Degrassi (season 13)

The thirteenth season of Degrassi, a Canadian serial teen drama television series, premiered July 11, 2013, concluded on July 29, 2014 in Canada and the United States, and consists of 40 episodes.[1] Although only four school years have passed in the story timeline since season six, season thirteen is set during the summer through the first term of the spring semester in the years it aired. Writers have been able to use a semi-floating timeline, so that the issues depicted are modern for their viewers. This season depicts the lives of a group of high school freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduates as they deal with some of the challenges and issues that teenagers face such as cancer, texting while driving, death, sexism, sleep disorders, cyber bullying, domestic violence, rape, racial profiling and relationships.

Degrassi
Season 13
Title card
Country of origin	Canada
No. of episodes	40
Release
Original network	MuchMusic (Canada; 1-8) MTV Canada (Canada; 9-40) TeenNick (United States)
Original release	July 11, 2013 – July 29, 2014
Season chronology

The thirteenth season was announced November 30, 2012,[2][3] and production for the season began in April 2013 at Epitome Pictures' studios in Toronto, Ontario.[4] This season departs from the telenovela/soap opera format used in the previous three seasons.

Initially broadcast in Canada on MuchMusic,[5][6] the show moved to sibling channel MTV Canada on October 3, 2013.

Cast

The thirteenth season has 26 actors receiving star billing with 20 of them returning from the previous season. Starting this season, cast members are only credited for the episodes they appear in. Returning cast members include:

• Craig Arnold as Luke Baker (8 episodes)
• Luke Bilyk as Drew Torres (38 episodes)
• Stefan Brogren as Archie "Snake" Simpson (12 episodes)
• Munro Chambers as Eli Goldsworthy (13 episodes)
• Sarah Fisher as Becky Baker (25 episodes)
• Jahmil French as Dave Turner (1 episode)
• Ricardo Hoyos as Zigmund "Zig" Novak (18 episodes)
• Alicia Josipovic as Bianca DeSousa (4 episodes)
• Demetrius Joyette as Mike "Dallas" Dallas (32 episodes)
• Cory Lee as Miss Oh (3 episodes)
• Lyle Lettau as Tristan Milligan (33 episodes)
• Aislinn Paul as Clare Edwards (36 episodes)
• Cristine Prosperi as Imogen Moreno (30 episodes)
• Chloe Rose as Katie Matlin (2 episodes)
• A.J. Saudin as Connor DeLaurier (24 episodes)
• Olivia Scriven as Maya Matlin (38 episodes)
• Melinda Shankar as Alli Bhandari (33 episodes)
• Jordan Todosey as Adam Torres (8 episodes)
• Jessica Tyler as Jenna Middleton (25 episodes)

Joining the main cast this season are:

• Ana Golja as Zoë Rivas (34 episodes)
• Nikki Gould as Grace Cardinal (15 episodes)
• André Kim as Winston "Chewy" Chu (27 episodes)
• Eric Osborne as Miles Hollingsworth III (34 episodes)
• Sara Waisglass as Francesca "Frankie" Hollingsworth (19 episodes)
• Niamh Wilson as Jacqueline "Jack" Jones (10 episodes)

The six actors from season twelve who did not return this season were:

• Shanice Banton as Marisol Lewis
• Annie Clark as Fiona Coyne
• Daniel Kelly as Owen Milligan
• Justin Kelly as Jake Martin
• Jacob Neayem as Mohammed "Mo" Mashkour
• Alexa Steele as Tori Santamaria

All left the series.

Crew

Season thirteen is produced by Epitome Pictures in association with Bell Media. Funding was provided by The Canadian Media Fund, The Shaw Rocket Fund, RBC Royal Bank, The Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, and the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit.

Linda Schuyler, co-creator of the Degrassi franchise and CEO of Epitome Pictures, serves as an executive producer with her husband, and President of Epitome Pictures, Stephen Stohn. Matt Huether is also credited as a co-executive producer, Karen Hill as consulting producer, Sarah Glinski an executive producer, and Ella Schwarzman an executive post producer. Stefan Brogren is series producer, while David Lowe is credited as producer, and Stephanie Williams the supervising producer. The casting directors are Larissa Mair and Krisha Bullock Alexander, and the editors include Jason B. Irvine and Gordon Thorne.

