Time Stands Still (Degrassi: The Next Generation)

Last updated

"Time Stands Still"
Degrassi: The Next Generation episodes
Degrassi shooting.jpg
A bullied Rick Murray getting revenge with his 1911 pistol trying to shoot Emma.
Episode nos.Season 4
Episodes 7 & 8
Directed byStefan Sciani
Production code407 & 408
Original air date5 & 12 October 2004
Running time44 minutes
Guest appearance
Ephraim Ellis as Rick Murray
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Islands in the Stream"		Next →
"Back in Black"
Degrassi: The Next Generation (season 4)
List of episodes

"Time Stands Still" is a two-part episode of the Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation . It aired on CTV in Canada on 5 & 12 October 2004. In the two-part episode, Rick Murray (Ephraim Ellis), ostracized after he physically abused his girlfriend in the previous season, brings a gun to school and shoots and paralyzes Jimmy Brooks (credited as Aubrey Graham, now known as Drake), when a prank pulled on Rick is blamed on Jimmy. Rick is then accidentally killed by Sean Cameron (Daniel Clark) in his attempt to stop the shooting. Despite being a two-part episode, many events were still unresolved until later in the season.

Contents

Part two of the episode earned director Stefan Sciani an award for "Outstanding Achievement in a Television Series – Family" at the Directors Guild of Canada Awards.

Plot

Part one

A full year after his abuse sent his girlfriend Terri into a coma, Rick is still being bullied by the students of Degrassi, including Spinner, Jay, and Jimmy. Rick, however, has made friends with Toby and Emma, and develops a crush on the latter. He also becomes a contestant on the popular school trivia show "Whack Your Brain" with Toby and Emma.

Rick gets revenge on Spinner and Jay by spray painting an 'X' on the door of both of their cars. Spinner, Jay, Alex, and Sean meet up and discuss the incident. Spinner wants to tell Principal Raditch, though Sean reminds him that if they tell Raditch, he's going to want to know why Rick vandalized their cars. Spinner changes his mind, but assures his revenge on Rick.

Due to his intelligence, especially in sports, Jimmy is placed on the "Whack Your Brain" team by Archie after one of the contestants gets sick with mono. Both Jimmy and Rick detest Archie's decision, and Rick attempts to convince Raditch to get Jimmy off the team. Rick is quickly dismissed by Raditch, who claims Rick should try to make a better relationship with Jimmy. Rick is discouraged by this, but he and Jimmy soon start to get along.

Meanwhile, Joey, struggling with financial troubles, is attempting to sell his house, to Craig's dismay. When Joey's real-estate agent can't get the house sold, Craig decides to call Joey's ex-girlfriend, Sydney, who is an expertise in real estate. Though Joey is upset with Sydney's reappearance, Craig believes Sydney will sell the house for good money. During the open house, Caitlin comes back from Africa and asks why Sydney's name is on the lawn.

At the televised "Whack Your Brain" show, the Degrassi team is tied with Northern High School. For the final round, the team chooses Rick to go up. Rick ends up beating Northern, thus winning the game. While Rick celebrates his win on-stage, Spinner, Jay and Alex prank Rick by pouring a bucket of yellow paint and feathers on him in front of the audience. The audience laughs, humiliating Rick. Leaving school in shock, Rick is approached by Emma, who hands him the trophy and assures him he's the smartest guy in school; Rick kisses Emma. Emma is disgusted and angrily states she only befriended Rick because she felt pity for him. Dejected, Rick goes home and discovers his parents are not there. He pulls out a box from a drawer, opens it, and finds his father's gun.

Part two

Rick—now the laughing stock of the school—returns to Degrassi, still coated in feathers and paint, with his father's Colt 1911 concealed in a backpack. Planning to get revenge on his bullies, Rick goes after Paige first. When Paige encounters Rick, she reveals that she thought the prank was sickening and that she is sorry. Rick decides not to take out the gun to shoot her. He apologizes for hurting Terri and leaves.

While trying to clean himself up in the bathroom, Spinner and Jay trick Rick into thinking the prank was Jimmy's idea; Rick recommits to revenge. He approaches Jimmy, who is sympathetic towards him, informing him that he has his back if he is bullied further. Rick retorts to Jimmy that he was lying to him all along, and only pretending to be his friend; Jimmy is still unaware that Rick thought he set up the prank. Rick pulls out his gun and shoots Jimmy in the back, causing Jimmy to collapse to the floor. His unconscious body is seen by Craig.

