Joey Jeremiah
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Joseph "Joey" Jeremiah is a fictional character from the Degrassi series portrayed by Pat Mastroianni. His first appearance in the series was as a grade 8 student on Degrassi Junior High. Since his first appearance up to Degrassi High, he has been the main focus character and arguably the most popular among the viewers. On Degrassi: The Next Generation, he is a recurring character.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
As a youth, his trademark attire was a fedora he always wore over his mullet (though in some early episodes, he wore a beret). Other trademark traits associated with young Joey were his short and slim figure, his skateboarding, and a coloured dress shirt, among them a Hawaiian shirt. Usually, the shirt was worn underneath a vest. His personality was that of a humorous, extroverted, immature slacker. Though not always successful, young Joey had a penchant for trying to either charm or coerce his peers into getting or doing what he wanted. Behind that mischievous exterior, he was not a hated character as he was a nuisance to some, and there was an innocence and a caring personality to him, especially when his friends were in a crisis.
His best friend from the beginning of the series was Wheels. Both he and Wheels later became best friends with Snake near the end of the first season when the trio teamed up to form an amateur rock band called "The Zit Remedy" for the school's talent show. The band was later re-named "The Zits" when they all went to high school. What was originally intended as an act for the talent show later became a musical hobby for the trio. Despite the skepticism of his bandmates/friends combined with the band having only one song ("Everybody Wants Something"), Joey dreamed of making a career of this hobby, including making copies of demo tapes and a music video.
[edit] Joey's attitude
The mischievous, slacking attitude of Joey always got the negative attention of his Junior High homeroom teacher Mr. Raditch, who would regularly call out "Mr. Jeremiah" for misbehaviour and ask him to remove his fedora from his head at the beginning of each class. Despite that, Mr. Raditch cared deep down for his well-being.
At the conclusion of season 2 of Degrassi Junior High, Joey learned that he had failed grade eight and was forced to repeat the year. This news crushed Joey's spirits as it meant that he could not join the rest of his friends in high school.
In repeating the eighth grade, Joey would find himself becoming a classmate of Caitlin Ryan, a smart academic & intellectual student. In working together for a class presentation, the two of them would gradually develop a relationship with one another as the series progressed in an on-and-off manner.
Joey also made an enemy of Dwayne Myers, the school's resident tough guy. The two of them first met for one episode in season 2 of Degrassi Junior High and fought one another in the neighbourhood park. Dwayne was later re-introduced as a regular character for Degrassi High where his animosity towards Joey continued with constant bullying. Dwayne was also responsible for thwarting Joey's attempt to raise money for a car by walking through the school cafeteria naked on a dare by telling Mr. Raditch Joey's plan in advance. The two of them would later reconcile after Dwayne contracted HIV from unprotected sex and Joey promising not to disclose the news of that to anyone.
Joey's relationship with Caitlin came to a sudden end as the two entered their first year of high school as a result of Caitlin's crush with Claude Tanner. His bitterness over the breakup was very evident with his constant mutterings of "ice princess" whenever she walked by him or someone ever brought up her name in a discussion. After Claude's suicide from a gunshot to the head, the two of them would later get back together as a couple once more by the final episode of Degrassi High.
In the TV movie School's Out, Joey cheated on Caitlin by going out with Tessa Campanelli and losing his virginity to her. Joey lying to Tessa about having an outing with his parents when he was really seeing Caitlin on his birthday ended the Joey/Tessa relationship. This was also exacerbated by Tessa discovering that Joey impregnated her which resulted in a subsequent abortion, all without Joey ever knowing about it.
On the night of Joey's birthday, Caitlin lost her virginity to Joey believing that it was the first time for the both of them. The two of them would later become engaged at a cottage retreat attended by their classmates. The engagement lasted roughly ten minutes until Snake accidentally revealed in front of Caitlin that Joey was "fucking Tessa".
[edit] Later life
Joey's personality changes when he's seen as an adult on Degrassi: The Next Generation. In that series, he has developed a maturity never before seen in the previous series. Perhaps as a visual symbol of his new personality, he no longer wears the fedora and Hawaiian shirts that were synonymous with the young Joey, and his mullet has been replaced by a clean shaven bald head.
