I will never forgive them for the way they did Alex. She was a great character. I appreciate the nuance that went into her story, and I really wanted to see her win
@@JustHereForCats you know i got the impression the wanted to do more with her in season 7 but her actress decided to quit i dont know if thats what happened thats just how ut looked
@@kelsey1467 that was probably the case. I love the actor who portrayed her. She gave Alex so much depth and raw emotion. I think her performance is part of what made me come around to Team Alex Redemption and an avid supporter of Palex.
@ and also some people said she should of faced consequences for her role in the shooting but to me she only pulled the prank she didnt help jimmy get shot and i think spinner didn't rat on her cause she did feel better and also alexs mom is horrible for spending that money for her boyfriend but unforentualy its not uncommon for abused women to return to the partener its relestic unfortnelty she did the right thing by cutting her out of her life
Zoe is a character I just couldn’t grow to like even after she grew into a better person. My problem with her is that she is a very vengeful person. As Maya, Frankie, Becky, and Grace found out the hard way when Zoe feels slighted (real or imagined) than you better grow eyes in the back of your head.
@@Unspkblejoy want to hear something sad i started liking for zoey after luke and neil were convicted of asulting her but then season 14 had to taint it with the degrassi nudes thing but i do think winston was at fault somewhat too i feel like zoey wouldnt have done it if he hadnt blackmailed her and he continued after she shut down the website
Shiiiiii, I don’t think I could find a more consistent channel about degrassi. You kill it. Edits look great and you listen to your community. Never thought Alex was a bad person because of the Rick prank just always thought there could have been some consequences for her. The reasoning she had for doing so made all the sense in the world. Her story line with her mom was one of the realest and most relatable moments in the show. She absolutely deserved her redemption I may have been a little rough on the first video I saw of yours lol.
Also you’re one of the first people I’ve seen give Alex so much grace. Also I wish maya got grace in the fandom more and that they remember she a child experiencing so much trauma and I wanted more ezma she clearly has a lot of ptsd from her moms death and need therapy.
yes!! i completely agree with you on maya, i was actually so shocked about the fandoms perception of her being so negative. i thought her character growth made so much since and was done really well 😭
So true about Zoe! Every time she had the chance to finally redeem herself and grow, she’d do something rude or stupid like Degrassi Nudes, Cyberbully Maya, sleep with Zig and I could go on… She was so jealous and insecure that she had to bring everyone else down with her🙄
I agree that the failure with Alex isn’t her lack of a good redemption storyline but that even with getting more screen time I think they still only ever had her around in relation to her relationships first Jay then Paige. And that’s especially shown in her end being lackluster in service of a Paige plot line.
I agree! The thing is, by season 7, they had developed Alex so much that she had enough to run with on her own to complete a full redemption arc. I’m disappointed the writers didn’t take advantage of that.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, the entire Torres family could’ve been written off in that first block of season 13. Adam could’ve went to school in a place that’s closer to somewhere he can get surgery, Drew can finish high school somewhere else, Drianca doesn’t have to break up, everyone wins except maybe Dallas.
I actually loved Paige and Alex's relationship and wish they would have given them more time as a couple and wish as you said we could have seen more of Alex's redemption storyline. I feel there was still more that could have been done with Alex's character.
Thanks! I remember I started this show when I was thirteen, jumped in during the post Vegas night Saga and then I had to go back and watch everything. I was kind of obsessed with this show when I was younger
I always start my Degrassi rewatches from season 10 cause that’s when I was introduced to the show, I decided to watch it from the beginning and I’ve now reached the point of the show I grew up on and I gotta say out of that entire first cast of characters Alex stood out to me the most she was saving grace of the show during times where I wasn’t interested in many of the storylines, her redemption arc was very natural to me it just needed WAY more screen time
I appreciate these videos. I saw Degrassi for the first time on Tv when I was pretty young, I think it was the episode where Tristian is getting groomed by Yates and blows up at Maya for ratting him out- I watched it pretty regularly after that and was going into my freshman year when Next class aired. I say all of this to state that I always rooted so hard for Zoe to progress and when she brought Rasha to her mom’s wedding and humiliated Rasha I was so crushed. that’s all
It was so hard for me to root for Johnny, even when we saw him again in college, because I still couldn't get past him being there when JT was murdered and sharing those pics of Alli
as a 16 year old i really hated alex but as a 29 year old i can see her flaws and relate. She had a difficult home life and a mother who valued her more boyfriend than her daughter.
Also, at 38:50, you’re absolutely right. Becky would NOT act like that at all. I’m a Becky defender, and despite her flaws and character traits, she would never do that to Zoe. If anything, she would speak up for Zoe to the other girls on the cheer squad. She knows it wasn’t Zoe’s fault and how horrible that experience was for her! The writers made me so mad for that.
Well said, I saw that episode, and I was disgusted by Becky's comments towards Zoe. I said to myself "no way that's the same Becky who was willing to be in an relationship with someone like Adam and now is denying zoe a spot on the cheer squad because of the trauma her brother caused"
I never liked Zoe. You got the vibe you were supposed to like her because she had this terrible experience but that unfortunately doesn’t make her likable as a character. Her threatening to send Frankie’s naked picture around was insane after what she went through. It made no sense.
