Degrassi: The Next Generation (season 7)

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Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 7

Degrassi: The Next Generation Season 7 intertitles
Country of origin Flag of Canada Canada
Network Flag of Canada CTV
Flag of the United States The N
Original run October 5, 2007 – Present
No. of episodes 24
Previous season 6


The seventh season of Degrassi: The Next Generation commenced airing in Canada on January 14, 2008, and will contain twenty-four episodes.[1] Degrassi: The Next Generation (also known as D:TNG, DTNG, Degrassi:TNG, or simply Degrassi) is a Canadian serial teen drama television series. Season seven takes place during the second semester of the 2006–2007 school year,[2] and continues to depict the lives of a group of high school children and college freshmen as they deal with the some of the challenges and issues young adults face such as rape drugs, cancer, alcoholism, HIV and stem-cell research. Production took place between April 2007 and December 2007.[3]

Season seven is airing on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. in Quebec) on CTV.[1] In the United States, this season airs on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. on The N, a digital cable network aimed at teenagers and young adults.[4] Season 7 actually premiered in the States three months before it began broadcasting in Canada, on October 5, 2007.[4]

Viewing figures for season seven have not been as high as previous seasons; as of March 31, 2008, figures were down to 314,000 viewers,[5] a forty-six percent decrease from the season premiere, which was watched by 585,000 viewers.[6] Despite the decrease in viewers, however, reviews for the season have been of praise, rather than criticism.[7][8]

Contents

Cast

The seventh season had twenty actors receive star billing. Continuing in their roles from the previous season, the students were portrayed by Sarah Barrable-Tishauer as Liberty Van Zandt, Lauren Collins as Paige Michalchuk, Stacey Farber as Ellie Nash, Aubrey Graham as Jimmy Brooks, Jamie Johnston as Peter Stone, Shane Kippel as Gavin "Spinner" Mason, Mike Lobel as Jay Hogart, Miriam McDonald as Emma Nelson, Adamo Ruggiero as Marco Del Rossi, and Cassie Steele as Manuela "Manny" Santos.[9] As the adults in the series, Stefan Brogren played the part of Archie "Snake Simpson, Melissa DiMarco played Principal Daphne Hatzilakos, and Amanda Stepto played Spike Nelson. Brogren and Stepto had played the same characters in Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, two of the preceding series in the Degrassi franchise.[10] Charlotte Arnold, Mazin Elsadig and Paula Brancati were introduced as Holly J. Sinclair, Jane V. and Damien Hayes respectively, who are new students to Degrassi Community School as a result of the recent closure of their former school, Lakehurst. Dalmar Abuzeid, Marc Donato , and Nina Dobrev, portraying Danny Van Zandt, Derek Haig, and Mia Jones, respectively were promoted from recurring cast members to the main cast list.[11]

Returning in their recurring roles were Jake Goldsbie as Toby Isaacs, Melissa McIntyre as Ashley Kerwin, Steve Belford as Jesse Stefanovic, Linlyn Lue as Ms. Kwan, and Jennifer Podemski as Ms. Sauve.[12][13] Raymond Ablack, Marc Minardi, Samantha Munro and Scott Paterson were introduced in recurring roles as former Lakehurst students Sav Bhandari, Lucas Valieri, Anya MacPherson, and Johnny DiMarco. Nathan Stephenson also joined the roster of recurring cast members as Griffin, the new roommate in Ellie, Marco and Paige's apartment.[13][14]

Stacie Mistysyn, who portrayed Caitlin Ryan in the earlier incarnations of Degrassi, as well as seasons one to five of D:TNG, guest starred in episode eight, "Jessie's Girl".[15] Jake Epstein, who had regularly appeared in the series between seasons two and five as Craig Manning guest starred in the fourteenth episode, "Bust a Move, Part Two", which also featured a guest appearance from Shirley Douglas as Smithdale University's Professor Dunwoody.[16][17] English pop singer Natasha Bedingfield will appear in the season finale performing "Unwritten" and "Pocketful of Sunshine".[18]

Crew

The season was produced by Epitome Pictures in association CTV. Funding was provided by The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit, the Canadian Television Fund and BCE-CTV Benefits, The Shaw Television Broadcast Fund, the Independent Production Fund, Mountain Cable Program, and RBC Royal Bank.[13]