The executive story editor is Matt Schiller, the story editors are Ian Malone and Sadiya Durrani, and Courtney Jane Walker is the senior story editor. Episode writers for the season include Ramona Barckert, Karen Hill, Michael Grassi, and Matt Schiller. The director of photography is Mitchell T. Ness, and the directors include Stefan Brogren and Bruce McDonald.

Episodes

The summer block began with a one-hour special, and aired weekly with an after show, After Degrassi.[7] The fall block ran from October 3 to November 21, 2013, on MTV in Canada, and on TeenNick in the United States. The winter block began on January 28, continued through spring, and ended on April 22, 2014 on MTV in Canada, and TeenNick in the United States. Unlike previous seasons, the thirteenth season continued through until summer and has a second summer block, which began on June 3, 2014 on MTV in Canada, and TeenNick in the United States, making this season the first to have new episodes from the same season airing a year after the first episode premiered.

No. in season	No. in series	Title	Canadian airdate	US airdate	Production code
1–2	318–319	"Summertime"[8]	July 11, 2013	July 11, 2013	1301 & 1302
Maya is excited to be spending the summer with Tristan on the school field trip to Paris, France. Things are looking good until his favorite TV star, Zoë Rivas, makes her way to Degrassi and does everything in her power to end their friendship. Maya also meets a cute guy named Miles, who encourages her to let her wild side out. Meanwhile, Clare finds out that she has cancer and has to undergo chemotherapy while trying to make her long distance relationship with Eli work. With his girlfriend going home to Florida for the summer, Adam gets a job at a kids' camp at Degrassi and becomes fast friends with Imogen, which makes Becky jealous. Guest star: Fefe Dobson as herself.
3	320	"All I Wanna Do"	July 18, 2013	July 18, 2013	1303
Despite her serious illness, Clare is determined to remain a regular girl, but she soon worries that she will lose Eli, who begins acting nervous around her. Feeling lonely without Clare by her side, Alli decides to explore Paris by herself, and meets the love of her life along the way. Tristan thinks his roommates Miles and Winston are homophobic and convinces Maya to pretend to be his girlfriend.
4	321	"My Own Worst Enemy"	July 25, 2013	July 25, 2013	1304
Clare is convinced that her cancer is getting worse after receiving bad news, and in order to keep her mind of it, she enlists Drew to help break her out of the hospital. In Paris, Alli could potentially ruin any chance of going out with Leo, when she uses him to complete her presentation for class. Also, Tristan's attraction to Miles grows steadily and he soon becomes convinced that Miles is gay.
5	322	"About a Girl"	August 1, 2013	August 1, 2013	1305
Adam finds out Becky has been hanging out with another boy in Florida and becomes obsessed with finding out what they are doing together. In Paris, Maya decides to take things into her own hands when Tristan becomes tired of watching Miles and Zoë make out. Also, Alli thinks things are moving too fast with Leo and invites Jenna and Connor to dinner with them.
6	323	"Cannonball"	August 8, 2013	August 8, 2013	1306
Still hung up over Becky, Adam takes Dallas' advice and decides to move on with his life by hooking up with Imogen, although he soon realizes that getting over his past is difficult when his future is looking blurry. Tristan goes missing in the streets of Paris, and it is up to both Maya and Miles to find him. Alli attempts to help Jenna get over Connor by setting her up on a blind date with Leo's friend.
7	324	"Honey"	August 15, 2013	August 15, 2013	1307
With Alli's beautiful trip to France coming to an end, reality sets in as she tries to figure out a way to salvage her seemingly perfect relationship with Leo. After Adam is hospitalized due to a texting while driving collision, Drew returns to the kids camp to distract himself. As the class prepares to go to a fancy french restaurant, Maya decides to show-up Zoë by purchasing a beautiful yet expensive dress. Note: This marks the final appearance of Jordan Todosey as Adam Torres.
8	325	"Young Forever"	August 22, 2013	August 22, 2013	1308
