aka, "Zig deals with turf wars, Winston's play finally happens, Becky deals with knowing about Jonah's past"
Episode 22, Season 14
Original Air Date: 7/20/2015
Main Storyline Character: Zig Novak, Frankie Hollingsworth, Becky Baker.
Normally I cluster the storylines together by character, but this episode has the storylines weaving together a bit, so I went in the order that it was presented on screen.
Previously on Degrassi:
-Becky saw Jonah get a beat down from Zig for owing tons of money.
-Zig discovers that a friend of Damon's (Jason) is threatening him, Tiny, Vince and Maya for Damon getting shot.
-Frankie quit the play, but Imogen finds out that the play may not go on as planned due to the recent threats to Zig.
At Vince's apartment, he lays down the ground rules, since threats are swirling around the interwebs. They can't take Moss street. They have to walk in the middle of the road, looking non-threatening (maybe change out of your black shirt to something more Drew-like and colorful?). Vince in general is being very un-Vince-like, since he's the one pushing for everyone to stand down and let this all blow over. Zig is being un-Zig-like and wants to retaliate. Did I miss the Freaky Friday episode or something? Remember, Vince was the one who SHOT A DUDE and made this all happen. Now he wants to lay low. Okay, as long as you don't go off shooting Jason or whoever tickles your fancy. Also, Vince wants to attend the musical to see Zig perform. Again, when was the Freaky Friday episode? "Keep yourself in check," Vince warns. And God forbid you take Moss street! Vince, he'll go to musical rehearsal and how about you don't go shooting anyone or selling drugs, ok?
Becky and Drew are at the hospital volunteering again, in Damon's room. Becky finally admits to Drew that he was right all along, and Jonah totally took her money, so go ahead and rub it in her face, why don't ya? Drew leaves and Becky asks punk Damon about large quantities of money. In her sheltered world, she has no idea why Jonah would owe $200 to someone, and why someone would slam Jonah against the wall to get said money. Maybe he just really wanted those prom tickets? Damon tells her that duh, it's drug money. "But he's straightedge!" "Sometimes good people get in bad spots." Before Becky goes, Damon asks for a favor...can he send a message to someone using her phone? Why doesn't he have a phone? Does Mrs. Pill run the hospital, too?
Imogen and Mrs. Pill are in the latter's office, discussing the possible cancellation of the play due to gang-related threats. The school will increase security, and there will be a police presence. However, Mrs. Pill warns, "we definitely can't proceed if it's going to put students in danger." Imogen is to tattle on anyone if she hears anything at all. Imogen wants this play more than anything, so she agrees.
Zig approaches Jason in the hall, who is a bad boy with a white shirt, but blue hair. Zig just wants to live his life, okay? Please stop threatening everyone he knows. But Damon was shot, says Jason. But Damon stabbed Tiny, says Zig. And round and round we go! Jason annoys Zig to the point that he slams him against the lockers. Maya interrupts and Zig releases Jason. "Go up on stage tonight, do your song and dance. Then we can deal with this afterwards," says Jason, before he leaves. That's nice of him, allowing a cool-down period! Once Jason grows up, I could see him being a social worker. Maya is confused because she thought sweeping everything under the rug would work. Nope, you're being threatened, too! Maya wants Zig to just go to the cops. Again, Maya, in teenage delinquent logic, going to the cops means EVERYONE gets arrested, no matter what. Maya's on Vince's side and believes Zig should let the threats blow over without trying to retaliate. After all, when will it all end, when they're all dead?
In the gym, Zoe and Winston are rehearsing their kiss, when Winston bows out just before the lip lock. Careful, Winston, you might catch some of Zoe's narcissism! Zoe's response to Winston's avoid-and-NO is "are you worried that you're gonna get excited or something?" Whew, you were smart to avoid her Winston, she's clearly in her most contagious state. Winston claims he doesn't want to kiss anyone but Frankie, but Zoe snaps that he kissed Lola. Everyone knows! Zoe the psychologist explains to Winston that Frankie is acting "crazy" because her dad is an asshole and broke up with her mom, then rejoined the family, then continued being an asshole. Basically, Winston, she's worried you're the asshole in this situation. I know Winston knows at some level that Mr. Hollingsworth is a jerk. After all, the evil villain in the play is the Mayor. Mr. Hollingsworth was in politics. Does he really need Zoe Freud to spell it out for him?
Jonah's chilling in the hallway playing guitar and Becky storms in, all "I SAW YOU! I SAW YOU GIVE ZIG THE MONEY YOU STOLE FROM ME!" Becky removed her rose-colored glasses a long time ago, so Jonah needs to be honest! Yes, he took the money, yes it was for drugs, yes, he's a straightedge, but only recently. It was a long-standing debt from his "messed up" days. He just didn't want Becky to see him that way, so he hid it from her.