Linda Schuyler, co-creator of the Degrassi franchise and CEO of Epitome Pictures, is the co-executive producer of season six with Epitome Pictures' president, Stephen Stohn. Brendon Yorke also serves as an executive producer. David Lowe is the producer, Stefan Brogren is the creative producer, and James Hurst the executive creative consultant. Vera Santamaria is the executive story editor, with Duana Taha serving as the junior story editor. The editor is Stephen Withrow, Stephen Stanley is the production designer, and the cinematographers are Gavin Smith and John Berrie.[13]

As of March 31, 2008, the writers for the season include Nicole Demerse, Brian Hartigan, Matt Huether, James Hurst, Aaron Martin, Kate Miles Melville, Vera Santamaria, Duana Taha, and Brendon Yorke. Directors of the episodes include Phil Earnshaw, Eleanore Lindo, Stefan Scaini, and Pat Williams.[13]

Reception

As of March 2008, the seventh season of D:TNG is not faring as well as previous seasons. The first twelve episodes have averaged only 455,000 viewers, compared to the same number of episodes in season six, which averaged 500,000 viewers.[19][20] The first episode of the season achieved the highest figures so far, with 585,000 viewers.[6] This progressively dropped over the forthcoming weeks from 446,000 viewers on January 28, 2008,[21] to 407,000 viewers on February 11, 2008,[22] and continued to spiral down to 314,000 viewers on March 17, 2008.[5]

At the half-way point in the season, the mass media were still reacting strongly to the season. Joel Rubinoff of the Waterloo Region Record praised the show for "remaining consistent … [in] its ability to shock and surprise in a way that never lets us [the viewers] down … Shenae Grimes, whose complex portrayal of a young woman in mental pain — and the conflicting emotions that entails — makes her depiction not only believable, but to those who have had similar experiences, entirely relatable."[7] Raju Mudhar of the Toronto Star also had praise for the season, commenting that "the way that it has managed to deal with aging — which has been the destruction for many of its peers, and the level of honesty and attempted authenticity has always set Degrassi apart. The fact that show has always cast actors within a year or two of their characters' ages has always helped."[8] AfterElton.com, a website which focuses on the portrayal of homosexual and bisexual men in the media, and owned by MTV Networks' Logo cable television network, named the character Marco del Rossi as one of the "Top 25 Gay TV Characters".[23]

Episodes

Season seven premiered on The N two months before its CTV debut;[1][4] it wasn't until the thirteenth episode that Canadian viewers were able to watch an episode before American viewers. The N aired the season in two separate blocks, airing the first seven episodes between October 5, 2007 and November 16, 2007, before putting the show on hiatus until February 8, 2008. The N aired 718, "Another Brick in the Wall" before 717, "Talking in Your Sleep." On CTV they aired in order of their production numbers. Also, CTV did not air episode 703, "Love is a Battlefield," until after episode 719, "Broken Wings." The reasons as to why are unknown, since the episode would have been very out of continuity if it actually came at the time of its air.

