Degrassi – Recap & Review – Love Game

photo: teennick

Degrassi
Love Game

Original Air Date: Jul 19, 2011

Karen Belgrad – Senior Editor
karenbelgrad@
thetwocentscorp.com

How long does it take to get over someone? I’ve heard it’s half the time you were together. I’ve heard it’s as soon as one person moves on. I’ve heard it’s after closure. Tonight’s episode raised that very question.

It also looks at what one has to do to be a “present” parent. I recently heard somewhere that it’s easy to be a mother or father; it’s a lot harder to be a mommy or a daddy. So let’s see how this Degrassi covered these issues.

Story#1: Clare is understandably nervous to see Eli for the first time since their dramatic break-up. She’s afraid he might be angry or obsessed with her, but is visibly hurt when he proclaims to be great with no desire to talk to her. She vents to Alli, who rightly points out, that this is what Clare wanted. Clare is determined to get a reaction from Eli, so plans to see him and their friends at Above The Dot later in the evening.

First, she has to attend a dinner at home with her mom, family friend Glen, and his son Jake. Jake is quite the looker (Alli notices for certain), but seems more much mellow than the guy who threw a dead frog at Clare six years ago! In order to get to Above The Dot sooner than later, she finagles Jake into coming under the guise of meeting his new Degrassi classmates.

Once there and realizing that Eli is still indifferent, Clare rails at him, accusing him of never loving her during their three (!) month relationship and having taken longer to get over Julia. Jake pulls her out of the club. He tells her to cut the dram and move on, and to prove his point his lays a pretty hot kiss on her. Then next day, she apologizes to Eli and hopes they can be friends. Eli reveals it’s not just feelings for her that have dissipated, but all of his feelings, as his therapist as put him on anti-anxiety meds.

Verdict: Well, first off… are you Team EClare or Team CAke? It’s too soon to know how Jake and Clare will play out, but I do like that he’s seemingly a lot less intense than Eli. But he gave a pretty big side-eye to Alli before macking on Clare, so might that be a future triangle? And how long before the inevitable “Eli goes off his meds” story comes to fruition?

Overall, it was a pretty teen angst-y story for a pretty teen angst-y show, but it did seem to be missing a little oomph. I really liked how Clare has always been a little more level-headed, so to see her flip out like that didn’t feel true to her character. What did you think? And did they really only date for three months?

Story#2: Jenna is taking the rest of the semester off to stay home with baby Tyson (Ty for short). She’s exhausted and misses her friends. KC is living life like nothing has changed. When he goes over to see Ty, who’s asleep, he immediately begs off to go see his friends at Above The Dot. Jenna shows up, baby in hand, and tells him to go do dad stuff while she hangs with her friends for a change. She promptly falls asleep at the table and guiltily takes off to go see Ty.

The next day she tells KC she needs him to be an active dad, not just an occasional drop-in with diapers. He thinks about it for a split second and asks his mom if Jenna and Ty can move in with them. His mom quickly oks it (with a caveat about not being a full-time sitter) and Jenna tearfully accepts the offer as well.

Verdict: Is it just me or have these two been replaying the same story for a year now? I don’t even know what else to say that we haven’t complained about before. Jenna and KC are becoming every episode of 16 & Pregnant. Inattentive father, shrewish mother, lives with baby grandparent, they have all the ingredients. I am beyond bored with them. Are you?

Other tidbits:
-Drew has not yet been charged with a crime, but is intensely grounded (Still? Again? Anew?)
-Sav let Holly J off the (guilt) hook due to his exciting spring break.
-Degrassi is having a semester-long Health and Well-Being Initiative.

Well that’s it for tonight’s episode. You’ve got my TwoCents! Share your TwoCents, comments, and feedback below!