Rick confronts Toby, Emma, and Sean in the hallway; Rick is mad at Emma for not reciprocating his feelings, stating that Emma played him, and that she has now "made his list". Sean tries to talk Rick out of shooting Emma, to no avail. When Rick points the gun at Emma, Sean attacks him and tries to point the gun away. They wrestle for the weapon and, during the struggle, it fires into Rick's stomach, killing him.

Following the incident, the school is put on a lockdown, though most of the students are unaware of what happened. In a classroom, Paige, Ellie, Ashley and Hazel learn about the shooting. Soon after, Hazel is pulled out of class and is informed that Jimmy was shot. Meanwhile, Caitlin and Joey, who were initially discussing about Sydney and the house, also learn about the shooting. They quickly arrive at Degrassi, where the students are being released from the school; Caitlin stops news reporters from interviewing the students. Archie yells at Raditch for not preventing Rick's bullying. Jay assures Alex that they will be fine and that nobody will find out, but Alex is regretful of her involvement. Spinner, filled with guilt and regret, tells Jay the authorities need to know who did it, and how they might have killed Jimmy. Jay reassures Spinner telling him "you need to shut up, ok?" and "we didn't do anything!" But Spinner retorts and says "We did!"

Toby and Emma leave the school and are greeted by their parents. Toby discovers that Rick has died. Numerous students, including Emma, Ashley, Sean, Ellie and Craig, watch the news about the shooting. Paige and Hazel go to the hospital to see Jimmy. Toby and Emma tearfully embrace at a candlelight vigil for Jimmy at Degrassi.

Production

Executive producer Aaron Martin had wanted to address the issue of school shootings since the beginning of Degrassi: The Next Generation. In a 2004 interview, Martin expressed, "It wasn't an issue when the original Degrassi was on, and it's become much more of an issue in the last 10 years. And with any teen shows, there are only so many issues you can cover, and new ones are harder and harder to find." [1]

There were probably a lot of things going on behind the scenes that led up to us finally taking a crack at the school shooting story-lines. It was a topic we knew we would need to address at some point since, unfortunately, preparing for and dealing with school shootings are things a whole lot of students in the United States are forced to confront at some point. School shootings are vastly less routine in Canada, but your news travels north. The fundamental issues of bullying and violence are commonplace in Canada as well. By the fourth season a few things came together that we felt would facilitate the telling of a dramatic, yet balanced school shooting story. We had many of the young actors really hitting their strides in terms of being able to pull off what would be a very complicated and emotionally tough story-line.

Degrassi: The Next Generation writer Brendon Yorke describing the idea for a school shooting episode in 2019 [2]

The writers chose to bring back a character from the previous season to be involved in the storyline; Rick Murray, portrayed by Ephraim Ellis. [3] In the previous season, Rick appeared as an abusive boyfriend to Terri MacGregor, played by Christina Schmidt, with the characters' relationship ending after Rick pushes Terri to the ground, causing her to hit her head on a cinderblock and putting her in a coma. [4] Writer Brendan Yorke felt that Ellis as an actor "could pull off a very intense and demanding story-line" such as what had been planned, and thus it was a "no-brainer" to choose him to return. [3] The producers enlisted bullying expert Barbara Coloroso, who worked with the families of survivors of the Columbine High School shooting, [3] and who "gave us amazing insights into how [bullies] work and how this cycle of violence keeps happening over and over again." [5]

Daniel Clark, who portrayed Sean Cameron, a major character in the episode, noted that the cast was not initially told of the issues that would be addressed that season, and that they had discovered the episode would involve school shootings at its table read. [3] Director Stefan Sciani noted the atmosphere of the read-through: "Usually there would be a certain amount of energy and high-spirit, but the read-through got quieter and quieter and more serious as it went on. People were just looking down at their pages completely focused. I remember when we got to the point when Ephraim first pulls out the gun, everyone in the room was just breathless." [3] He further added: "When they read the part where Aubrey gets shot in the back, some of the kids burst into tears. By the end of that read-through, you could hear a pin drop because everyone was so affected." [3] Ellis and Sciani both noted that the atmosphere during the filming of the shooting scene was more serious than the "laid-back, fun, and light" atmosphere prevalent in the usual filming of the series. [3]

