kaleidocat

701/02- Standing in the Dark
The Degrassi students return after the winter break to find the school has merged with nearby Lakehurst High following a devastating fire there. As the new students acclimate themselves to their new surroundings, a fuming Toby struggles to contain his anger over their presence so soon after J.T.'s death, and lets his feelings be known through his podcast. Darcy makes a horrific discovery after a wild party on a ski trip and takes drastic measures to stop her emotional torment. Meanwhile, Dylan's indifferent behavior leads a reluctant Marco to agree to a blind date.

703- Love is a Battlefield
Paige begins to get back on her feet after dropping out of university and she starts by getting a job in the fashion world. Meanwhile, Alex starts to take life easy following a troubled semester by smoking weed all day and getting high; however, their relationship comes to an end when Paige's job interferes with Alex's principles. Meanwhile, Manny considers starting a relationship with Damien, but finds it impossible when they disagree on a unified Degrassi–Lakehurst student body.

704- It's Tricky
Inspired by Craig's success as a rock star, Ashley decides she wants to get back into the music industry, and brings Jimmy along for the ride. Performing at an open-mic night, Jimmy outshines her and catches the attention of a record executive. When he insists they put a CD together featuring the both of them, Ashley agrees but later removes Jimmy's vocal track without him knowing. Meanwhile, Mia has problems with her Lakehurst locker buddy, Holly J., the younger sister of Heather Sinclair.

705/06- Death or Glory
After getting into a fight at school, Spinner starts feeling pain. He is convinced by Jimmy to go see a doctor, who tells him he has testicular cancer. Later, instead of getting surgery to remove his cancerous testicle, Spinner lashes out and starts picking fights with Lakehurst thugs, making him a hero to the Degrassi masses- but damaging his relationships with his best friend Jimmy and new romantic interest Jane. In the meantime, Darcy finds a confidant in Mr. Simpson and reveals that she is the victim of a drug-induced rape. Unable to cope with being alone following Dylan's departure, Marco begins to believe that anyone who strikes a conversation with him will be his new best friend. He eventually brings home a new friend, of the four legged variety.

707- We Got the Beat
Manny's début is approaching, and weary of her father's incessant managing of her life invites bad boy Jay to be her escort in the hopes of turning the affair into a shambles. Things do not quite go off as planned however, when her parents seem to like him. Meanwhile, after Ashley and others disappoint him with their selfish actions, a discouraged Jimmy finds the strength to persevere through more intensive physical therapy with help from a new friend named Trina.

708- Jessie's Girl
Caitlin Ryan returns to Toronto for a guest lecture at Toronto University, which Ellie is covering for the newspaper. At Degrassi Community School, Mia thinks Anya should grow a backbone and stand up to Holly J.'s antics. She engages in an emotional tug of war with Holly J. for Anya's well-being, and although Anya seems to be appreciative, she still cannot cut Holly J. from her life. Ellie catches Caitlin and Jesse making out, and the following day a drunken Ellie confronts Caitlin about it on stage during the lecture.

709- Hungry Eyes
Emma auditions to be a spokes model for "Purple Dragon", a popular energy drink, in an attempt to reinvent herself. She revels in the attention but will Emma be willing to give up her beliefs for the sake of fame? Sav agrees to coach Mia in badminton on the condition she coach him on proper kissing.

710- Pass the Dutchie
Spinner is trying to deal with side effects of chemo. He turns to marijuana to deal with the pain. He avoids his love interest Jane because she's wearing him out trying to cheer him up and chills with the new laid-back Darcy instead. Paige gets fed up with her boss Andrea being evil so she walks out of work and doesn't come back one day. Marco helps her realize that it would be better to work 4 years with Andrea then go to 4 years of college. Paige goes back and Andrea admits that she needed Paige.

711- Owner of a Lonely Heart
As Marco becomes more and more desperate for money, he turns to a dangerous new lifestyle for help. When Manny's father puts pressure on her for dating Jay, she fakes being engaged to him.

