Customer Reviews

Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Four

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I accidently stumbbled onto Degrassi several years ago over a Christmas break and found the show to be easily addictive. Not being one for the standard sterotypical high school scene like in the OC or Dawson's Creek I was stunned on how well the show was put together along side it's addictiveness.
Not only is the show intelligently written and plotted the acting from the youthful cast is spectacular. Each character (as partly a result from them being well written) is brought out onto the screen with that particular oddness and poignancy that is all to familar with someone who just left high school.
This is not a show where the entire cast is drop down gorgeous nor act exactly the same; there is a wonderful diversity with the roster of characters present. They all don't wear most expensive clothes or drive the most expensive cars to school and do not go around spouting out mindless phrases such as 'waxing philosophical.' This is a real life show displaying real life characters with real life problems and having those characters work through them with real life means.
About six months after I discovered this little gem of a show I found with much surprise that the DVD sets for each season were available and freaked out; quickly drove to the store and laid down my money. I bought season one sortly before season two came out in Aug. 2005, and saw that the release date for the third season was already scheduled for this past March and quickly pre-ordered. I watched them the entire way through and was able to pick up larger story arcs that I had missed when I saw the reruns on the Noggin Network and longed for more after the last episode had ended on the third season disk set. Once again I saw the release date was only about six months away after the third season (a very short time considering it takes over a year for each season of most other shows to be released on DVD).
I wrote a review for the third season of this show months back and claimed it the be the best season of the entire show (based on what I had picked up on TV and later watched on DVD) and still claim that, but must admit that season four is a very close second.
As in past shows Degrassi boldly faces down such issues as teen pregnancy, drinking, drugs, sex, cutting, homosexuality, violence, and much much more with a raw force that other shows would only dream of doing. The fourth season however goes even further with such issues as noted and beyond.
Not to give anything away (though I will give away some) a school shooting occurs, a student is murdered, another paralyzed, affairs of the heart go out of control, secrets are revealed, and pretty much the same intensity ignites as it has done in the past seasons.
Though some has called this show pretentious, overly dramatic, or just plain stupid they need to think again and take a look at the other shows out there depicting life in high school and recall what it was like for themselves years past in high school. I for one (as someone who just left it) find Degrassi to be all to true to the reality that teens go through as they walk the halls to class. It's safe to simply say this show gets it right.
As for the DVD as with the past three seasons the extras seem to be a step above one another with each passing season. Deleted/extended scenes, gag reels, casting tapes; the usual (I'm not one who does much with extra features on DVDs apart from deleted scenes). The quality of the print of each episode is great (the only drawback is it's in fullscreen (although apart from HBO DVDs not many TV shows that I own are in widescreen format)).
In the end is Degrassi worth laying down the money for? Absolutely...100%...YES!!! It is a must own for fans of the show, fans of high school programs, and fans of people who just like plain good old television; you will not be disappointed.

This is one of the best seasons Degrassi has ever made! The show took a more of an adult approach but still kept it more teen orientated. In this season you will see Paige facing her rapist in court and destroying his car. Craig dealing with bipolar and loses Ashley again. Emma contracts a STD. Then you have the world famous school shooting in "Time Stands Still". Plus, six couples also break up during this season. You also get deleted scenes (that will probably make you wonder why they didn't use 'that' in a particular episode). Also you get way more funnier bloopers from this season than you did with season two. It's a very good four disc dvd pack that any loyal Degrassi fan would enjoy!

I bought this fourth installment for my stepdaughter, who is a huge Degrassi fan. We watched every moment of it as a family -- she's now got a full DVD collection with more to come, but she'd seen most of it on tv. Thought it's over-the-top drama and gets into almost every sordid teen situation imaginable, the series is a good educational exercise for everyone. Guns at school, bipolar disorder... you name it. Degrassi (a Canadian show) takes it on. I say go for it. Ideally, you have a mature teen to present the DVD pack to, but really, it doesn't matter... it's the real world. Watch it with your child. Your child will live it regardless.