Ellis noted that a real gun was used for the scene in which his character shoots Graham's. [3] According to Sciani, the Emergency Task Force, as well as several gun wranglers and cast members, were tasked with verifying that the gun had no bullets, with Ellis instructed to hold the gun a certain way for the scene. [3] A squib was used to simulate Jimmy Brooks' gunshot wound. Sciani noted that because the squib had an impact, Graham's lurch forward after his character was shot was legitimate. [3]

Miriam McDonald, who portrayed Emma Nelson, noted in a contemporaneous interview that she and her co-stars were in a "state of shock" after reading the script. [5] Stacey Farber, who played Ellie Nash, reflected on the episode in 2021, expressing that at the time, the episode "seemed really dramatic to me. Farfetched, even. It's astonishing and so horrific how that's changed. It was ahead of its time, sadly." [6]

During the filming of the scene in which Jimmy Brooks was shot, police cruisers were stationed outside the school set with officers walking the halls with prop machine guns; [6] Jake Epstein, who played Craig Manning, commented that it "felt very much like being a student at a school when you hear about something horrific and your friends are involved." [6] Lauren Collins, who played Paige Michalchuk, noted that the cast was "in tears" after a special screening of the episode, and also commented: "I haven't seen that moment in probably 15 years, but I can hear [Jimmy] screaming out in the hallway." The N aired public service announcements to warn of the episode's content. [5] The episode was named after the Rush song "Time Stand Still", in keeping with the show's trend of naming episodes after various 1980s songs. [3] Yorke chose the name for the episode as he felt that it "conveyed the idea that one moment, when a horrible decision is made, can change lives forever." [3]

Broadcast

"Time Stands Still" first aired on CTV in Canada on 5 and 12 October 2004. It aired on the American cable channel Noggin during its programming block for teenagers, The N, on 3 and 10 December 2004.

Reception and legacy

Degrassi co-creator Linda Schuyler ranked "Time Stands Still" fourth in an Entertainment Weekly interview discussing her favourite episodes in 2012. [7] The A.V. Club listed the episode in their "10 Very special episodes" feature. Writer Pilot Viruet was critical of the episode, writing that "though some of the episode's intent (it's basically a "Why you shouldn't bully" PSA) is lost in the sheer absurdity of the situation—including Drake's less-than-impressive acting—the importance actually lies in what "Time Stands Still" sets up." [8] In 2018, Ilana Caplan of The Independent listed "Time Stands Still" in her "7 Degrassi episodes you need to watch" feature. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Degrassi: The Next Generation</i> 2001 Canadian teen drama television series

Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series created by Yan Moore and Linda Schuyler. It is the fourth series in the Degrassi franchise and a revival of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High. It premiered on CTV on October 14, 2001, and concluded on August 2, 2015, on MTV Canada. The series centers around a new ensemble cast of students at the fictional Degrassi Community School who face challenges such as sex, teen pregnancy, bullying, date rape, drug abuse, body image, homosexuality, domestic violence, gang violence, self-injury, suicide, abortion, mental disorders and many other issues. Various characters from the previous two series also returned as adults in recurring or guest roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Jeremiah</span> Fictional character from the "Degrassi" franchise

Joseph "Joey" Jeremiah is a fictional character from the Degrassi teen drama franchise. He is portrayed by Pat Mastroianni. He debuted in the first episode of Degrassi Junior High and appeared throughout Degrassi Junior High, Degrassi High, and the first five seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation. As one of the main focus characters of the original two series, his role primarily concerns his friendship with Archie "Snake" Simpson and Derek "Wheels" Wheeler, his on-and-off romantic relationship with Caitlin Ryan, and in The Next Generation, his relationship with his stepson Craig Manning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caitlin Ryan (Degrassi)</span> Fictional character from Degrassi franchise

Caitlin Ryan is a fictional character from the Degrassi teen drama franchise. Portrayed by Stacie Mistysyn, Caitlin is a main character on both Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, which chronicle her maturation from a seventh grader to a high school graduate. Mistysyn returned to play an adult Caitlin on Degrassi: The Next Generation, in which Caitlin was a recurring character. Mistysyn won a Gemini Award for her portrayal of the character in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Wheeler</span> Fictional character from the Degrassi franchise

