Close Menu
NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Subscribe
    NERDBOT
    • News
      • Reviews
    • Movies & TV
    • Comics
    • Gaming
    • Collectibles
    • Science & Tech
    • Culture
    • Nerd Voices
    • About Us
      • Join the Team at Nerdbot
    NERDBOT
    Home»Nerd Culture»What Keeps Me Coming Back to Degrassi?
    Nerd Culture

    What Keeps Me Coming Back to Degrassi?

    LinkBy LinkJune 24, 20196 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

    Last week I made the decision to binge some Degrassi, for probably the sixth time this year, and it got me thinking… What really keeps me coming back for more?

    Degrassi started out in 1979 with The Kids of Degrassi Street and continued with many of the same characters through the years with Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. These shows ran all the way to 1991 and was one of the first of its kind to cover teen life and real teen issues, like sex, abuse, drugs, pregnancy, and average school life.

    The kids of Degrassi High.

    In 2001 the show finally continued with Degrassi: the Next Generation, which saw the return of some of the now adult characters from the previous shows, like Snake, Spike, Joey, and Caitlin, among the new stars of the show, with Spikes daughter Emma at the center of the drama. This was the Degrassi that I grew up with, that helped me through my teen years. The show continued to tackle tough teen issues like rape, abuse, drugs, love, and coming out.

    By 2010 the show entered its 10th season and there was almost a completely new cast of characters. The show had dropped the “the Next Generation” from it’s name, but it also gained something incredible. Something that kept me glued to the show up until the very damn end. Eclare.

    Eclare

    No, not the pastry, the couple. In season ten they introduced the troubled Eli, an emo boy who drives a hearse, played by the amazingly talented Munro Chambers. Eli became the main love interest for Clare, the bookish Christian girl, played by Aislinn Paul, and voila! The show exploded in popularity. But what makes Eclare so special?

    I honestly can’t explain it. From the moment I heard the line, “You’ve got pretty eyes.” I was done for. Honestly, Eli and Clare seem doomed from the start. They start out as partners in English class just as Clare’s parents are heading toward a nasty divorce, which puts things on rocky ground from the start. As they begin to get closer, Eli starts to pull away, and reveals to Clare that he is not over his dead ex girlfriend yet, so he asks for time. When they finally start dating, things immediately begin to get rocky again when Clare discovers that Eli is a hoarder, then the writers throw about a million other wrenches at them, Eli becomes overwhelmed by his mental illness, and they break up at the end of the season.

    Eli and Clare break up.

    Fast forward through the awkward clustercrap that is season 11 to season 12 and Eclare is back together! Yay! Heart eyes! During this season, the little couple that could endures Clare’s sexual assault at her co-op, more of Eli’s struggles through mental illness and subsequent drug use, ANOTHER FREAKING BREAK UP, and even some post prom sex, and make it out even stronger than they were when they went in. Then came the worst season of Degrassi history.

    As soon as we go into season 13 we find out that Clare has cancer (really, writers?!). Eli comes back from his summer job working on Bret Barnett’s new film to be with her through chemotherapy, and she fortunately goes into remission. This season sees Clare and Eli struggle to stay connected in their long distance relationship while Eli is off at NYU. Eli even cheats on Clare with a girl at college and they break up momentarily just in time for Clare to suddenly be attracted to the vile Drew Torres. She tells him about Eli’s betrayal, kisses him, and runs away to get back together with Eli. They continue to struggle with the distance until they inevitably break up and Clare has sex with Drew. The season wraps on Clare’s visit to New York for a college interview at Columbia University, where she’s been stranded at Eli’s dorm because of horrible storms in the area. After her interview he confesses his love for her, just before she heads back home and finds out shes pregnant (WHAT).

    Clare finds out she’s pregnant

    Season 14 picks up with Clare thinking shes pregnant with Drew’s baby and planning on having an abortion. Realizing that she may never be able to get pregnant again because of the cancer, she ultimately decides to keep the baby, but has to figure out how to tell Eli that the baby isn’t his. Again, we get a bunch of on again, off again with them, until we find out that the baby is actually Eli’s. Yaaayyy. But, of course he’s a total jerk to her when she tries to tell him and won’t listen and, in one of the biggest asshole moments of Degrassi history, calls her a whore for sleeping with Drew. Of course he eventually finds out the truth and tries to win her back, which eventually works. Just in time for them to lose the baby. Yep, the writers officially hate this couple.