I don't feel bad for Rick, I'm tired of the fandom blaming the students for the shooting! The students did their part in voicing their concerns for the return of Rick, administration ignored them! They did what they felt necessary to run him out of the school! The blame lies solely on the administration!
It was on his parents too, they where clearly defending him for what he did to Terri with no consequences yet they didn't take him out of that environment that was obviously not beneficial for anyone not even Rick himself.
It was absolutely not necessary for them to go out of their way to abuse and torment him. Regardless of if he deserved it or not, the storyline was made to show that bullying and abusing someone (even an abuser) doesn't help anything, and it's true. They obviously didn't succeed at "running him out of the school," they helped to make things much worse for everyone involved. I say this as an abuse survivor - engaging in that kind of behavior as revenge only makes you feel like a worse person, compounds the trauma for yourself and everyone else, and can make things more dangerous, just like the Rick story demonstrated. I feel like the entire point of that storyline is that no single entity besides the person who does it should be blamed for a tragedy like that, but that many circumstances can compound that push people into an extremely dark place. Many people involved should've done better, definitely including the people who bullied him. They showed how one act of kindness from Paige almost stopped him (very similar to real stories of people who were almost school sh*oters, or who almost took their own lives). But also, like you said, the administration kept ignoring Rick asking for help and students pointing out that something was wrong. And his parents still seemed to see him as a golden boy rather than holding him accountable. And letting him have access to a gun. Tldr; the blame definitely doesn't fall solely on the administration. The blame is solely on Rick. But holy shit, so many people should've done better, including the administration.
@@maggiedk i do kind of wonder if people were too hard on spinner or not yes what he did was wrong it was a little more jays fault than this and also he didnt know that rick would shoot jimmy that was probobaly the last thing he thought he would do and i just wonder why rick would believe spinner and jay of all people the people who have been bullying him all season a little critical thinking would of been nice here what do you think too leintent
I loved Alex and hated that she was done so dirty by the writers towards the end, then just never mentioned again. And people keep commenting about her involvement with Rick, but I feel like it's important that she was the only one from Jay's crew who actually had a good reason to be so angry about Rick, given that she was still dealing with her mom's abuser at home. Though I do wish we'd seen her dealing with the guilt of her involvement, I blame that more on the writers not developing her character enough. Also as a bi woman, big agree that they didn't explore Paige's bisexuality enough. They never even *called* her bi, it was so frustrating (not that everyone has to label themselves ofc, but this was a choice the writers made, along with choosing not to call a single character bi or pan - even though many obviously fit this description - for the entirety of TNG). Tbh I really wanted her and Alex to be endgame, but even just having them stay friends and check in sometimes would've been nice.
I also feel like Peter and Johnny suffer from the fact that their main time as characters was during seasons 7-9, which were weaker in many areas. Plus seasons 8 and 9 were shorter than a lot of other seasons before and after which made it even harder to balance all the characters. A lot of characters during that time period were really short changed and were honestly given nothing. These 2 definitely took hits from that alone. Not that characters from other time periods in the show weren't neglected, I just feel a lot of characters during this time were done particularly dirty.
After a few years I started rewatching degrassi again, starting from season 10. I remember always really hating Owen as a character, but now that I'm rewatching somehow I didn't, and I couldn't really explain why. Your interpretation and explanation of his character totally hits the nail on the head! The ingredients are definitely there and more focus on his growth during season 11 could've so interesting. Truly frustrating that it didn't happen...
I think that there are some people who don’t really go through a redemption or a rewiring of how they think and instead just grow up and mature. Especially with men. Jay is a good example of a guy who was very shitty who just grew up and matured. No redemption just adulting. Is that compelling writing? No, but it is realistic.