As summer comes to an end, the students of Degrassi say goodbye to one of their own: Becky tries to understand the meaning behind Adam's unexpected death and rallies together a couple of friends in order to throw him a bonfire; Drew takes his brother's death the hardest and wanders through the city alone, and Clare has trouble honoring Adam and teams up with Eli to create a tribute video. Note: Final episode to air on MuchMusic in Canada. Note: This marks the final appearance of Jahmil French as Dave Turner.
9	326	"This Is How We Do It"	October 3, 2013	October 3, 2013	1309
The new school year begins and Drew as president, wants to kick things off with a beach bash dance but his council wants to organize a texting while driving event in memory of Adam. Meanwhile, Zoë has a rough start at Degrassi and immediately wants to leave in order to protect her secret. Also, Alli doesn't tell her friends that she is still seeing Leo, who has moved to Toronto in order to be with her. Note: First episode to air on MTV Canada.
10	327	"You Got Me"	October 10, 2013	October 10, 2013	1310
Drew finds himself unable to cope with Adam's death as he struggles to organize the beach bash without falling asleep and forgetting his responsibilities. In order to impress her peers, Zoë tells everyone she is going to the dance with Drew but now has to find a way to convince Drew himself. Also, Alli tries to change her friends' perception of Leo and soon realizes that it will be a difficult task.
11	328	"You Oughta Know"	October 17, 2013	October 17, 2013	1311
Clare gets the chance to have her article featured in a national magazine but she has to make it about Zoë. She also begins to think that her cancer returned after she suffers from memory loss. Tristan and Miles join the basketball team. When Miles considers taking steroids, Tristan gets Miles what he needs with the hope of being his friend. Imogen starts a club called Degrassi TV and looks for on-air personalities. Becky auditions, but Imogen doesn't want her to join due to guilt over what she did with Adam.
12	329	"Everything You've Done Wrong"	October 24, 2013	October 24, 2013	1312
After learning that her memory loss is a side effect called chemo brain, Clare attempts to lie about Zoë in order to get into the magazine, but after everything fails, she comes clean and is given another chance. Meanwhile, after Miles promises to give the whole team steroids, Tristan reveals that the steroids he gave him were fake and later has to clean up his mess before the whole team finds out. Also, Imogen contemplates telling Becky the truth about Adam, knowing that it will hurt her. She tells Becky that Adam really loved her but decides to keep the kiss a secret.
13	330	"Who Do You Think You Are"	October 31, 2013	October 31, 2013	1313
Zoë convinces Maya to make a music video and directs it. After it is put on YouTube, someone starts a Facerange page that is filled with derogatory comments and Internet memes of Maya's face photoshopped on scantily-clad bodies, leaving Maya hurt. Meanwhile, Drew tries to get Dallas to take school seriously after he ditches school to get drunk and hook up with girls. Also, Alli decides to retake her SATs in order to get into MIT but is torn when Leo gets mad due to the fact that they will be separated. When Alli comes up with a plan, Leo freaks out and slaps her in the face, and she runs away. This is the 400th episode in the Degrassi franchise.
14	331	"Barely Breathing"	November 7, 2013	November 7, 2013	1314
Maya is upset over the attention she is getting. After finding out that Zoë started the page, they get into a physical fight. To avoid getting into trouble, Zoë pretends to apologize, leaving Maya furious. She later presents a song in class threatening to kill Zoë and is suspended. Meanwhile, Miles appears at Maya's home, and they kiss. Also, Drew finds out that Dallas got cut from the Icehounds. After a heartfelt talk, Dallas decides to stay in Toronto. And Leo attempts to apologize to Alli, but she doesn't want to hear it. While taking her SATs, Alli decides to take him back but not without a few conditions.
15	332	"Black or White"	November 14, 2013	November 14, 2013	1315
On Degrassi TV, Winston does an insulting story of school president Drew. Drew fires him, which starts a riot looking for Drew to be impeached. Drew realizes from where Winston is coming, and they make up. Meanwhile, in class, Tristan is assigned to do a comedic monologue, which upsets him because he wanted a serious one. Tristan decides to do it anyway. Also, Zoë wants Tristan to join her theatre troupe leaving him conflicted, since Maya still hates Zoë. Also, Clare is excited about Eli's return, but on their date there is a distance. The next day, he tells Clare that he cheated on her.