    The episode where Clare is in denial over losing the baby and just wants to push on through life is easily one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever watched. The episode aired four years ago and I still can’t watch it without crying. She tries to drive to Columbia University in New York on her own to tell them what happened so that she and Eli can live out their dream, but she agrees, reluctantly, to allow Eli to come, just in case she goes into labor while they’re on the road. They stop at a road stop at some point and talk and cry to each other about what their son might have been like, in one of the most heart wrenching scenes of Degrassi history. Clare then decides to come back and go through the induction process and give birth to her child.

    Eli and Clare have an emotional talk about their son.

    Eli and Clare then try to carry on as a couple, and even go to prom together. Before prom, Eli presents Clare with a box with a key in it, asking her to move in with him after she graduates. And she freaking declines. Because the writers hate this couple. She decides that she doesn’t want to just follow Eli to New York and she wants to take a year to figure things out, and try to make things work long distance, because that worked so well the first time around. The season, and Eclare ends with Eli once again telling Clare that she has pretty eyes, and they kiss.

    Eclare finale kiss.

    Degrassi continued on Netflix with Next Class, but Eli and Clare never return, so it doesn’t matter. Eclare added an amazing romantic element to the show that I didn’t know it needed until they got there. They truly were the little couple that could, right up until they left the show, and it was never the same again.

    Sign my petition below if you’d like to see some closures for these beloved characters!

    https://www.change.org/p/stephen-stohn-let-s-get-some-closure-for-eli-and-clare-80cc6084-a4c7-49c3-8b0f-2a0033c8b1ca

    Do You Want to Know More?

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleJason Momoa… Peter Dinklage… Twins Remake?
    Next Article Tim Burton Art Exhibit Returns to US after 10 Years
    Link
    • Facebook
    • X (Twitter)

    Avid nerd. Canna mom. Anime freak. Horror enthusiast. Film buff.

    Related Posts

    Mattel SDCC Exclusives: Monster High Elvira, Mario Kart Pauline

    June 20, 2025

    How to Best Help Your Teens Care For a Video Game Console

    June 19, 2025

    “The Sandman” Final Season Gets Official Trailer

    June 17, 2025

    Official My Little Pony Coffee UNICORN POWERS Will Have You Feeling Magical!

    June 16, 2025

    The Secret Science Behind Why Digital Ebooks Are Rewiring Our Brains

    June 16, 2025

    What is BFDI (Battle for Dream Island)? An Interview With My Kid

    June 15, 2025
    • Latest
    • News
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Reviews

    Russell Crowe to Co-Star With Henry Cavill “Highlander”

    June 20, 2025

    The Daily Jaws Announces 50th Anniversary Interview Series

    June 20, 2025

    Mattel SDCC Exclusives: Monster High Elvira, Mario Kart Pauline

    June 20, 2025

    Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Leaving Estate to His 100+ Kids

    June 20, 2025

    The Daily Jaws Announces 50th Anniversary Interview Series

    June 20, 2025

    Telegram Founder Pavel Durov Leaving Estate to His 100+ Kids

    June 20, 2025

    High-Tech Diagnostic Imaging Solutions at Adventist Health

    June 18, 2025

    10 Tips for Choosing a Personal Injury Attorney

    June 18, 2025

    Russell Crowe to Co-Star With Henry Cavill “Highlander”

    June 20, 2025
    Billy the puppet "Saw"

    Blumhouse Nabs “Saw” Franchise Rights

    June 18, 2025
    "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," 1974

    “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” Returns to Theaters for One Night Only

    June 18, 2025

    “Death Stranding” is ALSO Getting an Animated Film?!

    June 18, 2025

    Netflix, Legendary Want to Remake “Land of the Lost”

    June 17, 2025

    “King of the Hill” Revival Gets Father’s Day Clip

    June 15, 2025

    What is BFDI (Battle for Dream Island)? An Interview With My Kid

    June 15, 2025

    Temuera Morrison Wants to Play Live-Action Captain Rex

    June 14, 2025

    Official My Little Pony Coffee UNICORN POWERS Will Have You Feeling Magical!

    June 16, 2025

    Halfway Through 2025: These Are The Best Films (So Far)

    June 15, 2025

    Car Branding Solutions: Do’s & Don’ts to Promote Business

    June 13, 2025

    APPLEJACK’S Caramel Apple by JOYGROUND COFFEE is a Sweet Treat All Year-Round

    June 12, 2025
    Check Out Our Latest
      • Product Reviews
      • Reviews
      • SDCC 2021
      • SDCC 2022
    Related Posts

    None found

    NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Nerdbot is owned and operated by Nerds! If you have an idea for a story or a cool project send us a holler on [email protected]

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.