I think they should have kept Alex and Paige friends and broken them up amicably because sapphic couples so often stay friends and then Alex could have continued to grow and be a more active character since they obviously wanted that for her but just didn’t have enough lesbians in the writers room reminding them that a lot of us are still friends with our highschool girlfriends
Also all this Alex love makes me feel so validated and safe. I’m forsure a mix of Alex and Ellie and Paige and always see people love Ellie and Paige and feel like part of me will never be accepted the way other parts are but people are finally starting to see why so many angry kids were angry. I’m not as angry as her anymore but I was for so much of my life and still empathize with her so much
Why does a character have to undergo this major change in order for them to be redeemed? I think the best characters are the ones we can see a genuine human side to bc they’re imperfect just like all of us. Jay is one of my favorite characters mostly bc of his relationship w Manny, but seeing him genuinely care for another person the way he did was so wholesome regardless of his inability to go the straight & narrow. I think his redemption is in the love he felt for Manny bc that was real for him & it made him realize how much he could lose by always being shady
I was listening to this video while in the shower, and on the part with Drew it cuts to an ad for Glad trash bags, and I really thought Bri inserted that into the video 😂😂
1. When I first saw the episode of Jay drunk talking about Manny I was too young to understand that level of toxicity [both the mental and substance use] but I recently saw this again as adult and it was the funniest Jay moments for me 2. The change in the demeanor of Dallas when Owen is threatening the Baker Boy is hilarious
With Alex, I really really wish we could’ve seen more of her journey after leaving her mom and trying to figure her life out. I hate that they just wrote Alex off the show. They could’ve kept the part where she was kicked out of Marco, Ellie and Paige’s place. But to see her navigate life on her own and trying to rebuild herself after the setback would’ve been amazing! Maybe she could even have moments where she considers moving back home with her mom and that could’ve been its own conflict. It could’ve even been a little spin off. It had so much potential 😢
In the case of Alex, Degrassi has always been depicting teens in a realistic way, sure they kinda lost that after season 10 but from 1986 - TNG, storylines being left open-ended often times with grim implications or unresolved issues the characters were facing was a regular practice not because of bad writing but it's written to point out of the reality that our problems in life dont get cookie cutter wrap ups. we often go through some tough shit, and then it sticks with us, we deal as it influences our decision making and we won't even mention the trauma itself but it'll always be a part of you. think of Emma in season 1 when she witnessed Armstrong and Liberty. What she went through was never brought up verbally again but that was our first example of that moment dictating how Emma would act going forward. Her need to control things? seasons later? I dont think the writers ever forgot she found herself in that situation. eeee Alex's story is tragic because she kept telling Paige what her reality was and in the end, our end with Alex at least, what felt to some as regression was the reality marginalized working class identities go though, sometimes we see a way out and an ass hole or one decision will force our hand. it's actually poignant the way we leave her.
Zoë's redemption arc made me like her more. I absolutely hated her for the longest time, even during her sexual assault trial. When she finally came to terms with her sexuality and started dating Rasha, I started to like her and I also felt sorry for her after her mom disowned her. (For what it's worth, I fucking hated Consuela Rivas from the jump.) Side note: Daniel Kelly, the actor who played Owen, looked like he could be my nephew's older brother during his time on the show. 😂
When I first started watching Degrassi, I felt like Alex was a fan favorite because of all the praise I heard of her. Hearing the opposite was so shocking. I feel like even with her issues, she ends up being a great character, and a very important one for the show. I wish she had better writing at times, especially her romance with Paige. They came from two different worlds, but they needed a bit of each other in my opinion.
What frustrated me about how they wrote Zoe in S14 is it feels like harmful and dangerous representation of trauma and SA survivors. While we know sometimes perpetrators of abuse were once victims, the show doesn’t try and dissect the psychology of her actions in S14. They almost erase the trauma and emotional of S13 and paint her trauma as “well I was SA that makes it okay for me to blackmail another girl with nude pictures” which is still child pornography. Why would she put another human through what she went through? That feels harmful and almost disrespectful to everyone who has survived sexual assault and paint survivors in a deceitful way. The Degrassi writers can paint social issues in a honest way but this felt disingenuous and did more harm than good. When Darcy spiraled and accused Snake of SA, I think we understood the psychology of her trauma and did not agree with her false accusations and weirdly understood why she did was she did. I think they showed the nuances of her trauma in S7 really well and her actions, while wrong, made sense. Paige was able to remain a mean girl and a bully but never put someone through what happened to her and actually showed compassion for survivors of abuse, like when Marco’s bashers were never caught. None of these apply to what Zoe did in S14.
Another failed redemption in my opinion is Riley. It doesn't matter what he was going through, he was an angry, volatile bully who physically a$$aulted people multiple times. Then one day he just acts like an amiable person and we're expected to just accept it.
Only one of the characters on this list that is likeable even remotely is Alex. The way she was written off was terrible. With Zoe they could've leaned in on her not having remorse and put her in therapy. I forgot what it's called when a person shows no remorse for their actions. Drew's character lasted way too long. I never liked him his entire run. I didn't like Adam much either. Their mom is the best member of the family.
I think Peter is a "good" character in later seasons but not because of a proper redemption arc or accountability, i think the writers just started giving him other more positive plot lines for his character without taking into account a lot of his worst moments from the earlier seasons. I can only enjoy him if i separate him from those actions not as a whole and i feel that way about a couple characters including Zoe.
