The Degrassi "Not Quite" Every Episode Ever Marathon

Beginning on Friday night, The N started showing a huge Degrassi: The Next Generation marathon. Ending on Sunday night, The N is billing it as the "every episode ever" marathon and is using this to promote the new season of the show which premieres on July 1st. However, many Degrassi fans know that there is one two-part episode that they won't be showing.

The episode is called "Accidents Will Happen" and it was part of the third season of the show. The N decided not to air this episode because it dealt with abortion. The other sub-plots in this episode were only shown as a mini-episode. Given the variety of controversial topics Degrassi has dealt with, it was quite a cop out on the part of The N to not show this episode. This show has dealt with things like homosexuality, rape, sex, domestic violence, school violence, mental illness and other issues that teens deal with. As the characters got older, the topics became more mature. The season premiere deals with an increasingly common sexual act among teens (hint: a President did it in the Oval Office). What makes it worse is the fact that The N uses the controversial nature of the show to advertise it. The slogan in The N's advertisements is "Degrassi. It Goes There."

One of the things about Degrassi that makes it so interesting and important is the realistic way these topics are handled. There are no easy answers and actions have repurcussions. The fact that the show isn't preachy and is well-written enough to appeal beyond its target audience is a testament to the great work of the people behind it. However, it's kind of sad that The N felt some sort of pressure to not show an episode dealing with what is easily one of the most divisive topics out there. I hope that one day, The N will remedy their mistake and show the episode, even in a late-night slot. In the meantime, U.S. fans will have to wait for the Season 3 DVD. Every episode ever, indeed.