kaleidocat

I have to agree. I'm not a big fan of Eli but I thought it made sense to have a plot devoted to how the boyfriend feels when they find out about the sexual harassment claims. His thought process felt natural to me and was believable that he would be hurt and confused. In part 1 I thought there were hints that Eli's discovery of the issue was coming, especially when you consider Clare's confession to Dallas.

Then, yeah, the drama speed limit really accelerates to feed into this whole showdown theme. But I was expecting it, appreciate how the plots intertwine to support it, and I have to say that it is a bit of a guilty pleasure. I liked all the party interaction and the fight was entertaining. Yes, the students who had been at Degrassi longer having the victory and seeing how alienated the hockey team is is a bit irritating. But I still feel the scene didn't take itself too seriously with Imogen breaking up the fight with the explosion from that decoration cannon. The idea of her being oblivious to the whole ordeal and then her excitement over getting the thing to work was super endearing.

mellifluouscloud

I loved Imogen in this episode. Seinfeld reference and her speech to Eli was spot-on. That scene also made me wonder if Eclare's time is nearly up? (Oh, should be noted that I didn't see the last few minutes of the episode because TeenNick's website screwed up again... so idk if that changes anything. I probably missed a major plot point. Oh well )

I support Becky exercising her right to free speech, as she stated. Ironically, she does not support Eli's right to free speech. Actually, the only person who really pissed me off in this whole debate over whether or not to keep/change/ban the play was.... Snake! Can he be demoted to MI please? Can we have Hatzilakos back? Ugh. Snake sucks as a principal. And if he didn't see this backlash coming from a mile away, he's an idiot. If he's not able to fully stand by the play, he never should have supported it at all. I understand why Eli lashed out at him -- he doesn't respect Snake. It's hard to respect someone (especially someone in a position of authority) when it's obvious they have no clue what they're doing.

I'm dreading whatever revenge they seek on Asher... ugh. Talk about completely mishandling what was, but probably no longer is, a powerful storyline.

Tristan plot was pure fluff, and kinda made me sad that we didn't have a single storyline dedicated to Tori in this half-season.

MegaJ

This is the first time I have ants in my pants anxiously awaiting a Degrassi finale in awhile. Okay, since season 10. I don't think anyone's going to die or anything but I have a feeling it's going to be really dramatic.

A-Plot. Is this our first Eli focused A-Plot? It worked really well. Eli had the pressure of the play, the added pressure of the parents group, and Clare pressuring him to do something about Asher and Munro did a great job of showing him trying not to crumble. There was some wonderful misdirection with the parents' group objecting over the suicide aspect as opposed to the gay content, nice job writers! Even Eli didn't see that coming, score one for Dallas (who, I think has been in every episode this summer, most likely to get as much out of Demetrius as they can before end of season 12). And another point went to Eli's re-done ending on the fly.

I have a very bad feeling Clare is going to do something monumentally stupid and Eli will break up with her (I caught that scene in the beginning with the two angels behind Clare and Eli, sneaky director). I get her frustration though, and I'm glad finally someone in that situation had to good sense to tell an adult. Not sure if I like Eli doing it for Clare, but Clare was never going to do it and she really needed more help than just Eli.

Also liked the Imogen/Eli scenes, the Dallas vs Eli scenes, and all the stuff with the play.

B-Plot. Again, great misdirection. I would've bet Becky would be leading the charge against the play with her parents, but it's only her basically. Luke was being dragged along and even Dallas was taken aback by the homophobia. And much like Clare was projecting her issues onto Dallas in the hockey team, she was projecting her disgust with Adam onto the play. And Adam handled that like a champ, good for him.

C-Plot. Fluff, but very cute Niner fluff. I think the secret admirer is just Dallas trying to sabotage the play again, but this show has misdirected me before...

NocturnalCouchPotato

Wow, these episodes definitely were interesting.

