901-2 Just Can't Get Enough Review
(Sorry it took me a long time to get around to writing this . I'll try to be quicker on future ep. reviews)
I'll just start by saying that I really didn't like the B-plot of part 1. I understand that they needed a way to introduce Jenna's character, but the whole Alli-Jenna rivalry was unnecessary. Not to mention that we were beaten over the head with it; there were several scenes that served no discernible purpose other than to tell us that, hey, in case you didn't notice, Alli doesn't like Jenna. Not that irrational rivalries over nothing are uncommon among fourteen year old girls. Kudos to Degrassi for at least showing their craziness realistically. Given the whole scene where Jenna confesses her weakness for bad boys, I'm assuming that we will see a KC-Clare-Jenna love triangle at some point this season, which, uggh, I hate love triangles with a burning passion, and I sincerely hope this new Jenna character serves a purpose other than breaking up KC and Clare (whose name I recently discovered does not have an 'I,' which is silly. Since when does Claire not have an 'I?' Those crazy Canadians...). As for Jenna, her bubbliness was a little overdone (“Clare-bear,” “That's sweet, but I'm not half as pretty as you are”), and she said, “That what he said,” so she has to go. The acting was okay, but unremarkable. The actresses didn't get a lot to work with. Melinda (Alli) does a good eye roll.
The B-Plot of part 2 was much better than in part 1. I much prefer snarky Holly J, and I'm glad she didn't totally roll over and change for Blue. While on that subject, Blue was a total dumbass. Did he really think she was gonna do a total 180? I hope the evolution of Holly J ends up mirroring Paige from earlier seasons, where she became less backstabbing and conniving, but kept her snarky attitude. Not much else to say about this story. It reminded me a little of “Dressed in Black,” but without gothy bitch Ashley (an improvement). Also, was Blue-Holly J (Blolly J?) the shortest lived couple in Degrassi history? They didn't even last an entire episode. Another random observation: AJ Saudin (Connor) grew a ton between seasons, he was the most noticeable change among the cast. The acting was fine, whatever, let's move on to the A-plot.
The A-plot was handled pretty well, considering the subject matter. When I heard they were doing an episode about meth, I was expecting another episode that “goes there” without regard for character development or continuity, or any real consequences for the character. The way they set up Peter's meth problem was fairly believeable, considering I don't know a single person from my high school who ever did meth. It did a good job of putting Peter in a position where it was conceivable he would try drugs, given his rejection from the music program and his girlfriend moving to Paris. He's been left behind by both his friends and his girlfriend. The whole “I thought it was coke” part was ridiculous. Who snorts drugs without asking what they are first? (Granted, I don't have a ton of drug-snorting experience) It's also hard to believe that Victoria gives him an entire bag for free. Maybe Canadian druggies are more generous, but in my experience even potheads (the only drug users that I know personally) generally won't give anything away for free, and weed is much less valuable than meth. But this is a universe where you always get pregnant the first time you have sex and smoking weed either ends in a diabetic coma or bombing a college interview. Why would I expect them to portray an issue realistically? They showcased the nature of the addiction (awake for several hours in a row, then a crash) well considering there was only about twenty minutes worth of episode where Peter was actually on the drug because the first part was almost entirely set up. I also liked the trippy meth-o-vision when Peter was tweaking out in the middle of the road. Not much else to say; some random thoughts: I'm not happy to see Ms. H back. She was a terrible principal (though she might be an improvement over the Shep). Declan is a douche. I'm glad Pia broke up. They were the most tenuous couple in Degrassi history. They were completely non-believable. I feel like there's no continuity to Peter's character. He went from Perv who filmed Manny topless and blackmailed her to romantic, supportive boyfriend of Emma (season 5) to drug planting street racer (6) to reformed, caring boyfriend of Darcy (7) to rockstar and popular (apparently) guy (8) to meth addict (9). Umm, what? On the acting front, Jamie (Peter) really hit this one out of the park. He had the tics and quirks of a meth head down. He had a lot of heavy material, and handled it really well. Nina (Mia) was decent in her final episode before becoming a vampire, though she didn't really have to do a ton.
Overall Grade: B
Random thought: I think there should be an episode where a character (Dave, maybe?) constantly makes That's What She Said jokes. Think about it. Degrassi's new slogan is, “It's about to get real.” What's more real than a person who makes too many TWSS jokes?
