#degrassi season 4

[spinelli-gemelli]

A Degrassi Essay About Rick Murray

(Part 3a.)

"Do I look like I have time for a chat, Richard?"

In a perfect world, and by that I mean my perfect world, season 4's events would unfold something like this: Rick returns to Degrassi; the school ostracizes him via Emma’s campaign; Rick is tormented everywhere he goes; Emma puts an end to Jay's ballistics once the violence against Rick gets out of hand; Rick would learn his lesson and never lay a finger on another girl again; and everyone leaves him alone while he completes his tenth grade year for the second time.

But this is Degrassi. The drama never ends. Drama is inherently messy. And that ending is way too tidy for drama.

While Emma made it clear that she wasn't going to torture Rick in the halls, this memo doesn't reach the other characters. There are three in particular who constantly jab at him: Spinner, Jay, and Jimmy. At this point, pushing him around is just for sport, and Jay would admit to that if you asked him, I guarantee it. Whether or not Rick deserves it, whether or not you feel sorry for the kid, one has to wonder: where are the teachers when all of this is happening? Has anyone reported this to the principal? In this installment, we will explore another popular talking point in the Degrassi fandom: could Mr. Raditch have stopped tragedy from befalling Degrassi? Could he have prevented Rick from returning in the first place?

Let's begin with the first question: could Mr. Raditch have stopped the school shooting? We the viewers learn that Rick has sought out help multiple times based on two different scenes from the show. The first instance is from episode 4x07, the first half of the two-parter episode titled "Time Stands Still". About a quarter of the way into part one, we see Rick making a visit to the principal's office and asking him to intervene in the Whack-Your-Brain predicament that he was recently forced to face. Earlier that day, Mr. Simpson decided to draft Jimmy onto the trivia team last minute after Heather Sinclair got sick with mononucleosis. At this time, Jimmy Brooks is still giving Rick a hard time at school, and he'd be damned if he let that jock taint the only thing he has going for him at Degrassi that doesn't feel like hell on earth! Raditch is already short with Rick in this scene as he rummages through papers and moves back and forth in the office. "Do I look like I have time for a chat, Richard?" He barks at the student. Fortunately Rick isn't discouraged yet. He goes on to tell the principal that Jimmy "doesn't like [him], and he has no qualms expressing it." Rick doesn't name drop here; he simply refers to Brooks as "a member of the Whack-Your-Brain team".

A Youtuber by the name of NotaVampyre uploaded a video about this very exchange and brought something to my attention. Rick's wording in this scene as he's asking for help...he is being extremely vague. At first he starts off direct after Mr. Raditch asks him why he wants to chat. He says that Jimmy is harassing him. When Raditch asks how, that's when Rick gives his vague response. You can make a case that the principal is aware that Rick was at odds with a large number of kids at school, especially if we refer to the deleted scene where Marco and Alex ask him to reconsider letting Rick return to Degrassi, arguing that "he's a danger...especially to girls" as Alex Nunez would put. Unfortunately, the principal is wrapped up in whatever office task he has in front of him, and Rick's concerns are brushed off hastily.

"Richard, I've told you time and time again: it takes two to tango," he tells the boy. It's from this quote that we learn this probably isn't Rick's first trip to the principal's office. Or second. Probably not even the third. The principal goes on to say that he suggests that Rick tries harder to get along with the other student and to come back if anything serious happens. He dismisses the subject immediately after, leaving no room for any more questions Rick has leftover. The student receives the message loud and clear from Raditch: he is left to face this problem on his own.

To answer the question: yes, I believe the principal could have, and should have, done his due diligence; it could have potentially saved lives. Rick, however, should have also been more ingenious in his approach. Nonetheless, I can understand why Rick wouldn't want to open up about his suffering. I imagine it's much harder for teen boys to admit that they are victims of bullying than it would be for teen girls. Not only is it humiliating for him, though the same could be said about a girl, but there is also the feeling of being emasculated that is unique to the male experience. The teen boy thus suffers a double blow to his ego; first in a crisis of his masculine identity, and the second in humiliation. Men are socialized and hardwired to be tough and competent enough to fight their own battles; any other action or reaction would be perceived as weak and feminine, two things that men neither want nor are expected to be, especially the more masculine he is. I think this is partially the reason why Rick didn't express plainly the ways in which he had been harassed, though not necessarily because he is masculine in the traditional sense, especially since it's been presented in the show that he isn't. Rather, his pride prevented him from being completely transparent, not to mention his distinct, eccentric way of speaking. His flowery language sets him apart even more from the other characters, something that I like about him. It's a sentiment that both NotaVampyre and I share. In this instance, however, Rick's vocabulary works against him as he's not being clear in what he wants from Mr. Raditch.

