Degrassi Is Flawed

Degrassi is flawed, but not irredeemably bad or even entirely bad.
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[@azzz7279]

Degrassi was way ahead of its time . It covered real life issues and they actually casted teenagers to play high schoolers

[@MrDominic600]

Technically Degrassi WAS its time since it was so popular when it aired

[@azzz7279]

MrDominic600 yes very true what I was trying to say is that if it aired today it would’ve still been a big hit

[@IONov990]

Canada is a bit more progressive

[@vonterriojones9723]

@@azzz7279 the race problem wouldn't be tolerated

[@hodonyassin9760]

As much as a huge fan I am of Degrassi, I think people learn more from their failures then their successes. Failure is a sign that we need to keep trying so that we could get better. In the end, we just keep getting better.

[@warmac88]

Agree and true

[@stevenbuchanan22]

Hazel was underused and Terry was like a side character manny paige emma

[@malaikarose2985]

I agree with your points. I watched the video you referenced. It was wild when the girl who played Hazel was told more was gonna be done with her character and then she saw those storylines given to others. Sidenote: Anytime someone says "how the sausage gets made" i always think of Hamilton.

[@NotAVampyre]

I forever think of Hamilton too XD

[@dylanthomas1446]

The beginning of the video about your funding reminded me of old PBS' kids TV shows.

[@NotAVampyre]

Yeah that was the goal! ^^

[@amwfan88]

I haven't seen Andrea and Christina's video, but one thing I noticed, even years and years ago; Terri got treated like crap during much of her tenure on the show. Most of her plots were about her weight or about how she didn't think she was attractive (EDITED TO ADD: Like Eye of the Beholder. They make it a point to mention her insecurities about her weight, and they make it seem like she might have a shot with Spinner - and then Paige comes in and ruins everything. Now Terri still feels like crap and the guy she was interested in isn't interested in her anymore), and even the ones meant to be positive, like her being a successful plus-sized model, were shot down by having her be bullied because of it (although that scene where she tells off the ice cream boy is one of my favorites in Degrassi history). I watched season three during its original run, and while I was only 15 at the time, I picked up on the fact that Terri was the only main character missing from the season premiere (Liberty appears without dialogue in part two where she's hugged by Snake). In fact, she didn't even appear until EPISODE FIVE (Should I Stay or Should I Go?) and all she did is comment on how Snake wasn't looking too good. I get it; maybe the show ran out of ideas for her. But maybe go up to Christina and ask, "Hey, we're having trouble thinking of what's next for Terri. Do you have any ideas?" They could have explored a Terri/Craig friendship. Maybe she decides to start a club at school for students who have lost a parent. There's two ideas right off the bat. I love Degrassi, but I really get the impression - especially in the early years - that it was kind of a cliquey show. Not that long ago, I actually did an analysis to see the most-frequently appearing characters. Did you know Craig appeared in every episode of season four except for one? I know Jake Epstein was the heartthrob, but that doesn't mean you have to show him all the time. But the "uncool" kids (Toby, Terri, Hazel, Liberty) always got the short end of the stick. I've said too much now, but I have a whole entire rant about Toby and how they turned him into a creep before he was demoted to recurring character in season six. Also, off-topic, but I LOVE the wig!

[@bgcrp2005]

Hazel was a popular cheerleader what... but she was underused

[@alfjgist]

In defense of the show, the character of Terri was meant to have issues with her weight and body image. That much is known from the auditions. It still doesn’t excuse how it made Christina feel. I did think that Terri would’ve been the one there for Craig just based on how season 2 ended. It just didn’t happen that way. The main problem with ensemble casts is finding storylines for each member. I just wish they could’ve done more with the many over the few.

[@devonmunn5728]

Amandabb had the same complaint in regards to Toby in her first video on Degrassi

[@alfjgist]

Love the video. I love, and always will love Degrassi. Pointing out flaws just humanizes the show for me. I can understand why Andrea and Christina feel the way they do after watching their video. It would be interesting to see if other cast members have the same type of feelings. Many have said the show had bittersweet memories for them. Btw...the wig looks good on you but I get a Pipi Longstocking vibe from it (Sorry, showing my age again)

[@NotAVampyre]

Yeah, I would def be interested in more stories and takes from those involved with the show. Also, man Pipi Longstocking takes me back yo. Haven't thought of her for many years especially because she was just before my time. I can totally see it

[@kyragaye8542]

Touch on how problematic Ms Oh was please! I’m rewatching and I’m currently in the second part of season 10 and I’m realizing how catty she is towards actual students. It’s wild.

[@NotAVampyre]

I kinda liked her "take no crap" attitude she had towards people like Dave who would disrupt her class but was chill with Connor and Wesley because they seemed to care. But, I don't think I'll talk about her until I get to her in a retrospective video because of...other stuff she does that I'm not comfortable discussing.

[@kyragaye8542]

NotAVampyre she just always struck me as someone who wasn’t quite mature enough to handle high school kids. I think you’re roughly my age (I’m 25 lol) and she’s got to be about that age too and it really shows in certain scenes...especially with that storyline that is so uncomfortable yet completely buried?!?

