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“Degrassi: Now or Never” recap: Week 4

Hey, everyone, we’re officially more than halfway through the summer season! How’s it feel? I’ve gotten so used to it that I fear I’ll end up disappointed this fall when my other shows come back and have only one episode per week to offer me.

This week finds Adam and Dave in the recording studio with Katie, editor of the student newspaper, as their guest for the day. She’s cute and flirty, so Adam makes no effort to hide it when he checks her out. When she says they’re looking for male models for the fashion show, Adam jumps at the opportunity to spend more time with her. Plus, it’ll give him the chance to practice his “manly strut.”

His confidence wavers, though, and he becomes convinced Katie was just being nice for the sake of their radio show. He wouldn’t mind getting to know her, but he doesn’t know if he’s “into taking chances with girls anymore.” Dave encourages him, saying that as far as he’s concerned, Adam’s a dude. And double dates would be fun.

Adam works up the nerve to show up for the fashion show rehearsal, where Katie hands him a form-fitting T-shirt — apparently that’s what guys are into these days. After a half-second of hesitation, he takes it.

She tries to pair him off with one of the other girls, but he suggests the two of them work together instead. She agrees coyly, and they joke around for a few moments.

In the silence that follows, Adam says, “You know I’m trans, right?” to which she casually responds, “Yeah, I know.” Confused, she asks if she “did something wrong” to cause him to make that statement. No, Katie. In fact, so far, you’ve done everything right. She nonchalantly assures him that she thinks of him as one of the guys.

During the fashion show, Adam is struck by a sudden case of nerves, tugging uncomfortably at his form-fitting T-shirt. Afterward, Katie breathes that she’s glad it’s over, and she wants the two of them to celebrate it together!

But first, Adam finds Marisol, Katie’s best friend, to gain some insight on “Katie’s thoughts about certain things – and people.” When Marisol realizes he’s asking because he likes Katie, she bluntly states that unless Adam can find a way to be “physically different,” he’s not exactly Katie’s type.

Katie, I don’t know what to think of you, but I do know I don’t think much of your friends.

The conversation shakes Adam, such that when he finds Dave in the hallway, he asks him to look at his chest. After all, they’re friends, right? Dave confirms that yes, they’re friends, but in his mind that means they don’t look at “each other’s parts.”

“Friends tell each other the truth,” Adam insists. “It’s just like man-boobs, right?” Dave finally concedes and admits to Adam, “I know you’re trying your best, but let’s keep it real: boobs are happening.” Honest, but definitely not the answer for which Adam had been hoping.

This plotline points out an issue I’d noticed about Adam’s wardrobe by explaining it simply as something he himself hadn’t figured out. He’s young and doesn’t know any other trans guys to ask for advice, so it’s quite plausible his unconvincing binding was an intentional choice by the wardrobe team to represent a young man just beginning to discover how best to be himself. Nonetheless, it simultaneously highlights some limits of representation and of reproducing reality for scripted television. Physically, a female-bodied and female-identified actor — especially a young one — playing a trans male character is going to present some challenges.

What lengths is it appropriate for the show to ask Jordan Todosey (who plays Adam) to go to represent her character? For example, while she did cut her hair for the role, I’ve always found it to be a slightly feminine cut. And while she’s always strapped down in some form or fashion as Adam, will she now be expected to wear a compression binder to portray him for the rest of his time at Degrassi?

Regardless, Adam self-consciously pulls his jacket closer around himself.

In the car with Mama Torres, she scolds him for tugging his shirt out of shape. “It feels tight,” he responds. “I think all my shirts are too tight.” He wants to discuss chest reconstruction — aka “top surgery” — a topic they’ve apparently talked about before, because his mother says that he already knows how she feels about surgery.

She says she respects that Adam feels like a boy, prompting Adam to lash back that he doesn’t just feel like a boy, he is one. As if speaking to someone very slow of comprehension, his mother argues, “Your body is still changing, and we’re talking about removing parts of you.”

“You make it sound so horrible,” he intones. You know, Mama Torres, these parts may be physically connected to Adam, but they’re not parts he necessarily identifies with or sees as part of himself. But yes, it’s still surgery, and surgery is a major decision.

Mama Torres offers him a deal: They’ll discuss the issue with his counselor, and if she OKs him for surgery, then they’ll have some decisions to make.

Later on, as Katie and Adam are leaving a book signing they attended together, he says it’d be “awesome” if they went to university together. “Are you always this enthusiastic?” she asks, clearly not matching his level of excitement. He responds that he likes her, and she begins to say, “I like you too, it’s just -“

“Yeah, I know,” he interrupts. He then tells her that she should know he’s going to be making some changes, physical changes. “Sure, whatever you need to do,” she replies noncommittally.

As promised, Mama Torres lets Adam talk it over with his counselor. The counselor, however, says that “this is just step one,” and there’s much more that “needs to be done” before she can make any recommendations for surgery, such as further counseling and hormone therapy. Because, you know, there’s only one way to be trans, and that would be to follow all the “steps” prescribed by doctors and counselors. Ha.

“I don’t need counseling,” Adam complains. His mom worries that he might change his mind, but Adam vehemently denies this, blurting out, “I just need to fix my chest so I won’t freak out this girl!”

“This is about a girl?” his mom asks, looking betrayed. Her aversion to this new information is well-founded — if Adam is going to go through with decisions such as top surgery and hormones, he should be doing so for himself, not because he thinks those things will make someone else like him better.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he backtracks, explaining that “I just want to look like how I feel,” and he can’t because of his chest. “Strapping down all the time isn’t working — people can tell!” The counselor assures him there are other alternatives to which he can turn.

