Christine Nelson
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| Degrassi: The Next Generation character | |
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| First appearance | Mother and Child Reunion (101) |
| Christine Nelson | |
| Nickname(s) | Spike |
| Occupation | Hair Salon |
| Spouse | Archie Simpson |
| Children | Emma Nelson Jack Simpson |
| Episode Count | 24 |
| Portrayed by | Amanda Stepto |
Christine Nelson, aka Spike, is a fictional character on the Degrassi series played by Amanda Stepto. Her first appearance in the series was as a grade 8 student on Degrassi Junior High, and was most remembered as the teenage girl with the blonde spiked hairdo, hence her nickname, who got pregnant (by Shane McKay). On Degrassi: The Next Generation, she is known as the mother to Emma Nelson. She is also married to Archie "Snake" Simpson with whom she has a son named Jack.
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[edit] Classic Degrassi
[edit] Degrassi Junior High
Spike started out as a minor character in Degrassi Junior High, but she came into prominence late in the first season when she became pregnant after her very first (unprotected) sexual encounter. Spike was just 14 years old and in the eighth grade. Her mother, who herself had had Spike as a teen, provided support, while Spike's boyfriend, Shane McKay, vacillated between wanting to help and avoiding his responsibilities. Spike's ordeal would turn more complicated when the local parents later forced the school to suspend her for the rest of the year, believing she was a bad example. Spike finished the rest of her grade 8 year at home but returned to complete her finals. She ended up going into labor at the end of the year dance.
Spike returned to school full-time for her grade 9 year, having given birth to her daughter Emma over the summer. She was hesitant to let Shane be involved in the baby's life, but he proved his willingness to share some of the responsibility when he began to pay her child support. He later withheld one of his monthly payments in order to buy tickets to a rock concert, the night of which he suffered a terrible accident that left him mentally disabled. With Shane incapacitated, Spike would now bear all of the responsibility for their daughter on her own.
[edit] Degrassi High
Spike nervously reentered the dating scene after starting high school, reluctantly accepting a date with a boy named Patrick who shared her love for the band The Pogues. She was initially afraid that he was only dating her because, since she had a child, he believed she was "easy," but Patrick proved to be a true gentleman. They dated for some time until Spike decided that she didn't have time for a commitment. Later that year, she also reunites with Shane, who is out of rehab and now attending a school for special-needs kids. She turns down his invitation for a date, but agrees to be his friend again.
The following year, Spike's best friend Liz goes on a date with Patrick to see a musician, and Spike is surprised to find that she is jealous. Spike then developed a romantic interest in her classmate, Snake, after being paired with him for a class assignment. He accepted her invitation to attend the school formal together, but she later backed out of it after learning that he really liked another girl, Michelle, and wanted to go with her instead.
[edit] Degrassi: The Next Generation
[edit] Season 2
[edit] Dating Snake
With her daughter Emma attending class with her old high school classmate Snake, her once upon a time interest in him renewed and the two began dating. After a few months, Spike proposed and Snake accepted.
[edit] Wedding and Pregnancy
Spike discovers that she is pregnant with Snake's child the day before their wedding. She hesitates to tell Snake when he suddenly begins talking about how he is not ready for children right now. Spike tells Emma that she is contemplating having an abortion, and doesn't want to tell Snake. Emma is angered by her mother's decision and sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night to tell Snake at his stag party. Snake confronts Spike the morning of the wedding and they have a long talk, deciding that the baby, while unplanned, is still a blessing. They rush to make it to the church, where everyone has been waiting for the wedding to start, and, still in their jeans and tee shirts, they become husband and wife.
[edit] Season 3
[edit] Reunion with Shane
Spike had never told Emma what happened to her birth father, Shane, and hesitates to tell the truth now that Emma really wants to know. Emma learns the truth about Shane's brain damaged state the hard way, and Spike is put in the hot seat by her daughter for hiding this fact for so long. Shane later pays Spike a visit after leaving his assisted living home and finding his way to Emma and Spike's house. Upset to find that he is not a part of their family, he begins to trash the place, sending a 9-months-pregnant Spike into labor. Emma arrives in time to calm Shane down, and Snake and Liz help Spike deliver her new baby, a boy named Jack.
[edit] Helping Manny
When Emma's best friend, Manny, discovers she is pregnant, she runs straight to Spike, knowing she would understand her situation since she herself had been pregnant as a young teenager. Spike helps Manny deal with the news and tells her that in the end, the parental responsibility is hers and therefore the final choice on whether to keep the baby should be hers as well. Manny chooses to have an abortion.
[edit] Season 4
[edit] Parenting Emma
After the shooting, Emma was an emotional and mental mess. Spike constantly caught Emma sneaking out, and acting out in strange ways that was not like her. She was confused on what to do, and how to help Emma. In the end, Spike pulls through by loving her, and helping her through her issues.
[edit] Season 5
[edit] Snake's infidelity
In Season 5, Spike and Snake’s relationship has a setback when Emma finds Snake kissing Degrassi’s principal Daphne Hatzilakos in an empty theater. Emma forces Snake to tell her mother the truth, and Spike throws Snake out. Spike has a hard time dealing with her separation from her husband, particularly on their wedding anniversary. Emma brings Spike's friend Caitlin all the way from Los Angeles to help cheer her up. Snake stops by with a gift he'd ordered months ago for their anniversary, but this upsets Spike even more. Snake continues to appeal to Spike for reconciliation, but she refuses. Finally, Snake shows up at the mall where Spike works, dressed in a tuxedo, and begins to sing their song "Sometimes When We Touch." Spike finally relents and agrees to take her husband back.
[edit] Helping Emma
Through all the chaos of Spike's and Snake's marital problems, Spike puts a lot of stress on Emma to help her around the house. This drives Emma to the point of losing control of her life and forces her to an eating disorder. With the help of Snake, Manny, and Emma's boyfriend Peter, Spike gets Emma in rehab to recover.
[edit] Trivia
The ska band Skankin' Pickle wrote a song about her called "I'm In Love With A Girl Named Spike".[1]
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