[@emilygamble8375]

@@kyragaye8542 well in the first season, it was a middle school. The later seasons showed them in junior high and later just high school.

[@StardustNovaChannel]

Happy Pride Month.

[@NotAVampyre]

Happy pride!!

[@britneytheunicorn2832]

I just found your channel and I LOVE your videos. They’re so easy to binge. I hope you have 10 thousand subs by the end of this year.

[@NotAVampyre]

haha don't thinl that'll happen even by next year, but thank you very much!!

[@azzz7279]

I’ve noticed the newer characters from later seasons have a lot in common with the OG DTNG characters and were piggybacked off of them Clare = Emma Alli = Manny Becky = Darcy Bianca = Alex Katie = Ashley Marisol/Chantay = Hazel Drew = Spinner Dallas = Jimmy KC = Sean Connor = Toby Owen = Jay Adam = Marco Peter = Craig

[@NotAVampyre]

I wouldn't really say piggy back, but they fill similar archetypes. They're very much in similar categories of character types, but not really one in the same or even simply rehashings of previous characters.

[@ryanb45]

Well if you watch the classic series from the 80s you'll see a ton of similarities with the first TNG cast as well.

[@azzz7279]

NotAVampyre I mean they share TONS of similarities with each other but they do have their differences as well but you could tell the characters from the later seasons were inspired by the OG characters

[@jjthepikazard212]

some of the people u mentioned similar archetypes, but are different characters. i'm gonna call extra garbage on adam = marco & katie = ashley

[@devonmunn5728]

I would slightly disagree with Marco and Adam besides the coming out arcs. Riley was more of a Marco parallel/analog then Adam. I also think it was intentional since it occurs so much

[@MakeupWithSmidge]

Im so glad you made this video.

[@NotAVampyre]

Thanks ^^

[@BlackWomanThings]

So glad you spoke on this!

[@NotAVampyre]

Thank you!

[@sarahlovee4229]

I feel like they may have felt that off about themselves after because they were still kids. Yea over 18 but still they didn't have the mindframe of an adult actor when their time on q show is done.. But I mean even the actors in friends felt like they were treated as their character when trying to find new roles because its who they played for so long they were type casted or what ever

[@ShellymanStudios]

My biggest pet peeves about Degrassi. The characters black holes!

[@devonmunn5728]

I think that is a symptom of a much common trait in TV shows where a character doesn't appear again after they are no longer relevant to the plot. I think here it's more noticable because of the show being confined mainly to the school and Toronto in general and that it follows a large cast of characters so people would expect to see some of them pop up here and there when simply the actors either were pulled form the show (Katie Lai's parents apparently pulled her out when a sexual storyline with her and Toby was proposed) or fired (Travis Donegan was apparently fired cause he was late on set all the time), etc. Besides what I suggested it's quite normal in TV for characters to not appear after the writer sees no more use for them

[@ShellymanStudios]

@@devonmunn5728 100% agreed

[@Amy_V423]

Can you do one on Riley and anyas friendship and how SO underrated it was?!

[@NotAVampyre]

I might at some point if I find an interesting angle on them.

[@CappinHoff]

I think the problem was they had too many MC's. Every group had more than a handful of MC's and they all had to have their arcs.

[@LordJudgement1818]

The velma look! Dig it

[@NotAVampyre]

^_-

[@thegrrtigerful]

I wonder if this is the case with djh or dh . Maybe things changed once season 9 or 10.

[@NotAVampyre]

I wonder that too. Like, how big was this issue?

[@kingofqueens5128]

NotAVampyre well the 40 min special they aired “Degrassi : It goes there” to celebrate its legacy when season 14 of TNG ended had a segment talking about the two show runners and the actors that play Eli and Clare said the cast refers to them as “Mom and Dad” so I think the atmosphere might have been more familial and comfortable towards the later seasons.

[@NotAVampyre]

That's what I hope, but specials get edited to look a certain way. See Shep's award video before KC and Alli changed it

[@belowthedot8903]

I heard that there was barely any drama on the DJH set. There's interviews from cast members where they're asked about the tea and they always responded that there was barely any

[@autisticgriffzorer9526]

Awesome video

[@NotAVampyre]

Thank you!!

[@CutterHistorical]

Its probably the culture of things when it started... By 2019, things have gotten better with more TV shows listening to its actors whereas in the old days, this might not be the case. Hazel was underutilized and i thought Terri couldve made 1-2 apperances on the show especially dealing with Ricks abuse

[@NotAVampyre]

I'm not ready to assume Degrassi has improved on this front until I get some sort of confirmation

[@CutterHistorical]

@@NotAVampyre good point

[@devonmunn5728]

This reminds me of how the actors on Skins talked about having similar experiences on set. April Pearson who played April has series and now podcast and she has several episodes where she talks to Skins alumni and they discuss their bad experiences on the set of Skins and Yhara Zayd had a great video on it too

[@ladyaries]

Looking fiery! I like the wig and shirt.

