In one of the most highly anticipated Degrassi’s in recent memory, Degrassi Takes Manhattan premiered on Much Music Friday Night and if Twitter’s Trending Topics have anything to do with it, the ratings for the 2-hour TV movie should do fine in both Canada and the United States.
Although the movie premiered only in Canada, if you were lucky enough to catch a glitch on Degrassi’s United States affiliate, Teen Nick’s website than you were able to catch the movie in it’s entirety. This was able to be seen as early as 2:00 PM Eastern time and was accessible through a hidden link, which leads me to believe this was no accident.
The movie was clearly not any better than Degrassi Goes Hollywood, but was still full of drama, old characters and a Boycott the Caf reference. It was so good to see Degrassi with a telling storyline that I feel I haven’t seen since Season 5.
The movie begins with Janie and The Studz featuring Peter Stone playing outside Degrassi as everyone exits the school for the last time (Jane,Danny and Johnny). The Spinner-Jane drama begins in the first part of the movie when Declan throws a party at his house. Every storyline from this movie is drawn from the actions that took place at the party in some way or another.
You have to feel for Spinner Mason (Chronic Stoner). At Declan’s party, he over hears Jane and Holly J talking about Jane’s relationship with Declan which obviously gets Spinner upset, so in anger he takes out Declan and decides to leave. In addition, Spinner, who had hired Emma to work at The Dot earlier in the day took the initiative and fortitude to burn down the restaurant in short order. Make an impression, right? Spinner’s world is crashing down on him and doesn’t know what to do. Meanwhile, Jane, who also is unsure what to do gets invited to New York to get away from her troubles along with Declan, Holly J and Fiona.
I was really glad to see spinner get a real intense scene. We havent seen him this intense since Degrassi used to “Go there” a few seasons back. The punch was fantastic; I was waiting and anticipating it and when it came It was such a good feeling. Declan had it coming, he even admits it.
If this movie proved one thing, its the love that Holly J and Declan have for each other. Fiona is dealing with another girl taking her brother away and would do anything to stop them from being with each other. Including taking the internship spotlight from Holly J. This was clearly the best part of the movie. I didn’t like Holly J’s bitchiness in the past seasons, but lately she has been way too nice. Something that definitely needed to change and it did in the movie. After Fiona’s extreme jealously, eventually leading to a kiss, comes to be too much for Holly J to handle,”Initial” throws Fiona into a room and takes the spotlight right from under her.
Degrassi Takes Manhattan was what I thought it would realistically be when it came to the “incest” storyline. Even though it was a power struggle, we see an emotionally distressed character. She is extremely jealous of Holly J or anyone that he has dated. Declan mentioned that she doesn’t have many friends, thus the reason they are so close. After saying that, she gets even more emotional.
Annie Clark sure played Fiona well. It was good to see her show tons of emotion and the fact that she played the scene perfect just adds to the effect she had on me as a viewer. Sometimes when actors show that kind of intense emotion, it tends to be awkward and not believable. Not in this case; She does a fantastic job.
Spinner rebounds. Gets drunk. Gets Married. I now present to you Emma and Gavin Mason. Sounds wierd and I’m wondering why they didn’t pronounce Emma’s last name as Mason. I thought that was wierd. After getting drunk and married, Spemma have thoughts about getting their marriage annulled but have a party at the end of the movie instead.
Although they pulled it off, the whole Spinner-Emma marriage is so impossibly random. This couple just doesn’t work. They rarely talked in high school and all of a sudden they work as a couple on DTM? I simply cannot buy these guys as a couple. I did, however grow to fall in love with them, but it definitely will take some time to sink in. Its probably a given that Spemma fans are mad about this relationship.
When I heard that Degrassi was gonna have these two be romantically involved I thought they were going to over-do the character involvement and completely ruin the classic Degrassi characters. I was completely wrong. I do think that they rushed the storyline way too much. From what I’ve heard this was supposed to be the last of Emma and Spinner, who are staying in Toronto. Let’s hope the show doesn’t make those two disappear like Chris, Alex, Kendra and Paige’s H.I.V. storyline.
Now it’s time to move on to what has been marked THE BIGGEST EVENT IN DEGRASSI HISTORY. I am really looking forward to this season. IF any ONE season can rival the classic ones, It’s this one. Such build up and drama has been placed on Season 10. I really hope the 30th season in the Degrassi franchise lives up to the hype.
