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When Doves Cry I
The episode starts with a happy, summer-ish guitar melody while we watch Emma run after Angela in a park from afar. They're laughing and playing, and every few seconds we can hear a click and the scene stills and turns to black and white, as if it had become a picture. Which is exactly what's happening: pan up on a camera, then back on Angela as she blows bubbles. Behind the camera is Craig, looking all of ten years old - seriously, when I first saw this episode, after having seen the third season, I wondered if season 2 had lasted two years instead of one just because Craig seemed so young. Craig stops taking pictures and stares at Angela and Joey for a while, then leaves the park.
Cut to a dinner table where one plate is full of untouched corn and... some kind of meat, and the other one is only filled with leftovers. Dr. Manning sits in front of that one and calmly waits for his son to come home, which thankfully for us - and for Craig - happens just then. "Craigger," he calls out when he hears the door close, and Craig, not at all seeming rushed, takes off his jacket and greets him as he takes his seat. Dr. Manning, chuckling in a way that should be more than enough evidence to Craig that he's not in the best of moods right then, asks what happened to six o'clock, the time dinner was apparently supposed to take place. Craig apologizes and starts talking about the summer light, a dreamy look on his face as he does so. When his father interrupts him sternly he apologizes again and starts eating, but still looks pretty carefree - that is, until Dr. Manning angrily wipes his plate off the table and sends it breaking to the floor. Craig flinches back and stares at the plate for a moment, then, in a move I think is pretty smart, looks back at his father. "When I say six o'clock," Dr. Manning tells him, "I don't care how great the light is, you're home. Do you understand me?" He gets up from his seat and tells Craig to clean it up as he leaves the room, and Craig, still looking a little shell-shocked, stays silent and breathes hard until he hears the door slam.
Old theme song, la-la-la. Craig still has his camera instead of his guitar, and aww, he's not even wearing his leather jacket!
Cut to outside the school, where Toby and JT are walking and informing the viewers that Degrassi now includes grades 7 to 12, because the producers hadn't planned for the show to work as well as it did and hadn't realized they'd need more grades for more than one season. Toby's mad, because he was supposed to be among the oldest this year and now he's still one of the first years, but JT doesn't mind because that way, there are "more fishes in the sea." Toby is doubtful, but JT assures him: "Hot, sexy older women, just waiting to turn me into a man." Heh. As they go inside the school, we see Craig get out of his father's car as he thanks him for the lift. His father asks him if he needs a lift that afternoon, too, but Craig refuses then hurries to say that he can make it home on time. Hey, he's wearing the leather jacket! Yay! Dr. Manning wishes him good luck, calling him "sport", which would be so cute if he didn't regularly beat his son, then drives off. Craig goes into the school, passing Emma and Manny on the way who both immediately fall in love with this hot boy wearing leather.
Cut to Jimmy and Spinner sitting... somewhere in the school (a hallway? Seems awfully large) and complaining that they have to spend four more years into this "dump". They spot Sean, and remark loud enough for him to hear that the place is a zoo, and the monkey has just got in, but Sean ignores them and stops to drink at a fountain. On the speakerphone, Mr. Radditch welcomes the students and advises the new ones who didn't get their locker number to report to Mrs. Smith in the main room -- you can't accuse me of not being thourough, here. Sean finishes drinking and turns around just as Craig bumps into him: they lock gazes, and a new love is born. Too 'manly' to ask out Craig on the spot, Sean opts instead to make a snide remark about Degrassi becoming a Blind School, and we know he really loves Craig because it was neither really funny nor very mean. Craig seems to think so too, but stops himself from rolling his eyes and just apologizes and admits that he's lost, no doubt hoping Sean will show him the way to the supply closet where they can start making out uninterrupted. "Buy a map," retorts Sean, and Craig holds up the plan of the school to show him he already did. "I'm not blind," he say, just as two girls pass between them and greet the "boys," wondering loud enough for them to hear who's the new one. "Just," he continues while looking at the girls walking away, "directionally challenged." Another girl tells Craig, "Hey cutie," and Sean, sensing that he's met the new chick magnet of Degrassi, smiles and agrees to lead his new boyfriend best friend to the MI lab. Jimmy looks on, unhappily. And before we cut to another scene, I have to ask: why doesn't Craig know anyone there? If Degrassi's not the school his fellow 8th graders of the previous year went to, then why is he there? And why isn't he in some fancy private school, considering all the money Dr. Manning has and how important studies are for him? The answer, of course, is that TPTB both wanted to bring in Pat as a regular and needed to fill their Nice & Cute Guy hole with a new character, but I wish Craig had at least mentioned a little something to Sean to make us understand why he's new.