Derek Wheeler is a fictional character from the Degrassi teen drama franchise. He was portrayed by Neil Hope. He appears throughout Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High, with two cameo appearances in Degrassi: The Next Generation. His role throughout the former two series primarily concerns his friendship with Joey Jeremiah and Archie "Snake" Simpson, and later the death of his adoptive parents in a traffic collision with a drunk driver. Throughout the series, he plays with Joey and Snake in a band called The Zit Remedy, who are always seen performing one song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Nelson</span> Fictional character from Degrassi

Christine "Spike" Nelson is a fictional character from the Degrassi teen drama franchise. Portrayed by Amanda Stepto, Spike appeared throughout Degrassi Junior High (1987–89), Degrassi High (1989–91), and the first nine seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation (2001–10). Starting as an unnamed extra before being given a name and storyline, Spike's character largely revolves around her teenage pregnancy and motherhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J.T. Yorke</span> Fictional character on Degrassi: The Next Generation

James Tiberius "J.T." Yorke is a fictional character from the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation. He was portrayed by Ryan Cooley. He debuted in the first episode of the series and appeared throughout its first six seasons. His role throughout Degrassi: The Next Generation primarily concerns his friendship with Toby Issacs, his relationship with Liberty Van Zandt, and his later brief relationship with Mia Jones. In the show's fifth season, Liberty becomes pregnant after the two become sexually active, with Liberty ultimately deciding to put the baby up for adoption. He then begins to date Mia by the sixth season, but has second thoughts about Liberty. Before he is able to rekindle his relationship with Liberty, he is stabbed to death by Drake Lempkey, a student from rival school Lakehurst, puncturing his aorta and killing him. His death causes tensions between Degrassi and Lakehurst, which are exacerbated by the latter's students being moved to Degrassi in the seventh season.

<i>Degrassi: The Next Generation</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation commenced airing in Canada on 7 September 2004, concluded on 14 February 2005 and contains twenty-two episodes. Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian serial teen drama television series. This season depicts the lives of a group of high school sophomores and juniors as they deal with some of the challenges and issues teenagers face such as bullying, dysfunctional families, school shootings, mental disorders, STDs, disabilities, gambling, homosexuality, and inappropriate student-teacher relationships.

"Mother and Child Reunion" is the two-part pilot episode of the Canadian teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation, which premiered on October 14, 2001 on the CTV Television Network. The episode was written by story editor Aaron Martin and series co-creator/creative consultant Yan Moore, and directed by Bruce McDonald. As with the majority of Degrassi: The Next Generation episodes, "Mother and Child Reunion" takes its title from a pop song, "Mother and Child Reunion", written and performed by Paul Simon.

Degrassi Goes Hollywood is a 2009 Canadian film adaptation of the popular, long-running teenage drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. The movie premiered in the United States on The N on 14 August 2009, and in Canada on CTV on 30 August 2009. It was directed by veteran Degrassi actor-director, Stefan Brogren. Degrassi Goes Hollywood is the first feature-length movie of the Next Generation cast, and the second feature-length film in the Degrassi franchise, the first being 1992's School's Out in which Brogren co-starred. Degrassi Goes Hollywood is the first in-continuity Degrassi production recorded and set principally outside of Canada. For syndication purposes, the film has been shown as a four-part episode titled "Paradise City".

Accidents Will Happen (<i>Degrassi: The Next Generation</i>) 14th and 15th episodes of the 3rd season of Degrassi: The Next Generation

"Accidents Will Happen" is a two-part episode from the third season of the Canadian television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. In Canada, the first part aired on CTV on 26 January 2004, and the second part aired on 9 February. The two-part episode follows Manny Santos discovering she is pregnant and ultimately deciding to get an abortion.

Degrassi Takes Manhattan is a 2010 Canadian television film based on the teen drama television series Degrassi, which was known as Degrassi: The Next Generation prior to this film. The film premiered in Canada on MuchMusic on 16 July 2010 and in the United States on TeenNick on 19 July 2010. It was directed by veteran Degrassi actor-director, Stefan Brogren. Degrassi Takes Manhattan is the second feature-length movie of the Next Generation cast, and the third feature-length film in the Degrassi franchise, the first being 1992's School's Out. For syndication purposes, the film will also be shown as a four-part episode titled "The Rest of My Life".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept</span> 16th episode of the 3rd season of One Tree Hill

"With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept " is the 16th episode of One Tree Hill's third season and the show's 61st episode overall. It first aired on The WB television network in the United States on March 1, 2006. It was written by Mark Schwahn and directed by Greg Prange, and revolves around a school shooting.

