Welcome back to Junior High!
Spike (Amanda Stepto) is pregnant and everyone at Degrassi Junior High has an opinion. With the school board pressuring her to leave, it is up to the students to try to help. While Spike fights to stay in school, Caitlin (Stacie Mistysyn) deals with epilepsy and Kathleen (Rebecca Haines) tries to keep her mother’s addition a secret. Arthur (Duncan Waugh) and Stephanie (Nicole Stoffman) learn that their mother has a new love interest and Lucy (Anais Granofsky) discovers a substitute teacher is a bit too friendly. All this plus the general teenage angst and the Zit Remedy continuing to wait for their song “Everybody Wants Something” to take off…but a surprise at graduation could change the future of Degrassi Junior High.
RIP Eggbert…we barely knew you.
Degrassi Junior High—Season 2 aired from January 4, 1988 to March 28, 1988. The series aired in Canada on CBC Television and was rebroadcast in America by PBS. The series has gained a cult following over the years and spawned new series Degrassi: The Next Generation and Degrassi: Next Class.
Degrassi Junior High is just one of those bad but addictive shows. The acting is ho-hum, the show looks, cheap, and the melodrama is high, but for those who grew up with Degrassi, it is fun to revisit the characters and the style of the show (which was pretty modern for the time).
The Zit Remedy adventures begin!
One thing that stands out about Degrassi is that it had a deep playing field. The characters who appear to only be supporting characters often became featured characters and characters who were featured characters slowly disappear. I supposed it is in part due to the fact that most of these kid actors were really just kids…which helps the show seem kind of natural. Granted the school seemed to only have two teachers, and everything crazy revolved around about twenty kids in a school whose size was indeterminable, but the writing style seems like an early model for Buffy the Vampire Slayer which used a similar character development.
This season also starts to build continuing storylines. The first season had mostly one-off episodes. This season features a lot of Spike and her baby drama, a two episode molester teacher story, and more stories featuring Joey (Pat Mastroianni), Snake (Stefan Brogren), and Wheels (Neil Hope) while the comedic offerings of Arthur and Yick (Siluck Saysanasy) feel more toned down from first season. If you have memories of where the characters go, it even makes some of these earlier episodes better.
Can’t…stop…staring…
The series is also unapologetic in its ’80s look. Part of having real kids is probably clothing them in something that they might have really worn. Granted a lot of the styles and fashions seem a little over the top (I mean Spike’s hair…really), but a lot of them look real. It is also interesting to see that Spike meat the reverse Spike in Liz O’Rourke (Cathy Keenan who joins the cast this season)…she rivals Spike for strangest look (and they of course become friends.
Degrassi Junior High is just a dirty pleasure and it is probably my Saved By the Bell (since I never really liked Saved by the Bell). The comedy is bad, the drama is over-the-top, and the Canadian accents are thick, but it is a great series to binge on. Degrassi Junior High will fly by…just like middle school.
Degrassi Junior High—Season 2 Complete Episode Guide:
“Eggbert”
2.1 Eggbert Airdate: 01/04/88
Spike (Amanda Stepto) debates keeping the baby and finds Shane (Billy Parrott) won’t tell his parents. Stephanie (Nicole Stoffman) goes for a new look but finds Alexa (Irene Courakos) is using her old clothes to woo new student Simon Dexter (Michael Carry). Arthur (Duncan Waugh) and Yick (Siluck Saysanasy) learn that there is a new accelerated student named Scooter (Christopher Charlesworth) moving into their class.
“A Helping Hand”
2.2 A Helping Hand… Airdate: 01/11/88
Mr. Raditch (Dan Woods) is out and substitute teacher Mr. Colby (Marcus Bruce) has taken over…with a special interest in Lucy (Anais Granofsky). LD (Amanda Cook) wishes she was more feminine. Wheels (Neil Hope) learns that he’s out of the Zit Remedy until his grades improve…but Simon could be the solution.
“Great Expectations”
2.3 Great Expectations Airdate: 01/18/88
Stephanie’s back to her old look as she tries to woo Simon. New student Liz O’Rourke (Cathy Keenan) moves to Degrassi and the students wonder if the rumors about her are true…leaving Joey (Pat Mastroianni) to pursue her. Arthur finds he is suffering from wet dreams.
“Dinner & A Show”
2.4 Dinner & A Show Airdate: 01/25/88
Melanie (Sara Ballingall) breaks a date with Yick when Snake (Stefan Brogren) asks her out. Spike and her mother meet with Shane and his parents to discuss the baby and the future.
“Stage Fright”
2.5 Stage Fright Airdate: 02/01/88
Caitlin (Stacie Mistysyn) tries to deal with her epilepsy and wonders if it cost her a role in the play to Kathleen (Rebecca Haines). Michelle Accette (Maureen McKay) worries about giving a speech in Raditch’s class.
“Fight!”
2.6 Fight! Airdate: 02/08/88
Joey deals with the class bully Dwayne Myers (Darrin Brown) while Dwayne befriends Scooter. Arthur and Stephanie learn that their father wants to go back to court for custody.
“Bottled Up”
2.7 Bottled Up Airdate: 02/15/88
The school quiz team is headed to Quest for the Best, but Kathleen’s mother’s alcoholism could cause Kathleen problems. Scooter and his friend decide smoking will make them cool like Rick (Craig Driscoll).
“Sealed with a Kiss”
2.8 Sealed with a Kiss Airdate: 02/22/88
Erica and Heather (Maureen Deiseach and Angela Deiseach) wish they weren’t always confused. When Erica gets a boyfriend from another school, it causes a rift between the twins.
“Dog Days”
2.9 Dog Days Airdate: 02/29/88
Stephanie is having suicidal thoughts and her friends are worried about her. Arthur finds a puppy and wonders how his life will be with his mother and her new husband.
“Censored”
2.10 Censored Airdate: 03/07/88
Caitlin learns that a group of parents want to kick Spike out of school for being pregnant…but finds her article on it won’t be published by Degrassi’s paper. Alexa and LD (Amanda Cook) try to teach Joey, Spike, and Snake a lesson about sexism.
“Trust Me”
2.11 Trust Me Airdate: 03/14/88
Snake’s parents are going out of town and Joey and Wheels convince Spike to let them spend the night…but Joey learns that Snake’s parents left the keys to their car. Spike’s been kicked out of Degrassi and looks to find a way to make up her year.
“…He’s Back”
2.12 …He’s Back Airdate: 03/21/88
Ms. Avery (Michelle Goodeve) is out for a couple weeks and Mr. Colby is back…bringing back the fear in Lucy. While LD and Wheels try to get Lucy to report Mr. Colby, Lucy discover Mr. Colby attempts to be grooming Suzie Rivera (Sarah Charlesworth) as his next victim.
“Pass Tense”
2.13 Pass Tense Airdate: 03/28/88
It is graduation time and Joey learns that Stephanie is allowing the Zit Remedy to play at the graduation dance, but Wheels worries he’s failed. As the seventh and eighth graders learn that they are adding a grade nine to Degrassi Junior High, Joey gets bad news.
Related Links:
Degrassi Junior High—Season 1 Review and Complete Episode Guide