Elsewhere in Degrassi, there are long lines at the payphones. Every kid is presumably leaving a voicemail, because other students also don't have their phones. Then people later check their phones for voicemails they left people. Do they not realize they're all in school together and could just walk down the hall to talk to someone? The payphone thing gives the show a 90s flair as Winston leaves a heartfelt message for Frankie, apologizing for everything, admitting she's the best part of the play, and that ew, he most definitely doesn't want to kiss Zoe.
At the cell phone retrieval van, Zig is whining to Grace about how he and everyone in the musical is being threatened and how he wants to stand up to Jason. Weird, a video text from Becky Baker. He's pretty much never interacted with her, so how does he have her number? Anyways, Grace and Zig watch the message, which is Damon pleading to end all this nonsense. Does Zig remember when they were friends? When they would get cheeseburgers together? Damon's shot, but he could be dead. Maybe next time he will be dead. Zig did Damon a favor a few episodes ago and warned him about the basketball courts...now Damon is returning the favor. "Get the hell out, whatever it takes." A true Degrassi moment, using the slogan and everything! Yes, Zig, remember when you tried to get out of the gang? That fell by the wayside. Zig leaves, with plans "to fix this."
We next see Zig privately talking to the detective. He dishes on everything, and the detective reassures him that he'll try his best to put in a good word for his cooperation. Hopefully things will die down after one arrest is made.
The musical kicks off, and when Winston sings out for Ella, Frankie appears! And sassier than ever! Just look at those arm gestures! Backstage, Zig tells Maya he confessed everything. Vince, drug dealer, gang leader and gunman, comes backstage with a bouquet of roses for Zig and to wish him luck. And then the cops come to arrest him. It's pretty clear to Vince that Zig tattled, but he's arrested now, so oh well. Degrassi writers, you can't just make Vince a completely moral person for one episode just to prove the point that it was difficult for Zig to tattle. He is a CRIMINAL. Zig of course is upset because Vince was being so nice!
It's Zig's moment on stage and he's so bad it's good. He makes dramatic gestures and has furrowed brows, so he's a pretty good actor. Meanwhile, Tiny is confused why the chair beside him, presumably for Vince, has been empty for nearly the whole show now. Where could Vince be?
Becky is hanging out in the empty hall when Drew appears to ask if Becky's going to the musical. Either this musical was held way early, or Becky has been lurking in the hallways for some indeterminate amount of time. Becky's torn...does she break up with Jonah or stay with him because he's a supposed changed man? Drew just wants Becky to be happy. Jonah pops out of the restroom, and Becky hilariously accuses him of doing drugs. I mean, she could be on-base, since it's like 4 hours after school ended and he's just chilling in the bathroom. Jonah promises he's a different guy, but Becky isn't sure if she's getting "nice Jonah" or "lying and taking my money Jonah." Becky can't deal. She simply walks away.
Maya is congratulating Zig backstage. Everything is happy again! To Tiny, it's not. He appears backstage, threatening the other two with a knife. Tiny has a messed up family and Vince was all he had. Zig tries to get Tiny to see his logic: Vince shot a dude. Tiny replies, a dude who stabbed me. "You're the one with the knife!" Yes, Tiny, when will this vicious cycle end? Tiny doesn't understand his own logic, either, and allows Zig to talk him down from waving the knife around.
On stage, it's the climax. Winston prefaces the kiss with "you don't have to if you don't want to." Frankie wants to, and they kiss.
Zig finishes a phone call in the front of the school, and informs Maya that Jose, their social worker, will allow him and Tiny to live with him. They'll cooperate with the cops, but at this point they don't know if they'll be charged with anything. Maya believes it was still the right thing. Tiny finally agrees.
It's the end of the play, and everyone takes their final bows. Frankie and Winston can't stop complimenting one another for their amazing performances. Winston totally gets it if Frankie wants to part ways now that the play is over, but Frankie answers that with a kiss. So they are back together, finally, and we can move on from the 1-second kiss that Winston and Lola shared that caused this boring story arc.
Zig visits Damon in the hospital, with a bag of two hamburgers. Aw, he remembers the good times. Zig says everything is calm again, at least for now. Damon appreciates the visit and they share the burgers together with smiles on their faces.
Lesson Learned: If something is wrong, tell an adult. Sometimes you can forgive and forget. Sometimes you can't forgive or ever forget.
No comments:
Post a Comment