Even if Rick did come forward, the principal would still have to meet him halfway. Perhaps the other part of the reason why Rick didn't open up about the torment is that he had little expectations for the principal to take action. As we mentioned before: this isn't Rick's first visit to Raditch's office; maybe Rick had told him about a specific incident, such as being shoved against the lockers, before the moment we saw in 4x07 and had gotten nowhere. Maybe deep down, Rick knew nothing would come of confiding into an authoritative figure and didn't bother himself with the details of what was happening to him. Alas, these are only my speculations. We really never know how many times Rick attempted to get outside help, though we can infer that it was at least two. We never know what all Rick told the principal about the bullying he had been facing, thus we the audience are forced to fill in the gaps yet again and make our own deductions about what happened.

[zayadriancas]

[minamotoz]

pretty epic find i Think

[r0bee]

Heard he was supposed to be canonically bisexual sorry that never happened king 😔🙏💔

[shrivinglust]

okay i have a question for degrassi watchers (TNG and NC specifically), when did the show fell off for you? it can be season or moments.

[buffyspeak]

my toxic trait is that i think craig is a good and interesting character who is friendshaped.

[nikkiruncks]

Sean should’ve came back for Ellie, not Emma. I said what I said.

[kissmy-bleedingheart]

Confort movies

1.All the bright places

2. To the bone

3. Red band society

4. Edge of 17

5. Skins

6. My mad fat diary

7. My 600lb life

8. Supuersize vs super skinny

9. Secret eaters

10. Black sawn

11. Cherry

12. Feed

13. Starving in sabrvia /thinsperation 📀

14. Sharing the secret on tubi

15. When friendship kills

16. The perfect body

17. The best little girl

18. Hunger point

19. For the love of Nancy

20. A secret between friends

21. Binge

22. Thin

23. Girl interrupted

24. God help the girl

25. Don’t forget me

26. Sharp objects

27. Little miss perfect

28. Abzurdah

29. Heathers

30. Emily in Paris

31. Ginny & Georga

32. Degrassi ( season 5)

33. A mouthful of air

34. Dear zoe

35. Love rosie

36. Dont worry darling

[swanmakes]

･ﾟ✧ ・．COMMISSION —  click the source link (or visit my directory) to be directed to a page where you’ll find #380 gifs of sara waisglass in degrassi: next class (season 4). all gifs were made by me​​ from scratch. you may use them in sidebars, as reaction gifs, or edit them into gif icons. do not repost into gif hunts or gifsets. please make sure to credit me with an @ if resharing them as gif-icons/crackship gifs.

please like or reblog this post if you find it useful!

warnings: kissing, food waste.

[supportingjatpcast]

Where to find the JATP Cast as of December 12, 2023

happy three years to this account! Time to do my thing and update yall on where you can find the cast now! this will be under a read more for those of you who want to scroll past! Have a good one!

Madison Reyes- Julie Molina (@themadisonreyes on Instagram)

Julie and the Phantoms

The Bad Seed Returns

All Kinds of Love (available on all music streaming platforms)

Allie Mitchell Must Win (in preproduction)

Charlie Gillespie- Luke Patterson (@charles_gillespie on Instagram)

Julie and the Phantoms

The Class

Love You Anyway

Chevel Shepard: Good Boy (music video)

The Rest of Us

Madison Park: better w/o you (music video)

Conséquences (six episodes)

I Am the Night (pilot episode)

Speed Kills

Charmed 2018 (Pilot and Episode 2)

Naomi Sequeira: Pastries (music video)

2nd Generation (episodes 1-6)

