Product Description

Go to school with the show in a class by itself-and get real! Hailed as "groundbreaking," "powerful," and "totally authentic," Degrassi Junior High confronts it all-friendship, puberty, rumors, sports, studies, and more-with a refreshing ensemble cast and a unique teen’s-eye-view of life. Sometimes moving, sometimes shocking, but always believable, Degrassi Junior High is a classic for teens of all ages. All your favorite characters and storylines are waiting-find your seat-school’s open!

Includes all thirteen episodes of Degrassi Junior High from Season 2: Eggbert; A Helping Hand; Great Expectations; Dinner and a Show; Stagefright; Fight!; Bottled Up; Sealed with a Kiss; Dog Days; Censored; Trust Me; . . . He's Back; and Pass Tense

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79561 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-06-07
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 338 minutes

Amazon.com
Year 2 of the youth-oriented series from the 1980s, popular in Canada and on American public television, remains uncompromising in its portrait of middle school-age kids as kids: complicated and unformed, a little vague about values and ethics, often powerless to affect their destinies or achieve what they believe to be right. Set in Toronto, the show follows the dilemmas of several students at Degrassi, though season 2 spends less time with the younger set than in the series' debut year. Perhaps that's because there are some truly serious matters for the program's 8th graders (mostly the same kids carrying over from season 1) to confront, including issues of teen pregnancy, alcoholism at home, inappropriate teacher behavior, censorship, sexism, and much more.

The most pronounced storyline in season 2 is the pregnancy of Christine "Spike" Nelson (Amanda Stepto), a situation her peers seem to handle well but not so Degrassi's PTA or the local school board. These agitated adults want to pull Spike from school and force her into some kind of shame-based program for unwed mothers. Spike's friends stand up for her, including the earnest Caitlin (Stacie Mistysyn), whose editorial in support of Spike is rejected by the school paper's faculty advisor and ends up on a flyer passed around campus. (For her trouble, Caitlin receives detention and a lecture from Spike, who doesn't want to be a cause du jour.) Meanwhile, the father of Spike's baby, Shane (Bill Parrott), wants to help but is hindered by his parents, who want to sweep the whole matter under a rug. Apart from Spike's woes, season 2 finds a provocative recurring story in the arrival of a substitute teacher at Degrassi, a handsome fellow with a subtle tendency to touch female students in flirtatious ways, peer down blouses, etc. After Lucy (Anais Granofsky) is duped by his attentions, she makes a point of educating other girls about him. Sexual issues are also in the forefront of a confrontation between Joey (Pat Mastroianni) and Degrassi activist L.D. (Amanda Cook), the latter objecting to the presence of pin-up photos of near-naked women inside Joey's locker. L.D. retaliates with pin-ups of hunky guys in her own locker, embarrassing Joey and landing both of them in hot water with the principal. As with season 1, this suite of episodes really grows on a viewer and becomes irresistible family television. And, hey: what about those '80s hairdos.... Wow. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Excellent DVD Release
Degrassi Junior High diversified and grew during the second season. Alexa started off the school year by giving Stephanie K. a run for her popularity. When Stephanie ditched her fast girl clothes, Alexa started wearing them to gain the attention of a new cute student named Simon. Stephanie returns to wearing more conservative attire despite a brief return to the sexy clothes to gain Simon's attention.

Voula exited the show. It was explained that she moved away. Some kids from season 1 saw a big increase in screen time. Susie had more scenes and her real life little brother checked in as the pint sized student Scooter. Another new character introduced during season 2 was Michelle, also known as Mouse. Not only was she shy, she was slightly more overweight than the other girls in her grade. One of the most interesting new characters introduced during Season 2 was Liz. Liz was edgy and different. She wasn't about to let anyone push her around or change just to fit in. BLT, was seen in the episode "Eggbert," and in a few others but his storyline didn't grow much during Season 2.

Caitlin's storyline grew during season 2. Viewers couldn't help but to feel for Caitlin when she had a seizure at Susie's sleepover. It was learned during Season 2 that Lucy wasn't the only Degrassi kid raising herself for the most part. It was discovered that Kathleen was living with an alcoholic mother. Caitlin continued to fight for any cause that she believed in. She really was heated when she felt her friend Spike was being discriminated against because of her pregnancy. Wheel's storyline during Season 2 is minor compared to Season 3. During Season 2 Wheels struggles with his grades and isn't pleased about having to wear glasses. He does his best to maintain decent enough grades to remain a member of the Zit Remedy.

