Customer Reviews

Degrassi Junior High - Season 3

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I discovered Degrassi in the dark years when my parents canceled cable and I was relegated to public television in the afternoons. What I've rediscovered is that when you watch one episode, you can't stop...you have to keep going through 4 or 5. This season was excellent, though Stephanie Kaye is sorely missed.
The old school Degrassi far exceeds the "next generation" for one simple reason: it's painfully honest. You look at them and remember when you had an outfit that bad, or braces that shiny, or a crush on a guy who actually wore tight jeans... The Next Generation is too slick and too good looking - part of the allure of the old Degrassi is that it shows that adolescence is brutal and awkward, but it does get better.
Some behind the scenes features and interviews would be awesome - it'd be interesting to see what the old bunch is up to now and what they think of the show.

During its third season, you can see Degrassi slightly alter its format a bit to fit in with the significant changes to the characters through puberty. There's more focus on the relationships, with romance brewing between Caitlin and Joey, and episodes about interracial dating, dating a senior, and the tension between teen parents. Stephanie is gone, Spike's given birth, Kathleen is still a prude, and there's the addition of the funniest character I've forgotten about over the years; Arnold's cousin. The most significant story arc in this season concerns the death of Wheel's parents, which was inspired by the death of the actor's real life father, and it's dealt with a much more grittier tone than the previous seasons. (Compare it to the bout of depression Stephanie suffered in season two.) I reckon the performance is still as powerful as anything you'd see today. This set has a great behind-the-scenes feature that really highlights the impact of the show and will really open your eyes about how convincing the realism was seen during its day. All in all, a great season and a nice lead in to what will be the much darker and serious, Degrassi High series. I can't wait!

The first season of "Degrassi Junior High" often came very close to feeling like public access, with a miniscule (at best) budget and often very wooden/weird acting. A true guilty pleasure. From a technical standpoint, Season Two was a big improvement. New topics tackled included depression, divorce/remarriage, and sex. The teen actors clearly developed their talents and come off more believable as they did in Season 1. The camerawork and direction also improved.

Season Three is something of an anomaly. With two seasons under their belt, you would've thought the people behind the scenes (directors, writers, editors, etc.) would have improved by Season Three -- yet be on the lookout for some major editing gaffes, continuity errors, and just plain weirdness (the huge sweat stains on the math teacher's shirt in a few episodes come to mind...the directors must've come to their senses when they put him in blazers in later episodes).

Yet, there are many powerful moments in Season Three. Wheels' losing his parents in a drunk driving accident and the aftermath of the event are well done. An episode about eating disorders is also good. The acting from the young cast also is an improvement over seasons 1 & 2. Pat M. as Joey Jeremiah is especially good. The DVD set comes with teaching supplements that would be helpful for any jr.high/hs teachers that are thinking of showing episodes in class. There's also a short "behind the scenes" special which is interesting.

Like the first two season collections, you can't go wrong with this DVD. You'll appreciate its honest portrayal of 12-15 year olds, but find much to laugh at in terms of the production values and overall 80s nostalgia. A+.

I will buy this DVD like every other Degrassi release because I like crap. This show has a sinister attraction that snared me as a youth...and never let go. I wish the Canadians would stop making these teenage soap operas so I wouldn't feel like such an idiot watching them.

This DVD was finally relesed in Australia over a week ago. Season 3 was a great season. Wheels parents die in a car crash in the first two episodes. After they forbid him to hang out with Joey Jeremiah his best friend. Throughout season 3 Wheels struggles to accept his parents deaths which is understandle no one could blame Wheels for the way he feels. All though how he acted out in Degrassi High was unacceptable. Spike had her baby over the summer a beautiful baby girl named Emma who you can see know in Degrassi Next Generation going to Degrassi herself. Joey remains very committed to the Zit Remedy. His blossoming romance with Caitlin is one of the the highlights of season 3. Melanie's and Kathleens friendship starts to go under strain when Kathleen becomes vice president and when Kathleen gets anorexia. They become friends again at the end of the season when Allison tries to attract Snake away from Melanie. Melanie also steals $20 from her mum to go on a date with Snake. Shane takes acid at a concert. The twins switch places when Cluch asks Heather out who Erika likes. Lucy acts grown up this season. First she has Paul as a boyfriend then Clutch. Arthurs and Yick's friendship is also under strain when Arthurs mum wins the lottery. Simon and Alexa break up early in the season but then get back together. Michelle and BLT start going out desprite her parents disappoval because BLT is black. Snake finds out his brother Glen is gay. In Australia we have a different cover Joey and Caitlin are on the front. Also we had two discs instead of 3. And no special features. But this DVD is great anyway.