Moving on, we cut to Miss Kwan's class where she's explaining the new Grade 8 students that the school isn't completely ready to have so many students, and they'll have to make concessions. Liberty is worried about a dozen mostly trivial things, but Miss Kwan assures her that at first, it'll simply mean Degrassi will be very crowded. JT doesn't mind, as it's a small place to pay to be with older, hot women (JT? If they're not even 18 yet, they're girls, no matter the fact that they have five years on you), but Toby still isn't convinced he'll be able to score. Sean comes in late, having taken the long way to Craig's lab to show him a few closets and empty classrooms on the way, and Emma avoids his gaze while he seats and Miss Kwan tells him to see her after class. Aww, first day and the poor boy's already in trouble. But at least you have Craig, Sean! The students may have to share lockers, Miss Kwan continues, and we cut to -
Snake's 9th grade class, where he's happily telling students that he's going to be their Media Immersion teacher for another four years while distributing their locker keys. He slams one on Craig's desk to wake him up, "Late night, Craig?" he asks. Craig cutely answers that he kept waking up in wait of this exact moment, much to the amusement of the rest of the class, and I wonder if we're supposed to believe he had to stay up until late to clean up the broken plate? Because it really couldn't have taken that long. So are we supposed to believe his father didn't stop there, doing whatever that caused Craig to stay awake? Or maybe it's just to furthermore establish Craig as the Nice, Cute & Funny, Soon Popular Guy.
The bell rings (wait, didn't class just start? Did Sean come in five minutes before the hour was over? Or did 50 minutes pass between these two scenes? And if so, why would Snkae talk about being their MI teacher at the end of the class and not the start?), and we cut to the hallway where Toby and JT are walking and talking about the arrangement of their new shared locker. Emma and Manny, behind them, don't think sharing is such a good idea and will probably result in the end of their friendship, but JT is giddy about the idea. "So I get the top shelf, right?" he says, and the problems start right away when Toby announces that he thinks he should get the top shelf. JT wins the argument by proving that he's taller by, like, half an inch, and we pan over to Paige walking with Hazel and Terri in the same hallway as she rages on about her hair. I can't really see anything wrong with it, but then again my copy is so bad I can barely recognize Paige, so I may not be the best judge. Seems she has a mullet, and she needs 80 bucks to get it fixed (80?! I get my hair cut for 40, 45 tops); she already has $50, but her parents won't give her the rest until she cleans the garage. "Hello, child labour!" Heh. Craig, who was seemingly leaning against a wall and waiting for his cue, calls out to her that there are laws against child labour - he'd be one to talk, wouldn't he? - and Paige snippily thanks him. As soon as she and the girls turn around and start walking again, though, they start talking about how cute he is. Heh.
And we finally pan over to Ashley, looking so preppy I hardly recognize her, who calls out the girls in greeting. "I tried to call you when I got back," she says; "How was your summer?" They, and most particularly Paige, stare at her for a second wondering how she dare talk to them. "Anyway, about my hair," Paige tells her, clearly dismissing her and walking away with Hazel who, I have to say, is wearing the most unflattering top I've seen in a long time. It's deep purple and half plastic half latex, and it makes her look like she put on 15 pounds. It's just, horribly ugly. Terri stays behind with Ashley to try and comfort her and convince her that the other girls just need time. Ashley's not so sure about that but is happy to still have at least one friend, and they walk away together.