(Sorry it took me a long time to get around to writing this . I'll try to be quicker on future ep. reviews)
I'll just start by saying that I really didn't like the B-plot of part 1. I understand that they needed a way to introduce Jenna's character, but the whole Alli-Jenna rivalry was unnecessary. Not to mention that we were beaten over the head with it; there were several scenes that served no discernible purpose other than to tell us that, hey, in case you didn't notice, Alli doesn't like Jenna. Not that irrational rivalries over nothing are uncommon among fourteen year old girls. Kudos to Degrassi for at least showing their craziness realistically. Given the whole scene where Jenna confesses her weakness for bad boys, I'm assuming that we will see a KC-Clare-Jenna love triangle at some point this season, which, uggh, I hate love triangles with a burning passion, and I sincerely hope this new Jenna character serves a purpose other than breaking up KC and Clare (whose name I recently discovered does not have an 'I,' which is silly. Since when does Claire not have an 'I?' Those crazy Canadians...). As for Jenna, her bubbliness was a little overdone (“Clare-bear,” “That's sweet, but I'm not half as pretty as you are”), and she said, “That what he said,” so she has to go. The acting was okay, but unremarkable. The actresses didn't get a lot to work with. Melinda (Alli) does a good eye roll.
The B-Plot of part 2 was much better than in part 1. I much prefer snarky Holly J, and I'm glad she didn't totally roll over and change for Blue. While on that subject, Blue was a total dumbass. Did he really think she was gonna do a total 180? I hope the evolution of Holly J ends up mirroring Paige from earlier seasons, where she became less backstabbing and conniving, but kept her snarky attitude. Not much else to say about this story. It reminded me a little of “Dressed in Black,” but without gothy bitch Ashley (an improvement). Also, was Blue-Holly J (Blolly J?) the shortest lived couple in Degrassi history? They didn't even last an entire episode. Another random observation: AJ Saudin (Connor) grew a ton between seasons, he was the most noticeable change among the cast. The acting was fine, whatever, let's move on to the A-plot.
The A-plot was handled pretty well, considering the subject matter. When I heard they were doing an episode about meth, I was expecting another episode that “goes there” without regard for character development or continuity, or any real consequences for the character. The way they set up Peter's meth problem was fairly believeable, considering I don't know a single person from my high school who ever did meth. It did a good job of putting Peter in a position where it was conceivable he would try drugs, given his rejection from the music program and his girlfriend moving to Paris. He's been left behind by both his friends and his girlfriend. The whole “I thought it was coke” part was ridiculous. Who snorts drugs without asking what they are first? (Granted, I don't have a ton of drug-snorting experience) It's also hard to believe that Victoria gives him an entire bag for free. Maybe Canadian druggies are more generous, but in my experience even potheads (the only drug users that I know personally) generally won't give anything away for free, and weed is much less valuable than meth. But this is a universe where you always get pregnant the first time you have sex and smoking weed either ends in a diabetic coma or bombing a college interview. Why would I expect them to portray an issue realistically? They showcased the nature of the addiction (awake for several hours in a row, then a crash) well considering there was only about twenty minutes worth of episode where Peter was actually on the drug because the first part was almost entirely set up. I also liked the trippy meth-o-vision when Peter was tweaking out in the middle of the road. Not much else to say; some random thoughts: I'm not happy to see Ms. H back. She was a terrible principal (though she might be an improvement over the Shep). Declan is a douche. I'm glad Pia broke up. They were the most tenuous couple in Degrassi history. They were completely non-believable. I feel like there's no continuity to Peter's character. He went from Perv who filmed Manny topless and blackmailed her to romantic, supportive boyfriend of Emma (season 5) to drug planting street racer (6) to reformed, caring boyfriend of Darcy (7) to rockstar and popular (apparently) guy (8) to meth addict (9). Umm, what? On the acting front, Jamie (Peter) really hit this one out of the park. He had the tics and quirks of a meth head down. He had a lot of heavy material, and handled it really well. Nina (Mia) was decent in her final episode before becoming a vampire, though she didn't really have to do a ton.
Overall Grade: B
Random thought: I think there should be an episode where a character (Dave, maybe?) constantly makes That's What She Said jokes. Think about it. Degrassi's new slogan is, “It's about to get real.” What's more real than a person who makes too many TWSS jokes?
