Warning: this article contains major spoilers, so read at your discretion. Recently, I started rewatching the hit Candian teen drama Degrassi on Youtube. I would like to share some of the thoughts that I had while rewatching the show. Keep reading if you want to hear some of my unpopular opinions about Degrassi.
1. Emma was a terrible friend to Manny
Emma was always judgemental and unsupportive of Manny. When Manny wanted to join the cheerleading squad at their school, Emma did not want Manny to participate because she felt like cheerleading was sexist and stupid. Still, Manny was always supportive of Emma’s extracurriculars. Manny helped Emma hand out flyers and attended her wildlife club even though she did not care about wildlife. Additionally, when Emma had a pregnancy scare, Manny was very supportive of Emma despite Emma not being very supportive when she was pregnant.
2. Hazel was an underrated character
Many people paint Hazel to be a useless character. Still, I think she was an important character and wish she had more screen time. The only episode centered around Hazel was when it was culture day in Degrassi and we find out that Hazel is Somaillian. I wish more episodes centered around her.
3. Manny and Craig should not have dated
I don’t think there was much chemistry between the two characters and the way they got together was sketchy. After their first date, Craig told his friends that he thought Manny was attractive but did not want to date her because she reminded him of his five-year-old sister. He still precedes to cheat on his girlfriend, Ashley, with Manny despite thinking this. The ironic thing about all of this is that the girl who played Craig’s sister in the show, Angie, is Manny’s sister in real life, which could be why Angie reminds him of Manny.
4. Alex and Bianca had some of the best character developments in the show
Alex and Bianca were hated characters at the beginning of the show. Bianca was initially portrayed as a promiscuous girl who was a boyfriend stealer. Alex was portrayed as a girl who hung out with the wrong crowd and made some poor choices. As the show went on, we learned that Alex and Bianca were good people. They just had troubling home lives that made them act out, but when they met the right people (Drew for Bianca and Paige for Alex), they were able to turn things around and make a good life for themselves.
5. It is not Spinner’s fault that Jimmy got shot
It’s the teacher’s and administrators’ fault that Jimmy got shot. The school knew that Rick had violent tendencies, and they still chose to let him back into the school. The principal also knew that Rick was being bullied. He did nothing about it until it was too late, which unfortunately happens all the time.
6. Terri was an underrated character
I would have liked to have learned more about how Terri was doing after recovering from her coma.
7. Eclarie was toxic
Many people ship Clare and Eli together, but I think that their relationship was very toxic. When Eli and Clare first got together, he was not over his girlfriend Julia, who had died. To prove to Clare that he was over Julia and he loved her, he crashed his car to guilt trip Clare into staying in the relationship. What solidified this relationship’s toxicity was when Clare was going to tell Eli that she was pregnant. Initially, Clarie thought the baby was Drew’s because that was the last guy she slept with. At her ultrasound appointment, where she finds out the sex, she realizes she is pregnant with Eli’s baby because if it were Drew’s baby, it would be too early to tell the sex of the baby. When Clarie tries to tell Eli that the baby is his, he calls her a whore. Eli was upset that Clare slept with someone else when they were broken up when he was the reason they broke up. Eli cheated on Clare with another woman and was not there for Clare when she had cancer.
8. Zane was not good for Riley
Zane was good for Riley in that he helped Riley learn how to accept himself. Still, he pressured Riley into coming out before he was ready throughout their relationship, which was unfair.
9. Characters should not have disappeared after going to college
In seasons 6-8, I enjoyed following some of the characters to college and seeing them live their lives in college. I wish they would have followed this trend for all the graduating classes and not just the first class.
10. Liberty should have taken JT’s suggestion of building a daycare in Degrassi
If Degrassi had a daycare, it would have been easier for Jenna to balance school and mom life.
11. Paige and Alex should have been endgame.
Their relationship was so cute. Paige and Alex grew so much as people while they were together. I wish Paige didn’t pretend that their relationship never happened. They were one of the best couples on the show.
12. Emma and Spinner are a cute couple
Emma and Spinner getting married caused a lot of backlash because one, it was very unexpected. Two, people wanted Emma to end up with Sean and Spinner to end up with Jane. I think Emma and Spinner were cute because their relationship was very reliable. Many people end up marrying people they would have never thought they would date.
13. Sav and Ms. Oh’s relationship should have never happened
Many people think that Sav and Ms. Oh’s relationship is cute, but I think this relationship was highly inappropriate. Sav was her student. Even though they didn’t start the relationship until he was about to graduate, he is still underaged. A teacher should never date their student.
14. J.T. and Liberty should have gotten back together
I wish J.T. could have told Liberty that he was still in love with her before he died.
15. Liberty doesn’t deserve the hate she gets
Many people don’t like Liberty because they find her annoying, but I love Liberty. Liberty was one of my favorite characters because there are many people like her in this world. I admire how she is a goal getter, knows what she wants, and is ambitious.
16. Jake Epstein did a phenomenal job portraying Craig
I cannot picture anyone playing Craig other than Epstein. Epstein did a great job portraying the fear and mental terminal that comes with having an abusive father, being a teenage dad, and struggling with having a mental illness while trying to balance pursuing a music career, school, and friends.
I hope you enjoyed hearing some of my unpopular opinions about Degrassi. P.S I highly recommend watching Degrassi if you haven’t. It’s a great show.
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