Thus, when we see Adam back at school again, he’s wearing his new binder: a compression vest. He walks up to Katie and tells her that he had fun the other night and maybe they could repeat — perhaps a movie that weekend?

She looks at him, choosing her words carefully. “Adam, I think maybe you got the wrong idea,” she starts. She doesn’t like him, at least not “in that way.” In a hasty attempt to save face, Adam shakes his head. “No, Katie, come on – you misunderstood.”

Now what I’m confused about is this: Is Katie OK being friends with trans guys but not dating them? Or is she truly not into Adam for unrelated reasons? Her nonchalance about Adam’s identity throughout the episode makes me want to believe the latter, but Adam’s conversation with Marisol makes me suspect the former.

When Adam tells Dave he got rejected by Katie, his friend tries to encourage him to keep his spirits up — he’ll find someone new, especially “with this new fine profile” he’s sporting. Adam explains the compression vest, and Dave admires it, saying that his “new de-boobing device works.”

“Yeah,” Adam wonders, “but will I ever be flat enough for the Katies of the world?” I don’t know, Adam, but those Katies of the world aren’t good enough for you anyway, OK?

He gets on his computer to join an FTM website. “For hookups?” Dave asks. “That’s my man!” Adam explains that it’s just a place where he can meet other trans guys, “chat with some dudes going through some similar things.”

Looking at the photos of some of the guys on the site, Dave seems in awe that they were once physically female. “Intense” is how he describes it. “That’s my life” is Adam’s response.

As for Fiona, she spent all of this week either taking care of Holly J or working on Eli’s play.

Following Fiona’s advice, Holly J backs out of directing the school fashion show in order to take care of her deteriorating health. Remember that case of strep throat she got in the spring that led to kidney damage and dialysis treatments? (Are any of you doctors? Does that progression make any logical sense?) Well, if it weren’t for that plot device, we’d never have this one!

Apparently the dialysis hasn’t helped, leaving Holly J with end-stage kidney failure and in dire need of a kidney transplant. Holly J is blood type A, but her family is AB. Wonder what that could mean? Well, her mom says, Holly J has always been more Type A than the rest of the family!

She searches in vain for baby pictures of herself, then confronts her mother, who says they were waiting until Holly J was 18 years old to tell her she was adopted. Still, one would think that perhaps the whole kidney thing — you know, the we-have-different-blood-types-and-don’t-share-the-same-family-medical-history thing — would take precedence. Really, people.

Holly J starts to track down her birth parents, and, in the absence of any family matches, Fiona opts to be tested to see if she’s a match (she isn’t). Fiona worries that Holly J might not be ready for all the information about her birth parents, but Holly J assures her that this changes nothing — her parents are still her parents.

After successfully tracking down her birth mother’s contact information, Holly J calls this woman, Dawn, and sets up a time to meet for coffee. Fiona goes with her to this meeting for support and encouragement.

As it turns out, Dawn is a single mother with two young children now, and, upon seeing this, Holly J loses her nerve to ask Dawn about being tested to see if she would be a match for a transplant. Fiona tries to help, saying there’s something important Holly J needs to ask Dawn, but Holly J just asks about impacted wisdom teeth and then runs out the door.

Holly J beats herself up afterward for not asking, and Fiona encourages her to try again. Holly J sets up another meeting with Dawn, who agrees to get tested.

As Holly J anxiously waits for the results of the test, Fiona reminds her that a watched pot doesn’t boil any faster. Holly counters that it doesn’t boil any slower either, which totally validates the countless hours I’ve stood around waiting for pasta to cook. Just then, Dawn calls with the results. She’s a match! However, she also wants $20,000.

In news related to Eli “All the World’s a Stage” Goldsworthy, crazy Imogen has been cast as Clara — Eli’s alter-ego for Clare — in the school play. Fiona congratulates Imogen on getting the part, but finds herself having to slip away when Imogen turns the heat up on Eli in conversations.

Clare, who’s now dating new kid Jake, worries to Adam that Eli will sabotage this relationship. Eli wouldn’t do anything to Jake, would he? “My list of things Eli wouldn’t do is very short,” Adam admits. Perhaps they should be on the look-out for poison.

Back in the drama room, Fiona and Eli are brainstorming the opening scene for the play. And, OK, I know much of Degrassi is unrealistic, but as a former theater kid, I’m super bothered by the idea that they’re writing the score and building the set before they even have the opening scene figured out. Or, you know, the script written.

Fiona leaves when Clare shows up at the door to confront him about Jake. Eli plays dumb, so she sneaks into rehearsal later, Adam in tow, to search his bag for poison. The next day, Clare complains about Jake’s sudden involvement with the play — he’s their new set-builder. Adam is thankful she’s at least not crying murder like she was yesterday.

When he encourages Clare to find and expose the truth, she takes inspiration from the comic books he’s reading and decides to go all Clark Kent on Eli with her journalism. “This will never end, will it?” Adam bemoans. My thoughts exactly.

However, at the read-through later, Clare is shooed away by Fiona when she interrupts to dispute the veracity of a scene. “New policy,” Fiona says with finality, “no more press.” All she needs is the power suit. She’d make a great young Bette Porter, no?

Three weeks to go, you guys! Catch up on Degrassi: Now or Never at TeenNick.com, or watch the new episodes Monday through Thursday. Meanwhile, what’d you think of this past week?

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