Degrassi: The Next Generation 6.11 - "If You Leave"
Airdate: Friday, February 16th

We open with the cheer squad doing their thing, which finally offers proof that Darcy hasn't dropped off the face of the earth as she congratulates Manny for pulling the team together and rallying and all that jazz. They're going for metro finals - against Lakehurst, of course. As an aside, Metro Finals? When I was a young Canadian lass, there was no such thing when it came to cheerleading. Or maybe I was oblivious because I didn't spend a lot of time in high school. Whatever, either way.

Anyway, Emma appears and wants to rain on the parade. "Going to finals is like scaling Mount Everest with pom poms," Manny tells her, adding it'll be a Degrassi first. She's selling herself short - scaling Mount Everest with pom poms would be a world first, from what I could tell. "It would be without JT," Emma points out. And that frown gets no closer to turning upside down when Manny's mom makes an appearance for a little t�te-�-t�te. Looks like Emma is about to be pseudo-sisterless...

...and not a moment too soon, because as soon as the credits are finished rolling, Manny is packing her suitcase. And Emma, naturally, is freaked, pointing out that her house is the site of a murder investigation and bla bla bla. "Maybe that's why they want me home," Manny reasons. Man, it freaks me out to use the words "Manny" and "reasons" together in the same sentence. My little girl is all growns up! She tells Emma things are going to be fine and they'll still be the best of friends. And even though Emma says she'll miss her, you just know that vindictive streak is itching to flare up.

Plot the second!: Marco comes home with a nice haircut - and questionable facial hair - to find Dylan a little distant, until he flees to go hang with his hockey buddies, something Marco gets a tickly nerve about.

The next day at school, Manny and Darcy bring their special brand of school spirit to Mia, trying to talk her into coming back on the cheer squad. Predictably, Mia is morose and points out - in case we forgot - that Lakehurst murdered her boyfriend. The whole school did it? That must be some fingerprint on the knife.

Emma approaches and tries to act as intermediary, but Mia complains about Lakehurst's appearance at the school. This sends Emma's radars ablaze: "Wait, Lakehurst is coming here? Why can't they do it somewhere else?" I smell a cause coming on! Mia says the magic word - protest - but Emma claims she can't. I'm willing to bet she'll change her mind within the next 10 minutes.

Manny is all mooney about Damien until Shawn busts in on her fantasy and asks her if he was friends with the dude who killed JT. She's all, nu uh! But I smell a rat. Emma makes her promise to come over later that night to watch Grey's Anatomy. Manny's mouth says yes, but the rest of her is totally saying "Damien."

Dos!: Marco goes to get dating advice from two of the worst sources on the planet: Jimmy and Spinner. First, they still have their store?!? And second, I now see the questionable facial hair isn't just a moustache, but has a chin farm as well. Connect the two, and it might make more sense. But the separation kind of throws me off, like in The Flintstones when everyone thought Fred had dirt on his face.

So naturally, Manny puts her bro in front of her ho and calls Emma to make up a story about how her dad flipped out and she needs to stay home, but instead she continues to play at the mall with Damien. And the plot thickens...

Deux! Dylan comes home late to Marco's candlelight dinner, making comments about late seminars until he takes a call in the other room. Also - Marco has a soul patch. More plot thickening...

Of course, Emma busts Manny the next day at school on her lie. "I'm sorry, I just really, really like Damien! Things are just so good between us," Manny simpers. Yeah, cake is good too, but you don't have to eat the whole thing in one sitting. Emma calls BS, but Manny talks her and Shawn into coming to The Dot. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - yeah, this will end well.

Duo! Marco and his facial hair snoop in Dylan's e-mail and uncover something suspicious that suggests a cheating redux. Scandal!

So you see where this is going, right? Manny takes Damien to hang with Emma and Shawn, which quickly goes South when Mia calls Damien out on the fact that he's friends with JT's killer. "So Manny, who are you loyal to? Your dead friend, or your new Lakehurst crush," Shawn asks. Manny turns to Emma for help, but she tosses out a comment about sleeping with the enemy. "You know Emma, I'm really glad I moved out because now I don't have to see your mean, judgmental, stuck-up little face anymore." And...scene.

Or maybe not. It continues on into the next scene, which happens the next day at school after Darcy does the morning announcements heralding the cheer squad's triumphant tournament. Emma and Manny start picking on one another, which turns into a debate about whether or not the competition should be held at the school. Manny's all, "We can change the world!" Emma, Toby and the rest are all, "It can wait until next year!" Snake is all, "Let's change the subject to video podcasting!" They teach that in school? There is so much wrong with the world today.

Second! Marco and his facial conundrum return to Spinner and Jimmy's store - seriously, they still have the store?!? - for more advice, none of which is "why not confront your partner honestly?"

Off we go to the cheer competition, which quickly dissolves into name calling and eventually fighting between the schools until Hazilakos screams like a wild banshee and segregates the Degrassi students until the Lakehurst students go home.

Snake reads Emma the riot act, and Emma is defiant until Snake reminds her that Manny is her best friend, not her enemy. If Emma has ever watched Heathers she knows there's very little difference between the two.

Regardless, Emma invites Manny to meet her on the front steps of her house where she says, "This curb right here - this is where it happened. JT died here." Manny's like, umm...I was there, remember? Em goes on to explain that it's all about JT, and apologizes. Manny: "You tried to hate me." Emma: "It didn't work." They hug. And you just know they'll beat each other's throats again in two weeks. Funny how they got along better when they lived together, no?

As for Marco and Dylan? Marco shoves both feet and legs up to his knees into his mouth when he confronts Dylan at the campus pub with his supposed paramour, who turns out to be a hockey scout from Switzerland. Why didn't he tell Marco sooner? "To you, hockey is my dumb hobby," he says. "To me, it's life!" Marco tells him he should do it. Dylan tells him he wants to be with him. They agree to make the most of the time they have left, and I wonder why Dylan is being written off the show.

iTunes Links

Degrassi: The Next Generation - Series
Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season 6
"If You Leave"