I am a PARENT, and I actually enjoy watching this series. I am amazed at how realistically it portrays the problems teens sometimes experience. It is a little over-dramatic at times (but the teenage years are over-dramatic for most people). YOUR CHILDREN WILL EXPERIENCE OR HEAR ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE EXPERIENCING SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS ON THIS SHOW EVENTUALLY. Examples of topics covered are mental illness (including Bipolar disorder in a teenager and alcoholism in a mother of a teen), teen violence (school shooting committed by bullied student), consequences of violence (student injured in shooting), discipline problems at school (school prank leading to expultion), teenage body image issues (including all kinds of stuff - from wearing the same prom dress but needing different sizes to a boy who thinks his male anatomy is smaller than other people - and that that is a problem), dreams of a music career, homosexuality, going to college, dealing with past sexual assault, relationships between teachers and teaching assistants, gay marriage (one of the teens parents enters this kind of marriage - which is legal in the place where the show is set - Canada), homosexuality, STDs, what is the definition of "sex" (ala Bill Clinton), teenage girls being nice to each other and mean to each other, etc. I graduated from college about 10 years ago, and I remember all of these things being at least somewhat of an issue in the lives of people I knew from church, high school, or college. If that was the case 10 years ago then I am sure it is the case now also. I went to a public high school and a large public state univiersity ---- but I lived in a fairly conservative community in high school and was a "good girl" in high school --- and yet I knew about these things (and needed to know how to deal with them) ---- as I got older more and more of them were exerienced in my peer group or in someone I knew. Even in the Christian groups in college we knew people going through some of these things - even if we were not - so understanding the issues was important (if for no other reason than to related to these students in our midst). This is not a light show --- these kids make mistakes --- but those mistakes almost ALWAYS have consequences (realistic ones too). Unfortunately the popular teen show when I was in high school was Beverly Hills 90210 - a very unreaslistic romp through a Beverly Hills high school full of rich, snobby, beautiful kids. This is SOOOOO much more helpful than that. This series could be a way to have frank discussions with your kids. I think it is hard to put an age on this series b/c it really depends on when your child starts hearing about these things -- and therefore having to deal with them. I think you have to know your kids. For me personanally, I think this kind of stuff would have helped me in about 10th - 12th grade --- especially grades 11 and 12. It is certainly appropriate for any college student as a discussion tool on choices in high school and college life. The kids on this show make good choices sometimes too - and they usually bring rewards. View eposides BEFORE watching with your child.

I bought this today and ive watched a couple episodes already but ive seen most of them like 5 times each! so its a really good season includiong the Rick shooting episode and more...it also has deleted scenes and bloopers and all that bonusn stuff...overall its a good box set

This show always has me on the edge. Buy this or die...because this show will rock your Canadian socks off

Cons: I know every single relationship detail about every single girl on this show besides Hazel (played by Andrea Lewis), which makes little to no sense considering she's the girlfriend of a main character, Jimmy (played by Aubrey "Drake" Graham). When Jimmy was shot, the only time Hazel was in the hospital was to cry from outside of the hospital room. Although we saw other cast members (mainly Craig and Marco) visit, Hazel and Jimmy never had any alone time. Hazel is treated like an extra, which makes no sense to me considering the writers tried to bring her more exposure in Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season Three with "Take on Me." If you're going to put the two together, you might as well actually give them actual stories together. Even when Jimmy came home, Hazel is hanging in the back, smiling and talking about "My boyfriend's back." What girlfriend is going to be that laid-back about her boyfriend coming back to school in a wheelchair? Even Ashley's character (who I was surprised didn't visit him considering they were friends even though they were no longer in a relationship) had a small "hi" moment with Jimmy. The two might as well have not been a couple with the way she's blatantly being ignored in cast writing. Meanwhile we find out all about Emma's oral fixation, Paige chasing behind a student teacher, Ellie struggling to keep a dead-end relationship "happy," Liberty STILL crushing on J.T., and Ashley's up-down relationship with Craig. Manny's new relationship threw me off completely, but we got intimate details about her new beau and even reminders about her one-time relationship with J.T. So why can't Hazel get just a moment on the entire season outside of two crying scenes about Jimmy being shot?

