Degrassi Junior High

"Twenty Bucks" is a great Degrassi Junior High episode. Melanie's plots are always so awkward, but I love them. I love how she gets her braces off and Snake asks her to go to a concert. I love how Melanie steals $20 from her mother and then she finds out how poor they are and feels completely guilty about it. I love the BLT and Joey plot of betting $20 that Joey couldn't get a date. I love how he asks out Caitlin and she finds out about the bet and pours coca cola on him. But I love how Joey rips up the $20 bill and tells Caitlin he really does have feelings for her. I give this episode a 8.5/10.

Good episode to show how teens can tend to be irresponsible with money, and learn to manage it. Key word being learn. Melanie especially needs to learn it, as her parents are divorced and money is tight for both of them. Her mom implies that she's had trouble managing money too, and doesn't want Melanie to be like that either. And how things don't always turn out to be counted on, like that Melanie's babysitting job fell through. Also I loved the part with Spike and Shane. So typical of teen parents, but many young parents go through the exact same thing. Both want a break; dad from working hard all the time and mom from being with the baby all the time. It's really nice how Spike's mom comes through, but she's been there herself, and knows how important it is to have a break as a new mom. The part with Joey is so fun to watch; how he keeps asking girls out, and they turn him down. Being popular isn't all it's cracked up to be. And neither is dating Caitlin, who figures it out and sees through it later. Is it legal to rip up money, though?

The kids all have money issues. Twenty bucks is all that is needed for some of their fantacies to come true. Dates hinge on the ability of someone to get twenty bucks. Because the love of money is the root of all evil, someone makes an evil decision for money. Lesson learned.