712- Live to Tell
Unable to cope following her rape, a troubled Darcy descends down a self-destructive path of lies, promiscuity and disturbing behaviour that costs her her boyfriend and her place on the Spirit Squad. Aware of her problems, Mr. Simpson attempts to reach out to her, but when he rebuffs her sexual advances, she accuses him of harassing her. Meanwhile, Jimmy is tired of relying on Ashley for everything, and with his friend Trina from physiotherapy there to help him spread his wings, Jimmy is left with a tough decision to make.

713/14- Bust a Move
Before taking a spring break road trip with Emma, Liberty and Ashley, Jay and Manny have a fight about their future, and in anger, he replaces a DVD of her audition for the drama department at Smithdale University with one of them making out. When he begins to regret his actions, Jay races, along with Spinner and Jimmy, to Smithdale to try and switch the DVDs in time. Later, the gang sees Degrassi alum Craig Manning in concert and Ashley reveals that she'll be touring Europe with him. Meanwhile, Darcy's parents are becoming concerned with her behaviour and send her to a "brat camp" for spring break, where she is forced to confront her demons.

715- Got My Mind Set on You
Danny and Derek team up with Peter and Rachel, a transfer from Lakehurst, on a class assignment. Derek develops a crush on Rachel, but she hits it off with Danny instead. Derek's jealousy over Danny leads him to play a prank that goes wrong when Danny is accused of theft. Emma is finding it difficult to deal with the false accusation made against Snake, and when Damien offers a little help, she becomes a little too focused on him.

716- Sweet Child O'Mine
After finally being accepted on the Spirit Squad, Mia's teenage life is coming together, but the responsibility of looking after her daughter is taking its toll. Isabella's father Lucas wants back into Mia's life to help her out with Isabella, but Mia holds back. As he tries to convince her he has changed, she considers the fact that it might be in her daughter's best interests. Manny and Jay's relationship has taken a transition from fake engagement to a real one, but they still have some trust issues to work out.

717- Talking in Your Sleep
Things are going great for Paige at her job, and her good luck streak continues when she develops a relationship with her housemate Griffin. However, she soon discovers his secret- he was born HIV positive. Meanwhile, Jane gets closer to Darcy, but her friendship skills need work.

718- Another Brick in the Wall
When Snake is finally allowed back to work he finds some students do not welcome his return, especially the Lakehurst students who do not know him well. In response, he retreats home and becomes even more depressed and listless, eventually leading to Spike leaving with Jack. Holly J. asks Toby to tutor her and grows to sincerely like him.

719- Broken Wings
Jimmy is ecstatic to learn he has been accepted into Hudson University, but first he wants to regain the use of his legs. He wants to try stem-cell surgery in order to walk again, but his father is not so fond of this idea. Later, Jimmy discovers a shocking sercet about his father. After a bad year, Peter decides to start a band, and enlists Sav and Danny. When they try to get Spinner to be their drummer, he tells them they suck and simply do not look like band material, but after they find an image which suits their desire to be anonymous, Spinner joins them.

720- Ladies' Night
Anya is put in charge of a Free the Children Freedom Fast, but Holly J. makes her life difficult by not getting along with her boyfriend Sav. Anya makes the two work together, and as they become friendly they exchange secrets, until Holly J. betrays Anya. Angry and upset, Anya declares war and carries out the perfect revenge, putting an end to their friendship. Meanwhile, Jay is desperate to get back the engagement ring that Manny pawned. At an auction they attempt to recover some money by selling their tickets to Malta, but Jay makes a scene because of the low bidding. Disappointed, he breaks into the pawn shop to steal the ring. He writes a declaration of love to Manny and gives it to her with the ring, but when she finds out he stole it, she ends their relationship.

721- Everything She Wants
Mia tries to strike a balance taking care of her three-year-old daughter with spending time with her boyfriend Lucas. However, after letting herself go at a party at Lucas' house, her custodial rights to her daughter Isabelle, are threatend when child services are called. Meanwhile, Spike and Jack return home to Emma and Snake, and Sean returns from military training and starts to train Snake at the Degrassi gym. However, when he starts pushing him too hard, Snake realizes he is very scared, and with good reason—Sean is being shipped off to Afghanistan now that he has finished basic training.