16	333	"Spiderwebs"	November 21, 2013	November 21, 2013	1316
Drew is ecstatic over Bianca's return for Thanksgiving, but when they reunite, she breaks up with him. Drew convinces her to pretend to be his fiancée at the family feast event at school to make his mother happy but also to show Bianca that he has changed; his plan fails. Meanwhile, Tristan is performing a skit with Zoë at the family feast, but Maya wants him to sabotage it. Tristan eventually gets Maya and Zoë to call a truce, if only for him. Also, Clare is still upset over Eli's betrayal and in a spur of emotions kisses Drew. When Eli shows up at the family feast, Clare forgives him but is still torn about her kiss with Drew. Note: This marks the final appearance of Alicia Josipovic as Bianca DeSousa.
17	334	"The World I Know"	January 28, 2014	January 28, 2014	1317
On Alli's birthday, she can only think about Leo being sent away; Maya returns from suspension, and Drew works with a mayoral candidate.
18	335	"Better Man"	February 4, 2014	February 4, 2014	1318
Alli continues to lie to protect Leo; Maya proves she is not a princess, and Drew needs help preparing for an important interview.
19	336	"Dig Me Out"	February 11, 2014	February 11, 2014	1319
Drew tries to keep things with Zoë casual, and Imogen protests against the Degrassi dress code.
20	337	"Power to the People"	February 18, 2014	February 18, 2014	1320
Drew decides to break up with Zoë, Alli and Dallas team up to stay focused, and Imogen takes her dress code fight to the Internet.
21	338	"No Surprises"	February 25, 2014	February 25, 2014	1321
Miles begins to question his family life after discovering a shocking secret, and Clare grows closer to Drew. Meanwhile, Dallas wants to be with Alli, but her relationship with Leo could send him over the edge.
22	339	"Basket Case"	March 4, 2014	March 4, 2014	1322
Clare tries to get over her feelings for Drew; Dallas comes up with a plan for Alli to confront Leo about him beating her, and Drew becomes angry when he is tricked by Miles and Miles throws a party without his dad's permission.
23–24	340–341	"Unbelievable"[8]	March 11, 2014	March 11, 2014	1323 & 1324
Rumors of Zoë's drinking prompt Becky to file a report about teen girls and alcohol, and she discovers a video of Zoë and two strangers.
25	342	"What It's Like"	March 18, 2014	March 18, 2014	1325
Jenna believes everyone thinks she and Connor are a weird couple; Becky gets jealous at Imogen's attraction to the new girl Jack, and Maya tries to find Zig a place to live when she finds out he's homeless.
26	343	"Close to Me"	March 25, 2014	March 25, 2014	1326
Maya invites both Zig and Miles to the dance, hoping to smooth things over between the two. Jenna and Connor get nominated to be king and queen. Becky becomes jealous when Jack tags along to the dance with her and Imogen, ruining their girl's night.
27	344	"Army of Me"	April 1, 2014	April 1, 2014	1327
Dallas tries to win over Alli at the science fair, but an explosion happens where all black guys are asked to stay behind for questioning. Tristan, Zoë and Maya have Grant Yates, a new teacher, who sets up a secret society of writing. Tristan thinks his parents might get a divorce. Clare tries to find Drew a new girl to make sure nothing else happens between them.
28	345	"Everything Is Everything"	April 8, 2014	April 8, 2014	1328
Dallas finds out shocking news at the science fair. Tristan starts developing feelings for his new teacher. Clare tries to sabotage Drew and his date when she becomes jealous.
29	346	"Sparks Will Fly" Part One	April 15, 2014	April 15, 2014	1329
Degrassi prepares for Wild Wild West Night. Maya secretly reunites with Miles and attempts to hide their rekindled relationship from Zig. Zoe shirks a spot on quiz team to take the role of a kidnapping victim in a movie, but suffers a traumatic flashback to her rape during a screen test and assaults an actor. Clare, exhausted with Eli's emotional absence, breaks up with him over voicemail and starts a relationship with Drew. Note: This marks the final appearance of Cory Lee as Winifred "Winnie" Oh.