i dont excuse Zoeys behavior in season 14 with the noods but i do feel like sometimes people who experience s3xual trauma often do it to others and again thats still terrible but it makes me understand why they did that with the character, i understand if people don't like her though lol she can be very mean. also i totally agree Becky wasnt acting like herself in season 14
i never understood why they were coming down on drew for having sex with zoey. it was consensual. he didn’t force her and they’re peers. they made him seem like he was r kelly or something. kids have sex in high school, i didn’t understand the issue
he was still technically her peer because he was in highschool but wasn’t he already repeating senior year by that time. it’s just one of those things where it may be legal but people might think you’re weird if you’re a supersenior having sex with a 15 yr old
Just follow loved the content can I ask where you get your clips and edit want to have my own channel for speaking on shows that aren’t takes about enough 😊
Okay now I understand why you and others don’t feel so great towards Zoe, it sucks why did they do that to her S14 I think they were never going to redeem Fitz. I do believe he truly found god. However some people tend to believe that all it takes is for god to forgive your sins, and it ends up giving them this entitlement that the ones they hurt should just forgive them too. Now he has something as big as god to validate these feelings. He isn’t the first case of someone truly believing they are in the right because of being a true follower as god. Giving him that ego that he is automatically a better person than Eli who is an atheist, and someone who isn’t willing to forgive him. As someone who is an ex Christian and has known many, I’ve seen it all. Anyways this was a really good video! I think the failed redemption that saddens me the most is Alex, Paige even says she preferred her as a stripper in S7 when Alex was unemployed. It’s like girl you gave her an ultimatum in the first place to quit her job or break up with her. I feel so mixed on Palex, I feel like a lot of the time Paige was not a good partner to Alex. They also were just barely together.
@@briannawilliams97 fairyou were right about zoey although maybe her redemption arc would of been if the had not moved to netfilx i kind of felt like next class was a mistake mainly because of how short the episode counts were maybe if there had been more episodes her redemption arc could of been better
@kelsey1467 you are absolutely right! Degrassi has always had more episodes in a season and the next class suffers so much for this and so does Zoes characterization.
@ i dont know if this counts as a redemption arc but i felt miles dad redemption arc was too rushed it didnt feel convincing enough to me but feel free to disagree
I’m sorry I really don’t want you to hate me but I just don’t like Alex and the reason that I don’t like Alex is because she never faced any consequences about what she did to Rick and it caused Jimmy to get shot so I don’t I don’t agree I don’t really like her and I would’ve been mad if they just gave her some happy ending in with no consequences for her actions. I like her bit but still I wish they had not do that I Love you. I love jay and zoey
I’m sorry I really don’t want you to hate me but I just don’t like Alex and the reason that I don’t like Alex is because she never faced any consequences about what she did to Rick and it caused Jimmy to get shot so I don’t I don’t agree I don’t really like her and I would’ve been mad if they just gave her some happy ending in with no consequences for her actions. I Love you.
The Rick & Jimmy tragedy is an understandable reason for not liking Alex. Jay and Spinner got expelled but nothing happened to her... and she set up the paint & feathers! Were we supposed to not think about her part in that "prank"? Just focus on the morally bankrupt accusation of Thing 1 and Thing 2 blaming Jimmy for the job?
I have watched and read so many different takes on Alex and I no matter what, I still really don't like her. I just can't get over the fact that she never gets punished for her role in Rick's paint and feathers bit, which leads to the shooting, and the way she treats Paige and her dreams. She just isn't a good person and I don't think anyone will ever be able to change my mind.
Me too! When I first watched the series I wanted to like her cool aloofness and edgy humor, but she is really just a turd that wants to stay in the litterbox. She never did anything nice unless it benefited her, and quite often went out of her way to be cruel for her own humor. Ugh! When she told Paige she had “principles” and that’s why she didn’t deliver the expensive chocolates. Like, not that long ago her “principles” had her stripping so her mom can pay rent, but she won’t drive around some chocolate so that Paige can continue paying rent where Alex was sleeping now? I get hating it, I just don’t see jeopardizing Paige’s job for it. She could have made those deliveries, made connections and maybe started a courier service or something, but no. And had the nerve to act surprised when Paige kicked her out, even though I don’t know where she thought she would stay if Paige lost her job.
I don’t know why but I can’t seem to hate Zoe. Like, why do people get mad at her cause she hates losing? If she has to take others down with her, then so be it 😆 she makes for a great villain.
Alex had a lot of potential. I wish she was developed more as a character.
I will never forgive them for the way they did Alex. She was a great character. I appreciate the nuance that went into her story, and I really wanted to see her win
@@JustHereForCats you know i got the impression the wanted to do more with her in season 7 but her actress decided to quit i dont know if thats what happened thats just how ut looked
@@kelsey1467 that was probably the case. I love the actor who portrayed her. She gave Alex so much depth and raw emotion. I think her performance is part of what made me come around to Team Alex Redemption and an avid supporter of Palex.
@ and also some people said she should of faced consequences for her role in the shooting but to me she only pulled the prank she didnt help jimmy get shot and i think spinner didn't rat on her cause she did feel better and also alexs mom is horrible for spending that money for her boyfriend but unforentualy its not uncommon for abused women to return to the partener its relestic unfortnelty she did the right thing by cutting her out of her life
Drew’s story line is more his mom’s redemption than his
Zoe is a character I just couldn’t grow to like even after she grew into a better person. My problem with her is that she is a very vengeful person. As Maya, Frankie, Becky, and Grace found out the hard way when Zoe feels slighted (real or imagined) than you better grow eyes in the back of your head.
100%
This is so true! Zoe could never take an L by herself, she had to make someone else suffer.
