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"It's Late"
Degrassi Junior High episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 11
Directed byKit Hood
Written byYan Moore
Original air dateApril 5, 1987 (1987-04-05)
List of episodes

"It's Late" is the 11th episode of the first season of Canadian teen drama television series Degrassi Junior High. It originally aired on the CBC in Canada on April 5, 1987.[1] After a careless night with Shane (Bill Parrott) at a classmate's party, Spike (Amanda Stepto) fears she is pregnant. Meanwhile, Arthur (Duncan Waugh) gives bad romantic advice to his friend Yick (Siluck Saysanasy).

Co-creator Linda Schuyler became inspired to deal with teenage pregnancy by the experiences of her sister, who became pregnant at 15 and was sent to a maternity home. After a period of deliberation, Spike was selected for the storyline due to her unassuming nature and lack of prior development. Due to concerns about controversy, two endings were filmed The episode was well-received in Canada upon its broadcast, with critics feeling the issue was handled sensitively

The episode won an International Emmy Award (of which inspired the name of Spike's daughter) as well as a Gemini Award for director Kit Hood. It became one of several episodes withheld from regular broadcast by the BBC following complaints of its content, with the episode airing instead in a later time slot on BBC2. Spike's daughter, Emma, became a central character of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Plot

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In the cold open, several Degrassi students are attending a party thrown by Lucy Fernandez (Anais Granofsky). As Christine "Spike" Nelson (Amanda Stepto) and Shane McKay (Bill Parrott) are kissing near the door of a bedroom, Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) and Derek "Wheels" Wheeler (Neil Hope) tease the two. Annoyed, Shane leads Spike into the dark bedroom. A short time later, Erica and Heather Farrell (Angela and Maureen Deiseach) try to call Spike from the room, but notice the door is locked and receive no answer.

After the opening, Spike arrives at Degrassi in a bad mood and fighting with her mother, and Mr. Raditch (Dan Woods) notes that she is late for the second time this week. During the class, Shane grins at Spike, and receives a cold stare back; after class, Spike lashes out at Erica, Heather, and Shane, who tries to tell her about Lucy holding another party.

Shane repeatedly refuses to disclose what occurred to Joey and Wheels. A shameful Spike confides to Erica and Heather about what happened at the party and Heather echoes a myth that you can't get pregnant the first time. Nonetheless, they console her.

At her mother's beauty salon, Spike asks her mother about the myth, which she rejects. The next day, Shane finally gets Spike's attention and asks her why she is giving him the cold shoulder, to which Spike reveals she may have a baby. Shane backs away slowly, stunned.

After school, Erica and Heather take Spike to Shoppers Drug Mart to purchase a pregnancy test. When she arrives home, she hides it behind her, causing her mother to inquire what is in the bag. After Spike lashes out, she throws the bag to her mother. When she finds it's a pregnancy test, the two embrace.

Later, at the clinic, Spike apologizes to her mother, and Shane arrives on foot across the street, which annoys her mother. The two then meet up and enter the clinic. Afterwards, when they exit the clinic, Spike confirms that she is pregnant, and she and her mother embrace as Shane looks on. Back at school, on a flight of stairs, Spike and Shane contemplate their options, including abortion, which Shane protests against. Spike laments; "I'm just a kid ... why is this happening? It was just a little mistake." Shane responds, "Sort of a big mistake."

Cast

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Per the Paley Center for Media:[2]

Production

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In her 2022 memoir The Mother Of All Degrassi, co-creator Linda Schuyler revealed that the storyline was inspired by the experiences of her sister Barb, who became pregnant at 15 in the early 1970s, and was forced to go to a maternity home and hide the pregnancy from the public, something which Schuyler found problematic.[3] The storyline was then gradually developed from studies done by researcher Loretta Castellarin, later a co-author of a novel based on Spike.[4]

The decision on which character to give the storyline to took place during a breakfast meeting with Schuyler, Kit Hood, and head writer Yan Moore.[5] In Schuyler's recollection, they narrowed their choices down to three characters: Stephanie Kaye (Nicole Stoffman), Caitlin Ryan (Stacie Mistysyn), and Christine "Spike" Nelson (Amanda Stepto). Kit rejected Stephanie, stating she was "too obvious", as the character was promiscuous and wore skimpy clothing.[5] Schuyler turned down Caitlin.[5] Moore then said: “Spike it is, then. And she’s the best choice. Up to this point, we know little about her character. I say we go with her.”[5] In contemporary interviews, it was explained Spike was chosen for the storyline because she was a "nice, quiet character that everybody liked" and wouldn't be expected to deal with such an issue.[6][7] In 2023, Jocelyn Claybourne, host of The Degrassi Kid Podcast, gained access to pre-production planning documents for Degrassi Junior High at the University of Toronto's archives which contained a synopsis for an early version of "It's Late" which featured Stephanie Kaye as the central character, with Joey Jeremiah (Pat Mastroianni) in the place of Shane.[8]

Stepto stated in an episode of Degrassi Talks that she initially thought the storyline was unrealistic because of the wealth of information on sexually transmitted diseases and contraception,[9] though in contemporary interviews she spoke of a perceived lack of sex education in Canadian schools.[10] During the first readthrough of "It's Late", Stepto's castmates reportedly snickered at the script.[10] Due to the producer's fear of controversy, two different endings were filmed for the episode, one in which Spike says she is pregnant, and one where she says she isn't.