The Drew plot was pointless, especially with important plot real estate in the finale week. I'm glad the show finally acknowledged that Drew can't live with Fiona forever. I'm disappointed with the unrealistic Drianca proposal, but if that means there won't be any love triangles, then I guess I could deal with it.
As a Bhandurner shipper, I'm happy that they broke up. Dave was too clingy with Alli and there's no way that Alli would ever fulfill Dave's expectations for a relationship. It reminds me of Ross and Rachel's season 3 break up in Friends. I just hope Dave remembers it's his fault they broke up and we don't get a lot of 'Dave wants Alli again' plots in the next block of episodes.
The Clare plot was really good in the first episode. I liked the Clare/Dallas scenes and the Clare/Jatie scenes. Did Clare tell Jatie about Asher too, or just Dallas?
I think the Clare plot suffered greatly in the second part of the episode. I feel like the writers were trying to squeeze Eli into the plot even if he doesn't belong. We never saw Peter or Spinner deal with Darcy and Paige's sexual assault moments so having this episode from Eli's angle makes me roll my eyes. I only liked the Bhandurner break up scene (Dave: We need to talk. Alli: Okay, but I have to pee first. ) and the Imogen/confetti part. Otherwise, it was really grating in general. I thought Eli thinking Asher was a threat to their relationship was ridiculous. I hate how Eli would believe Asher over Clare for why she got fired. If he can't trust the girl he's known for one and a half school year over some man he met a few weeks ago, their relationship has bigger issues than I thought. Aislinn's delivery in some parts felt off for me. And I hated how Jake, Clare, Katie, and other characters got into a fight but suddenly Eli is the only one who's injured and the writers need to bring that up every 10 seconds because Eli's this noble guy who would get into fights to protect his precious girlfriend's honor! ...Yeah, you could tell I dislike Eli.
I disagree with the Jatie writer's bias. I think Eclare, and especially Clare's character as a whole, suffered greatly because Clare had no friends outside of Eli, and the writers were trying to fix it by having her in scenes with others this time around. Trying to squeeze Eli when he didn't belong there made it awkward. Then again, maybe I'm just immune to writer's bias on Degrassi after the Eli takeover during seasons 10 and 11 and the Craig era from seasons 2-5. I also feel like we've had a lot of Clare episodes, and non-Clare episodes from her POV (Causing a Commotion and Umbrella come to mind).

And for last night's episode...
I liked the last minute plot twist of the Bakers being worried about the suicide. I thought Eli was definitely taking out his anger on Becky in the name of homophobia. And dressing up for his presentation was borderline offensive. That would be like if Jake and Katie dressed up as those Fruit of the Loom mascots when they gave Snake that presentation. But yeah, this episode just made me roll my eyes a lot at Eli's actions.
I liked the Tristan plot. I think the tattoo guy probably won't be his first kiss but I guess we'll just wait and see.
I liked how Adam told Becky off for what counts and doesn't count as religion, but I especially like how Becky and Adam didn't become BFFs after that incident. Once again, I can't wait for this plot!

Overall, this was a great season.

Broadway_Princess

Sorry, Claire, Eli is too busy to help you now.

Forwood4Bamon

I really care less about Drew, Dallas, and his group and some of the other newbies. I LOVE Zig, Maya, Tori, and Campbell. and Jake I like and Tristan as well.

Inesal

The Baker Dad probably wasn't concerned with suicide. The Baker Dad was finding a problem that hid the ulterior motive which is a common political move particulary in battles against human rights. With help from Dallas (whose ulterior motive is simply revenge against Eli), Baker and the others attempted to get the play stopped without touching on the issue they want stopped. The flaw in the plan was that once the play's end was changed, they ran out of options. I knew they would probably say it was about suicide because it is the kind of move that would be attempted to outflank the opposition.

That Eli ended up playing a significant part in Clare's storyline is the best move. This is her longterm on-again, off-again love. To not involve him could be done. However with the storyline very much focused on her feeling shame and gullibility, it makes sense to demonstrate her torment in terms of her relationship with her love. The focus should be her but I see nothing at all wrong with realistically having her love play a part in this story. Eli's suspicions were caused not because he would believe Clare over someone else he did not know. They began because Clare was withholding information in a way that Eli could not comprehend. Clare had not revealed why she was no longer working there. The moment Clare explained to Eli what happened, he understood and did not doubt her in any way. It is easy to say that Eli never should have to begin with but it is realistic that anyone finds some doubt when something suspicious is happening and it feels like the person is withholding information. Neither Clare or Eli was wrong. Asher was the wrong party.

