Degrassi: TNG 7.15.05

�I�ve never had a teacher pass me a note in class before�� Paige, Mr. O-No-You-Didn�t whispers to him in the janitor�s closet at school!!! I know that my favorite sassbucket Paige hasn�t been shacking up sinster style with her student teacher, the adorable Mr. O! Gotta love Paige and I definitely have gotta love some Degrassi for having the balls to not play down to their young viewers. This is smart, honest, and aggressive television for kids (and thirtysomethings) and I become more enamored with it weekly. If the love of Degrassi wasn�t enough to keep me going, the extra clever dialogue this season has been an extra bonus. The line of the night came as Craig�s comments on Marco�s super huge 90�s style Paula Abdul-esque curly hair post sleepover at Ellie�s which resulted in not having hair product to tame that beast�

Craig: �Wow, Marco with your hair all big like that you kinda look like Ashley�

Thank god someone brought up his hair � it�s getting ridonkulous.

Besides Paige�s jailbait escapades with Mr. O, this week - we focused on our resident Degrassi Goth-Cutter, Ellie and her continuing battles with independence post drunk Mom emancipation and Sean�s Post-Columbine escape from Toronto. Jon doesn�t really care for her storyline but I find it the truest in relation to real teen portrayal and the struggles they face. Cutting is a huge issue for young kids and the ostracism and anxiety that goes along with being the outcast doesn�t help. Over the years, Degrassi has really shown how far Ellie has progressed from just being the Goth girl with suicidal tendencies to being a somewhat lighter and freer version of herself who is still haunted by her past and unable to move on. She�s stopped cutting, but since Sean left her high and dry with their apartment and their bills she�s had a hard time sustaining her independence, paying her bills or caring for Sean�s pet, Ferret Bueller.

After a late night card game with gay Marco�s gay boyfriend�s hockey team and a swift and somewhat harsh reality check from my girl Alex, Ellie gave thought to moving back home with her now sober Mother. There were trust issues touched upon that were probably the most honest and sincere issues dealt with in Degrassi�s post-Columbine days (at least that weren�t sexually charged). In the end, Ellie made a deal with her drunk of a Mother � continue to try staying sober and in two months she�ll be back. It was a sweet moment for our girl in the mesh and black.