Reception and accolades

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In Canada, the episode met a positive reception. In his review for The Globe and Mail, John Haslett Cuff stated that the episode "takes to the issue with remarkable intelligence and compassion",[11] and particularly praised Kit Hood's writing, stating it "manages to weave enough different reactions to Spike's situation to provide its young audience with an informed but never moralistic sense of the dilemma."[11] Jim Bawden of the Toronto Star was similar in his praise, remarking that "So-called adult TV movies have dealt with the same subject but never as sensitively". However, he cited the B-plot, of a younger student trying to impress a girl, as the episode's sole weakness.[12]

In Australia, where Degrassi was also popular, the episode became notable for several scenes in which Wheels is seen sweater for the Footscray Bulldogs (now Western Bulldogs), an Australian rules football team.[13] Wheels' unexplained wearing of the sweater bewildered Australian viewers and contributed to the show's popularity in the country.[14][15] Miriam McDonald, the actress who would play Spike's daughter Emma in later series, has said she watched "It's Late" in health class prior to getting the role.[16]

BBC reaction

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"It's Late" was one of several Degrassi Junior High episodes withheld by the BBC from regular broadcast in the United Kingdom, due to parental complaints about its content. Around this time, Amanda Stepto, Spike's actress, was due to promote the show in the UK.[17] While there, Stepto said the BBC's decision was "kinda silly" when speaking to the Daily Mirror on 13 May 1988, elaborating that "The issues we've been dealing with in the episodes they wouldn't show happen everywhere and people are going to find out about them sooner or later."[18] "It's Late" was eventually aired on DEF II, a programming strand for teenagers on BBC2, on October 3, 1988.[19]

Awards

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The episode received an International Emmy Award for Children and Young People in 1987.[20][21] Upon accepting the International Emmy, Degrassi co-creator Kit Hood announced that if Spike's baby were to be a boy, it would be named after Ralph Baruch, the president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. However, it was decided to make the baby a girl, and she was named Emma, after the Emmy. Emma, who first appears as a baby in the third season, would become the central character of Degrassi: The Next Generation, with Amanda Stepto returning in a recurring role as Spike.[22] Kit Hood would also win a Gemini Award for Best Direction in a Dramatic or Comedy Series for his work on the episode in December 1987.[23][24]

References

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  1. ^ "Sunday, April 5". Edmonton Journal. 1987-04-03. p. 101. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  2. ^ "DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH: IT'S LATE (TV)". Paley Center for Media. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  3. ^ Schuyler 2022, pp. 96
  4. ^ Kennedy, Janice (December 16, 1988). "Spike speaks out for teen mothers; Star of CBC's Degrassi Junior High has become a symbol". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved May 10, 2021..
  5. ^ a b c d Schuyler 2022, pp. 102
  6. ^ Kennedy, Janice (December 16, 1988). "Spike speaks out for teen mothers; Star of CBC's Degrassi Junior High has become a symbol". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved May 10, 2021..
  7. ^ "'Spike' appeals to teens". Winnipeg Free Press. 1988-12-15. p. 48. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  8. ^ Claybourne, Jocelyn (April 8, 2023). "The Lost Episodes of Degrassi Junior High". The Degrassi Kid Podcast (Podcast). Apple Podcasts. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "Sex". Degrassi Talks. Episode 1. February 29, 1992. CBC Television.
  10. ^ a b Boardwalk 1992, pp. 14
  11. ^ a b Haslett Cuff, John (April 18, 1987). "Harmony in Iglooik and a crisis on Degrassi Street". The Globe and Mail. pp. C3. ProQuest 386276625.
  12. ^ Bawden, Jim (April 15, 1987). "Seeing Things' finale sums up virtues". Toronto Star. pp. D1. ProQuest 435581566.
  13. ^ "John Cusack and the mystery of the Kangaroos jumper". The Australian. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  14. ^ Allemann, Samantha (2017-06-23). "8 Of The Most Iconically Awkward Degrassi Moments Of All Time". Junkee. Retrieved 2021-11-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ Cooper, Mex (2012-02-17). "Degrassi star's death a five-year secret". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  16. ^ Women and popular culture in Canada. Laine Zisman Newman. Toronto. 2020. ISBN 978-0-88961-615-8. OCLC 1140640717.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. ^ "Pregnancy offends British taste". Winnipeg Free Press. May 26, 1988. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  18. ^ Murray, Neil (13 May 1988). "Beeb ban is a puzzle to punk Amanda". Daily Mirror. p. 9. Retrieved 23 October 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ^ "Def II: Degrassi Junior High: It's Late". The Radio Times. No. 3383. 1988-09-29. p. 50. ISSN 0033-8060. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  20. ^ "International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". 2007-12-05. Archived from the original on 2007-12-05. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  21. ^ "'Degrassi High' Prize Winner at Banff TV Fest : Realistic Teen Series Tops Network Shows". Los Angeles Times. 1988-08-08. Retrieved 2021-03-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Ellis, Kathryn (2005). The official 411 Degrassi generations. Fenn Pub. Co. pp. 10, 137. ISBN 1-55168-278-8. OCLC 59136593.
  23. ^ "Night Heat tops Gemini Awards". Cinema Canada. January 1988.
  24. ^ "The Gemini winners". The Ottawa Citizen. The Canadian Press. 1987-12-09. p. 86. Retrieved 2021-08-29.

Sources

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