The Next Step (season 5, episode 17)

Degrassi: Next Class (season 4, episodes 8 and 10)

The Outlaw League

Totally Killer

The Get Back Girl (postproduction)

Suze

Deltopia

Debbie Gibson: Love Don't Care (music video)

Owen Patrick Joyner- Alex Mercer (@owenjoyner on Instagram and Twitter)

Julie and the Phantoms

Acapulco (season 2, episode 3)

Knight Squad

Henry Danger (season 5, episode 9)

Slime Cup (season 3, episodes 1-6)

The Thundermans (season 4, episode 15)

The Veil

It’s On

100 Things to Do Before High School

Nickelodeon’s Ho Ho Holiday Special

Something Here (postproduction)

Jeremy Shada- Reggie Peters (@jeremyshada on Instagram)

Julie and the Phantoms

Interrupting Chicken (season 1, episode 3)

Dragons: The Nine Realms

Multiversus

Adventure Time: Distant Lands

Cookie Run Kingdom (English version)

Scars

Denton’s Death Date

Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion

Voltron: Legendary Defender

Adventure Time

Mr. Student Body President

Spiderman 2018 (season 2, episode 1)

Cheerleader Nightmare

Blooms Adventure Time TD

When Jeff Tried to Save the World

DreamWorks Voltron VR Chronicles

Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series

Gloria Talks Funny

Cartoon Network Live

Surfs Up 2: WaveMania

Adventure Time: Finn & Jake Investigations

Lego Dimensions

Badly Drawn Animals

Adventure Time: All’s Well That Rats Swell

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M

Adventure Time: Game Wizard

Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom

Adventure Time: Card Wars

Aliens in the House

Adventure Time: Ski Safari

Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don’t Know!

See Dad Run (season 2, episode 8)

Incredible Crew (season 1, episodes 1-18)

Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why’d You Steal Our Garbage?!!

Paranorman

Adventure Time: The Wand

F.3.A.R.

That’s What I Am

Batman: The Brave and the Bold (season 1, episode 18; season 2, episodes 6, 18, 19; season 3 episodes 1, 3)

Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey

Parenthood (season 1, episodes 4-5)

Healing Hands

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Chowder (season 2, episode 24)

FusionFall

Cold Case (season 5, episode 1)

The Loop (season 2, episode 4)

Lost (season 2, episode 12; season 3, episode 21)

Ghost Whisperer (season 2, episodes 21-22)

Shark (season 1, episode 16)

Southern Comfort

Nip/Tuck (season 4, episode 13)

Bambi 2: The Great Prince of the Forest

No Rules

ER (season 11, episode 6)

The Incredibles: When Danger Calls

Team America: World Police

Miracle Run

Good Girls Don’t… (season 1, episode 4)

My Neighbors the Yamadas

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (season 1 episodes 2,3,5,7,10)

Vintage (available on all music streaming platforms)

Ballerina (available on all music streaming platforms)

Mad Love (available on all music streaming platforms)

Midnight Promises (available on all music streaming platforms)

Jadah Marie- Flynn Taylor (@thejadahmarie on Instagram)

Julie and the Phantoms

Family Reunion (season 4, episodes 4-5)

Home Invasion (season 1, episodes 1-6)

Sarah Jeffery and Jadah Marie: Audrey’s Christmas Rewind

Descendants 3

Descendants 3: Good to Be Bad (music video)

Ready Player One

Mann and Wife

Blue Bloods (season 7, episode 8)

No Safe Place (preproduction)

Sacha Carlson- Nick (@sacha_carlson on Instagram)

Julie and the Phantoms

9-1-1 l: Lone Star (season 3, episode 14)

American Housewife (season 3, episodes 6-7)

A Christmas Story Live!

Sacha Carlson & The Light (check out his band!)

Savannah Lee May- Carrie Wilson (@savannahleemay on Instagram)

Julie and the Phantoms

A Cowgirl’s Song

The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders

Knight Squad

Cousins for Life (season 1, episode 12)

Bizaardvark (season 2, episode 20)

School of Rock (season 3, episode 6)

Keep Moving (postproduction)

Booboo Stewart- Willie (@booboostewart.art on Instagram)

(look, i adore booboo. i do. but this man has 113 acting credits on IMDB, and there is no way that i am typing all of them out and including exactly what episodes of shows he’s in. love you all, but i do actually have a life outside of stanning the jatp cast, so im just linking his imdb page here. happy searching babes!)