722- Don't Stop Believin'
Paige tells her roommates that her dad has offered to buy her a condo, and with Ellie's workload at the newspaper increasing, Marco knows he will truly be alone. As he and Ellie try to figure out what they will do after the school year is over, they consider going their separate ways but realize how much they depend on each other for everything. At the same time, Liberty and Damian learn they have tied for the highest marks in class, so a vote will be conducted to determine who will be valedictorian.

723- If This is It?
Spinner is at risk of failing the school year if he cannot bring himself to study for his physics exam. With Jimmy's help, it looks likely that he will graduate, until he begins to think about his plans after school. He considers failing so he can repeat the year with Jane and his band, Stüdz, much to her disappointment. Elsewhere, Manny is torn between the series role she just landed and the Smithdale drama program.

724- We Built This City
As the class graduates, Liberty wants both graduation and prom to be perfect. Luckily, she wins a contest and gets Natasha Bedingfield to perform at their prom. Things are going well, until Liberty's growing attraction with Damian leads to a kiss which is caught by Manny and Toby. Both Emma and Toby are furious, and all their friendships are put on the line. Meanwhile, Ms. Hatzilakos tells Peter that they have to move away. When Peter asks his father if he can live with him and his new wife, his father tells him there is no room for him since they are having a new baby. A distraught Peter and Darcy wonder how, and even if, they can stay together. The season closes with Manny, Emma, Liberty, & Toby remembering a certain member of their graduating class...proving that even though he's gone, he'll never be forgotten.

ish78

This is the first season of Degrassi that I started watching as the episodes were coming out so it'll always have a special place in my Degrassi-loving heart.

I really don't know if I have a favourite episode, just because so many of them are faves of mine, but the one I've watched the most was Everything She Wants. It's one of the only Mia episodes I wasn't irritated with, plus I loved seeing Sean again. Standing In The Dark and Death Or Glory (the final two in the season 7 survivor, WOO!) would probably be my picks for faves though. My least fave eps are Got My Mind Set On You or Owner Of A Lonely Heart, for the reason that I really just didn't care for the A plots.

As far as fave plots go, Darcy's rape was heartbreaking and really thought out and Spinner's cancer was heartwrenching. Mini plots like Toby/Holly J. and Jay/Manny were fun as well. I also liked seeing the Valieri family + Mia + Isabella. It was a new family dynamic, and I always love seeing those on this show.

I wish wish wish Toby got more screentime, but I think Toby's been doomed to be a background player since after season 2. And well, it's the last season that I liked Manny/Emma/Liberty because I really couldn't stand their plots after this season.

I'm not really sure if I can justify it well at all, but I just really love this season. It's the bridge into the "new Degrassi" and I loved how they tied everyone together with the whole merger thing. The last three episodes (I call them the goodbye trilogy ) probably could have been stronger, but I still liked them and I liked how they wrapped it all up.

Fun fact: Until I reread the ep description for the last episode, I forgot Peter was even in this season. I guess he could have used some solo screentime too.

Holland Fan Forever

I think that Toby deserved more screen time especially during Season 7 after the death of his best friend JT. This season also reinforced why I don't think that this show shouldn't kill off another main character again because the writers only dealt with JT's death when it was convienient for a storyline that they were doing. This was also the season that started the farewell and exit storylines of most of the originals and most of the time it was really a letdown for me. This makes me concerned about the exit storylines for this year's senior's. It showed that even then that the writers were already too concerned with the younger kids and not concerned enough with the seniors. I think that it would've been good for Peter and his character growth if he had been allowed to be on-screen without dating someone. The storyline that salvaged Season 7 for me was Manny and Jay's storyline because it was good to see a character's hard work start to actually pay off instead of someone being held back from their dream.

kaleidocat

It's special when you remember moments like this. I started watching during season 2 but I remember when season 7 premiered. I missed when Standing in the Dark first aired because I was moving out here to Seattle and was without cable (note to self: book a cable appointment weeks in advance) and when I came back to everyone had Darcy icons of the suicide locker room scene. And I remember being all whoa, this episode must go there and Kathy aka YellownBlue402 was all "NICOLE! DEGRASSI GOT GOOD AGAIN!"

Season 7 is also when I started capturing promos. The first one I ever grabbed. It's funny because I started doing it because of the Crash scene in that promo...and look how well things ended for them. Started in 2008 and somehow I'm still doing this promo thing. Crazy.