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well i’m still up lol and am so glad i got to watch the movie today! even though there’s been so many clips it was still exciting to watch. and when the kiss was coming up it was like seeing it for the first time…if that makes sense.
anyways good movie! glad it wasn’t too bandy, idk from the hollywood movie that was already annoying didn’t want a repeat and at the end jane isn’t with her new new york band anyways lol.
still laughing at declan in new york with all his women but it worked out.
i didn’t like the hollywood movie and i really hate crellie so making random spemma was much better. man was that random! like okay married and wanna be together but when they were saying i love you. like wth when did you fall in love?
sooo random. they didn’t talk in hs and now this happens. emma is just weird now lol. but what a life. in college, drop off, ride bikes, come home, blow up the dot, and marry spinner. it’s just funny cuz it was right away him breaking up with jane but it was a happy storyline so it’s okay. too bad no wedding for janny. and now manny and emma have shared another boy. ha.
anyways so it was cool for them to be in new york and for fiona to be such a bitch lol. but they only had each other and fiona didnt even have a life really at degrassi, declan managed to with the musical. but good storyline after all.
and the kiss wasn’t that big a deal lol it was exactly what i thought it would be and everyone seemed to move on from it.
i was just so excited to see the movie and now have seen it so yay! and i’ll watch it on teen nick on monday lol. idk degrassi fan for forever, haha maybe, but it was the most exciting degrassi watching since season 5. jt stuff in season 6 had its moments but everything after that has been pretty lame until the movie.
and can’t wait for all the new episodes!
spemma so random but it was cute after all.
oh wait, forgot to mention the pool party stuff.
well like you said before all 3 of them had whats coming to them and im glad spinner finally found out. and punched declan and yelled at all of them. jane really got screwed, like he found out you cheated and now hes marrying someone else.
ok this is long lol. yay movie!!!
oh and alex didn’t disappear lol! she left! went and moved with her aunt. the other 2 people and the storyline did into poof into thin air.
when they showed spinners mom i was like omg show kendra. haha.
I really liked you review on the movie, but who is Alex? Is that the Alex from earlier seasons and was a lesbian? Or is it someone else? Let me know if you get a chance, Thanks!
Yes, it is Alex from the earlier season. She was the hottest lesbian EVAR. There ya go!
thanks so much!
I actually think Spinner and Emma make sense. They have both changed so much since the beginning of the series. Emma has mellowed but it still passionate about the environment, etc. And Spinner is mature and responsible, I was impressed with the way he wouldn’t let Emma take the blame for The Dot. He proved he is ready for commitment by staying with Jane for so long-and although it is weird that he moved on so fast maybe that is proof it wasn’t really right.
That being said, I wish they would have let the characters date instead of immediately getting married. I think they got close off screen, what with Manny and Jay dating and visiting home. They could have got the annulment and if things were right have an actual wedding! Okay that is a pipe dream to bring back the cast, lol.
Why did they make Fiona a psycho? At least they are having her see an actual doctor and not just the guidance counselor!
All in all it was a great way to wrap up season 9 and start season 10.
BTW, I stayed up and watched the first four episodes of season 10. I couldn’t help myself! They are on the teen nick website along with the movie and they are great.
I *totally* agree with Spinner and Emma making sense. Yes, they definitely could’ve shown the progression between them a little better, but overall, I think this couple could actually fit together quite well. Now that the teenage hormones have run their course, they’ve both settled down quite a bit and look to want at least one thing in common. A grounded relationship – which is obvious when they talk about how money and fame, etc. aren’t important so long as they’re sharing their lives with someone. This was obviously something Jane wasn’t ready for with Spinner and something he’d clearly wanted for awhile. Even in the first or second season, he talked about how for him cheating was not okay because he felt he’d found The One in (I think it was–) Paige. Guy was like 14, haha. It just proves that he’s always been looking for that and what he expected out of his relationship with Jane wasn’t something she was entirely committed to.
He and Emma, however, could have a really great relationship. I honestly assumed they’d get an annullment like you suggested, but if they really think they can make it work as a marriage… all the power to ’em! 🙂
Well…the movie was….amazing in some places, and so…weird and enraging in others.
First off, I’ll get more into this later, but I will say that the Holly J/Declan/Fiona stuff was all PURELY amazing. Acting was gold, writing was gold…everything was superb there, and for the first time I can actually say I enjoyed the new cast more than the old ones.