@@Unspkblejoy want to hear something sad i started liking for zoey after luke and neil were convicted of asulting her but then season 14 had to taint it with the degrassi nudes thing but i do think winston was at fault somewhat too i feel like zoey wouldnt have done it if he hadnt blackmailed her and he continued after she shut down the website
I could never really grow to love Zoe either, but Becky had that coming 100%. Not letting Zoe on the team for the reason she did was actually insane.
Shiiiiii, I don’t think I could find a more consistent channel about degrassi. You kill it. Edits look great and you listen to your community. Never thought Alex was a bad person because of the Rick prank just always thought there could have been some consequences for her. The reasoning she had for doing so made all the sense in the world. Her story line with her mom was one of the realest and most relatable moments in the show. She absolutely deserved her redemption I may have been a little rough on the first video I saw of yours lol.
Also you’re one of the first people I’ve seen give Alex so much grace. Also I wish maya got grace in the fandom more and that they remember she a child experiencing so much trauma and I wanted more ezma she clearly has a lot of ptsd from her moms death and need therapy.
yes!! i completely agree with you on maya, i was actually so shocked about the fandoms perception of her being so negative. i thought her character growth made so much since and was done really well 😭
I think only people who haven't been through alot don't get alex struggle, especially people of privilege
So true about Zoe!
Every time she had the chance to finally redeem herself and grow, she’d do something rude or stupid like Degrassi Nudes, Cyberbully Maya, sleep with Zig and I could go on…
She was so jealous and insecure that she had to bring everyone else down with her🙄
I agree that the failure with Alex isn’t her lack of a good redemption storyline but that even with getting more screen time I think they still only ever had her around in relation to her relationships first Jay then Paige. And that’s especially shown in her end being lackluster in service of a Paige plot line.
I agree! The thing is, by season 7, they had developed Alex so much that she had enough to run with on her own to complete a full redemption arc. I’m disappointed the writers didn’t take advantage of that.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, the entire Torres family could’ve been written off in that first block of season 13. Adam could’ve went to school in a place that’s closer to somewhere he can get surgery, Drew can finish high school somewhere else, Drianca doesn’t have to break up, everyone wins except maybe Dallas.
I actually loved Paige and Alex's relationship and wish they would have given them more time as a couple and wish as you said we could have seen more of Alex's redemption storyline. I feel there was still more that could have been done with Alex's character.
You always have such strong arguments,i can tell youre passionate about this show
Thanks! I remember I started this show when I was thirteen, jumped in during the post Vegas night Saga and then I had to go back and watch everything. I was kind of obsessed with this show when I was younger
I always start my Degrassi rewatches from season 10 cause that’s when I was introduced to the show, I decided to watch it from the beginning and I’ve now reached the point of the show I grew up on and I gotta say out of that entire first cast of characters Alex stood out to me the most she was saving grace of the show during times where I wasn’t interested in many of the storylines, her redemption arc was very natural to me it just needed WAY more screen time
I appreciate these videos. I saw Degrassi for the first time on Tv when I was pretty young, I think it was the episode where Tristian is getting groomed by Yates and blows up at Maya for ratting him out- I watched it pretty regularly after that and was going into my freshman year when Next class aired. I say all of this to state that I always rooted so hard for Zoe to progress and when she brought Rasha to her mom’s wedding and humiliated Rasha I was so crushed. that’s all
I hate jay with a passion but when he tells manny “I’ll be waiting for you boo” is one of the cutest degrassi moments ever 😊
It was so hard for me to root for Johnny, even when we saw him again in college, because I still couldn't get past him being there when JT was murdered and sharing those pics of Alli
It's 1:15, I have an 8am college class and I'm here the second I get the notification ❤️😌 I love your content. Thank you for your hard work.
as a 16 year old i really hated alex but as a 29 year old i can see her flaws and relate. She had a difficult home life and a mother who valued her more boyfriend than her daughter.
Just wanted to say I love your content. Truely, you got a talent get it Breezy!
Also, at 38:50, you’re absolutely right. Becky would NOT act like that at all. I’m a Becky defender, and despite her flaws and character traits, she would never do that to Zoe. If anything, she would speak up for Zoe to the other girls on the cheer squad. She knows it wasn’t Zoe’s fault and how horrible that experience was for her! The writers made me so mad for that.
Well said, I saw that episode, and I was disgusted by Becky's comments towards Zoe. I said to myself "no way that's the same Becky who was willing to be in an relationship with someone like Adam and now is denying zoe a spot on the cheer squad because of the trauma her brother caused"
I never liked Zoe. You got the vibe you were supposed to like her because she had this terrible experience but that unfortunately doesn’t make her likable as a character. Her threatening to send Frankie’s naked picture around was insane after what she went through. It made no sense.
Jay dropping the Drake line lmao. “I’m here for a good time, not a long time”
I liked all the characters on this list. I really like how the shows that people can't change even how hard you try
I don't feel bad for Rick, I'm tired of the fandom blaming the students for the shooting! The students did their part in voicing their concerns for the return of Rick, administration ignored them! They did what they felt necessary to run him out of the school! The blame lies solely on the administration!