Speaking of promos, let's take a walk down memory lane:

hot_vanilla

Season 7 was also when I started watching Degrassi as it aired.

Favorite and least favorite episodes?
I loved Standing in the Dark because it was really well done. Also, Bust a Move since Craig and Ashley were temporarily reuinted. I didn't like Hungry Eyes because I thought the whole Purple Dragon thing was odd (like most of the things Emma did IMO). I get that she didn't want to be pressured into hating her body again, but taking off her dress in front of everyone? I didn't like Ladies' Night. I'm not really sure why, I just never enjoyed that episode.

Favorite and least favorite major plot lines?
I really liked Darcy's downward spiral, Spinner's cancer, and Tobly J I didn't have a least favourite storyline tbh.

Most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment?
There weren't any really except Manny and Jay was a surprise since I never expected them to happen.

Which characters didn't get enough screen time?
Toby

How would you rate this season compared to other seasons?
Top 3 at least

ihavealife2uknow

Favorite and least favorite episodes? Favorites are Live To Tell, Standing In The Dark, and Another Brick In The Wall. Least favorites are Got My Mind Set On You and Owner Of A Lonely Heart.
Favorite and least favorite major plot lines? Darcy's rape and how it played into Snake getting suspended for accusation of innapropriate behavior was done fantastically. I also liked the Mia/Lucas and Jay/Manny stuff. My least favorites were Marco prostituting, Mia trying to teach Sav how to kiss, and anything to do with Damien/Emma.
Most pleasant surprise and biggest disappointment? Most pleasant suprise was that they went all the way with Darcy's plot and Shenae put 100% into it. Biggest disappointment was them breaking up Jimash, Ashley not getting a decent sendoff and them wasting time putting Damien with Emma and Manny when him and Liberty had some decent chemistry.
Which characters didn't get enough screen time? The obvious answer, Toby. At least he got his own subplot though and a storyline with Holly J. I wouldn't have minded more Johnny, Ashley or Liberty though.
How would you rate this season compared to other seasons? It's probably my 2nd favorite. Only season I like more than this one overall is season 5.

This seasons Mia is the version they should have kept in season 8. This Mia was likeable and I enjoyed a lot of her plots this season.

This season also needed more follow up on Johnny's POV after J.T's death. We never heard anything about it until season 10 when he briefly explained it to Alli. I'd gladly have taken a Johnny subplot over anything dealing with Damien.

JustMe2000

Looking back, you really help about the way the show reinvented itself with the Lakehurst merger and the introduction of so many new students. I know that wasn't always the most popular of decisions, but in the end I think it's one of the single biggest reasons the show continues today (and shows no signs of slowing down).

Holland Fan Forever

I think that the only Lakehurst kid that the writers and powers that be ever wrote consistently for was Holly J. I think that writers and the powers that be really wasted the time and talent overall of the Lakehurst kids and that the writing for the Lakehurst kids was never on the level that the originals got in my opinion after their big merger. This show needed to actually deal more with the death of JT Yorke during Season 7 not Season 10. Damien was and still is one of the most pointless characters ever on this show to me but to me this was really the start of the powers that be getting really lazy with characters and storylines. I always thought that Liberty must have really lonely to have any romantic interest in Damien or anyone like him.

kaleidocat

I found season 7 promos in my Degrassi youtube playlist and was going to share them. But apparently I already did that. I really liked that set of promos, especially the one of Darcy and Peter fighting and Holly J is offering up commentary on it. At the time I think that one didn't really make sense but in retrospect it does.

Which brings me to the next thought that I enjoyed most of the pairings. I wouldn't say that I ship Parcy but everything they did was very bittersweet and memorable. I wasn't a happy camper while season 6 aired so this was much needed. Many times I find myself thinking of this and wish couples were handled how they were during this season.

And after the years I think this might be my favorite season of the introduction of new characters. We all hated it at the time. The Sav and Holly J crew might still annoy me in an episode rewatch (which I'm in the mood to do!) but I like the sort of outcast and rebellious Lakehurst cast like Johnny and Jane.