30	347	"Sparks Will Fly" Part Two	April 22, 2014	April 22, 2014	1330
The romantic tension that's been building boils over at Wild Wild West night. A tearful, desperate Eli returns to Degrassi just in time to catch Drew and Clare after they have sex; Clare rejects his apology but finds herself alone when Drew realizes she still has latent feelings for her old flame and rejects her in turn. Zoe lands the movie role but objects to her character's decision to commit suicide after her assault, and abandons the movie when the director refuses to give her a happy ending. Zig and Miles fight over Maya and Miles loses badly but retaliates by threatening Zig's life with a fake pistol; Maya arrives and, shocked by Miles' unstable behavior, breaks up with him and mends her friendship with Zig.
31	348	"You Are Not Alone"	June 3, 2014	June 3, 2014	1331
Maya and the Rubber Roomies decide to put on a Burning-Man inspired "Panorama Night" to prove to the school they aren't delinquents. After Maya flushes Zig's "ganja", Maya then worries she has put Zig's life in danger. Winston starts a Comic Book society in an effort to meet girls, and when Frankie joins they both discover a possible romantic spark. Heartbroken over Drew's rejection, Clare joins Triathlon Club to distract herself and makes an unexpected friend in Jack.
32	349	"Enjoy the Silence"	June 10, 2014	June 10, 2014	1332
Maya vows to help keep Zig safe from the gang and pays off Tiny for the flushed drugs. Tiny isn't ecstatic and confronts Zig which causes him to skip town. When Maya hears the news she enlists Miles for help. But Miles is too busy trying to find out who kissed his sister. Also, Jack encourages Clare to get revenge on Drew during Panorama Night.
33	350	"How Bizarre"	June 17, 2014	June 17, 2014	1333
Becky tries to talk to her parents since they've been ignoring her ever since she turned in her brother for assaulting Zoë, but when they shun her, she ends up finding an escape online on the game Realm of Doom. Drew wants to make things right with Jenna and Alli since they hate him for what he did to Clare, but he ends up getting in a weirder situation when an older woman who turns out to be Mrs. Hollingsworth sends him a picture of her breasts. Zig wants to prove that he can become a good chef at his new restaurant job.
34	351	"My Hero"	June 24, 2014	June 24, 2014	1334
Becky's gaming adventures have turned into online dates, but when she realizes her knight is not who he says he is, she must put a stop to it.
35	352	"Hypnotize"	July 1, 2014	July 1, 2014	1335
Mr. Yates is willing to help Tristan out with his writing and offers his help... if he comes to his apartment. Imogen starts showing feelings of love towards Jack.
36	353	"Out of My Head"	July 8, 2014	July 8, 2014	1336
Mr. Yates warns Tristan about concealing their affair. Imogen will do anything for Jack's affection;Frankie discovers Winston is to blame for her losing her modeling gig.
37	354	"Believe" Part One	July 15, 2014	July 15, 2014	1337
When Zoë worries about how she is being portrayed in her trial, she takes matters into her own hands and talks to the newspaper. Becky is concerned about what she will say on the stand while she's pressured by her family to lie. Miles tries to win Maya back, who asks Zig if he's okay with that. As Zig walks away from Maya, he walks back into his old troubles.
38	355	"Believe" Part Two	July 22, 2014	July 22, 2014	1338
As the sexual assault trial continues, Becky is torn between pleasing her family and doing the right thing. Meanwhile, Zoë's life and mental state continue to spiral out of control as her past transgressions are brought out into the open, putting her chance to achieve justice into jeopardy.
39—40	356—357	"Thunderstruck"[8]	July 29, 2014	July 29, 2014	1339 & 1340
Zig accidentally invites Zoë and Maya to attend a Degrassi dance, but get stranded by the thunderstorm. Maya and Zoë seek shelter at The Dot, and have nothing left to do but sort out their differences. Clare visits New York to have an interview at Columbia University. Clare stays with Eli because of the storm. The next morning, Clare is told by the interviewer that Columbia would be happy to have her. Eli confesses he's still in love with Clare. Drew is trying to hide his feelings for Becky, but when the storm comes, Becky goes missing and Drew finds her in a "safe" room deep in the school, accidentally locking both in.