Rick made the mistake ever returning to degrassi, thinking he could redeem himself he should've enrolled at an all boys school that's private
@ yeah for sure👍
It was on his parents too, they where clearly defending him for what he did to Terri with no consequences yet they didn't take him out of that environment that was obviously not beneficial for anyone not even Rick himself.
It was absolutely not necessary for them to go out of their way to abuse and torment him. Regardless of if he deserved it or not, the storyline was made to show that bullying and abusing someone (even an abuser) doesn't help anything, and it's true. They obviously didn't succeed at "running him out of the school," they helped to make things much worse for everyone involved. I say this as an abuse survivor - engaging in that kind of behavior as revenge only makes you feel like a worse person, compounds the trauma for yourself and everyone else, and can make things more dangerous, just like the Rick story demonstrated.
I feel like the entire point of that storyline is that no single entity besides the person who does it should be blamed for a tragedy like that, but that many circumstances can compound that push people into an extremely dark place. Many people involved should've done better, definitely including the people who bullied him. They showed how one act of kindness from Paige almost stopped him (very similar to real stories of people who were almost school sh*oters, or who almost took their own lives). But also, like you said, the administration kept ignoring Rick asking for help and students pointing out that something was wrong. And his parents still seemed to see him as a golden boy rather than holding him accountable. And letting him have access to a gun.
Tldr; the blame definitely doesn't fall solely on the administration. The blame is solely on Rick. But holy shit, so many people should've done better, including the administration.
@@maggiedk i do kind of wonder if people were too hard on spinner or not yes what he did was wrong it was a little more jays fault than this and also he didnt know that rick would shoot jimmy that was probobaly the last thing he thought he would do and i just wonder why rick would believe spinner and jay of all people the people who have been bullying him all season a little critical thinking would of been nice here what do you think too leintent
I loved Alex and hated that she was done so dirty by the writers towards the end, then just never mentioned again. And people keep commenting about her involvement with Rick, but I feel like it's important that she was the only one from Jay's crew who actually had a good reason to be so angry about Rick, given that she was still dealing with her mom's abuser at home. Though I do wish we'd seen her dealing with the guilt of her involvement, I blame that more on the writers not developing her character enough.
Also as a bi woman, big agree that they didn't explore Paige's bisexuality enough. They never even *called* her bi, it was so frustrating (not that everyone has to label themselves ofc, but this was a choice the writers made, along with choosing not to call a single character bi or pan - even though many obviously fit this description - for the entirety of TNG). Tbh I really wanted her and Alex to be endgame, but even just having them stay friends and check in sometimes would've been nice.
I also feel like Peter and Johnny suffer from the fact that their main time as characters was during seasons 7-9, which were weaker in many areas. Plus seasons 8 and 9 were shorter than a lot of other seasons before and after which made it even harder to balance all the characters. A lot of characters during that time period were really short changed and were honestly given nothing. These 2 definitely took hits from that alone. Not that characters from other time periods in the show weren't neglected, I just feel a lot of characters during this time were done particularly dirty.
After a few years I started rewatching degrassi again, starting from season 10. I remember always really hating Owen as a character, but now that I'm rewatching somehow I didn't, and I couldn't really explain why. Your interpretation and explanation of his character totally hits the nail on the head! The ingredients are definitely there and more focus on his growth during season 11 could've so interesting. Truly frustrating that it didn't happen...
I never got Peter, he had a lot of things going for him but he ended up messing things up every single time
I think that there are some people who don’t really go through a redemption or a rewiring of how they think and instead just grow up and mature. Especially with men. Jay is a good example of a guy who was very shitty who just grew up and matured. No redemption just adulting. Is that compelling writing? No, but it is realistic.
