Degrassi: The Next Generation:
Going Down the Road Again, Part 2

Kevin Smith, director of Clerks, Dogma, and other films, and author of many a comic, finishes his stint on the Canadian teen soap.

The review of the first part appears here. And this will be the last review of the non-genre show here– unless Wolverine or Todd McFarlane turns up.


“Going Down the Road,” Part 2

Cast and Crew:

Stacey Mistysyn as Caitlyn Ryan
Melissa McIntyre as Ashley Kerwin
Jake Epstein as Craig Manning
Pat Mastroianni as Joey Jeremiah
Kevin Smith as himself
Jason Mewes as himself
Miriam McDonald as Emma Nelson
Amanda Stepto as Christine “Spike” Nelson
Sundry Others as Various Brats.

Plot:

Caitlyn and Joey’s surprise wedding plans fall into uncertainty, due to Kevin’s interest in Caitlyn, Caitlyn’s new job offer, and Craig’s disappearance. Craig, meanwhile, teams with a street busker who turns violent.

High Points:

Jake Epstein does a credible job of portraying a bipolar youth off-meds.

The passing reference to Tessa Campanelli– the “other woman” in Joey and Caitlyn’s original teenage breakup, and the reason for the only utterances of the “F-word” in Degrassi’s long history.

Low Point:

The need to wrap up the main story arcs in two episodes resulted in a choppy second part further marred by forced conclusions.

The Scores:

Originality: 4/6. See the review of Part 1.

Effects: 2/6 This isn’t an effects show. The credit sequences features some nice, low-tech visuals, however, and the “Canadian Ninja” sequence of Smith’s movie-within-the-show worked well.

Story: 4/6 Too much happens in too little time, and parts of the episode seem forced.

Acting: 3/6. The acting is really uneven. Epstein does well with Craig’s mental state when he goes off-meds. Smith should stick to writing/directing– and guys who don’t say much.

Emotional Response: 4/6

Production: 4/6.

Overall: 4/6

In total, “Going Down the Road,” Part 2 receives 25/42

Additional Comments

I suppose the creators should get points of some kind for slipping jokes about Jason Mewes’ supposed interest in teenage girls and Kevin Smith’s apparent fixation with lesbians into a show popular with 13-year-olds.

If anyone lacks and actually desires a history lesson on Degrassi, this site should prove more useful than the official one.

One reply

  1. This show is genius!
    Kevin Smith is right. Degrassi is the greatest show on television.
    All the teen angst you could ever want in a slim 30 minutes!

    Yes. The show is a guilty pleasure for me as I am definitely older
    than its target demographic, but I tivo it because god forbid i miss
    and episode.

    All you skeptics can preview canada’s greatest export other than
    beer and comedians here: http://filtermmm.com/degrassi

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