Degrassi Junior High (1987)
Degrassi Junior High is a Canadian CBC Television teen drama series that was produced from 1987-1989 as part of the Degrassi series. The show followed the lives of a group of students attending the titular fictional school. Many episodes tackled difficult topics such as drug use, child abuse, teenage pregnancy, homosexuality, homophobia, racism, and divorce, and the series was acclaimed for its sensitive and realistic portrayal of the challenges of teenage life. The cast comprised mainly non-professional actors, which added to the show's sense of realism. The series featured many of the same actors who had starred on The Kids of Degrassi Street a few years earlier, including Stacie Mistysyn, Neil Hope, Anais Granofsky, Sarah Charlesworth and others. However, their character names and family situations had been changed, so Degrassi Junior High cannot, therefore, be considered a direct spinoff. The legal counsel for all the episodes was Stephen Stohn who later became the executive producer of Degrassi: The Next Generation. The series was filmed at the unused Vincent Massey Public School in Etobicoke, Ontario.
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Episode 1 - Kiss Me, Steph
Release Date: 1987-01-18Stephanie begins her first day of the eighth grade by ignoring her younger brother, Arthur, who is a year younger than her. Stephanie decides to run for student council president for the school year. After allowing a good portion of the school's male population to kiss her, she wins the election. She loses her best friend, Voula, by neglecting to thank her during her speech.
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Episode 2 - The Big Dance
Release Date: 1987-01-25Against her father's orders, Voula attends the school dance, but doesn't tell him she's going. Stephanie asks Wheels to be her date for the date, and he accepts. Before arriving, Stephanie, Heather and Erica go to Lucy's house and start drinking her parent's alcohol. By time they get to the dance, Stephanie is drunk. After a short time, she runs to the washroom, where she is sick. Voula is persuaded by everyone to give a speech for the school, that was supposed to have been given by Stephanie. Voula's father walks into the gym, and takes his daughter home.
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Episode 3 - The Experiment
Release Date: 1987-02-01Yick feels that Mr. Raditch gives him poor marks without even reading his work. Arthur suggests copying some of Stephanie's old assignments and submitting it as Yick's, too see if his marks improve. All is fine for the first little while, until Mr. Raditch discovers that Yick has been cheating. Melanie and Kathleen want to experiment with drugs and buy pills off of Joey, not knowing that they are actually vitamins. After overhearing what Joey has done, they both confront him and demand their money back.
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Episode 4 - The Cover-Up
Release Date: 1987-02-08Joey and Rick work together on a school assignment. While working at Rick's house, Joey discoveries that Rick's bruises aren't the results of school yard fights, but an abusive father. Joey confides in his mother, who contacts the school to let them know. Although angry at first, Rick is relieved when he gets to go live with his brother.
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Episode 5 - The Great Race
Release Date: 1987-02-15Melanie fears she is too flat chested for the school swim team. After constant complaining that her mother wont buy her a bra, L.D. takes Melanie to the department store. When she arrives at school, wearing her bra, she is the victim of much ridicule and teasing. At the big swim meet (girls team vs. the boys team), Joey makes a loud comment about Melanie's chest to the whole school, and L.D. tosses him into the pool.
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Episode 6 - Rumor Has It
Release Date: 1987-02-22Many of Ms. Avery's students think that she is a lesbian. Caitlin, who admires her teacher, defends these rumours and insists that her teacher isnt gay. After dreaming that her classmates think that she is also gay, Caitlin begins to act self-conscious at school. Caitlin confronts her teacher, who informs her student that she is not gay. After confiding that she has been questioning her own sexuality, Ms. Avery informs Caitlin that these dreams are perfectly normal and that everyone her age has them.
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Episode 7 - The Best Laid Plans
Release Date: 1987-03-01Stephanie asks Wheels out on another date, and rumours start floating around the school that they will have sex on their date. Wheels unknowingly buys condoms at the drugstore where Stephanie's mother works. All pressure and plans are quickly ended, when Wheels arrives at Stephanie's house for their date, and Stephanie's mom recognizes him from the drugstore.
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Episode 8 - Nothing to Fear
Release Date: 1987-03-08L.D. is worried when her father is admitted to the hospital. She fears that after losing her mother to cancer, her father will die as well. She is afraid to see him in the hospital, as it may stir up memories of when her mother was stayed there. She is relieved when everything turns out ok, and her father returns home.
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Episode 9 - What a Night!
Release Date: 1987-03-15Voula befriends Lucy by helping her with her homework. After her marks improve, Lucy shows her appreciation by taking Voula shopping for clothes. At the store, Voula learns that her friend shoplifts. Lucy steals a sweater Voula likes and they are both caught when leaving the store and are taken to the police station, where Lucy is charged. Stephanie meets her favourite soap opera star at a book signing and agrees to go out on a date with him. After he tries to seduce her, Stephanie informs him that she lied about her age and that she is a minor, and he flees.
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Episode 10 - Smokescreen
Release Date: 1987-03-22In an effort to impress Caitlin, Rick joins the school's anti-pollution committee. Yick buys a vase, passing it off as an ancient family heirloom for his school project. When Arthur accidently breaks the vase, Yick gives his class a recount of being a refugee from China and moving to Canada.
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Episode 11 - It's Late!
Release Date: 1987-03-29Shane and Spike have sex for the first time, at Lucy's party. Spike is later worried when her period is late and fears she might be pregnant. Her mother discoveries a home pregnany test and takes her daughter to the doctor to find out for sure. It is then discovered that she is indeed pregnant. Meanwhile, Yick likes Melanie, but is afraid to ask her out. Arthur tries to give him advice, but everytime Yick follows Arthur's plans they backfire. Yick finally gets courage and asks Melanie to go on a date skating and she accepts.
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Episode 12 - Parents' Night
Release Date: 1987-04-12Wheels meets his birth father for the first time when he comes to town. Wheels finds he has a lot in common with his father and is hopeful that they will become close. After realizing that his father doesn't feel the same way, Wheels is hurt. Spike is considering giving her baby up for adoption once it is born, and asks Wheels for advice.
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Episode 13 - Revolution!
Release Date: 1987-04-05After Wheels rejects a date with Stephanie, she starts flirting with Joey to make him jealous. After she appoints Joey as sports rep on the student council, the grade sevens retaliate because Yick was interested in the position first. They start an impeachment of Stephanie as school president. After Joey finds out she was using him to make Wheels jealous, he resigns from the position. Stephanie vows that next semester she will change and will do a good job as president.