I think they should have kept Alex and Paige friends and broken them up amicably because sapphic couples so often stay friends and then Alex could have continued to grow and be a more active character since they obviously wanted that for her but just didn’t have enough lesbians in the writers room reminding them that a lot of us are still friends with our highschool girlfriends
Also all this Alex love makes me feel so validated and safe. I’m forsure a mix of Alex and Ellie and Paige and always see people love Ellie and Paige and feel like part of me will never be accepted the way other parts are but people are finally starting to see why so many angry kids were angry. I’m not as angry as her anymore but I was for so much of my life and still empathize with her so much
Why does a character have to undergo this major change in order for them to be redeemed? I think the best characters are the ones we can see a genuine human side to bc they’re imperfect just like all of us. Jay is one of my favorite characters mostly bc of his relationship w Manny, but seeing him genuinely care for another person the way he did was so wholesome regardless of his inability to go the straight & narrow. I think his redemption is in the love he felt for Manny bc that was real for him & it made him realize how much he could lose by always being shady
I was listening to this video while in the shower, and on the part with Drew it cuts to an ad for Glad trash bags, and I really thought Bri inserted that into the video 😂😂
1. When I first saw the episode of Jay drunk talking about Manny I was too young to understand that level of toxicity [both the mental and substance use] but I recently saw this again as adult and it was the funniest Jay moments for me
2. The change in the demeanor of Dallas when Owen is threatening the Baker Boy is hilarious
With Alex, I really really wish we could’ve seen more of her journey after leaving her mom and trying to figure her life out. I hate that they just wrote Alex off the show. They could’ve kept the part where she was kicked out of Marco, Ellie and Paige’s place. But to see her navigate life on her own and trying to rebuild herself after the setback would’ve been amazing! Maybe she could even have moments where she considers moving back home with her mom and that could’ve been its own conflict. It could’ve even been a little spin off. It had so much potential 😢
In the case of Alex, Degrassi has always been depicting teens in a realistic way, sure they kinda lost that after season 10 but from 1986 - TNG, storylines being left open-ended often times with grim implications or unresolved issues the characters were facing was a regular practice not because of bad writing but it's written to point out of the reality that our problems in life dont get cookie cutter wrap ups. we often go through some tough shit, and then it sticks with us, we deal as it influences our decision making and we won't even mention the trauma itself but it'll always be a part of you. think of Emma in season 1 when she witnessed Armstrong and Liberty. What she went through was never brought up verbally again but that was our first example of that moment dictating how Emma would act going forward. Her need to control things? seasons later? I dont think the writers ever forgot she found herself in that situation. eeee Alex's story is tragic because she kept telling Paige what her reality was and in the end, our end with Alex at least, what felt to some as regression was the reality marginalized working class identities go though, sometimes we see a way out and an ass hole or one decision will force our hand. it's actually poignant the way we leave her.
Zoë's redemption arc made me like her more. I absolutely hated her for the longest time, even during her sexual assault trial. When she finally came to terms with her sexuality and started dating Rasha, I started to like her and I also felt sorry for her after her mom disowned her. (For what it's worth, I fucking hated Consuela Rivas from the jump.)
Side note: Daniel Kelly, the actor who played Owen, looked like he could be my nephew's older brother during his time on the show. 😂
When I first started watching Degrassi, I felt like Alex was a fan favorite because of all the praise I heard of her. Hearing the opposite was so shocking. I feel like even with her issues, she ends up being a great character, and a very important one for the show. I wish she had better writing at times, especially her romance with Paige. They came from two different worlds, but they needed a bit of each other in my opinion.
37:36, The harmony…like woah!
this show has had a hold on me since day 1. I was In middle school when it started so I basically grew up with them
Ooo we’re FEASTING *saves for my walk tomorrow*
What frustrated me about how they wrote Zoe in S14 is it feels like harmful and dangerous representation of trauma and SA survivors. While we know sometimes perpetrators of abuse were once victims, the show doesn’t try and dissect the psychology of her actions in S14. They almost erase the trauma and emotional of S13 and paint her trauma as “well I was SA that makes it okay for me to blackmail another girl with nude pictures” which is still child pornography. Why would she put another human through what she went through? That feels harmful and almost disrespectful to everyone who has survived sexual assault and paint survivors in a deceitful way. The Degrassi writers can paint social issues in a honest way but this felt disingenuous and did more harm than good.
When Darcy spiraled and accused Snake of SA, I think we understood the psychology of her trauma and did not agree with her false accusations and weirdly understood why she did was she did. I think they showed the nuances of her trauma in S7 really well and her actions, while wrong, made sense. Paige was able to remain a mean girl and a bully but never put someone through what happened to her and actually showed compassion for survivors of abuse, like when Marco’s bashers were never caught.
None of these apply to what Zoe did in S14.
I grew to love Alex so much and then the writers just trashed her character again 😢
Alex deserved to be a main character and not just a support for Paige or Jay.
Another failed redemption in my opinion is Riley. It doesn't matter what he was going through, he was an angry, volatile bully who physically a$$aulted people multiple times. Then one day he just acts like an amiable person and we're expected to just accept it.
Only one of the characters on this list that is likeable even remotely is Alex. The way she was written off was terrible. With Zoe they could've leaned in on her not having remorse and put her in therapy. I forgot what it's called when a person shows no remorse for their actions. Drew's character lasted way too long. I never liked him his entire run. I didn't like Adam much either. Their mom is the best member of the family.
I got a good video idea one off character's that were supposed to be main characters or important characters that were supposed to have bigger roles.
I think Peter is a "good" character in later seasons but not because of a proper redemption arc or accountability, i think the writers just started giving him other more positive plot lines for his character without taking into account a lot of his worst moments from the earlier seasons. I can only enjoy him if i separate him from those actions not as a whole and i feel that way about a couple characters including Zoe.
i dont excuse Zoeys behavior in season 14 with the noods but i do feel like sometimes people who experience s3xual trauma often do it to others and again thats still terrible but it makes me understand why they did that with the character, i understand if people don't like her though lol she can be very mean. also i totally agree Becky wasnt acting like herself in season 14
I love Jay and Manny I know him getting with her and driving a bus is weak redemption but I like it.
