in own way or another until Eli is no longer a series regular on "Degrassi."

[Forwood4Bamon]

I loved the tenners zig and maya 3> my baes. I loved drianca also, eclare I was kinda done with here tbh.

[kaleidocat]

(episode: Underneath It All)

I'm having a "look how they've grown" moment. Look at feisty baby Maya!

[Forwood4Bamon]

ugh I hated tori at first. so jealous.

[kaleidocat]

1101-1103 are uploaded to the official youtube epitomedegrassi. That's Boom Boom Pow aka Spring Fever and LoveGame aka Did you erase me from your memory? Did you ever love me at all?

[Forwood4Bamon]

not liking fiona and charlie. or sav and the randoms.

[kaleidocat]

Don't Panic but the Degrassi Official channel uploaded a bunch of season 11 episodes.

[Booklover85]

Boy, the spring semester part of this season has got to be the longest in Degrassi history. They should have just opened s11 up with the following school year to avoid the confusion.

[semmafightsellie]

I like the new people.