High Fidelity (<i>Degrassi: The Next Generation</i>) 18th and 19th episodes of the 5th season of Degrassi: The Next Generation

"High Fidelity" is a two-part episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation, that was broadcast as the final episode in season five. In Canada, the first part premiered on CTV on 13 March 2006, and the second part premiered on 20 March. The second part is also the hundredth episode of the series.

Its Late (<i>Degrassi Junior High</i>) 11th episode of the 1st season of Degrassi Junior High

"It's Late" is the 11th episode of the first season of Canadian teen drama television series Degrassi Junior High. It originally aired on the CBC in Canada on April 5, 1987. After a careless night with Shane at a classmate's party, Spike fears she is pregnant. Meanwhile, Arthur gives continuously bad romantic advice to his friend Yick.

Showtime (<i>Degrassi High</i>) 10th and 11th episodes of the 2nd season of Degrassi High

"Showtime" is a two-part episode of the Canadian teen drama Degrassi High. It was the tenth and eleventh episodes of the show's second season, airing on CBC on 28 January and 4 February 1991. In the two-part episode, the titular school is thrown into disarray after Archie "Snake" Simpson finds Claude Tanner dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The episode was the first time the franchise had depicted suicide.

A New Start (<i>Degrassi High</i>) 1st and 2nd episodes of the 1st season of Degrassi High

"A New Start" is the two-part premiere episode of the Canadian teen drama series Degrassi High. It aired on CBC in its hour-long form on 6 November 1989, and on PBS in the United States on 13 January 1990. The episode was written by Yan Moore and directed by Kit Hood. It is the first of three episodes of Degrassi that depict abortion, followed by 2003's "Accidents Will Happen" from Degrassi: The Next Generation and 2017's "#IRegretNothing" from Degrassi: Next Class.

"Bye-Bye, Junior High" is the sixteenth episode of the third and final season of Canadian teen drama television series Degrassi Junior High. It originally aired on CBC Television in Canada on February 27, 1989. It was written by Yan Moore and directed by Kit Hood. The episode takes place at the end of the school year as graduation approaches; despite the fallout from the death of his parents at the beginning of the season, Derek "Wheels" Wheeler manages to pass, but Christine "Spike" Nelson, who is raising her daughter Emma, must make up for poor grades over the holidays, something which she does not react well to. At the graduation dance, a fault in the boiler room causes a fire to spread throughout the school, razing it to the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Zit Remedy</span> Fictional Canadian rock band

The Zit Remedy, later known as The Zits, are a fictional rock band who appear in the Degrassi television franchise. A three-piece group with no live drummer, they are known in the show for their one-song "Everybody Wants Something", of which they are shown performing on numerous occasions throughout the series. The band consists of Joey Jeremiah on keyboards, Archie "Snake" Simpson on guitar, and Derek "Wheels" Wheeler on bass, with all three sharing lead vocals. For a brief period, Wheels is forced to give up the band for extra tutoring and is replaced by Simon Dexter. The band is also referenced several times in Degrassi: The Next Generation.

References

  1. ↑ "'Degrassi' to Address School Violence". FoxNews.com. 3 December 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "Degrassi: Time Stands Still – A 15 Year Retrospective". Conventional Relations. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ConventionalRelations (19 November 2019). "Degrassi: Time Stands Still – A 15 Year Retrospective". Conventional Relations. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  4. ↑ Keaney, Quinn (23 June 2018). "When Rick Pushes Terri Onto a Rock, and She Goes Into a Coma". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 Rodman, Sarah (1 December 2004). "Tragedy 101: 'Degrassi' pushes limits with school-shooting episode". Degrassi Online. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 Carlin, Shannon (16 July 2021). "The Most Unforgettable Degrassi: TNG Episodes, According to the Cast". Vulture. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  7. ↑ Busis, Hilary (26 October 2012). "Degrassi' creator reveals her 10 favorite episodes". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  8. ↑ Viruet, Pilot (15 January 2016). "It goes there: 10 very special episodes of Degrassi". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  9. ↑ Caplan, Ilana (14 June 2018). "7 Degrassi episodes you need to watch" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.