Cut to the elementary school, where Angela's playing in the courtyard during what I assume is lunch break; same as in the first scene, we hear the camera click and each time the scene stills in a black and white picture. We see Craig firing away behind the grid, and suddenly Angela notices him and shouts "Craig!" running in pretended slow-mo toward him. Aww. Craig lowers the camera and smiles broadly, and this cements my love for the boy: no matter what he can, and will, do, how can you hate someone who loves his sister that much, and isn't afraid to show it? Sibling relationships have always been my downfall, which explains why I have all the episodes of Party of Five on tape. Well, that, and Scott Wolf, really. Angela complains that Craig's been gone forever - 'forever' apparently meaning two months, as Craig was in camp. "But now I'm back from camp, and you will never get away from me." Aww. Yes, again. He takes another picture of her before she insists she take one of him, and he hands her the camera over the fence, showing her how to use it. He makes a face as she takes the picture, and then she hands him back the camera and asks him he wants to go "visit mommy" with Joey and her. "Just tell her I miss her," he says, then reminds her that she can't tell her dad that they saw each other. How is she supposed to give their mom his message if she can't mention that she saw him? But she promises, "Always always." Her teacher, presumable noticing that she's talking with a stranger, calls her name so Craig tells her he loves her and leaves. The teacher comes over and asks Angela who she was talking to and, in case you hadn't caught the 'Mommy' comment and thought Craig was maybe just a paedophile in training, Angela exposits that it was her brother. Her teacher looks in the direction of the departing Craig, no doubt wondering how a Hispanic child can have a white brother and a white dad.
We won't get an answer, though, as we cut to The Isaacs System instead: it's a computer generated program Toby created that will determine JT's best match among older women. Pictures of various girls scrawl down the screen until we get to Terri; Toby clicks on her picture and we get a close-up of her face on the left, and a bit of her 'biography' on the right:
Grade: 9
Homeroom: 9F (Simpson)
Cool Facter: 4
Cute Facter: 6
Nice Facter: 10
Says Hi: 9/10 times
Heh. Wonder how important the 'Says Hi' category is, eh? Though, unless Toby had decided beforehand that JT should go with Terri or JT had already mentioned his plan to date older women over the summer, it took an awfully short time for Toby to create the system and get all this info on dozens of girls. But JT doesn't think Terri's his type, to which Toby retorts that she's older, pretty and breathing, which is exactly JT's type. Heh. JT wants more of a challenge, though, and goes back to ogling the pictures until he gets to Paige and falls in love. The Isaac System informs him that he only has a 0.03% chance of dating Paige, which doesn't seem to faze JT, but we sadly don't get to see her biography. I wonder if Toby compensated what must be a very low Nice Factor with the fact that they both wear color-tinted sunglasses.