Now, everything else….um, well, I love Degrassi dearly, but for me, it was not good. It was bad. So we have Spinner and Emma, in what is their last appearance on Degrassi(for now), and they randomly get drunk and get married. Okay, THAT I was excited for. That I was looking forward to because it would be new and fun.
Where it became totally insane and almost too out there to believe(and Degrassi has had some random and out there things in the past, but for me this exceeds everything else) is that somehow, they decide that they are happy together and stay together.
Spinner and Emma have had several on-screen interactions in the entire series, and thats it. They know of each other, sure, but suddenly they decide that they are HAPPY together and should remain *married*??!?! There are almost no words to describe how mind-boggling this is.
And everyone else is so ACCEPTING of it. Spike, Snake, everyone’s friends, have NO problem with this. Basically it was two minutes of “Erm?” and then they were all “Oh good, lets do this!”. It made absolutely no sense whatsoever, and what baffles me even more is this is how they are sent off. This is how two central characters are sent off: Randomly hooking up. I guess we’re left to assume that they just live happily ever after? Which is so…insane.
It just dissappoints me. I wanted their send-offs to be great….but for me, they really weren’t. In hindsight, maybe its best that they are leaving after this, because I think the writers have no clue what to do with these characters anymore.
For this being Jane’s last appearance, it really felt like an afterthought in the midst of everything else. So I guess she just stays in New York? Seems like it…
Now, onto the good stuff: Fiona really blossomed in this movie. After being a supporting character, everything finally came full circle in this movie. Fiona has become very attached to Declan, and sorta unstable in the process…it was all just fantastic on her part, and is a PERFECT lead-in for Season 10.
Holly J/Declan was also very good. The Holly J/Fiona rivalry was fun, especially Holly J locking her in the closet…just excellent. Holly J and Declan work as a couple, more than Holly J/Blue did or Holly J/Spinner ever would. They are similar, yet oh so different. Charlotte Arnold really is leading the show right now.
Thats pretty much all I have to say there, LOL…I mean, it was just sooo good, I can’t find much to say.
But in the end, I am still excited for Season 10, and I bid a sad farewell to Emma, Spinner, Manny, Jay, Ms. Hatzilakos, Spike(she may be Snake’s wife but I doubt she’ll be seen again unless Emma pops up), and any other early Season character that made their last appearance in this movie. They are all such great characters, played by amazing actors, and they will be sorely missed, despite my dissappointment with some turns in this movie.
I think that the movie was really disappointing. It was better than DGH, but still… Spemma?! Not only have they barely talked, but they just don’t seem right together. I never really liked Emma and I don’t think that she grew enough throughout her time in Degrassi, but Spinner has and I think that their marriage will never work out! But we won’t ever know since they aren’t coming back to Degrassi. 😦
I really hope that S10 turns out to be as intense as TeenNick is advertising it to be, cause DTM wasn’t at all like I expected/hoped for.
this is so true i definitely dont like emma i like jane better than her spinner is definitely putting on a front for this “marriage”. jane and spinner needz 2 b 2getha.!
I actually really liked it, and in some weird way, “Spemma” IMO actually works. They barely knew each other sure, but little hints in the past kind of led to an “Awkward possibility” like Emma’s Food Experiment, which gave Spin a hard-on, and for a few days they were bonded together inadvertently through not liking Rick, albeit for a short time. I actually liked them together, it felt like they actually liked each other.
I also really liked how the Declan/Holly J/Fiona triangle leads into season 10. Does anyone have a link so I can see the first 4 episodes?
You were WAY too nice to this movie. The Emma in this movie was a completely different character than the real Emma. This was obvious to me b/c I can’t stand the real Emma and I liked this Emma. hahaha. The Spinner-Emma story line was SO rushed. Even if they had spent 10 more minutes setting it up, it would have made all the difference in the world to this movie.
I guess part of my own personal problem with this movie is that I could care less about Jane, Holly J, Declan, or Fiona. I FF through all of their parts.
idk, this movie didn’t “go there.” It really didn’t go anywhere! I hope the upcoming season is much, much, much better.