Carlos Ponce- Ray Molina (@poncecarlos1 on Instagram)

(Carlos has 52 acting credits, and many are in Spanish, a language that i do not speak. check out his IMDb page here.)

Sonny Bustamante- Carlos Molina

Julie and the Phantoms

7th & Union

Law & Order True Crime (season 1, episodes 3-5)

New Shoes

Heaven’s Flume

Cheyenne Jackson- Caleb Covington (@MrCheyenneJackson on Instagram)

(Cheyenne has 66 acting credits. I'm not typing all that out, because I doubt that you want to read all of that. Check him out here!)

[darcysscissors]

seasons 1 -3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B0bqD958LI&ab_channel=degrassi

seasons 4 & 5 (this is also the version from 6 & 7 but its instrumental in those): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C9CYHvbb3k&ab_channel=degrassi

season 8: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kISpu0_Ynmc&ab_channel=majorgamer1012

seasons 9-10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7RjyptTw2o&ab_channel=JvMack

seasons 11-14: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBe77M6T7sI&ab_channel=AlexzJohnson-Topic

Next Class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqXpzAQ9RiU&ab_channel=Degrassi-TheOfficialChannel

[spinelli-gemelli]

A Degrassi Essay About Rick Murray

(Part 3b.)

"...One kid who you've personally spoken to twice in the last two days...did you listen?"

In the last installment, we looked at Raditch's role in the tragedy and asked whether or not he could have intervened in Rick's predicament to potentially stop tragedy from befalling Degrassi. There were two questions that we were set to explore: could Raditch have prevented this from happening? Could he have prevented Rick from returning to school in the first place? If this is your first time visiting my essay series, please start with part one. If you're only interested in the topic of Daniel Raditch, start with part 3a, the first installment where we look at the principal's part in Rick's story.

Let's start with the second part of the answer to the first question: could Mr. Raditch have prevented tragedy from happening? In part 3a, I mention there were two instances in the show where we learn that Rick went to the principal numerous times for help, and we already looked at the scene from part one of the famous two-parter "Time Stands Still." The second time this is mentioned in the show is in part two of this episode, aka, episode 4x08. My original plan was to include both of these moments in part 3a, but since I wound up saying a lot about the scene in 4x07, the scene from 4x08 had to be pushed back into this post. I don't want to overwhelm you all with too much content in one post, especially since this is turning out to be a lengthy essay series, so, without further Ado, let's get back into it.

This scene occurs after the tragic events take place. We see that the school is on lockdown. We see our beloved Degrassi, a place that the viewers grew to love for the past three seasons, swarmed with police cars, ambulance trucks and the S.W.A.T. team. Students are forced to stay in the classrooms, and parents are barred from entering the school until the lockdown is over. In one scene, we cut to the M.I. lab where we see Christine Nelson, aka Spike, consoling her teenage daughter, Emma, who is traumatized by what happened. Snake is pacing around the room, awaiting further instructions from law enforcement, his superior, etc. We watch as he sits at the table with his wife and stepdaughter, and a second later, a police officer opens the door for the principal to walk in. Snake is already on the defense after Daniel addresses him by his first name, "Archie?" When the principal calls a teacher by his first name, you know it's serious business.

"No, I am busy here if you haven't noticed." Snake retorts. Raditch apologizes but goes on to ask him if he could get into Rick's email and look for any possible warning signs that could have stopped what he did, a request forwarded by him from law enforcement. This visibly upsets Snake, and he makes a snarky remark about how "the groundbreaking 20/20 hindsight policy" only comes into play after it's too late. He then concedes and stands from his chair to do what he was asked to do, but Daniel refuses to let Snake's comment slide. Biting his bottom lip, he follows Archie to remind him how he has "seven-hundred students and a teaching staff that [he's] responsible for everyday." He then tells Snake not to "get on [his] case because one kid overreacted to some...spilled paint." Snake yells back at him that Raditch personally spoke to Rick twice in the past two days, asking him if he listened to the kid. Raditch insists that he did, but Snake doesn't believe him, doubting that he remembered a word that Rick said to him. Snake, raising his voice, then goes on to say "This tragedy, Dan it could have been prevented if YOU hadn't--" but Spike cuts him off before he can finish. Of all of the conversations that get interrupted, this one felt like the biggest crime of them all. Come on, Emma's mom, let them hash this one out!