Cut to the cemetery, where Joey and Angela are visiting Mommy. Joey has a single white flower, but Angela's carrying a big bouquet of yellow ones. Joey remarks that it's a lot of yellow, but Angela reminds him that it was her mom's favourite color. She seems pretty cheerful for a kid visiting her mother's grave. They get to the gravestone, where I can only - barely, so don't count on me for dates - read 'Julia Jeremiah', and both kneel down as Joey kisses his palm and puts it on the stone. "Do you think she misses us?" Angela asks him, and Joey knows she does, just as they miss her. Sniffle. Angela wonders if she likes Heaven, though, because Craig said that... Uh-huh. "Craig said what?" Joey asks, obviously surprised to hear the name but smiling to get Angela to tell him the truth. Sneaky sneaky. But Angela's realized her mistake and closes her mouth tight until Joey asks her specifically if she's seen Craig. She says she didn't but Joey realizes she's lying and asks her to tell him the truth. Angela looks away and doesn't say anything, and just then Joey and we begin to hear clicking again. Joey looks up and, surprise surprise, it's Craig! He's very badly hiding a few feet away and taking more pictures. Joey starts to walk towards him and calls his name, but Craig runs away before he can get to him, and we cut to --
-- a dark room, where Craig is developing film. When he's done, he takes a picture that was hung to dry and adds it on the cover of a photo album where he's written 'The Perfect Family'. It features Joey and Angela on the left side, and a picture of himself that was obviously added on the right one. The boy wants to kill me with his sweetness. He caresses Angela's face on it while the sad piano music continues and until his father calls out that it's dinner time. "Yeah, coming," he calls out, and takes down the pictures - all of Angela and Joey - that he'd hung, hiding them away with his photo album. He leaves only one picture hanging, though, and we close-up on it for a few seconds until the scene ends: it's of his house. I don't get it. Is there even something to get?
Cut to the dinner table where Dr. Manning has made Craig's favourite meal (roast beef, mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, for those wondering; the boy's easy). The whole thing has the potential to go really well, until Craig stupidly mentions his mother's cooking: his father stops cutting the beef and closes his eyes as if in pain, then looks pointedly at Craig who smartly shuts up. The moment gone, Dr. Manning starts cutting again and asks if Craig's made any friends yet at his new school - and Craig has, of course: Sean. "He's hot. And he has, like, those amazing eyes and that little nose, and he tries to pretend that's he's mean and hard, but underneath it he's just nice and sweet and funny." Or maybe he just says he's cool, but we all know what that means. Dr. Manning goes on to say that there was a message on the machine from Joey when he got home. "Any idea why he might be calling?" he asks Craig, wanting to make sure Craig didn't call him. Craig, given the opportunity to answer truthfully that question without admitting the real truth, jumps on it: "Why would I call Joey?" he says. His father, doing a 'Beats me' face answers that he doesn't know: "Why would your mother leave a surgeon for a used car salesman, Craigger? I mean, mysteries of the universe are infinite to me." Heh. I know it's not supposed to be funny, but the actor playing Dr. Manning just sells it. Craig reassures him again that he didn't call Joey, and then adds, a little uncertainly: "I'm not. I'm not like mom, okay? You're gonna call him back?" he adds, scared to death but trying to sound casual. "Why would I do that?" Dr. Manning answers, and Craig starts breathing a little more easily as the scene ends.
Cut to the next day at school, where JT and Toby are waiting for Paige to approach. "Project Paige has officially begun," JT says as he spots her. He runs to her and Hazel, who're both either eating ice cream or yoghurt, and today it's Paige's time to wear purple. Do these girls call each other before getting dressed to make sure they'll have matching, but not identical, outfits? Or do they have a grid for which color and fabric they're each supposed to wear on different days of the week? Both Paige and Hazel make snide, almost insulting comments when JT gets to them, but JT doesn't care and immediately starts on his project: "Paige, may I say that you're looking rather radiant today? May I carry your bag for you?" he asks as he takes it off Paige's shoulders and puts it on his own. Paige is bewildered that such a lesser human being wants to carry her bag, but JT assures her that "[Her] wish is his command." Unfortunately for poor JT, Paige's only wish is that he give her back her bag and go back to his "girlfriend over there," the girlfriend being Toby, who appears to be carrying some kind of mike, or maybe a camera. Is he recording Project Paige? In any case, he was wildly entertained by the whole scene and taunts JT about it, but JT hasn't lost hope: "Paige Michalchuk will be mine," he announces, and they both go in, Toby all, whatever you say.