I find no chemistry between Clare and Dallas. I wouldn't be shocked if they go there but it would seem to be a case of creative bankruptcy. The uptight, rigid good girl with the bad boy who really has a good heart trope is quite common. On a show which has been so strong lately in their couplings, it would be a shame to see this cliche play out for the umpteenth time. I know that kind of coupling is popular among the audiences of teen shows but frankly it is seldom dealt with realistically.

As for Tristan's storyline being fluff, I have to disagree. This is something I have been waiting for a show to do for awhile. Tristan's plotline dealt with two things that are common for the queer experience. One is a young gay man who has never found intimacy. Around him, his two best friends are both dating cute boys. When he shared interests with one of the boys it ended up not mattering. He is a young gay boy who wants to kiss someone and to hold their hand. He is not a hunk and he doesn't see options right now. There is no gay boy looking to sweep him off his feet.

The 2nd common part is queer solidarity. Tristan sees, in Fiona and Imogen, possibility. They are a bit older. They are in love. They kiss and show other affection to each other. This is what he wants. While it may seem banal what he says, in actuality he is confiding in them his loneliness, his desire to be loved, and his fear he won't be. They take in their fellow LGBTQ individual. They show solidarity. And this is beautiful, this feeling of we are there for you.

Notably Dallas is the person excluded and rightfully so - Dallas can only be included when he stops hiding behind this macho tough guy image he wants to get across. Dallas's problem, while far more extreme, is more similar to Cam's than he may know. He acts based on how he feels he is supposed to. When he is himself, he is capable of being nice and ingratiating. When he tries to perform the rituals of machismo, he comes across violent, hateful, petty, etc. This cruelty backfires on him. He doesn't want Fiona to dislike him (notice how he is wounded when he is kicked out). He doesn't want Clare to be disgusted by him. He doesn't want Katie to hate him with a passion. He doesn't want Cam to think he is a bully.

The problem is when his behaviors are defended. A tendency in real life (and it crosses over to television characters) is to make excuses for such people (or in this case characters). However he is at fault for the hostility he creates. Even with Clare, he provoked the situation. Excusemaking would be to say there was nothing wrong with the kiss on Clare. Yet, here is a person, who has a boyfriend, thinking they can trust in him. She is telling about sexual harassment and how it has devastated her. And he kisses her? That does not excuse Clare, who is really angry at Asher, taking out her anger on the hockey team. But his behavior cannot be excused either. With Dallas, the show is showing how young people who feel the need to show their alpha-male tough guy side can alienate people they really like. The want is for him to mature and be his own person. It is not for him to continue along this path which alienates people he likes (and it is clear he likes Fiona as a friend, Cam as a buddy, and was attracted to Katie). He needs to grow up.

The most intriguing part for me though is Adam and Becky. If Adam was a biological male this couple would be shipped so hard it wouldn't be funny. Instead I think something important went unnoticed. Becky has fallen for Adam hard. She is in love. Jenna recognized this last week. She watched as Becky extolled the wonders of Adam. And she was crushed when it was revealed that Adam was a transgendered FTM. This week has built on it. Why would Becky go from wanting to see the play to now wanting to picket the play? It is not about revenge. It is about queerness. Becky wants to do away with queerness because she is internalizing fears about herself. By repudiating the play, she feels she can repudiate these feelings she wants to hide. When confronted by Adam, she is like jello. She trembles in desire. And it is tearing her apart - her belief system has taken a shock to the system. When Adam questions her she is hurt that she could in any way be like the people who have hurt him. The last thing she wants is to hurt this person she has fallen for. Jenna is again the witness to Becky's feelings. Becky worries of being gay, worries about her feelings, about her desire.

Becky is not Fiona. Fiona wanted a girl and Adam was used as a gateway before Fiona could come to terms with being a lesbian. Becky desires the person Adam is - the trans person. Therefore to feminize Adam has an ulterior motive. It is not just homophobia against someone else. It is homophobia against oneself. Becky feels that by Adam not being trans, her desire for him will go away and she will not be queer. However she is torn for her desire for him is as powerful, maybe more so, than her belief system.