Also, didn’t anyone find it slightly off that Jimmy didn’t show up to his best friend’s wedding? HAR HAR. 😉
You’re right, it was rushed. It was okay. A lot of twists and surprises. I honestly like the idea of Spinner and Emma together, who would have known that after all of these years? I know that’ll be in the back if my mind when I watch the old Degrassi’s. And I’m kind of glad the Dot blew up, but I’m also not): The Dot has been there forever. But this season is going to be different from all the other season’s right? It’s going to be better. So I guess to celebrate the new season, they brought in a new Dot.
this isnt much to do with the moviee but after i watched it i went back and watched the episode where emma does the health food project..
and its just kinda funny to watch and see them at such young ages but kjnow that there gonna get married 😀
Where did you find the link for the movie and the first episodes??? I am dying to find it.
well i just saw holiday road again lol which shows them interacting more. i guess i just can’t think back farther of when they interacted. i’ll have to look way back for the food project.
Spinner with a nice big part, didn’t buy the marriage or relationship at all. Would have liked to see him with Elly, Emma run into Sean one more time, will miss all the old Degrassi folks. Jay did the best at slipping back into his character. Most relaxed actor in whole movie. Why didn’t he remind his bud Spinner that Emma and Jay had oral sex way back when?
I will say although Jane did cheat on Spinner and it sucks and what she did was way wrong I will miss her. I liked her a lot and i don’t know I think I ended up liking her way more than Emma. I was really sad for her so i hope it isn’t the last we see of her. I also loved her rock performances. This 2 hour movie is still sinking in. I think maybe in the long run Spinner and Emma would have made sense but it happened way to unrealistically fast for me to be able to understand or accept for right now. I think they could have blossomed into soemthing through a story line where they had a long relationship leading up to a marriage but to me this was like “OK someone drugged their drinks and they are still drunk and are not sure what they are doing” But oh well. I am still very excited for the new episodes and this 2 hour special really made me start to like the new cast a lot. Here’s hoping for a great season 10.
The reason Jay announced it as “Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Mason and Emma Nelson” is because Emma has always been a feminist character…consistency!
Well kinds makes a lil sense…Emma and spinner both have had chronic diseases…both had messed up spouses who didn’t want anything long term…I saw this back when Emma and spinner had that talk wen she came home for the bike thing…can’t be the last of them tho cuz who the hell is gonna run the dot and where are they gonna go??? Well Jane messed up big time….I would wanna see another person like Sean, from the hard life come in the scene but thaw jus me…7/10 for da movie
OMG…I Loved The Movie…It Did Seemed Rushed In With Spin and Emma, But It Stayed Interesting. The Movie Actually Kept Me On The Edge Of My Seat…(But Maybe I Was Just That Excited) But From The Guy Dissin’ Jane To Seeing Liberty Out Of Nowhere…I was wowed Through The Movie…KUDOS FOR THIS…First Hollywood…Now Manhattan…Where Shall They Go Next??? BUT…The Only Thing That Got Me Was Jane Stealing Declan’s Car…UHHH…I Woulda Beat Her Down After We Got Off That Boat…LOL…
A few thoughts…..
I’ve always been a fan of Degrassi melodrama. And when Emma & Spinner stole a storyline straight out of the Hangover, I thought, this is classic! With their plans of staying in Toronto and most of the the original New Generation characters out of the picture, I thought it was genius that the writers were turning Emma & Spinner into the new Snake & Spike – a link to the former generation of Degrassi students.
But with word online that these guys won’t be in the rest of the season, I have to say – what an stupid way to write them out of the show. Were they that strapped for ideas? I knew they were going for the telenovela feel but this just dumbs down the legacy of their characters.
Where can i watch Degrassi Takes Manhattan online??? I dont get TeenNick or MuchMusic so i couldn’t watch it on tv and i cannot find it anywhere on the internet. Tomorrow they start airing season 10 on MTV and i wanna watch it there but i would like to see the movie first. Any advice??
It’s on the teen nick website website. 🙂 Search “The N Degrassi” on Google and it will come up. Its in the Full Episode section and although it says its only a minute long it is actually the whole movie. Odd right? But yep.
I loved this movie, i loved the songs and everything but the only thing I wish was different is that in the end Spinner chose Jane. Even though Jane made a mistake I always thought Spinner and Jane were amazing together I think it was a mistake for emma and spinner to get married…It would be great if they had a sequel to this movie with all the old characters back and Jane and Spinner realize they still love each other and in fact never stopped…..Jane and Spinner belong together the only thing I didn;t like about the movie is that Jane and Spinner didn’t end up togehter 😦