Season # Series # Title Canadian airdate U.S. airdate Production code
1 113 "Standing in the Dark" PART ONE  January 14, 2008 October 5, 2007 701
As Lakehurst students acclimatise themselves to their new Degrassi surroundings following a devastating fire at their school over the winter break, a fuming Toby can't contain his anger over their presence so soon after J.T.'s death, and lets his feelings be known through his online podcast. Meanwhile, Darcy wants to begin the new semester by telling everyone that she and Peter are a couple, much to Peter's distress. Following a skiing trip, they both get drunk at a party. Too intoxicated to realize what she is doing, Darcy allows herself to be taken into a bedroom. 
2 114 "Standing in the Dark" PART TWO  January 21, 2008 October 5, 2007 702
Darcy believes she and Peter had sex the night of the skiing trip, but he is equally convinced they did not. When news spreads about a "roofie-rapist", both Manny and Peter try to make her face the fact that she could have been raped. When she visits the sexual health clinic for a check up, her results come back showing she has an STD, and in another crushing blow, the other members of the Friendship Club insist she take off her abstinence ring. Meanwhile, Ellie wants Marco to forget about Dylan and move on, and tries a little matchmaking to help him along. 
3 115 "Love is a Battlefield"  May 19, 2008 October 12, 2007 703
Paige begins to get back on her feet after dropping out of university and she starts by getting a job in the fashion world. Meanwhile, Alex starts to take life easy following a troubled semester by smoking weed all day and getting high. Things between them get from bad to worse when Paige's job interferes with Alex's principles. Meanwhile, Manny is thinking about starting a relationship with Damien, but finds it impossible when they disagree on a Degrassi/Lakehurst unity. 
4 116 "It's Tricky"  January 28, 2008 October 19, 2007 704
Inspired by Craig's success as a rock star, Ashley decides she wants to get back into the music industry, and decides to bring Jimmy along for the ride. Performing at an open-mic night, Jimmy outshines her and catches the attention of a record executive. When he insists they put a CD together featuring the both of them, Ashley agrees but she later removes his vocal track without him knowing. Meanwhile, Mia has problems with her Lakehurst locker buddy, Holly J., the younger sister of Heather Sinclair. 
5 117 "Death or Glory" PART ONE  February 4, 2008 November 2, 2007 705
Life is looking better for Spinner as he starts to build a relationship with Jane. After getting into a fight at school, he begins to feel pains, and realizes something is wrong. Jimmy convinces him to see a doctor, who tells him he has testicular cancer. In the meantime, Darcy confides in Mr. Simpson about her recent ordeal. 
6 118 "Death or Glory" PART TWO  February 11, 2008 November 9, 2007 706
Spinner's reckless behavior in the wake of his bad news is beginning to carry heavy consequences, but at the same time he has become a hero at Degrassi for fighting the Lakehurst thugs. Meanwhile, unable to cope with feeling lonely, Marco begins to cling onto anyone who strikes a conversation with him. 
7 119 "We Got the Beat"  February 18, 2008 November 16, 2007 707
Manny's debut is approaching, and weary of her father's incessant managing of her life, invites bad boy Jay to be her escort in the hopes of turning the affair into a shambles. Things don't quite go off as planned, however, when her parents seem to like him. Meanwhile, after Ashley and others disappoint him with their selfish actions, a discouraged Jimmy finds the strength to persevere through more intensive physical therapy with help from a new friend named Trina. 
8 120 "Jessie's Girl"  February 25, 2008 February 8, 2008 708
Caitlin Ryan returns to Toronto for a guest lecture at the university, which Ellie is covering for the newspaper. At Degrassi Community School, Mia thinks Anya should grow a backbone and stand up to Holly J.'s antics. She engages in an emotional tug of war with Holly J. for Anya's well-being, and although Anya seems to be appreciative, she still can't cut Holly J. from her life. Ellie catches Caitlin and Jesse in a making out, and the following day a drunken Ellie confronts Caitlin about it on stage. 
9 121 "Hungry Eyes"  March 3, 2008 February 15, 2008 709
When her friends begin to make comments about Emma's predictability, she decides to become a sexy spokesmodel for Purple Dragon, an energy drink company who is giving away free promotional items at school. However, after Emma realizes the ideals behind the product, she makes a shocking stand by ripping off her Purple Dragon outfit and standing naked in front of the entire school. Meanwhile, Mia discovers Sav has never kissed a girl, and in an attempt to rekindle their old relationship, decides to help him out. 
10 122 "Pass the Dutchie"  March 10, 2008 February 22, 2008 710
Spinner is trying to cope with the effects of cancer and chemotherapy, and begins to buy weed from Jay to ease nausea he feels. After discovering that he has been getting high with his ex-girlfriend Darcy, Jane begins to wonder if their relationship is really worth it. Meanwhile, Paige is tired of the demands and mistreatment at her job and decides to take a few days off work to reassess her options. 
11 123 "Owner of a Lonely Heart"  March 17, 2008 February 29, 2008 711
