Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Fangirly Post: Degrassi
10:14 AM
Not too often on here do I talk about silly TV shows that I love, regardless of how truly "brain cheese" quality they are. One of those shows that I am not afraid to admit that I adore still to this day is Degrassi (or as I knew it, Degrassi: The Next Generation.) The show that brought to me the stories of hot boys, awkward bodily functions and the plethora of "special" episodes, Degrassi was my soap opera. But how did this strange little high school drama come into my life? Let's start from the beginning.
Degrassi was originally a Canadian import, that was then delivered to the USA by way of the Noggin channel (also know as "The N" at nighttime.) Along with other similar programming, The N focused on showing tween/teen drama shows along with music videos. Most of the shows similar to Degrassi were also of the Canadian variety, giving us kids from the good old US of A the kind of programming block we didn't get much of in 2003.
The best way to describe Degrassi is just simply one word: Fromage. To just call the drama cheesy would be underplaying some of the aspects of the series that actually were good in the dramatic sense. But for the most part, Degrassi is an educational show about life dressed in tight jeans and flat ironed hair.
So what did I love about Degrassi? For the most part, it was the hilarious and sometimes intense antics of the characters. Even though some of the acting was questionable, the insane story lines these kids went through were worthy enough of a marathon just to see the end result.
But of course the other reason I tuned in every night was the cute boys on the show. I somehow had crushes for multiple guys on the show at very different times of my fandom for it. It all started with everyone's favorite bi-polar guitarist, Craig.
What can I say about Craig that many other fangirls haven't? Well for starts I think its important to note that the character himself embodies all the stuff I found crush worthy at that age. Craig played guitar, he wore cool clothes, took pictures as a hobby, and had a good attitude overall - you know, the important stuff. But at his core, Craig fit my lifestyle at the time. He lived with his stepdad and sister without any other parental figures, had a difficult relationship with his biological Dad, and he was misunderstood.
But probably the moment that Craig became my favorite was whenever he would get to sing with his band, Downtown Sasquatch. He just automatically by default was crush worthy.
Then there was Rick Murray, the troubled nerdy boy. Poor Rick was not exactly what you would call a social kid, but somehow he won the heart of Terri. Sure, Rick is by no means a "good character", in fact he is incredibly flawed and not meant to be a fan favorite. But with the incredible acting job by Ephraim Ellis (who also is ridiculously cute), Rick was complex and layered in many ways. Though the end of his story was depressing, you can't deny the impact he left on the series from then on.
Spoiler Alert: I shipped the hell out of these two, minus the whole you know, abusive relationship thing.
Speaking of my OTP's from the series, probably my number one was also Degrassi's first gay couple: Dylan and Marco. By god, these two are the cutest together. Dylan (who I swear looks like Josh Groban's blonde sibling) is popular girl Paige's older brother and is openly gay, where as Marco in the beginning masks his sexuality by dating my favorite female character (I'll get to that later.) When Marco finally comes out, he and Dylan begin what I believe to be one of Degrassi's best romances. It's cool to see how mature and calm Dylan is in comparison to Marco, a dynamic that works so well in the series.
I just adore them so much <3
As mentioned earlier, my favorite female student in Degrassi High also was in ties with Marco. Ellie is a wannabe journalist that originally filled the role of the goth chick. Ellie's most famous or "Go There" moment was when she started cutting herself in "Whisper to a Scream", but of course she got better. She eventually came into her own and formed some of the best storylines of the series. Probably my absolute favorite plot was her slowly evolving romance with Craig, which was my couple made in fan fiction heaven. The relationship took a while to proceed, but when it happened it was amazing.
Now many of you are probably wondering what I think of the newer Degrassi kids. Personally, I haven't watched enough to have a defined favorite. My goal this year is to get back into watching the newer episodes, so I can at least understand who the heck is who in the show now. But from what I've heard, I love the new directions the show is going in and the risks they are taking. One character I have looked into a lot was transgendered boy, Adam. The actress that played Adam seems super cool and I would love to get to know the character better.
But regardless of who is who, Degrassi is a great show for tweens/teens. Though over dramatic to the core, it deals with a lot of issues in a mature way and doesn't make the actions of the characters seem like a fantasy. And for that I will always support them! Go Degrassi!
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