People Shared The "Degrassi" Moments That Broke Their Hearts, And I'm Sobbing All Over Again

    "Last year, it could have been me in that greenhouse."

    Kelly Martinez
    by Kelly Martinez

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which Degrassi moments were absolutely heartbreaking to watch. Here are some of their responses:

    Warning: Spoilers ahead!!

    Note: Some of the following contain mentions of sexual assault, abuse, suicide, and other sensitive topics.

    1. First, when Snake discovered Claude's body in the bathroom after he killed himself:

    Snake tells Eli about his own experience and that it doesn't just get better overnight
    TeenNick

    "They paralleled this later on when Eli discovered Cam’s body in the greenhouse."

    —patrickjh2

    2. When Paige was raped at a party and then her rapist was found not guilty in court:

    defense attorney asks how many men Paige has had sex with, she says that was her only experience and that she definitely would not have chosen to lose her virginity that way
    CTV

    "It was a very realistic portrayal of rape culture. Paige was victim-blamed by others, and even blamed herself at first. Then, her rapist faced zero consequences."

    —egc26

    3. When J.T. was stabbed and died at Liberty's birthday party:

    Liberty holding J.T. as he dies
    CTV

    "He was going to tell Liberty he loved her!"

    —debbieresnick

    4. When Spinner told Jimmy that he was the reason Rick shot him:

    Spinner tells Jimmy after they dumped the paint on Rick he and Jay told him Jimmy was behind it, Jimmy: "And then he shot me"
    CTV

    "You could see the hurt in Jimmy’s eyes when Spinner said that he and Jay told Rick that the prank was Jimmy’s idea, thus leading to the school shooting that resulted in Jimmy being paralyzed. When Jimmy realized it was Spinner's fault and told him that he didn’t want to be friends with him anymore, it was heartbreaking because they were best friends."

    —arenee123

    5. When Wheels drove drunk and killed a child:

    Wheels to Lucy: "There's not a day that goes by where I don't think about what I did"
    CTV

    "Him showing up to the reunion to make amends with Lucy for injuring her was a moment I'd been waiting 10 years for."

    —daniellelynnw2

    6. When Craig stopped taking his medication and ran away from Joey's:

    Joey comes to get Craig who's still in a manic state
    CTV

    "He had his guitar stolen and didn’t even respond to Joey when he came to the shelter to get him."

    —daniellelynnw2

    7. When Manny decided to have an abortion and begged her best friend, Emma, to support her choice:

    Emma tells Manny to consider adoption, Manny begs her to understand that she can't go through pregnancy and giving birth at 14
    CTV

    —itsbreaa

    8. When Jane realized her father sexually abused her as a child:

    Jane confronts her father for molesting her as a child and he says she's just "confused"
    CTV

    —abstractdaffodil

    9. When Cam became depressed and eventually killed himself:

    Cam tells Alli he wishes he could just go to sleep and never wake up, says that all of his days are bad
    TeenNick

    "You could tell where Cam's storyline was headed, but I also had so much hope that he would get better. I rewatched the whole series during quarantine this winter when I was at a low point and it absolutely broke my heart — I sobbed like a baby at Cam's death, but it also reminded me how many people I have there for me in my life."

    —mmsalty

    10. When Clare had a miscarriage late in her pregnancy:

    doctor tells Clare and Eli he's no longer hearing the baby's heartbeat
    TeenNick

    "Seeing Eli and Clare go through such a hard time made me cry."

    —cherylzimberg

    11. When Paige discovered Ellie was self-harming:

    Ellie: "I don't need help," Paige: "Then show me your arm"
    CTV

    "Ellie was so young and it was so sad to watch."

    —cheesecake21

    12. When Goldi was attacked for being Muslim and had her hijab ripped off:

    Goldi crying to her father
    Netflix

    "Her storyline broke my heart. Her coming home crying after being attacked really stuck with me."

    —loves2read

    13. When Emma was hospitalized for anorexia:

    Manny begs Emma to stop starving herself, Emma says from her hospital bed that she's going to beat this
    CTV

    "This storyline definitely needed to be explored more."

    —abbyhicks94

    14. When Maya finally broke down after her boyfriend Cam's suicide:

    Maya says Cam "broke up with her by killing himself" and says she feels like she'll never be happy again and can't miss anymore
    TeenNick

    "The whole interaction she had with her mom and sister after they caught her hooking up with Harry on the couch was so raw and filled with emotions."

    —stonecoldjaneausten

    15. When Imogen's dad, who was hinted to have dementia, accidentally ran over their dog, Volta:

    Imogen and Fiona find Volta's body under the car
    TeenNick

    "The fact that they showed a bloodied corpse of a dog under the car was brutal for me to watch as a dog lover. I remember 'Volta' actually trended on Twitter here in Canada when that episode aired."

