School years are always fraught with that most tragic of days; goodbye to your senior friends, lovers and comrades. Before we welcome back Degrassi on Thursday, July 11th, let’s take a look back at what happened when we parted ways with our departing seniors.
Eli and Imogen help Fiona get ready for Prom (PROM!), but Imogen was distracted by the unopened report card she’d been carrying around. If her grades are good, she can leave Degrassi and go to Design School in the fall with Fiona. If they’re not, she has to spend a year behind in high school without her – tragic! Eli finally persuades Imogen to look at her grades…….. but she learns her dreams of Design School are not to be. One too many F’s mar the transcript. Imogen makes Eli promise to keep it a secret in order to really celebrate the prom Fiona has spent months working on. It turns out to be a perfect night (perfect, other than Imogen’s soul crushing news). Fiona is on top of the world – the only thing between her and school with BFF Imogen is prom and graduation! Since we know it’s not to be, Imogen finally does the right thing and confesses her sucky grades. Fiona does what a best friend should and appropriately comforts Imogen.
In the middle of this heart to heart, Mrs. Coyne makes a surprise visit. The Coyne family have managed to unfreeze their money and is back in her highfalutin circles. She managed to meet a famous designer looking for an assistant for his studio in Rome. The designer is interested in Fiona, but needs an answer that night. Understandably, not everyone is as excited as Fiona about the opportunity. Moving to other parts of Degrassi – Marisol and Katie are busy making plans for next year, but Jake doesn’t seem to want to celebrate with Mo. Jake isn’t going to prom, and Mo worries that he and Jake won’t be friends after graduation. THIS IS A TOTALLY NORMAL WORRY. Marisol is mildly understanding, but either way makes Mo promise not to mope around at prom as that would be a MAJOR BUMMER. Alli and Jenna try to convince Clare to join them at Prom but since she’s not yet over Eli, she won’t go. That is, until a cute guy from class, Cliff, says hi and Clare decides to show Eli what he’s missing. We then see the girls getting ready for prom, fussing over hair and makeup. When Alli tries to zip Clare into her dress she feels a lump in Clare’s back. Jenna suggests that Clare get it looked at, but there’s no time, CLIFF’S OUTSIDE TO TAKE HER TO THE DANCE.
At prom – SURPRISE, Jake shows up. Mo is over the moon until Jake lets it slip that he only came to prom because Marisol paid him $50. Mo leaves. Eli follows Clare around prom like a puppy dog and they finally make up. Clare decides to give up her v card and rent a room at the hotel. BUT…there’s always a but. It’s with Eli, not Cliff. Chaos basically ensues with Clare trying to figure out WTF about sex. She and Eli stay the night at the hotel and all seems well until the next morning. Clare has a nosebleed that wont go away and her mom takes her to the doctor. They want to biopsy the lump on her back to make sure it’s not cancer and Clare is terrified. We cut to graduation.
Imogen goes to Fiona’s condo before the ceremony starts and tells her that she chased Frederico down at the airport after trying to sabotage Fiona’s chances to work for him. Typical jealous, smothering girlfriend behavior. They straighten it all out and Fiona forgives Imogen, although Mrs. Coyne is still VERY unconvinced. Fiona’s gives an awesome valedictorian speech in which tells everyone to not be afraid of change, because it was change that brought her to the great place she is now in her life. It rings truer than they all know. Mo and Marisol make up from their prom night tiff. Fiona finds Imogen after her speech and Imogen congratulates her and then breaks up with her. Imogen is scared about holding Fiona back. It’s sad but adult. Too bad my favorite couple on the show is now kaput. It’s time for final goodbyes. That is, except for Eli and Clare. After all the drama they’re not ready to say goodbye just yet. It’s going to mean long distance until she joins him the next year in New York, but Eli is ready to finally commit. Cue Pomp and Circumstance.
Tune in July 11th to see what the next crop of the Degrassi crew gets into!