Let's address what Snake said to Raditch. According to him, Rick came to the principal twice in the past two days. That's on average once a day, which are pretty frequent trips to the principal's office to make as a student. I mention in part 3a how it can be difficult for kids to come forward and open up about being victims of bullying. For Rick to have spoken to the principal on average once a day meant that he was in some serious trouble and was looking for outside help. Compare that to what Raditch said to Rick in 4x07: "Richard, I've told you time and time again. It takes two to tango." In this one instance where Rick seeks out help, and Snake's reference of how the principal spoke to him twice in the past couple of days, the audience can infer that Rick has visited Mr. Raditch way more than twice, as "time and time again" implies Rick spoke to Raditch at least two other times before we finally see him make his third trip at least. For the principal of the school to dismiss Rick three times at minimum is appalling. After this scene, the audience can safely conclude that the school staff was neglectful when it came to handling Rick's situation, especially the head of the school.

Let's now explore the second question: could Raditch have prevented Rick from returning in the first place? This one is a tougher question to answer, as this one will call for us to explore Rick's history in detail. In my last installment, I mention a deleted scene in which we see Marco and Alex, student council's president and vice president respectfully, confront Mr. Raditch about allowing Rick to continue his education at Degrassi. Alex insists that "he's a danger...especially to girls", and she's not wrong here. Raditch replies, "...until a student is actually charged [for any crime], he or she will continue to study at my school. Like it or not." Before this exchange, Marco reminds Raditch that Rick put Terri in a coma, to which the principal replies, "To my knowledge, no student has been charged with putting another student in a coma." It's unfortunate that this scene gets cut from the series because, judging by the characters' outfits and the dialogue, this was originally meant to be in the episode "Mercy Street" (4x04). We learn a couple of key details here. For one, we learn that Terri transferred to a private school presumably to get away from Rick. We furthermore can confirm that Rick and his family were never charged for the coma incident that he caused. That whole ordeal is still a mystery to the fan base. After seeing how shocked and angry Terri's dad was in the season three's "Don't Dream it's Over", it's easy to assume that he would take action immediately against the Murrays, yet filing a lawsuit isn't cheap. I don't know all of the odds and ends of Canadian law, but maybe it was hard to make a solid case against Rick due to lack of evidence, though I can't understand why. If Terri had died from hitting her head against that cinder block, officials would surely be forced to open an investigation surrounding the details of her death. Then again, her body would belong to the coroner's office, and they would be able to pick up traces of evidence that Rick was responsible for her condition by conducting an autopsy on her body. Of course, I'm speaking on hypotheticals at this point, which will do us no good here. Terri lived from the incident, so what little evidence that pointed to Rick would have disappeared. There were also no witnesses to Terri's fall except for Rick himself; remember Paige and Spinner showed up after the fact and found Terri already lying on the ground unconscious. At the end of the day, Degrassi focuses on teen drama: it's not a police show, a hospital or a courtroom drama as YouTuber "You'veGotKat" points out in her video essay. The show's focus is on the teens and how they deal with the issues around them. Rick getting in trouble with the law was just another barrier to keep the writers from exploring the shooting plotline. After the actor, Ephraim Ellis, was featured in three episodes in season three, the writers decided that he had the chops to pull off such a serious storyline about a troubled teen resorting to gun violence, so they wrote his character back into season four, who originally appeared to have been "run out of town on a rail" after he hurt Terri, as Ellis would state in multiple interviews and podcasts.