    —margannlaurissa

    16. When Eli had an emotional conversation with his father after he started doing drugs to cope with the trauma of finding Cam's body in the greenhouse:

    Eli tells his dad last year it could have been him in that greenhouse, they hug
    TeenNick

    "It just felt so personal and really hit home for me."

    —gabybarroso

    17. When Craig's father physically abused him:

    Sean and Emma tell Joey Craig's dad beats him, Angie says: "I saw today, all purple, a dinosaur hurts him"
    CTV

    —tristae2

    18. When Adam came out as transgender and Yael came out as genderqueer, and they both experienced rejection from their peers:

    TeenNick / Netflix

    "As a trans person, it was so important to see representation."

    —ashtonaveres

    19. When Darcy was sexually assaulted and then tried to kill herself:

    Manny finds Darcy with her wrists slit in the school shower
    CTV

    "I still remember her crying and the blood streaming in the water."

    —rachelmay

    20. When Miles chose to stay at Degrassi to be there for his brother, Hunter:

    Miles asks Hunter if he was really going to use the gun to hurt people at the dance and Hunter says he doesn't know, breaks down in Miles' arms scared
    Netflix

    "Miles was going to leave for boarding school and get a fresh start, but chose to stay at Degrassi to help Hunter even though he knew it meant being around the people who were bad for him."

    —b47c87955c

    21. When Manny's father shamed her and called her a slut:

    Manny's father: "Do you think I made all these sacrifices so you could be a loose girl? You're a slut"
    CTV

    "Manny’s relationship with her parents, especially her dad, was difficult to watch. She really had to leave and live with Emma for him to realize that she was just growing up."

    —manda598

    22. When Esme had a breakdown at graduation after she and Zig broke up:

    Esme says she called in a bomb threat to keep her and Zig together, starts hitting motorcycle, Ms. Grell steps in as Frankie cries watching
    Netflix

    Esme's storyline was so intense. It was clear she was struggling so much after finding Maya after she overdosed on the roof and that it triggered her past trauma with her mother's suicide. I'll forever be upset that the show was canceled before her arc was complete. Chelsea Clark's acting was phenomenal. 

    23. When Adam died after getting in a car crash from texting and driving:

    Drew realizes from the look on his mom's face that Adam didn't survive surgery, he drops his get well card and starts crying
    TeenNick

    "It was particularly heartbreaking watching the impact it had on Drew — watching him try to cope with losing his brother was so hard."

    —samtaire

    24. When Marco came out to his father:

    Marco's father says he "doesn't want a queer under his roof," Marco says he already has one
    CTV

    —mcrvampirex21

    25. When Lola and Miles had a heart-to-heart in the school hallway:

    Lola says it's like they're hurting but not allowed to talk about their pain because it makes other people uncomfortable and that they have to care about everyone else's feelings above their own
    Netflix

    This might not be the first moment that comes to most people's minds, but it really stuck with me. Both Lola and Miles were feeling misunderstood and alone. Miles was dealing with everyone expecting him to be by Tristan's side in the hospital 24/7, and Lola, while she was obviously upset about her breakup with Tiny, was also dealing with larger abandonment issues as a result of past trauma with her mother. This scene was surprisingly deep — Season 3 of Next Class doesn't get enough credit.

    26. When Sean went back to Wasaga Beach to see his parents and broke down about the school shooting:

    Sean says he might have killed Rick, his parents hug him and say it's okay
    CTV

    "Daniel Clark did a really great job with this scene."

    —loves2read

    27. When Alli looked at her reflection in the mirror after she lost her virginity to Johnny and realized she regretted having sex:

    TeenNick

    "She was only 14 and Johnny was a senior — he should have known she wasn't ready. Plus, he lied about also being a virgin."

    —haleyb466cb6b7f

    28. When Zoë's mother disowned her for being a lesbian:

    Zoë's step-father drops off her birth certificate documents and a letter from her mother, Zoë realizes she's being disowned
    Netflix

    The look on Zoë's face when she said "she doesn't want me anymore" absolutely broke me. Everyone had pressured her to come out to her mother and insisted that it wouldn't be a big deal, but this scene proved that Zoë had sadly been right to be afraid all along. As heartbreaking as it was to watch, I felt it was important that they showed an LGBTQ character whose family actually didn't ever come around to accepting them, because it's unfortunately realistic for a lot of people.

    29. And finally, when J.T.'s friends placed his graduation cap by his memorial picture and moved the tassel over:

    CTV

    "No character death had ever hit me so hard as J.T.'s, and this scene was absolute waterworks for me."

    —rachelmay

    Note: Submissions have been edited for length and clarity. Not all submissions were from Community users.