In the series premiere, it is learned that he owns and runs a used car dealership. It is also learned that Joey married a woman named Julia (the mother of Craig Manning), with whom he fathered a girl named Angela. He became a widower after his wife died a year previous to the start of the series, and practically cut himself off from the rest of the world and friends after the event.
On the day of his ten-year high school reunion, he attempts to sell a car to his old friend, Lucy Fernandez, who points out that Joey was unconfirmed for the reunion. Lucy mentions that Julia would be upset if she knew that he was so detached and that enough time has passed since Julia's death. Quickly changing the subject, Joey agrees to take Lucy out for a drive to test out the new vehicle, and to drop her off at the new Degrassi Community School. At the school, Joey spots the adult Caitlin (coincidentally wearing his fedora) and they both share a moment looking at how much they've changed in respects to everything that occurred between them. After a small reunion among his friends, and again meeting Caitlin and Snake, he decides to go with them for drinks later but still remains unconfirmed for the reunion.
At the bar, his friends reminisce about old times when his advertisement for his car dealership comes on. The advertisement detailed Joey ending up ripping his shirt off, much to the blunt critique of Caitlin's new fiancé, Keith. As a movie director, Keith initiated the friction between him and Joey by straightforwardly stating that Joey should "avoid the shifty, used car salesman vibe". Caitlin additionally responds that he was a total "ham" during high school and she believes that despite everything that has happened, he was still the same Joey, which was not the case.
Season 2 starts when Craig, (Julia's son from a previous marriage; Joey's stepson) comes to Degrassi. After an emotional moment in front of Julia's grave where it is revealed that Craig was beaten by his father, Joey welcomes him home. He helps Craig through this tough time as well as after the death of his birth father, Albert Manning. In Season 4, he also helps Craig get his life back on track after he is diagnosed as being bipolar.
Joey dated Sidney, then later got back together with the girl he once cheated on, Caitlin. Their relationship inevitably came to an end, expedited in part by Kevin Smith who told Caitlin not to "settle" and to put her career first.
Currently Joey is dating Diane. In Season 6, he left the series and it was said that he moved to Winnipeg.
[edit] Relationships
- Caitlin Ryan
- First Relationship:
- Start Up:"Loves Me, Loves Me Not" (305) Original Series
- Break Up:"Loves Me, Loves Me Not" (305) Original Series
- Reason: Joey and Caitlin became close for a school project, but it was then revealed that he wasn't interested in her, but rather Liz O'Rourke.
- Second Relationship:
- Start Up: "Twenty Bucks" (310) Original Series
- Break up: "Everybody wants Something" (405) Original Series
- Reason: It was revealed that Caitlin liked Claude Tanner.
- Third Relationship:
- Start Up: "One Last Dance" (513) Original Series
- Break Up: "School's Out" (TV Movie)
- Reason: Joey cheated on Caitlin with Tessa Campanelli.
- Fourth Relationship:
- Start Up: "Holiday, Part 2" (312) The Next Generation
- Break Up: "Going Down The Road, Part 2" (422) The Next Generation
- Reason: Caitlin moved to LA to further pursue her career.
- First Relationship:
- Tessa Campanelli
- Start Up: "School's Out" (TV Movie)
- Break Up: "School's Out" (TV Movie)
- Reason: Joey had been lying to Tessa; he was actually cheating on Caitlin with her.
- Julia (Wife)
- While exact details of when the couple got together are unknown, we do know that Julia dies before Degrassi: The Next Generation premiered and that Joey had a child (Angela) with her. Julia is also the biological mother of Craig, whom Joey stepfathers.
- Sydney
- Start Up: Before "Father Figure, Part 1" (305) The Next Generation
- Break Up: "Holiday, Part 2" (312) The Next Generation
- Reason: Sydney was rude to Caitlin, who still had feelings for Joey.
- Diane
- Start Up: "Weddings, Parties, Anything" (505) The Next Generation
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Joey Jeremiah's bio from Degrassi.ca
- ET Canada video clip of Joey Jeremiah as their 14th all-time favourite Canadian TV character
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