Pros: I loved the episodes with Rick (played by Ephraim Ellis). He did a perfect job of playing the character we knew we shouldn't like but was sympathetic for all the same. The episodes with him being bullied at the school reminded me of Jodi Picoult's book Nineteen Minutes. The whole time I was watching those episodes, I was getting angrier thinking, "You all better leave that boy alone." But then, I kept thinking, "He deserved it for what he did." I haven't seen the other seasons, but this is such a timely and valid concern for today's audience on how kids go from being vulnerable to vengeful. I especially enjoyed the complex reaction from Rick's mother and the episode with Jimmy and Rick having a few much-needed conversations. By now, everybody probably knows Jimmy ended up in a wheelchair, but I didn't know how or why. I loved those episodes. I also enjoyed watching Sean's reaction--although I truly wish Daniel Clark and Lauren Collins would stop doing that pursed-lip-pouty-face when they're mad. It's hard to take them seriously when their mad expressions look like something a two-year-old would do.

The rest of the episodes were cool, but I just got tired of hearing about Paige. There were so many other characters on the show, and I was more interested in hearing about the ones who get left out. Manny and Ellie have a lot more depth to their characters, and they're not your typical popular teen girl. Paige is painfully boring to me, and I've seen her character one too many times, but she did surprise me ONE time during the shooting episode. That's the first time I actually appreciated her character. I was surprised to find myself liking Emma more and more, although she's still manipulative and slightly annoying. However, her scenes with Rick made me admire her busybody personality. I still don't care about the adults on the show. After seeing their scenarios once, I fast forward straight through them to get back to the kids. I think they should be treated like adults from the Peanuts comic strips. Wah wah wah wah wah wah.

Fun show though, and I'm still watching. I can't wait to finish the seasons off! BTW, the bonus scenes with the bloopers were great this time around. On Season 3, they weren't really funny, just mistakes. On Season 4, the ones with Liberty and J.T. were THE best. I have no idea what the deal is with those two off camera, but they were too cute in every single scene, especially when they were messing up.

I was very pleased with this item. I actually bought it for my thirteen year old because she loved the show. I had the chance to sit and watch it with her and I was pleased Thank You

Paige faces her rapist, straining her relationship with Spinner. Spinner and Paige break up, and he begins dating a hesitant Manny, who is still getting over Craig. Marco and Alex compete to be Class President. Rick, who was responsible for putting former schoolmate Terry into a coma, returns to school, and is bullied by his peers. Ellie has had enough with her mom's drunken antics, and decides to move out. Toby befriends Rick. After being humiliated in front of the entire school, due to Alex, Spinner, and Jay, Rick is fed up and brings a gun to school, which leaves one student dead, one in the hospital, and Emma and Sean especially, traumatized. After the shooting, Sean decides to move back with his parents. Emma begins acting out, and gets involved with Jay. Liberty finally lands her longtime crush, J.T. Craig and Ashley start dating again. Jimmy returns to school and deals with Spinner's involvement in the shooting. Paige begins dating Matt, the new student teacher, and fights with Manny after Manny reveals their secret relationship to the school. Craig deals with bipolar disorder. Jay and Silent Bob make a movie at Degrassi.

SUCH a great season, but the best episodes have to be "Time Stands Still" part 1 and 2, which show the serious consequences of bullying and the aftermath. Definitely recommend this season!

You can say I've been around a bit and grew up on Degrassi Junior High,etc..Wound up watching Degrassi "Next Generation" kind of unintentionally...Glad I did and the rest is history.Just a tremendous cast of young actors and great stories with several different topics.Have enjoyed many of the young actors grow through their teenage years.The show keeps adding many talented young actors as the years go by.With many of the cast from 2001-2007,pretty much gone,most have been replaced.If you have been a fan of Degrassi since the 80's or just getting into the series,season 4 is definitely something you should check and add to your collection.I'm slowly adding seasons to my collection.Check the show out if you haven't yet...