One huge storyline continued from season 1 was the storyline of Spike's pregnancy. Although Spike didn't give birth to Emma before the season ended, the relationship between her and her parents and Shane's parents intensified. Lucy continued to deal with her absentee parents. She struggled when a substitute teacher tried to get fresh with her. Joey Jeremiah continued to be the cad and comic relief of Degrassi. Season 2 introduced the classic Zit Remedy song, "Everybody Wants Something." Despite his popularity, Joey finds himself in an awkward situation when he becomes bullied by Dwayne.

As Season 2 came to a close, you really were left wanting to watch more episodes. Degrassi Junior High ran for three seasons in the 1980's.

All three discs include special bonus video from the Degrassi Talks series. Another cool feature on each disc is the "Pop Quiz" with Degrassi trivia. This is extra enjoyable for the die hard Degrassi fan. The discs also include Degrassi Junior High wallpaper and printable materials for educators.

Dorrie from imissthe80s

go back to school with your favourite teens!
Everyone's favourite angst-ridden teens finally come to DVD in DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH.

All 13 episodes of the acclaimed second season are featured in this set. The series was a bold spinoff from the short-lived afterschool series THE KIDS OF DEGRASSI STREET, and was groundbreaking in that it approached topics like peer pressure, teen violence, suicide, sex and pregnancy with well-written and intelligent storylines. This series remains, many years later, quality television for the pre-teens and teens sets (adults will appreciate the writing and amazing acting from the talented cast), and stands up well to repeat screenings.

Season Two picks up the pieces from the stories of the previous year. Taking precedence though is the plight of pregnant Spike (Amanda Stepto) and the future of her impending baby. Stephanie Kaye (Nicole Stoffman), still recovering from her disastrous first term as School President, vows to clean up her act, and the antics of the one and only Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) almost always land him in trouble.

Includes the following episodes:

"Eggbert" - As part of a counselling experiment, Spike must carry an egg around for two weeks and treat it just like a real baby. The new boy in Grade Eight, Simon (Michael Carry) captures the attention of both Alexa (Irene Courakos) and Stephanie.

"A Helping Hand" - Substitute teacher Mr Colby begins to make unwanted advances toward Lucy (Anais Granofsky).

"Stagefright" - Caitlin (Stacie Mistysyn) returns to school, but doesn't tell her friends that she has been diagnosed as an epileptic. When she suffers a seizure during a slumber party, the story spreads around school that Caitlin is a `freak'. Meanwhile, shy Michelle (Maureen McKay) has to give a speech.

"Great Expectations" - The new girl, Liz (Cathy Keenan) becomes Joey's school partner.

"Fight!" - Joey gets into a fight with school bully Dwayne (Darrin Brown) and the Stephanie-Simon-Alexa love triangle finally comes to a conclusion.

"Bottled Up" - Kathleen's (Rebecca Haines) secret is finally blown when the school's quiz team holds a practice at her house, and everyone witnesses Katheen's alcoholic and abusive mother.

"Sealed With a Kiss" - Erica (Angela Deiseach) dates a boy who loves to French-kiss...and later proves it again by smooching Heather (Maureen Deiseach). But later, both Erica and Heather complain of horrible laryngitis....could the boy have given them mono?

"Dinner and a Show" - The future of Spike and Shane's (Bill Parrott) baby is discussed by both families.

"Dog Days" - Stephanie is plagued by dreams of suicide and depressive moods when her mother announces plans to get married again.

"Censored" - When Spike's pregnancy becomes common knowledge around town, the Parents Committee decide to exclude her from school.

"Trust Me" - A harmless sleepover turns into a nightmare of epic proportions for Joey, Wheels (Neil Hope) and Snake (Stefan Brogren).

"He's Back..." - Mr Colby is back, but this time starts taking an interest in Susie (Sarah Charlesworth). Will Lucy finally report him for abuse?

"Pass Tense!" - The Eighth Grade sit for their graduation exams, but news leaks through that the school will be incorporating the 9th Grade next year. Nevertheless, the students enjoy a well-deserved graduation dance before Spike's labour begins.

A top season which sets the scene for the third and final year of `Junior High'.

How Teen Shows Should Be Done
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. It is truly a guilty pleasure. However, the show *did* portray everyday tween/teenager problems in a realistic, if sometimes heavy-handed, way. And tho the viewer feels like they're watching something from a movie that "Mystery Science Theater 3000" would be lampooning at times, the messages of "Degrassi Junior High" resonate much, much more than nearly any other high school-set series ("Feaks and Geeks" is at the top of that list).

From a technical standpoint, Season Two is a big improvement. New topics that are tackled include 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 have also improved. From a guilty pleasure standpoint, you STILL will love watching these episodes with dated music, clothes, and hairstyles a plenty. 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. I give this series an A+ for having its heart in the right place and not talking down to its audience. Other features include the "Degressi Talks...on Depression" special, which is actually quite moving.

Like the first season collection, 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. Glad Season 3 is just around the corner!