We cut to Craig wandering in the library as we hear Manny and Emma whisper about him a few tables over, having just learned that he's a Grade 9. "Why do the 9 graders get all the hotties?" Manny complains. Aw, c'mon Manny, you have Sean! And believe me, in a couple of years? JT won't look that bad either. They both laugh about the fact that they have Current-JT and Toby to make up for Craig, then notice Craig and get all nervous, grabbing books and pretending that to be studying. Craig comes over to their table, Emma and Manny's heartbeats getting more erratic with each step, and unceremoniously sits next to them. "Emma Nelson, right?" he asks. Emma, too shocked that New Cutie is talking to her to do anything but stare, lowers her book and nods. "You baby-sit Angela Jeremiah," Craig adds, and Emma agrees, but still doesn't see what that has to do with the fact that the man of her dreams is talking to her. "You don't recognize me?" he asks, and when she doesn't he reminisces: "Five years ago. Our mothers made us dance." Emma, who apparently only danced with one guy during her entire life, suddenly realizes that Craig is Joey's step-son, who she met at Joey and Julia's wedding. She explains this to Manny, who's still in her high and day dreamingly says "Oh. Hi," probably having been too busy watching Craig to hear or understand a single word. Craig 'hi's back with an adorable little smile, then tells Emma it was nice to see her again and gets up. But Emma, sensing she has a unique chance to grab Craig for herself before other girls try to, calls him back and invites him to a party her mother is throwing that evening during which she'll be babysitting Angela. Craig says he wouldn't want to crash the party, but Emma rushes to assure him that he wouldn't, and I can't decide if Craig really only wanted to say hi to Emma, or if it was all a plan to get her to invite him at a time she was babysitting Angela. In any case, Craig agrees and thanks her, then leaves the girls alone to sigh in elation, then start screaming and shrieking once they realize he'll be coming to their party.
Cut to Joey's dealership, where Joey's trying to sell a car to a couple but is interrupted by Dr. Manning's sarcastic "Oh, listen to the man. He knows cars." Joey asks his clients to give him a minute, then greets "Albert". Finally, a first name! It's about Craig, Joey says, which he knows is none of his business, but - "You're just gonna butt in anyway," Albert finishes for him. Joey's a little taken aback by the hostility, which surprises me because it's probably nothing new, and says he just wants to know how he's doing. Albert doesn't want to answer, because Craig is his son, not Joey's, and when Joey notes that he's also Angela's brother he cuts in to correct: half-brother. Yeesh. Something tells me he's not really over the whole, wife leaving him for a used car salesman. Joey goes on to say Angela misses Craig and he know Craig misses her: he thinks he and Albert have to do something about that, but Albert disagrees; he just thinks they should stay away from each other, and attempts to do just that by getting in his car. Before he can leave, though, Joey tells him he's just found out that Craig has been seeing Angela during his spare time: that stops Albert for a few seconds, but when Joey asks him if Angela and Craig have to hate each other like Albert and he do, Albert just drives away.
Cut to a street where Toby is once again trying to convince JT that, according to the system, he has no chance with Paige. "Would that be the same system that stopped you from doing anything about Emma last year?" Ouch. Paige, Hazel and Spinner get out of a nearby store, and JT calls out Paige's name. She doesn't stop walking, even remarking that she needs a restraining order, but ask what he wants when he starts walking with her. "Would you go out with me?" he asks her, then rushes to add that he's only asking for one date and that they can talk commitment if they click, much to the hilarity of Paige and Pals, who keep walking as JT stops. "All in good time," he tells Toby as they leave together. Meanwhile, Paige is asking Spinner and Hazel if her rep has fallen so low that a loser like this can think he can ask her out with no repercussions. I would think that the general and constant mocking from you and your friends would be enough repercussions, Paige. What do you want to do, spork his eyes out? Hazel and Jimmy think it's hilarious, though, and that she should accept. Hazel even offers 30 bucks, enough to get her hair done. "You honestly think I would go on a date with It in public?" Isn't It a big scary-ass clown? Hazel thinks that an evening with Frodo (much more appropriate than It, I must say, though I'd have opted for Pippin myself) beats a whole day spent cleaning out a garage. "30 bucks? In cash?" Paige asks. Spinner and Hazel agree, and so does she, but on certain conditions that we'll only get to hear in the next episode.