So we looked into how Rick Murray escaped the law, thus giving him the ability to return to Degrassi, but let's get down to the question: could Raditch have stopped him from returning? As unfortunate as this may be, the principal had no jurisdiction to keep Rick Murray away. It's true that the principal was receptive to the students' animosity towards him and was aware of the fact that Rick put Terri in a coma, but this is only based on the words of a student. For all he knew, this could have been a vicious rumor or a misunderstanding on the matter, and, as he states in the deleted scene, since Rick wasn't charged with anything, he had no criminal record. Marco and Alex probably wouldn't have had to talk to Raditch if Rick had gotten into legal trouble, but unfortunately, he didn't. In order to understand why this is the case, we will have to look back at season three during the multiple instances when Rick inflicted abuse onto Terri. There's plenty to go over, so I will save that for the next chapter. Watch out for 3c!

[zayadriancas]

[27emailsicantsend]

I just have a question to ask about Tim's IG post, "Not Canon (at this time)"? What does that even mean? Does that mean it'll be canon when spinoff is happening? Or...I am trying to figure out what he meant by that, haha. I think it's hint hint for a spinoff, am I right or is it something else that I might misinterpret it?

Oh I wanted to talk about this so thank you for sending!! For anyone who is curious, it was this post:

This is not the only hint he has made about a possible spin-off.

He’s said (I can’t go find all the direct quotes right now but I can give you what I can remember and I’ll post some pictures at the end):

-he’s wanted 5-7 seasons since the beginning

-he feels like the kids are graduating high school for now but the “next obvious place is college”

-he has brought up ideas to the network but nothing is official for now

-he has specifically mentioned Ricky and Gina and where THEY are going next (in the picture above and other interviews)

-he has a “surprise” for everyone after the show ends… which looked like something at East High but I haven’t seen the actual surprise. Unless he was talking about their Wicked song, but even then the picture of him mentioning the surprise didn’t look like the Wicked song set up… it looked different. (I’m so sorry I don’t have this picture but if anyone has it feel free to reblog with it!)

-he wanted the franchise to be “Degrassi”-esque with lots of spin-offs and seasons and such. It was never meant to end here.

Not to mention when Josh and Sofia were asked about a spin-off they just giggled and shrugged nervously but made jokes about it being a rina college spin off (the body language is suspicious and telling)

And the official HSMTMTS account (which I believe Tim has some control over) posted a really cryptic tweet/insta about how “happy endings are just the beginning”

HSMTMTS cast was invited to D23 I believe? This year which is only for announcing NEW things usually so it’s kind of weird to slot a show that’s ended?

I find the amount of promo we’re getting from Tim and the official HSMTMTS account is… bizarre for a show that just ended? Maybe we’d get stuff for a few days but they’ve been hammering it home like we’re getting a new season next week. I don’t really watch promo for a lot of other shows though, so this could be a normal amount.

We also know that the strike is impacting a LOT of things, including promotion or talks of new shows. Tim wouldn’t do a movie/show for this without his og cast on board, so I feel like they’re waiting for the strike to be over to start things.

All of this to say, I do think we’re getting more but the strike really halted any of that coming forth for now. But with how good the show did, the contract Tim just signed with Disney, and how we were really starting to get moment with these characters (not to mention views and $$$ it was bringing in for Disney), I would be SHOCKED if we didn’t get more.

Tim purposely ended the show where he did because he wanted it to end on a high note and close the “high school” chapter, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get another. I think Disney was probably ready to offer him a s5 but he didn’t want to risk it… with a new show, he can at least probably get 4 more seasons.

(don’t ask me what the hell is going on with bunk’d and their 7 seasons… I’m still trying to process that)

[degrassiclassiclover]

