10 Of The Best Moments From The Original '80s "Degrassi" That'll Stick With Me Forever

It's pretty much a classic.

Millennials grew up on Degrassi: The Next Generation. It was such a popular show that it almost completely eclipses the First Generation, Degrassi Jr. High, and Degrassi High. And frankly, the original '80s Degrassi is nothing to scoff at: it was an excellent balance between discussing serious teen issues while showcasing the funnier and lighter moments of teenhood. In fact, I would argue that the original show balanced out the seriousness and lightness much better than the spinoff show. So, let's have a look at 10 of the best moments of the original Degrassi.

1. Mr. Raditch and Yick Come To A Mutual Understanding

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Yick Yu is struggling in school and has been dubbed “Mr. Yu the Disorganized” by Mr. Raditch. Yick is convinced that Mr. Raditch is prejudiced against him — that he thinks Yick is dumb because schoolwork doesn’t come easy for him. So, he and Arthur decide to try an experiment. Arthur gives Yick one of his sister’s old papers to copy and turn in so they can see if Mr. Raditch grades the paper any differently. At first, their scheme seems to work, but eventually, Mr. Raditch figures out what the boys are up to. In the end, Yick writes an actual paper about stereotyping people, which Mr. Raditch reads between the lines and commends Yick for his excellent work. 

At the same time, Mr. Raditch offers Yick a fresh start: Yick will promise to work harder in school, and Mr. Raditch promises he will also mend his ways and stop calling Yick by his unkind nickname. It’s a legitimately touching moment of a student and teacher leveling with each other and both eventually coming to a respectful understanding.

Memorable Quote: Mr. Raditch: “How about a clean slate? You’ll try harder. I’ll try harder, and I’ll stop calling you 'Mr. Yu The Disorganized.' Deal?”

2. Caitlin Wonders If Her Teacher Is A Lesbian

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There’s a rumor that Caitlin’s favorite teacher, Ms. Avery, is a lesbian, much to Caitlin’s consternation. The gossip upsets Caitlin to a point where she starts to worry that she herself might be a lesbian due to nightmares about being taunted by her classmates for her close relationship with Ms. Avery. When Caitlin starts to pull away and distance herself from her teacher, Ms. Avery pulls her aside to ask her if she’s okay, and Caitlin finally admits to her teacher about the rumors. This scene works really well because Ms. Avery never actually confirms or denies that she’s a lesbian. Instead, she asks Caitlin some pointed questions that make Caitlin understand that the rumors her friends have been spreading are based on very shallow evidence. And as for the dreams she’s been having, Ms. Avery explains to Caitlin that sexual dreams are normal at her age and aren’t indicative of Caitlin being a lesbian. Caitlin ultimately realizes it doesn’t matter whether or not Ms. Avery is a lesbian — she’s still a great teacher and mentor.

Memorable Quote: Ms. Avery: “Would it make any difference if I were [a lesbian]? Would you think less of me, Caitlin?”

3. Yick and Arthur Try To Watch A Porno

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Before the age of the internet, the world was a very different place. If you were a kid in the ‘80s and ‘90s, there was no free porn that you could easily access by getting around the parental controls. You had to wait around until you could steal your (or someone else’s) degenerate older brother’s cast-off porn. This leads us to the delightful storyline of Yick and Arthur trying to watch their first porno that Yick has swiped from his older brother’s collection, which is hilariously entitled Swamp Sex Robots. I don’t even want to know what this movie is about — just hearing the name or saying it out loud is enough (although I wouldn't mind hearing about how Yick's brother got a hold of it). You can’t say “Swamp Sex Robots” and not laugh. It’s impossible. 

Arthur and Yick try to navigate when and where they can watch the porno before Yick’s brother gets back from out of town, and they finally get an opening to watch it at Arthur’s house while his mom and sister are out on their respective dates. It’s a highly entertaining storyline while being entirely realistic. You can totally picture two pre-teen boys trying to covertly pull off a porn viewing. Arthur and Yick come so close to watching the forbidden movie, but Arthur’s sister’s shenanigans lead to both her and their mom staying home from their dates, forcing Arthur to cancel the Swamp Sex Robots viewing party. The dream of Swamp Sex Robots died that night, but the memory of its name will live on forever.

Memorable Quote: Any time someone utters the words, “Swamp Sex Robots.” Followed closely by Arthur telling his mother: “Don’t worry, Mom. I’m not sexually active.”