We cut to Emma's party where Craig is drawing a dinosaur on the sidewalk for Angela. Craig, honey? You know I love you leather jacket, but seriously. I looks like it's 90 degrees out there. Just take it off for a little while, would you? You have Angela with you, you charm won't wear off. When Ang asks him if it's a frog, he asks if she's kidding and explains that it's a big dinosaur, "With a taste for little girls named Angela!" He pounces on her as she shrieks in delight, and my heart melts a little more. Spike calls out to that dinner's served, and as they cross the street to the house we see Joey arrive, holding a kite (no, I have no idea why, either). Angela runs in his arms as Craig turns his back to him and tries to hide in a corner. Spike and Snake, standing very close to each other, greet him, surprised to see him as it's "only [Spike's] birthday," and much less important than the blind date Joey was apparently on. Turns out the reason Joey came was because he ditched his date, who was old enough to be his mother.
Laughter ensues, until Joey spots Craig who keeps his back to him and doesn't answer Joey's calls. When Joey asks what he's doing there Emma cuts in to say she invited him, and Craig testily asks if that's okay. Joey says it is but asks to talk to Craig for a second, and Craig, looking like he'd rather have a colostomy, goes with him. Joey tells him he's glad to see him again, and the way he says it makes me think these two never really lived together. Angela was around four when her mom died, right? So Julia would have been divorced and living/married with Joey for at least 5 years, from around the time Craig was 7 up until he was 12. I can't see Craig living with them all that time and have Joey and him act this way now. Her mother probably had week-ends and holidays, which is how Craig knows both Joey and Angela, but I can't believe Joey wouldn't be more father-ish and concerned if they'd lived together almost 24/7 for five years. Plus, since no-one knows Dr. Manning is violent, it means it didn't happen before Julia left him, and I don't think Albert's the type to let his son go easily. He was the wronged party, he had the money... and Craig saying that he's "not like his mother" during dinner seems to indicate that he didn't do the same 'mistake' as her, i.e.: go live with Joey.
Joey tells Craig that, even though he is happy to see him, Albert doesn't want Craig to have any contact with either Joey or Angela. Craig lies with a big smile that his dad's fine with it, but when Joey specifically asks if his father knows Craig's here, he doesn't answer. Joey goes on to say that Dr. Manning made it very clear that he didn't want Craig to see him and Angela, and Craig interrupts, suddenly understanding that Joey and Albert must have talked. Joey confirms that his dad came by the dealership that afternoon, and Craig starts to leave, pretending thar everything's fine and he's only going home because his father wants him to. Close-up of Emma's face, who looks worried. Smart girl.
Cut to Craig standing on the sidewalk in front of his house where his father's car parked, and contemplating whether to go in or not. He swallows around the lump in his throat and finally crosses the street and comes in. He spots his father sitting at the dinner table, his head down, and tells him he's going to his dark room. His father neither moves nor answers. Cut to the dark room, which looks like a hurricane hit it. Craig looks around, shocked, just as Hurricane Albert comes down the stairs for a repeat performance. "Are you looking for something?" he asks Craig menacingly, holding the photo album. Craig flinches back and asks what he's doing, and his father repeats his question, again and again as he starts to hit Craig with the photo album; Craig moves his arms up to protect his head and keeps asking his father what he's doing. We hear glass break and various things falling on the floor as Craig hits the shelves on the wall. After he's hit him enough times with the photo album, Dr. Manning grabs Craig's arms and throws him face down on the floor, then sends some kind of furniture on him. Craig breathes hard and start to cry as his father leaves the dark room, and we pan up on the broken camera lying on the floor as tinkling guitar music signals us what I think is the end of the first part of this episode.
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