Paige became insufferable as the show progressed. I loved how Maya grew.
i never understood why they were coming down on drew for having sex with zoey. it was consensual. he didn’t force her and they’re peers. they made him seem like he was r kelly or something. kids have sex in high school, i didn’t understand the issue
he was still technically her peer because he was in highschool but wasn’t he already repeating senior year by that time. it’s just one of those things where it may be legal but people might think you’re weird if you’re a supersenior having sex with a 15 yr old
I think you could do a whole series out of Degrassi as a franchise called DeGrassi's Misery.
Just follow loved the content can I ask where you get your clips and edit want to have my own channel for speaking on shows that aren’t takes about enough 😊
I downloaded the series from RUclips
@ did you just look up it would love some pointers
Oh no how did I just see this?!
Alex, jay and owen were too fine 😪 they shoulda been written better smh
I used to live near where alex house was filmed lol i wanted to go in the building so bad
Alli had a great redemption story!
Can you please do a video on One Tree Hill when you get the opportunity
Johnny DiMarco will always have a special place in my heart 🥰 i don't care, i still ship him and Alli
Good Heavens, I always loved Jay.
Okay now I understand why you and others don’t feel so great towards Zoe, it sucks why did they do that to her S14
I think they were never going to redeem Fitz. I do believe he truly found god. However some people tend to believe that all it takes is for god to forgive your sins, and it ends up giving them this entitlement that the ones they hurt should just forgive them too. Now he has something as big as god to validate these feelings. He isn’t the first case of someone truly believing they are in the right because of being a true follower as god. Giving him that ego that he is automatically a better person than Eli who is an atheist, and someone who isn’t willing to forgive him. As someone who is an ex Christian and has known many, I’ve seen it all.
Anyways this was a really good video! I think the failed redemption that saddens me the most is Alex, Paige even says she preferred her as a stripper in S7 when Alex was unemployed. It’s like girl you gave her an ultimatum in the first place to quit her job or break up with her. I feel so mixed on Palex, I feel like a lot of the time Paige was not a good partner to Alex. They also were just barely together.
does every redemption arc need to be like zuko
Yeah, I mostly talked about these characters because they're the ones that are received mixed or just hated by the fans
@@briannawilliams97 fairyou were right about zoey although maybe her redemption arc would of been if the had not moved to netfilx i kind of felt like next class was a mistake mainly because of how short the episode counts were maybe if there had been more episodes her redemption arc could of been better
@kelsey1467 you are absolutely right! Degrassi has always had more episodes in a season and the next class suffers so much for this and so does Zoes characterization.
@ i dont know if this counts as a redemption arc but i felt miles dad redemption arc was too rushed it didnt feel convincing enough to me but feel free to disagree
1:19:19 I see what you did there😂
I’m sorry I really don’t want you to hate me but I just don’t like Alex and the reason that I don’t like Alex is because she never faced any consequences about what she did to Rick and it caused Jimmy to get shot so I don’t I don’t agree I don’t really like her and I would’ve been mad if they just gave her some happy ending in with no consequences for her actions. I like her bit but still I wish they had not do that I Love you. I love jay and zoey
I like Alex, and I definitely think she redeemed herself!
I love Paige LMAO 😅
I’m sorry I really don’t want you to hate me but I just don’t like Alex and the reason that I don’t like Alex is because she never faced any consequences about what she did to Rick and it caused Jimmy to get shot so I don’t I don’t agree I don’t really like her and I would’ve been mad if they just gave her some happy ending in with no consequences for her actions. I Love you.
The Rick & Jimmy tragedy is an understandable reason for not liking Alex. Jay and Spinner got expelled but nothing happened to her... and she set up the paint & feathers! Were we supposed to not think about her part in that "prank"? Just focus on the morally bankrupt accusation of Thing 1 and Thing 2 blaming Jimmy for the job?
I have watched and read so many different takes on Alex and I no matter what, I still really don't like her. I just can't get over the fact that she never gets punished for her role in Rick's paint and feathers bit, which leads to the shooting, and the way she treats Paige and her dreams. She just isn't a good person and I don't think anyone will ever be able to change my mind.
Me too! When I first watched the series I wanted to like her cool aloofness and edgy humor, but she is really just a turd that wants to stay in the litterbox. She never did anything nice unless it benefited her, and quite often went out of her way to be cruel for her own humor. Ugh! When she told Paige she had “principles” and that’s why she didn’t deliver the expensive chocolates. Like, not that long ago her “principles” had her stripping so her mom can pay rent, but she won’t drive around some chocolate so that Paige can continue paying rent where Alex was sleeping now? I get hating it, I just don’t see jeopardizing Paige’s job for it. She could have made those deliveries, made connections and maybe started a courier service or something, but no. And had the nerve to act surprised when Paige kicked her out, even though I don’t know where she thought she would stay if Paige lost her job.
I don’t know why but I can’t seem to hate Zoe. Like, why do people get mad at her cause she hates losing? If she has to take others down with her, then so be it 😆 she makes for a great villain.
Peter walked so Zoe could run🤢