4. Dwayne Helps Out Scooter

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Dwayne is supposed to be the school bully, but in the episode “Fight!” Dwayne’s character is actually shown as much more nuanced. Short, skinny, nerdy seventh-grader Scooter would probably be the perfect target for torment by most bullies, but not Dwayne. Dwayne doesn’t show any interest in bullying Scooter — he's actually quite nice and friendly to him. In fact, Dwayne goes out of his way to help Scooter un-jam his locker and gets Scooter’s lunch back when other bullies throw it on top of the gym lockers...all completely unprompted. In terms of bullying, we mostly only see Dwayne target Joey Jeremiah. And to be fair, Dwayne only goes after Joey after he overhears Joey making fun of him and calling him stupid for being in special ed (ironically, Joey himself would later end up in special ed with Dwayne). 

It may not be very cool of Dwayne to beat the snot out of Joey, but let’s face it — Joey was being an asshole and kind of had it coming. But Dwayne’s interactions with Scooter show that he is more than just a generic TV bully — he does have some moral code. And when Dwayne mends his ways in later episodes, you can see why because he’s already a fleshed-out character: he doesn’t just do a 180 turnaround that comes out of nowhere.

Memorable Quote: Scooter (after Dwayne helps him open his locker): “Thanks! Want a Cheez-It?”

5. Yick Tries to Ask Out Melanie

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Pretty much any story involving Yick and Arthur is going to be good because these two are far too entertaining. Yick has a crush on Melanie but doesn’t know how to ask her out, so Arthur volunteers to help him. In reality, Arthur knows as much about girls as Yick does (nothing whatsoever), but he figures that having an older sister gives him at least one leg up on Yick. But any time Arthur comes up with an idea, it backfires. Arthur first suggests that Yick pay Melanie a compliment, but Yick gets too nervous and completely botches his words. Next, Arthur tells Yick to bring Melanie flowers, but Melanie has an allergic reaction to the flowers (that he literally shoves into her face), and Yick can’t get a word in over Melanie’s sneezes. 

Yick gets fed up with Arthur’s advice and decides to finally come straight out and ask Melanie for a date. Melanie accepts, and the two have a fun time ice skating together. It’s a funny, cute, and realistic story of two pre-teen boys trying to figure out girls when neither one of them actually knows what they’re doing.

Memorable Quote: Yick [to Arthur after each failed idea]: “Broomhead!”

6. Lucy's Teacher Encourages Her Filmmaking

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Lucy is beyond excited to film her first movie, which is a feminist horror film that she wrote for class. She gets permission to film in the school, recruits her friends for the cast and crew, and she is ready to show her masterpiece to her entire class. Except her classmates don’t react as she expected. Her film is a slasher-horror film with a feminist edge, and she thought the audience would react in fear and shock. Instead, her classmates roar with laughter. It’s easy to see why: it’s a film made by young teens and performed by kids who aren’t trained actors. It’s still a well-done student film, but Lucy is crushed over her classmates’ response. 

When she slips away from the viewing, her teacher finds her and congratulates her on a job well done. As Lucy expresses her disappointment that her film didn’t garner the response that she wanted, Mr. O’Connor encourages Lucy to continue her filmmaking — they’ll only get better if she continues to work at it. It’s a genuinely nice, wholesome moment of a teacher really encouraging a student’s talent and interest.

Memorable Quote: Mr. O’Connor: “There’s always a gap between what you set out to do and the way it finally turns out. The key is to keep trying.”

7. Spike Openly Discusses Abortion

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When Erica gets pregnant, she decides that the best decision for her is to have an abortion. Her twin sister, Heather, is shocked by Erica’s decision and, after failing to dissuade her sister, tries to recruit their mutual friend, Spike. Since Spike is also a teenage mom, having had a baby at 14, Heather thinks she can best convince Erica not to have an abortion. But Spike explains to Heather that although she decided to have her child, it was her own choice — and her choice might not be the right one for someone else. 

Ultimately, Spike knows that abortion is a deeply complicated and personal issue, and no one’s circumstances are going to be exactly the same. It’s a very candid discussion about abortion that acknowledges the complexity of the issue that’s relatively rare for a TV show set in the ‘80s, and it still resonates today.

Memorable Quote: Spike: Having an abortion was wrong for me. Maybe she feels it’s right for her...it’s great to have high ideals and stuff, but when you’re in that situation — right and wrong — they can get really complicated.”