Hair evolution time!! Spike’s hair changes a lot throughout the seasons. (For the sake of efficiency, i will refer to season 1 and season 2 of degrassi high and seasons 4 and 5, respectively.) in season one, her hair is spiked in every direction and only bleached on the tips, with the rest of her hair being what I assume is amanda stepto’s natural hair color. In later seasons, she has a ponytail in the back of her hair to hide the very little bit of hair that is non-spiked, but in the first season, no such ponytail exists. In season two (please note that a couple pictures are out of order, and her season 2 and season 3 hair have been switched around), she sports hair that is mostly spiked up with a couple spikes on the side and virtually no bangs. This is where the aforementioned ponytail comes into play. Another big change in this season is that her hair is entirely bleached, save for a little dark brown at the roots. Her season three hair is my favorite. Its mostly bleached but with almost black roots, and spiked in every direction, as it was in season one. Her bangs are brushed forward in this season, and the sides of her head are shaved. She’s the coolest. For most of season four, she has adopted a slightly less extreme style, which I believe is called “mall hair”. Her hair is totally bleached, almost blindingly so. Her hair is mostly brushed down with a ponytail in the back and super spiked forward bangs. In the end of season 4 and the beginning of season 5 (I’m not 100% sure on timing for this one) her hair is parted in the middle of her head, with sort of waves going out on each and and her signature spiked bangs. At the end of season 5, her hair is still blonde, but slightly less so, with darker roots. This is about the tamest her hair gets before TGN. It has a side part and it’s sort of swooped out on one side, with bangs that swerve upwards. I’m not a fan of the crimpage, but hey. My wife can do whatever she wants. LMK what your favorite era of Spike’s hair is, as well as any future post recs.

[maya-matlin]

since we're apparently among the only three people here who don't dislike Zaya...1. why do you think people have more trouble forgiving Zaya for their flaws when basically EVERY Degrassi ship is messy, flawed and complicated?! (Not judging anyone - we all like what we like, and things resonate with us for different reasons, I just find it interesting that people think Zaya is too toxic to forgive while some other Degrassi couples are objective just as messy and even more so) 2. Three Zaya scenes you love that show you they're meant to be? 3. Any songs you associate with Zaya? 4. Name three things Maya and Zig have in common and three differences they have that balance each other out! 5. Want to start a Zaya Appreciation Society with me? We can all share ice cream ;)

There are actually a solid amount of devoted Zaya fans. They're just harder to find. There's a reason I stick with Tumblr. Other places intimidate me and aren't worth the drama.

1.) Personal preference? Other than that, the existence of Campbell Saunders. Just as Zaya's potential romance was picking up steam and forming the foundation for their eventual relationship, Cam killed himself. Zig was the last person to speak to Cam. Regardless of Zig's intent or that during all of their interactions, Cam was the aggressor and the one who initiated all of their conflicts, the only thing the majority of Degrassi fans remember is that Zig pushed Cam over the edge. It never sat right with many viewers that Zig wasn't held more accountable for Cam's death or that Maya was so blasé about Zig's "confession". The writers' intent was clearly to send the message that no one is responsible for a suicide or anyone else's actions. But at the same time, you should still be mindful of others because you never know what's going on in someone else's head. Plus, I don't think Zig's character took quite the trajectory that some fans were expecting. He was supposed to have "learned" from Cam's death, meaning there was an expectation that he'd come away from the experience wiser with an acute awareness of how to navigate situations like this. It turns out, that never really happened. Zig tried his best and meant well, but he continued to be careless with words and was often in over his head. Zig also went on to feud with Maya's next boyfriend, Miles, where he was much more combative and kind of a shit starter. Miles was written with more care than Zig and quickly became the preferred character out of the two starting with season 14 and Next Class. So retroactively, Zig = bad, Miles = good. And lastly, a lot of people can't overlook cheating, even in fiction. While I take the stance that while I hate it, fictional cheating happening in teen dramas is highly likely, others felt too betrayed to continue supporting their relationship. Just overall, different people come away with different interpretations of characters and couples. In my opinion, Miles was far and away Maya's worst love interest and could have never made her happy in the long run even if they were both in heathier mindsets. Comparatively, I think Zig complemented Maya very well, offered constant emotional support and more often than not communicated well with her. Maya never seemed to be as happy with any guy as she was him once they were finally together. Others will tell you Miles was a great boyfriend, most of the things I just listed, and that Zig was a mediocre love interest.

2.) That's super tough to narrow down. I feel like I'm doing this wrong, but..