This is an interesting plot because Becky is a character on a show with a predominant straight girl gaze. Therefore Becky's feelings could be shared with viewers who want Becky to be happy but will also want her with a boy who was born in a boy's body. This is when Degrassi is at it's best challenging viewers to question why they believe certain things should occur.

hot_vanilla

So, I was pretty much clutching my pillow waiting for someone to get shot during the last 5 minutes...

MegaJ

This episode was really good with the tension. I knew nothing could possibly happen, but I couldn't get the sinking feeling that something was going to go wrong. And again, I was misdirected! Good job Degrassi writers!

Hmm. This show seems to be presenting sides of Christianity and the homophobia debate in different ways. With Becky, it's all internalized due to the reasons you've stated. She grew up thinking it was wrong and terrible and her attraction to Adam is seriously messing her up and she doesn't know what to do with her self. So her homophobia is somewhat personal. Luke just seems to be going along with it and just playing lip service to his values and probably more homophobic in the typical dumb jock masculine-insecurity way. The Baker parents? Hmm. I know Becky had to tell her father about the pay somehow, and yet somehow he wasn't really leading any sort of charge against it in the beginning. It was Becky. Mr. Baker is comfortable with his faith, from what we've seen. He isn't fighting attraction like Becky and is more mature than Luke. I'm sure he doesn't approve it the lifestyle, so his homophobia is probably the more passive love-the-sinner-hate-the-sin-if-you-want-to-change-i'll-help-you type. Which is harmful in it's own way, just not as hostile.

Awesome paragraphs and very true.

Okay, now on to the episode. I can't really say a lot about it except I really really liked it. Like I said, when I DON'T like something, I rant. Clare finally coming to her senses was good. I just knew that Jennifer woman would play some part when I first saw her. And it feels good that a gross guy will at least get some measure of exposure and punishment, though I may be talking to soon. Tristan's storyline was very cute and sad, perfectly capturing the isolation that a lot of gay teens feelings. His friends are his friends, but they can't possibly know what he's going through. Becky and Adam's stuff was good too. Becky fighting her feelings for Adam, and Adam sort of interested in her, this could go places.

So new episodes in October? Huh, a 6-8 week wait. Finally glad they realized fall needed episodes. And now that Hollywood Heights flopped, I hope the show can at least get back onto the 9pm slot.

keyofdestiny

I don't have much to say about this episode other than I thought it was pretty solid.

I'm very glad that Clare didn't do anything drastic (as I imagined she wouldn't, but still, there was always a chance). If it were any other situation, I'd consider the fact that Jennifer was also assaulted to be too convenient, but usually people like Asher don't just harass one person, so I'm okay with it.

I also really liked the Becky plot. She's so interesting and I'm glad she's beginning to learn how to be tolerant of those in the LGBT community. I can't wait to see more of her.

And the niners were fabulous, as always. Glad to see Owen FINALLY stand up for his younger brother, since he never really seemed to do that in the past.

Overall, this half of the season was superb. All of the episodes were at least decent, many were incredible, and I just really loved it. Hopefully the second half of season 12 will be just as good. Can't wait!

ihavealife2uknow

I wasn't able to watch this live and read how fans were disappointed nothing big happened. Going into the finale not expecting anything major really made me enjoy this episode.

I don't think we needed more bad things to happen to Clare. The girls been through enough and I'm a lot happier knowing that we're going to 12.5 with Clare in a happier mindset then if she got Asher in trouble for the wrong reasons or got caught planting them on his computer. I'm happy she's going to the police.

Tristan and the Adam/Becky plot was also good. I enjoyed tonights version of Becky and made me excited to see what'll happen with those two when Degrassi returns.

Overall I'm really pleased with season 12 and happy this part went out on a happier note instead of a dramatic note since this season had a lot of drama/issue based storylines.

nick42

so does the newspaper have no cameras around? even if claire did plant the pictures, wouldn't they have cameras all around the building? I feel like shows try to pull a fast one on us because they know a lot of people who watch the show wouldn't care or think about it.

NocturnalCouchPotato

Yeah, I wondered that too. But wouldn't they have cameras that recorded Asher harassing Clare the first time?

