Guilty Pleasures Reviews

Degrassi: Another Brick in the Wall

Lizzie McNeely — Fri, 9 May 2008 12:10:49 -0700

by Lizzie
Well this episode may have successfully deterred a generation of males from ever becoming teachers. Snake is declared “officially not a pedophile” by the school board, but whispers of perv linger in the air when he returns. One thing leads to another and soon he’s sprawled on the couch, cocooned in a blanket, drinking scotch, covered in mustard and being licked by a dog. Meanwhile, Holly J exchanges tutoring help with Toby. He helps her in math, she helps him in Dance Dance Revolution. That’s actually a component of gym? What ever happened to units on dodge ball and the female condom (question, has anyone actually seen one of those outside of grade ten health?) ?

Degrassi: Talking In Your Sleep

Lizzie McNeely — Thu, 1 May 2008 10:16:23 -0700

by Lizzie
I’ve never considered myself a heinous bitch before, but I’m baffled that those sleighted / deceived / betrayed on Degrassi this week forgave those who fouled them. Ok, so Darcy forgiving Jane after she spills the beans about Peter having bad breath wasn’t that mind-blowing, but Griffin forgiving Paige after she implies that his HIV was caused by lifestyle choices when actually he was born with it was a little surprising. And I was positively floored that Paige forgave Griffin after he, oops, forgets to tell her that he’s HIV Positive before sleeping with her. I can hardly forgive a guy if he sneezes on me unexpectedly, let alone if he risks infecting me with a fatal virus. Should I respect Paige for turning the other cheek, or should that cheek have some sense slapped into it?

THE HILLS!!!

Olga Barsky — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:26:18 -0700

I could never to lie to you SDTC readers, and so the truth must finally come out. I, Olga Barsky, former Hills fanatic to the max, lost my groove. After soaking in countless pics of the cast in rag mags, seeing firsthand the complete sack of shit that is Lauren’s fashion line, and worrying about Heidi’s face melting off…I just couldn’t deal with it all. I needed time away. Time to recharge. Time to watch scripted television with actors who have paid their dues. I did. And now I can now proudly announce that that this Stella has gotten her groove back.

I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into this week’s episode of The Hills, and what an episode it was!

Degrassi: Got My Mind Set on You

Lizzie McNeely — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:24:42 -0700

by Lizzie
Curly haired best friends like a curly haired girl, but said curly haired girl only likes curly haired best friend #1. Sorry to dwell on their tresses, but it struck me as odd that Rachel, Danny (best friend #1) and Derek all have the exact same hair texture, if in different colours – distractably odd. Is it a coincidence that David Eggers – Damian’s favourite author, namesake of Emma’s dog and frequent allusion in sub-plot – also tends to sport a burgeoning fro? I declare this episode a curly haired conspiracy!

Degrassi Bust a Move Part 2

Jimmy — Wed, 9 Apr 2008 10:26:19 -0700

by Lizzie
Degrassi’s standard stark realism took a goofy Saved by the Bell like turn this week, with Jay rescuing Manny from her screwed up audition by wooing the prof in charge of admissions with foot massages and tango dancing. Whoa, that’s not the Degrassi I know. Shouldn’t Manny’s failure have provoked her to start doing heroin or something? Even the Darcy rape subplot seems to have been cheerily concluded with triumph on a high ropes course. I feel slightly cheated that there was no conflict weary face frozen for the end frame. What is this, Hannah Montana?

Degrassi Road Trip

Lizzie McNeely — Tue, 1 Apr 2008 15:50:33 -0700

It's a road trip episode, and you know what that means: gratuitous scenes of hand surfing, tunes blasting, and ridiculously coincidental circumstances serving as a Snakes and Ladders game for the plot. Oh, how I love TV, so pleasingly predictable. Gave me a craving for that Bev Hills’ episode where Brandon saves Dylan from slipping off a cliff.

To summarize, Manny, Emma and Liberty are checking out Smithdale College, Jimmy, Spinner and Ashley are attending a concert in the same town and Jay’s trying to win Manny back. Left out of the fun are Darcy and Peter. They’re attending Red Pine, a program much like those boot camps to which Jerry Springer sends troubled teens. Air horns and megaphones are used in abundance.

The Hills are Back

Olga Barsky — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:34:58 -0700

The Hills are back and more nauseating than ever. This time around, the reality behind the ‘reality’ took center stage, drumming up some series publicity for the show’s premiere.

To start things off, much to our amusement and mild girl boners, last week we were treated to topless photos of a young and naïve Audrina…not much has changed.

Degrassi: Live to Tell

Lizzie McNeely — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:11:55 -0700

by Lizzie

Degrassi: Marco Hits the Clubs

Lizzie McNeely — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:03:17 -0700

by Lizzie
How long have I been waiting for this episode? Marco cruises the clubs and our first premature marriage proposal. Sweet. But why must the gay club be the campus pub, awkwardly madeover with a couple of go go dancing studs? And does anyone else think that the depiction of Marco getting dragged into male prostitution is going to send a skewed vision of gay culture to middle American teenie boppers? Speaking of middle America, teens Jay and Manny get engaged. It's faux (a way to get her strict parents off her back), but I think we can all predict that a classic romcom twist will result in an eventual hitch. Wheeeee.

Project Runway – RAW TALENT

Olga Barsky — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:32:15 -0700

by Olga Barsky
The episode begins with my favourite model voted off. I never took the time to learn her name as I knew early on our love affair would be brief, call if women’s intuition if you will. She was leggy and tanned, with wide set-apart eyes and long blonde hair. You will me missed you no-name minx.

Designers go off on another Tim-led field trip, and find themselves on an unfamiliar floor in their building. The doors are closed, and strange sounds fill the hallways. To me, it sounds like children playing on a playground, while Christian fears the worst – the moans and groans of hetero sex.