Degrassi: The Next Generation

Yes! Not all hope is lost for this show after that rather poor Alli-centric premiere. I guess her leaving the show is just what this show needed to get back on top. Honestly this was actually season premiere material, we got a great cliffhanger, character development, and the school changes are better portrayed here than the actual premiere.



This episode also focused on more important characters that needed screen time at this point, unlike the premiere. I love how Declan & Fiona are still a power team no matter what happened last season. Fiona helps Declan get Holly J back in a very clever way. Sav/Holly J is a very strange pairing, but they work. And you can't help but feel bad for Sav throughout.



Watching Clare act out sure was entertaining, this was the classic "Acting out because my parents are getting a divorce" act. I like how they also incorporated Chuck Palahniuk, if only he got some screen time, then this episode would be perfect. Now all the characters that need screen time is Riley & Anya, and this show will be back on top.



Superb episode of Degrassi, way more than what I can say about the premiere.

declan tries to come up with a plan that will make holly j want to get back together with him. will it work?



chantay is upset when simpson cancels activities and clubs at the school. what will she do?



clare is tired of having her parents fight and she becomes rebellious because she thinks this will make them not fight.



it was an alright episode, i don't know why but it bores me a little. Chantay's plot was kind of boring and the overall episode actually bored me, which is rare for Degrassi. Still worthy of a B- or so me thinks

After rewatching this episode, my views have completely changed around!



Main Plot: Declan tries to win back Holly J.

Declan returns to Degrassi for the student theatre awards (aka The Grundy Awards), also with the intention, of course, of running into Holly J. Holly J. agrees to have lunch with Declan, where she reveals that she is kind of seeing Sav. Declan acts as if he takes the news rather well, but truthfully, is creating a method inside his head to convince Holly J. they are still perfect for each other. After Declan wins the director award for "Space Awakening" (a nod to Season 9), he invites Holly J. and Sav to a party at Fiona's loft to celebrate. It is there that he brilliantly extracts Sav from the equation by allowing him to DJ the party, and giving himself some free time to seduce Holly J. But Holly J. is over Declan, and assures him that nothing will happen between them tonight. Seeing this, Fiona (and her evil mastermind ways) purposely gets drunk to lure Holly J. into staying over after the party to help take care of her while Sav goes home. Alone, Declan kisses Holly J. and assures her that they are better together, but Holly J. continuousness says no and asks Declan to stop because it is wrong.



The plot itself is amazing. Declan trying to win Holly J. back is both interesting and entertaining, however it all felt a little too rushed to me. Maybe it was because of having both the Grundy Awards and the after party all in one episode. But then again, the party is what needed to happen to lead us into this intense cliffhanger, leaving us all asking: did Declan rape Holly J.?



"Love Lockdown: Part 1" Main Plot Grade - A-



Subplot 1: Clare rebels against her parent's contant arguing



Clare is tired of her parent's constant arguing, and with Eli back after a short suspension, she is looking to do something about it. After Clare is awarded the set design award at The Grundies much to the dismissal of her parents, who are fighting to much to even care, she sneaks out with Eli to a Chuck Polonick book reading. Her parent's continue to call, worried, but this only provokes Clare to get matching ear piercings with Eli. When Clare finally returns home, she is happy to see that her plan worked - her parents have now focused their negative energy on her rather than on each other.



I love Clare and Eli just as much as the next person. Eli is hilarious and their scenes together make me smile each and every time. This is just what the character of Clare needed: to break out of her shell and rebel a little... finally doing something wrong. Although Darcy did go down her own self destructive path, Clare's own rebellion is a perfect fit for her character to be able to grow. I just hope that the writer's continue to go through with this storyline and actually have Clare's parents divorce. Don't back out of a plotline halfway through like you did last season (ie: Alli's rape, Connor's molestation, Jenna's anorexia). Degrassi has never half assed any storylines and now is not the time to start. Plus, we have never had a divorce storyline, so this seems fresh. The one concern I have for this episode is that it seems like Degrassi (or at least the writers of Degrassi) are a little to full of Degrassi, so tp speak. Why did Declan and Clare both have to win? There were obviously other schools in the running for the awards and it would have been more realistic to have Clare lose, in my opinion.



"Love Lockdown: Part 1" Subplot 1 Grade - A+



Subplot 2: Chantay is angry that Mr. Simpson is shutting down the power squad



The actress who plays Chantay overacts everything, and it was clear in this episode. While this plot is okay simply because it continues the continuity of the crackdown, Chantay really annoys me. She has been on the show since Season 4 (thats 6 years), and all I can tell you about her is that she dated Danny - another irrelevant character.



"Love Lockdown: Part 1" Subplot 2 Grade - C-



Expanding on what another reviewer said, this episode would've suited for a much better season premiere than "Don't Let Me Get Me". However, "Don't Let Me Get Me" wasn't the actual season premiere. This is still season 10, continuing from the summer episodes (The Boiling Point), and "Don't Let Me Get Me" was only promoted as the season premiere for publicity reasons.

Excellent episode! I like the character Declan but I don't want him to get back together with Holly J. I actually kind of like Holly J. and Sav as a couple. I'm not sure if Fiona was drinking because she just wanted a night of fun or if she still depressed about Bobby and the trial and everything else that's happening. I wonder if she was faking being dizzy. Anyways, the ending was kind of intense with Declan trying to seduce Holly J. I've always liked the character Chantay and I'm very excited that she got a plot in this episode and I'm hoping she gets more. I love how she wrote "Degrassi Sucks" on a post it note and then put in the washroom. It was funny. I'm hoping her plot continues in the next episode. Clare and Eli are my favourite plot in this episode. I love rebellious Clare and I love how she has a reason to be rebellious. Her parents fighting all the time seems annoying. I love how Clare's not following the rules and she goes out without her parents permission. I love how Clare and Eli got their ears peirced.