(1) Zig comforting Maya after Miles screams at her, reassuring her that he knows that she means well

It's the softness for me. It's how after the confusion with the season 13 love triangle and Zig being resistant to Maya's help, he gets it. He's here when she needs him the most. It's funny how for some, Maya and Zig getting together in the second half of season 14 came totally out of nowhere. But even though I didn't expect it when the season was airing, looking back it's very easy to see what was developing and how they were getting closer and closer each episode. Even though the Maya/Miles relationship lingered and Zig could have potentially gotten together with Zoe, those romances didn't pan out. To me, this is when their season 14 arc officially begins.

(2) Zig and Maya making up backstage

Yes, they were fighting and Maya was frustrated with Zig for trying to handle the gang on his own rather than turning Vince in, but he realized on his own (with the help of Damon) what needed to happen. We didn't see the full scene, but Zig clearly apologizes for their earlier conflict and for not initially going to the police. Maya is so forgiving and so prepared to forget the whole thing happened. Like she said. "You're here. We're together." That's literally all that mattered to her. No matter what happened, she was going to stick with Zig. No one can convince me that Maya Matlin wasn't equally and 100% as in love with Zig as he was her.

(3) Zig trying to cheer Maya up

Post bus crash, Maya was in the darkest place she'd ever been in. She was slowly losing all of her personal connections. At this point, it would be difficult to say Zig and Maya were even friends anymore. Their relationship ended in a very painful way with Maya still angry with Zig even months later. They both almost died. Zig entered a very public relationship with Esme. While they had occasional moments where they interacted that reinforced their connection, (in 302 when Zig asked Maya for advice about Esme), overall Zig wasn't part of Maya's life and therefore missed a lot of her warning signs. But, he did notice her on the verge of breaking down in the hallway and instantly knew something was wrong even if he couldn't have imagined the extent of it. So, Zig basically gently forces Maya to open up to him about what's going on. He knows she's struggling with something and isn't happy anymore, so he decides to cheer her up. This is Maya's first genuine smile the entire season. Every other time, she's either faking it or indulging in darker interests that only serve to trigger her more. And Maya clearly feels all the feelings in that moment. Yes, it's easier with Zig and he reminds her of happier times, but it's also very obvious how much she's still in love with him. This isn't technically part of the scene, but in the next episode Maya makes it a point to ask Esme to take care of Zig for her. The only other person we see Maya explicitly request be taken care of after she's gone is her mother. So, it says a lot about the depth of Maya's love for Zig and how much it would mean to her for him to be taken care of after she's gone. Anyways. Zig makes Maya happy and instinctively understands her.

4.) Ugh, I'm the worst at song questions.

It Might Be Love - Latch Key Kid (played during the first time they went to The Dot)

Oh My Love - Layla (played when Maya kisses Zig in season 14, kickstarting their relationship)

The Words You Say - Harrison Storm (played at the end of #YesMeansYes)

Lover - Taylor Swift (I know I'm basic, but it's their song)

5.) Three things Zig and Maya have in common.. they're both loyal, protective people and never afraid to fight for what's right, particularly when it affects someone they care about. I'll count that as two. It's honestly tough to find similarities, as weird as that sounds. They just match each other's energy and tend to be on the same wavelength. I'll say they're both pretty laidback. In spite of the fact they find themselves pulled into drama (especially poor Maya), they typically don't go out of their way to create it. Sometimes certain rivals will bring out that side of them, but overall they're chill people.

As for the differences that balance each other out.. Zig is the more sensitive one. He has a way of being quietly supportive and intuiting things while Maya internalizes a lot of her emotions. She's so desperate for nothing to go wrong that she almost avoids reality. I honestly think Zig grounds her a bit and forces her to be honest with herself. While both have good hearts, Maya is more compassionate and quicker to forgive. Even though it would sometimes be easier to lash out and the people wronging her would 1000% deserve it, Maya avoids conflict for the most part. Zig has never met a physical conflict he didn't want to throw against his locker. He means well, but he struggles with his anger from time to time and can't help but want to defend. Sometimes he's defending himself, other times he's defending the people he cares about. Maya provides a calming influence and encourages Zig to find better, healthier ways to handle his problems. This is so hard LOL. I feel like that's it? Who Maya is and who Zig is and how they interact with each other makes them an unusually good match. This is awful. I apologize.

5.) Absolutely!