I think these promos aired on The-N during season 7 - South of Nowhere and Degrassi mash-ups:

mellifluouscloud

Season 7 was such an underdog season in my eyes. I'll always have a soft spot for it. The Darcy storyline arc was incredible. This wasn't the first Degrassi season I watched as it aired (that was either season 2 or 3 ) but it was the first season that renewed my love for the show, which had been fading after seasons 5 and 6, my least favorite seasons. I think season 7 took a lot of risks and actually brought the show back to its roots in many ways.

It was also the first season in which several new characters were introduced at once (now a regular occurrence!) so that was rough in the beginning. But looking back, I completely understand why the Lakehurst crowd was sort of shoved down our throats. Sometimes you need to force yourself to swallow medicine which tastes really horrible, because that's the only way you'll get better. Degrassi got better. Look at how loved and memorable all those new, unwanted characters turned out to be in the end.

JustMe2000

Some of us always liked Season 7. I liked the intro of the new characters (and I liked most of them, as well- I'm pretty sure I may be the only person on this board who liked Holly J from the beginning). Because of the way they did it, they had an instant rivalry that for once, made some sense. Spin's cancer, Darcy's rape and the fallout of her sexual harassment charges against Snake, some good stuff with Mia, Jimmy, the Anya/Holly J relationship and the introduction of one of my favorite couples in the show's history- Jay/Manny.

Yeah, some of us might view Season 7 as perhaps a strong a season from top to bottom that the show's had.

mellifluouscloud

I think I liked her from the beginning too, but since I didn't join till halfway through season 7, I have no way to document/prove this.

There were tons of good storylines in season 7. The only stuff I remember really not liking was Jimmy/Ashley and that blond girl with dreadlocks (name escapes me). Oh and none of the college storylines were particularly good. I also wish Darcy's rape storyline hadn't been resolved quite so quickly. It just seemed too easy -- having sex with Peter, yelling at an empty chair, and then she's basically over it. I guess they couldn't keep that arc going forever but the build-up was so amazing that I expected a little more.

They should have done more with the Jane/Darcy friendship... they were really cute.

TRWP991

Season 7 definitely isn't as bad as some people paint it to be. It was hard not to get emotionally invested in many of the storylines such as Spinner's cancer and all of Darcy's problems. Mia was tolerable for once. Another aspect of the season I enjoyed was Griffin... I thought he was an interesting character and I liked his different interactions with Marco, Paige, Jimmy, etc.

One of the things I really disliked about this season was Damien....

MegaJ

Season 7 gets dog-piled a lot, but it was one of my favorite seasons, especially coming off season 6. Darcy's plotline was very compelling, the college kids were in better written storylines, and the new characters didn't really grate. Plus, this was the only season I liked Mia, so that's saying something.

kaleidocat

The only complaint I still have to this day about the introduction of the newbies - and the clinging of the originals - is that there was this obvious shift in content. Marco is considering prostitution to fit in and then there's Anya humiliating Holly J by videotaping her eating a cookie. Both situations seemed quite silly. Anya vs. Holly J might have meant to be (and I do like that contrast with the emotional "why do you treat me like dirt?" scene). I actually love that Marco plot because I didn't take it seriously at the time and would defend it and Devon to this day - that was obviously not TPTB's intention. I think that was supposed to be an issue episode. There was this huge divide between the newbies and the originals and both didn't really mesh. Anya's class seemed very immature. The only storylines that were like fireworks were the ones with the juniors/seniors - probably the only balance they could reach where the issue felt appropriate to them. I'm guessing TPTB are considering reentering the university scheme of things because of Eli. We'll see how this goes. Zoe isn't sending out videos of Maya eating cookies as revenge. It's the nudes now. Maybe they will keep the kids issues hip while still trying to push the NYU/Eli thing.

I'm going off topic...

But as young as the newbies seemed the time with cookies and sticker books, I remember it. The sticker books were so weird to me at the time but now that is one of my favorite Degrassi mentions. Probably because of the weirdness. And that I liked stickers when I was in elementary school and still have them now.

Are there any things you liked about season 7 back then that you don't now? Or the other way around? (this was such a good question JustMe2000 asked in other discussion threads)