[@NotAVampyre]

Thanks!!

[@warmac88]

Great video

[@NotAVampyre]

Tank you!!

[@warmac88]

@@NotAVampyre your welcome

[@jqhnnyy]

Good video ❤

[@NotAVampyre]

Thanks! ^^

[@scoutstrong372]

Do I see Little Shop of Horrors on your shelf!!👌🏻

[@NotAVampyre]

^.-

[@mrfish5150]

Take care of yourself ✨💛

[@NotAVampyre]

same to you ^^

[@sxyusuke2712]

Love the hair.

[@NotAVampyre]

Thanks!

[@allycontreras6187]

could you do a video that focases on zig and maya

[@NotAVampyre]

I will at some point since some people think theirs was always an abusive relationship

[@PlayfulFruitLPer]

Terri and Ashley leaving the show is what marked the start of the dull years that continued until Holly J and Clare joined.

[@NotAVampyre]

A bit. I wouldn't say their leaving were the reason (I love Ashley but even she didn't make me more interested in season 6/7), but it did come at a turning point for the show

[@shannonserier1497]

One big flaw I think in degrassi was the degrassi nudes arch because it felt like such a step down in zoeys character development which is a shame cause I was really starting to like her but l also think the whole situation wasn't all her fault it was wrong of her to do what she did to frankie but if Winston hadn't blackmailed them in the first place she might not have done it

[@HenshinHeroesMedia]

While winston wasn't in the right about being the blackmailer, glad he wasn't being a lifetime villain of the week. Was trying to help frankie and I don't think he would go all peter stone on anyone.

[@devonmunn5728]

Honestly I actually liked that Zoe didn't turn into a goody two shoes character after her assault. The whole "bad girl gets redeemed through SA" trope is fucked up

[@ambiguouslybrown5951]

I think we all need to realize that degrassi is just a cheesy teen show that we all rewatch for nostalgia. Especially since their are other shows that have tackled the same issues that they have but done it better

[@NotAVampyre]

I intellectually disagree as someone who finds new nuggets of interests that just are not covered or explored in other teen shows. My enjoyment and adoration of the show has just continued to grow from when I first watched it in high school as I've come to pick up on details I previously missed.

[@ambiguouslybrown5951]

NotAVampyre I think you may need to expand your horizon then lmao because their are definitely better shows out there

[@NotAVampyre]

You say that without seeking to understand why I still love the show and how I came to the conclusion I did, so I don't think so.

[@ambiguouslybrown5951]

NotAVampyre I sill love it too but I understand that you can’t just hand wave it’s flaws away with headcanons in the form of video essays

[@NotAVampyre]

I would encourage you to watch some of my other videos so that you can see that's not what I do.

[@belowthedot8903]

Is it just me or did DJH/DH handle race better? IMO, BLT was pretty hard to miss outside of his plots. Apparently Linda Schuyler got hate mail from the US South because of the Degrassi High opening showing him and Michelle for two seconds

[@NotAVampyre]

Idk if I'd say better. BLT didn't really do much on his own. He was basically there for Michelle or as a friend to other students. I think DJH/DH were kinda on par with TNG. Good, but could've been better in some areas.

[@allycontreras6187]

and another video that focases maya and cam relationship how cam suiside affect her in the long run

[@NotAVampyre]

What?

[@stevenbuchanan22]

As the seasons went on I think it got better

[@NotAVampyre]

I hope it did, but I have nothing to say whether or not it's the case

[@undetestable1]

KZbin is really burying your channel. I started watching the show again and it made me think about your videos but no matter what I searched for none of your stuff came up. The only reason I was able to find it is because I eventually remembered that Vampire was part of your name. Its not right. I hope you are still able to gain subscribers.

[@NotAVampyre]

Argh yeah I'm not surprised, especially because I'm not producing as frequently as I used to

[@undetestable1]

@@NotAVampyre That's unfortunate. Do you mind if I ask why you stop posting so much? Is it a lack of ideas? If you are looking for video ideas maybe you could do something on all the pregnant teens/teen moms in the show. There has been quite a variety.

[@njyawndra8609]

Degrassi is like Naruto. So good but has so many flaws.

[@SarimFaruque]

Aside from the tokenism, I’m still disgusted by how they sexualized Manny at such a young age. Like I get it, girls her age start to present themselves more attractive, but were the close up shots really necessary?

[@NotAVampyre]

I think they were to underline the drastic change to her image in that episode and how differently the boys around her were perceiving her. I think I'd feel differently if those shots happened outside of that one episode.

[@devonmunn5728]

Yeah I felt so uncomfortable especially with an ass shot of her. Even the way she was portrayed after made me kind of annoyed. They did end up addressing that Manny faced misogyny for her actions with Craig and Manny still is a more well rounded character but still

[@heyitsnoreen]

They got better with black characters in Next Class with Shay.

[@NotAVampyre]

Shay is the best