I liked how this episode was underwhelming. I think this is the most low key finale we've had since... season 6 or 7? I liked how Clare realized that planting those pictures was wrong. It shows that she's slowly growing as a person, and even as a Clare hater, I have to give her props for that. I like Katie and Clare's friendship, but I really hate what the wardrobe department is doing to Katie. Just because she spends sometime gardening doesn't mean she only could dress up in green. I liked the Tristan plot because I was afraid the show would make him and tattoo boy fall in love. I like how Tori and co. were there for Tristan. I liked everything about Becky's plot. My personal favorite part about the Becky plot was how she said she wasn't completely okay of it yet but she realized what her actions were implying. I like the gradual development they have with her.

I didn't like how the show let Eli get away with telling Ms. Oh about Clare's co op with just a single line from Clare as well as the Eclare/stage scene, but I'll save those for the anti threads.

Overall, I'd say this was a really strong season. I could only think of a few episodes that I didn't like as much as the rest of them (Sabotage part 2, Walking on Broken Glass part 2), but I wasn't bored during any episode and I'm looking forward to the new season. I like how they're bringing back fall episodes because last season I lost all interest in Degrassi by the time New Beginnings premiered. Does anyone know what time it's supposed to be in the show now? I wanna say March?

Inesal

The thoughtful finale was crucial to several characters.

Owen, Luke, and Dallas - It is intriguing how Luke has become the truly sinister character. The confrontation is composed brilliantly. We see Owen shoving Luke into the locker. Dallas is situated between as the observer. Which way will Dallas go? Will he continue along the path of cruelty (played here by Luke) or will he show his true being (depicted by Owen who shows his true self to the hockey team as someone who loves his brother). This is the first time Owen calls Tristan his brother out loud. He does so again at end as he tells his brother he loves him. That love supercedes everything when it comes down to it. Dallas seems to care more about the people (Fiona, Katie, even Clare) he has alienated himself from than people like Luke. Which way will Dallas go will be a big question entering the second half.

Eli and Clare - Eli shows maturity in the relationship. He loves Clare but he does not betray what he thinks is right and wrong. He follows the path that makes sense even if it is the harder path. Clare doesn't at first. But she comes around. And she is rewarded. Okay so it might not be realistic but the point is right. By attempting to set up Asher through trickery, she was betraying her own integrity. At the end, she recognizes that. The other victim has a revelation too.

Tristan and love - Tristan recognizes how deeply he is loved. It may not be the romantic love he desires but Tori, Maya, Zig, and Owen all care about him. Tori's kiss is beautiful because it is without any sexual or romantic angle while retaining the essence of loving someone. Tristan is also rewarded with the suggestion of a possible romance (by believing in himself possibilities are opened). It may be sappy but it is effective.

Becky and Adam - Before the finale, I questioned if Becky's burgeoning love of Adam is stronger than her rigid belief system. The answer seems to be yes. Becky's maturing is tied into her love for Adam. The final sequence between Becky and Adam is terrific. Becky wants to kiss Adam. She moves forward to do so. Then she catches herself and instead goes in for a lingering, loving hug. She is bigtime in love with Adam and Adam realizes it at that moment. He is surprised and yet we can see he has feelings for her too . Safe to say this will play an important part in the rest of the season (and they have set up Becky's brother as a rather despicable teen - quite the obstacle - noticeably Luke, unlike say Dallas and his sister, appears to have no redeeming features).


We also have three couples who weren't shown because their storylines were completed earlier in the week.

Fiona/Imogen - Remember when they had that rift by the lockers. Notice where they were in the penultimate episode. Yep at the lockers again. Imogen kissed Fiona, did eskimo kissing, and helf Fiona's arm. Imogen now feels confident in the romance which makes Fiona confident in the romance. Importantly Dallas is the witness (just as he was at the rift). Fiona and Imogen have never been stronger.

Bianca/Drew - Drew has severed his romance with Katie. Him and Bianca are stable as they have ever been. Yet Drew's medical issues are a concern.

Dave/Alli - They continued to grow apart. Will they get back together? Maybe. However they have definitely set it in place that they may permanently be split.

kaleidocat

The best thing about this finale is that we will never have to hear "You are the sun..." anymore because the play is over. I am in hell. In hell. I understand why Stohn cried over the episode now. It is because we have had this song drilled into our heads like some water torture. It never goes away. I was free for about an hour and now...it is back. I myself am near tears.

I'm going to listen to "Call Me Maybe" now.

I am serious. This is a serious post.