Still feeling lonely without Dylan, Marco becomes attracted to the club hopping lifestyle his new friend Devon is leading. When Marco's financial situation becomes desperate, and fails to keep up with Dylan's clique, Devon introduces him to the world of prostitution. A mutual attraction between Manny and Jay leads to trouble after Manny's father catches them during a passionate encounter, so Manny and Jay concoct a sham engagement on the spot to keep her meddling parents at bay. 
12 124 "Live to Tell"  March 24, 2008 March 7, 2008 712
Still unable to cope following her rape, a troubled Darcy descends down a self-destructive path of lies, promiscuity and disturbing behavior that costs her her boyfriend and her place on the Spirit Squad. Aware of her problems, Mr. Simpson attempts to reach out to her, but when he rebuffs her sexual advances, she accuses him of abusing her. Meanwhile, Jimmy is tired of leaning on Ashley for everything, but with his friend Trina from physiotherapy there to help him spread his wings, Jimmy is left with a tough decision to make. 
13 125 "Bust a Move" PART ONE  March 31, 2008 April 4, 2008 713
Manny decides she wants to attend Smithdale University which has a great acting department. Jay helps her film an audition tape, but he also records them having sex so he can watch it when she moves away. The following day, Manny becomes uncomfortable with Jay's plans for their future when their relationship is only supposed to be faked. After a fight, he deliberately switches her audition DVD with his sex movie. Liberty, Ashley and Emma join Manny on a two day road trip to Smithdale so they can attend a Purple Dragon concert with a secret performer using tickets Ashley has been given. When Jay begins to regret his actions and decides to fix what he has done to Manny, he offers a ride to Spinner and Jimmy, who also have concert tickets. Meanwhile, Darcy's parents are becoming concerned with her behavior and send her to a "brat camp" for spring break, where she is forced to confront her demons. 
14 126 "Bust a Move" PART TWO  April 7, 2008 April 4, 2008 714
Jay, Spinner and Jimmy drive to Smithdale in the tow truck from Jay's work, and stop to help a stranded motorist, but find themselves under arrest and incarcerated for the night when the truck gets reported stolen. Manny discovers what is on her DVD, and feeling stressed and upset, blows her audition with Professor Dunwoody. After being released from jail, the boys finally arrive at Smithdale, and pretending to be Manny's agent, successfully persuades the professor to give Manny another chance at auditioning. Manny's performance impresses Dunwoody, who offers Manny a place at Smithdale University. At the brat camp Darcy begins to come to terms with her feelings of being raped and with help from Peter finds an inner-strength she never knew she had. At the concert, everyone discovers that Craig Manning is the secret performer, reveals that Ashley will be touring with him in Europe. Manny forgives Jay for his stupidity, and their fake engagement becomes a real engagement. 
15 127 "Got My Mind Set on You"  April 14, 2008 April 11, 2008 715
Danny and Derek team up with Peter and Rachel on a class assignment. Derek develops a crush on Rachel, but she hits it off with Danny instead. Derek's jealousy over Danny leads him to play a prank that goes wrong. Emma can't deal with Snake's false accusation, and when Damien offers a little help, she becomes a little too focused on him. 
16 128 "Sweet Child O' Mine"  April 21, 2008 April 18, 2008 716
Mia's teenage life is coming together, but her baby daughter is weighing her down. Isabella's father Lucas wants back into Mia's life to help her out with Isabella, but Mia holds back. Manny and Jay's relationship has taken a transition from fake engagement to a real one, but they still have some trust issues to work out. 
17 129 "Talking in Your Sleep"  April 28, 2008 May 9, 2008 717
Everything is going well for Paige, and this good streak continues when she hooks up with her roommate Griffin. But the next day Paige accidentally discovers several bottles of prescription medications in Griffin's room. She does not know what they are, but can't help feeling curious. When she has Marco help her, she realizes that the medications constitute the HIV cocktail. She is angry that Griffin would have sex with her but not tell her about this. Despite having used a condom, she is scared. She gets tested, but learns the test cannot give meaningful results until six months after exposure. Meanwhile, Jane and Darcy become friends after exchanging secrets, but Jane doesn't know how to be a good friend. 
18 130 "Another Brick in the Wall"  May 5, 2008 April 25, 2008 718
Snake is finally allowed back to work, but some students are not exactly jumping for his return. To make matters worse, Spike believes they need time apart. Holly J. is failing math and starts getting tutored by Toby. The two realize that they have a spark between them, but Toby admits that Holly J. isn't the type of person he'd want to be with, especially around his friends, primarily Liberty. 
19 131 "Broken Wings"  May 12, 2008 July 11, 2008 719
Jimmy wants to try stem-cell surgery in order to walk again, but his dad is not so fond of this idea. Peter starts a band with Sav and Danny, and tries hard to get a reluctant Spinner to join. 
20 132 "Ladies' Night"  May 26, 2008 720
While in charge of a charity fast, Anya would find it very helpful if Holly J. and Sav played nice. After they do become friends, they exchange secrets, but then Holly J. betrays Anya, and Anya carries out the perfect revenge. After this, the two decide they are no longer friends. Meanwhile, Jay is desperate to get back the ring that Manny sold. But he goes too far... 
21 133 "Everything She Wants"  June 2, 2008 721