Controversy

With many questions regarding the lack of a DVD release, executive producer Stephen Stohn posted on Twitter and Facebook:

Here's the scoop on the Season 13 DVD: it's confusing. We delivered all the elements a long long time ago, but then our distributor changed and there is misunderstanding whether the old or new distributor is responsible for the S13 DVD. They are working it out, please stand by!

— Stohn on the release of the Degrassi season 13 DVD.[9][10]

The decision to kill off Adam Torres, the only transgender character in the show's history, during this season garnered fan backlash.[11][12][13] In a statement, LGBT media watchdogs GLAAD said:[14]

When Degrassi introduced its large and loyal audience to Adam Torres, an authentic, multi-dimensional transgender character, the show not only made television history, but set a new standard industry standard for LGBT inclusion. With so few transgender characters on television, we are disappointed that Adam’s story had to end this way, and we hope other shows will follow Degrassi’s lead in bringing stories like his to viewers...[14]

Linda Schuyler, one of the show's creators, defended the choice to kill the character, saying in a statement:

The combination of Adam being a favorite character, and Jordan being at the end of her contract, presented a unique opportunity to tell this story through such a beloved character. As saddened as we are to say goodbye to Adam, we feel this storyline will affect even more lives in an authentic way...[15]

References

1. Stephen Stohn [@stephenstohn] (13 July 2013). "There will still be 40 episodes in total this year (a few may be combined into a one-hour, like Summertime) #Degrassi" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
2. Stephen Stohn [@stephenstohn] (1 December 2012). "This Monday! Official Season 13 Writers' Brainstorm starts!!! Any more deas??? #Degrassi" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
3. Stephen Stohn [@stephenstohn] (3 December 2012). "Let the Degrassi Season 13 Brainstorm begin!!!!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
4. Stephen Stohn [@stephenstohn] (18 April 2013). "I can't show pics of the recent readthroughs, as the new actors haven't been announced! But we've read up to 1308. #Degrassi" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
5. "DEGRASSI Celebrates the End of an Era with Hour-Long Graduation Special, June 21, Exclusively on MuchMusic". Bell Media. June 12, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
6. "TeenNick to Air Degrassi Season Finale, 7/11". June 11, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
7. "MuchMusic Rings in the Summer Season with Fourth Annual DEGRASSI Screening Event, July 11". Bell Media Press Room. July 4, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
8. Aired as separate half-hour episodes in broadcast syndication
9. Stephen Stohn [@stephenstohn] (16 May 2015). "Here's the scoop on the Season 13 DVD: it's confusing. We delivered all the elements a long long time ago, but then our distributor changed" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
10. Stephen Stohn [@stephenstohn] (16 May 2015). "and there is misunderstanding whether the old or new distributor is responsible for the S13 DVD. They are working it out, please stand by!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
11. "Degrassi: Fan Favorite Dies". Retrieved 2016-06-25.
12. "Dear Writers, I Will Not Allow You to Quietly Bury Your Queers | Bitch Flicks". www.btchflcks.com. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
13. "Invisibility: Why TV needs Adam Torres". Thoughts by Erica. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
14. "Sad turn for Adam on "Degrassi" in last night's episode (Spoiler)". 2013-08-16. Retrieved 2016-06-25.
15. Swift, Andy (2013-08-16). "'Degrassi' Shocker: Adam's Fate Revealed In Emotional Episode". Hollywood Life. Retrieved 2016-06-25.

External links

• List of Degrassi: The Next Generation episodes at IMDB.
• List of Degrassi: The Next Generation episodes at TV.com.