Top 10 Degrassi Storylines the Show Forgot About
#10: Paige's STD Scare “Talking in Your Sleep”
Does the name Griffin ring any bells? We wouldn’t be surprised if your answer is no. Remember when a bunch of the main crew from the early seasons graduate high school and live in that house together? Griffin is their roommate for a period of time. There’s this whole flirty thing going on between him and Paige that eventually culminates in them hooking up. But Paige soon finds out that Griffin is on HIV medication. She completely freaks out, and understandably goes to get tested. But she’s told it will take months to get the results. Thankfully, in the end…actually, we have no idea what happens. Griffin pretty much disappears a few episodes later and, we guess Paige was fine?
#9: Emma's STD “Secret: Part 1” & “Secret: Part 2”
While we’re on the subject, let’s not forget about Emma’s STD storyline, even though the show seemingly did. As she struggles to cope with the tragedy that rocked the school a few episodes prior, she loses herself. As such, she starts doing some things that are pretty out of character for her, like getting intimate with Jay. But then, she learns there’s an infection spreading through the school that may have begun with him. Experiencing some symptoms, Emma fears she may have caught it. In the end, she does tell Snake and Spike that she needs to get tested, but there’s no real resolution. The assumption is that she was sick and eventually got over it, but we didn’t see any consequences or fallout whatsoever.
#8: Mr. Perino’s Mistreatment of Derek & Danny “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
Considering Derek started out as the bonafide class clown, this storyline is arguably one of his most serious. One of the teachers, Mr. Perino, starts singling him and Danny out, belittling, and essentially tormenting them. He goes so far as to threaten Derek. Even when he backs off them slightly, he goes on to embarrass another student. In other words, he spends the episode doing the opposite of what an educator should, and proving that he’s unfit to work at Degrassi. Even though Derek reports him, Perino never faces any lasting consequences. He continues to teach at the school for years afterward, as if nothing ever happened. How does that make sense?
#7: Alex Turning Her Life Around Various
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There’s no doubt that Alex had some of the best character development on the show. She starts off as this sort of troubled girl who’s kind of a villain, but grows into this amazing person that you really root for. She cleans herself up, gets away from the toxic people in her life, and focuses on becoming the best version of herself. But she faces setbacks, and descends into some old habits. We were hoping that, in the end, she’d find her place and thrive. Instead, her relationship with Paige breaks down, and she goes her own way. We never get to see Alex have the happy ending that she not only deserved, but fought for. It’s such a shame.
#6: Clare's Cancer Various
It's not that this storyline went unresolved, but more so that it wasn’t given the attention it deserves. Don’t get us wrong, there are some powerful moments as Clare deals with her cancer. But the gist of it is that she gets it, goes through treatment, and is perfectly fine by the time the new school year starts. Her sister Darcy and step-brother Jake don’t even really check in, even from afar. We do see Clare dealing with the aftermath of treatment, and celebrating remission milestones from time to time. But the storyline would have benefited from more time and exploration. We’re obviously glad she made it through okay, but we wish the whole thing hadn’t ended just as abruptly as it started.
#5: Jane Playing Football “Fight the Power”
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Jane Vaughn is probably one of the most interesting characters to come to Degrassi. One of her best arcs is when she tries out for – and makes – the boys football team. It’s so intense seeing how she’s relentlessly tormented by the other players, just because she’s a girl. Even the coach isn’t on her side. The whole thing really says a lot about gender roles and equality, and feels important. Yet the boys don’t really get in any serious trouble, despite how badly they mistreat her. And it’s just assumed that everyone learns how to get along, but we don’t dig into the implications. There was undoubtedly a lot more story to tell, so it feels like a missed opportunity, to say the least.
#4: Asher’s Inappropriate Behavior Toward Clare Various
When Clare begins an internship, her boss Asher attempts to get a little too friendly with her. The lead up to this is actually a bit of a slow burn. We see how they interact at work, how he begins to take advantage of that, and how he ultimately harrasses her more than once. She even loses her internship as a result. But the show really drops the ball on the aftermath. Eventually, Clare reveals that she and an ex-intern Jennifer – who we learn was also mistreated by Asher – have decided to go to the police. It all seems rather promising, right? It would have been if we had gotten a follow-up on whether he faced any actual consequences, but alas, we didn’t!
#3: Jonah's Baby "#RollUpToTheClubLike"
Does anyone even remember this one? The show certainly doesn’t. Though Jonah’s character is introduced in season 14 of “Next Generation”, it takes until season 4 of “Next Class” for the topic of him having a baby to come up. Jonah mentions to Grace that he has a daughter with a previous girlfriend that he’s not allowed to see, and that’s the end of it. We already know that Jonah has had some problems in the past that help define his character. But this reveal seems to come from nowhere, and feels haphazard. For something so significant, you’d think the show would have dedicated some more time to fleshing out what happened.
#2: Esme's Mental Health Various
Esme is never diagnosed with a specific mental illness on “Next Class”. But it becomes more and more apparent throughout the series that there’s something deeper going on with her. She isn’t simply the villain she’s originally painted as. Esme has intense mood swings and frequent breakdowns that none of her friends seem to understand. If only the show hadn’t ended before we really got to dive into this, we might have gotten a really powerful storyline for her. We could have gotten to the heart of what was going on, and watched her navigate it and heal. Instead, we’re left only with what might have beens!
#1: The Many Disappearing Characters Various
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Everyone remembers Jimmy from Degrassi. After all, the actor went on to become Drake. But does anyone still remember Hazel? She was Jimmy’s girlfriend and Paige’s best friend. Yet she doesn’t return after the fifth season, and is rarely mentioned again. And what about Terri? We see her recovering from the injury Rick caused in the third season. But after that, she disappears. She’s briefly talked about in the fourth season, but she deserved way better than that, especially considering everything she went through. The list goes on and on: Kendra, Dave, and Wesley may as well have vanished into thin air. It’s no wonder “Degrassi” is infamous for sending its characters into a “black hole”.