Mia and Lucas are doing well, but Mia wants to be more of a normal teenager. She knows however, that Isabella is her first priority. She keeps this in mind during a party at Lucas's house, but soon enough things get out of hand, and all the problems point to Lucas, who clearly cares about Mia more than Isabella. Additionally, Sean returns while on leave from the military. He stays at the Simpson-Nelson home, though he and Emma know that they have both moved on. He starts to train

Snake at the Degrassi gym, but when he starts pushing him very hard, Mr. Simpson realizes he is very scared. And with good reason as well, as Sean is being shipped of to Afghanistan now that he has finished basic training. 
22 134 "Don't Stop Believin'"  June 9, 2008 722
Marco and Ellie try to figure out what they will do after the school year is over, since Paige will be moving out. Eventually, they reallize how much they depend on each other and they start to kiss. The next morning, their friendship begins to suffer, because Marco feels very uncomfortable, and Ellie thinks he shouldn't since they have been friends since ninth grade and it shouldn't be so awkward. At the same time, Liberty and Damien learn that they both have the highest marks and that a vote will be conducted to see who the winner is. But Liberty isn't so okay with this. 
23 135 "If This Is It"  June 16, 2008 723
 
24 136 "We Built This City"  June 23, 2008 724
 


References

General
Specific
  1. ^ a b c Degrassi: The Next Generation Premieres on a New Day, Jan. 14. CTV.ca (2008-01-03). Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
  2. ^ The-Mary and The-Seth. Linda Schuyler Created Degrassi For You The N Podcast accessed on 2008-03-31.
  3. ^ City of Toronto Film and Television Office (2008-01-07). 2007 Production List p. 16. Toronto, ON. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  4. ^ a b c The-Mary (2007-09-07). THE DEGRASSI PREMIERE IS MOVED TO OCTOBER 5TH!. The N. Retrieved on 2008-02-08.
  5. ^ a b Brioux, Bill (2008-03-19). Mercer Tops CBC Winter Numbers. TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  6. ^ a b Brioux, Bill (2008-01-23). The Degrassi Myth. TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  7. ^ a b Rubinoff, Joel. "Keeping it real", Waterloo Region Record, Waterloo Region, Ontario: Metroland Media Group, 2008-02-01. Retrieved on 2008-04-01. 
  8. ^ a b Mudhar, Raju. "Same old Degrassi – but darker", Toronto Star, Toronto, Ontario: Star Media Group, 2008-01-03. Retrieved on 2008-04-01. 
  9. ^ Ellis, pp. 52–3, 56–57, 64–65, 68–71, 74–75, 78–81, 84–85
  10. ^ Ellis, pp.42–49, 90
  11. ^ Jancelewicz, Chris (2008-01-07). Q&A: 'Degrassi:TNG's' Nina Dobrev Talks Mia. AOL Canada. Retrieved on 2008-03-30.
  12. ^ Ellis, pp. 66–67, 76–77, 86–87, 89–90
  13. ^ a b c d e Linda Schuyler (co-creator, co-executive producer); Yan Moore (co-creator); Stephen Stohn (co-executive producer). ([[October 5, 2007]]). Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season 7. Epitome Pictures.
  14. ^ Actors. CTVglobemedia. Retrieved on 2008-04-01.
  15. ^ "Jessie's Girl". Vera Santamaria (story, teleplay); Aaron Martin (story); Phil Earnshaw (director). Degrassi: The Next Generation. The N. 2008-02-08. No. 8, season 7.
  16. ^ Peesker, Saira (2007-12-11). Epstein set for real-life graduation. CTVglobemedia. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  17. ^ Shirley Douglas guest stars on "Degrassi". CTV.ca. Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
  18. ^ Warner, Tyrone (2007-12-05). Natasha Bedingfield talks 'Degrassi'. CTVglobemedia. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  19. ^ CTV (2006-03-16). "Degrassi: The Next Generation 100th episode". Press release. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
  20. ^ Bailey, Patricia. "CTV ups its order for Degrassi", Playback, Toronto, ON: Brunico Communications, 2007-03-27. Retrieved on 2008-03-30. 
  21. ^ Brioux, Bill (2008-01-31). jPod gets jPasted. TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  22. ^ Brioux, Bill (2008-02-14). MVP Needs Performance Enhancement. TV Feeds My Family. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.
  23. ^ Jensen, Michael (2007-11-29). Readers' Choice: The Top 25 Gay TV Characters Revealed!. AfterEllen.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-31.

External links

Degrassi: The Next Generation Seasons
1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7
v • d • e
Degrassi
History
Locations
Music
General
Characters
Stephanie · Joey · Snake · Wheels · Mr. Raditch · Lucy · Shane · Caitlin · Spike
General
Characters
Emma · Jimmy · Terri · Ashley · Liberty · Manny · Mr. Simpson · Toby · Spinner · J.T. · Paige · Sean · Mr. Raditch · Joey · Craig · Ellie · Hazel · Christine · Caitlin · Marco · Jay · Alex · Peter · Ms. Hatzilakos · Darcy · Holly J · Mia · Damien · Jane · Derek · Danny · Dylan · Rick · Johnny · Anya · Lucas