8. Joey Helps Dwayne Deal with His HIV Diagnosis

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Joey’s nemesis, Dwayne, is in the midst of a devastating crisis. At first, Dwayne is flying high, coming back to school after a summer romance with a girl to whom he lost his virginity. But everything comes crashing down when his summer girlfriend calls him to tell Dwayne she just found out that her ex-boyfriend (before Dwayne) has HIV — and she just tested positive. A terrified Dwayne has to confront his own mortality as he secretly goes to get himself tested...and also ends up testing positive for HIV. 

Dwayne’s naturally extremely upset and doesn’t feel he has anyone he can confide in about the diagnosis. This was the ‘80s, so in addition to the stress of possibly facing a slow, premature death of a highly stigmatized disease, this was also a time of rampant misinformation about AIDS and HIV. And while in the midst of his HIV diagnosis, Dwayne and Joey’s beef finally boils over, their hostility culminating in a bathroom brawl, one that leaves both boys injured and bleeding. Dwayne is horrified when he sees blood’s been drawn, calls off the fight, and yells at Joey to move away. Dwayne doesn’t have any love for Joey, but he clearly doesn’t want to risk Joey getting infected. In the heat of their fight, Dwayne admits his HIV diagnosis. Afterward, the two form an uneasy truce, with Joey promising not to reveal that Dwayne is HIV positive. 

Eventually, the truce does result in a tentative step towards actual friendship, with Dwayne finding a confidante in Joey and Joey encouraging Dwayne to tell his family and friends the truth about his diagnosis. It’s nice to see Dwayne shown as a complex human being rather than a typical TV bully — he shows real character growth over time. And we also get to see Joey develop more as a person as he learns genuine empathy for his former adversary.

Memorable Quote: Dwayne: “Sometimes I dream I don’t have it [HIV]. I’m normal again, everything’s great. Then I wake up — still got it.”

9. Arthur and Yick Call Dr. Sally's Radio Show

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Arthur has been experiencing wet dreams pretty regularly and worries something’s wrong with him. He’s too uncomfortable to talk to his dad, and Yick has no experience with wet dreams, so they decide to secretly call local radio host Dr. Sally, who specializes in teen sex education. Since this was the ‘80s (and lacking cell phones or handheld radios), the only way to discreetly make a call like this was to call from a phone booth while carrying a giant-ass boombox (that I am sure Yick also swiped from his older brother). It is truly a hilarious sight to behold.

Arthur makes the call, but once he’s on the air, he gets too flustered to say anything — so Yick takes matters into his own hands, grabs the receiver, and quickly blurts out (without naming names) Arthur’s wet dream question to Dr. Sally. God Bless, Yick. That’s a true friend right there. Dr. Sally very kindly answers that there’s nothing wrong with having a lot of wet dreams, and Arthur is reassured that he is not a sex pervert.

Memorable Quote: Yick: “I’ve got a friend who’s 12 years old. He has a lot of wet dreams. Is he a pervert?”

10. And Joey, Wheels, and Snake Take Snake's Dad's Car

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Snake invites Joey and Wheels to stay over at his house while his parents are out of town, and none of their parents know the boys will be home alone together unsupervised. All Wheels needs to do is be up on time to make it to his eye doctor appointment. The boys stay up all night watching movies and eating pizza before passing out in the wee hours of the morning, and of course, everyone oversleeps. 

When Wheels wakes up, he has only 15 minutes to get to his appointment, or his parents will be furious. He’ll never make it there on time by walking, so Joey proposes that he drive Wheels to the eye doctor. Joey is only 15 and doesn’t have a license. Joey insists that he can drive because his dad has let him drive around a parking lot a few times. So, Snake reluctantly allows Joey to drive his dad’s car so Wheels can make his appointment. The boys barely make it in one piece, but Wheels gets to the eye doctor on time. All seems well until another vehicle backs up and bumps into the rear of the car-- leaving a broken tail light. Snake’s parents are due home in the afternoon, so the boys pool the money they have to pay for the tail light repair. 

They manage to get the tail light fixed and return the car just as Snake’s parents get home. The boys breathe easy. Until Wheels’ mom receives a call from Snake’s dad to “thank” the boys for fixing the tail light that he broke over a week ago. It’s a delightful episode to watch because you can easily imagine a pack of teenage boys trying to pull off a heist like this, and to come so tantalizingly close to getting away with it, only for everything to fall apart at the end.

Memorable Quote: Joey: “My dad says I’m a pretty good driver! Really! Last summer, he let me drive around the church parking lot!”

Do you have any favorite moments from the '80s Degrassi? Let me know in the comments below!