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Let's talk about Caitlin Ryan!

When I watch Degrassi Junior High, I remember falling hopelessly for Rick and Caitlin. I know everyone loves jaitlin, myself included, arguably the stronger power couple that ended oddly. Most fans kind of forget about them who are short-lived Klareesque, but I'm not surprised. I saw some old jaitlin just a few minutes on my dash, and it got me thinking.

Would it be controversial to say that Clare with KC is the equivalent of Caitlin and Rick and Claudr, similar to Eli, I guess that would make Drew a bit of Joey? Not really the same but if I could I would say and suspect, now correct me if this is too hot of a take, but early Caitlin and Rick are espys for Sean and Emma, respectively apart and together perhaps their entire relationship is based on them retooled and tweaked for a "new generation" but the similarities are there.

It might be a stretch, but consider this! There was a throwaway line by adult!Lucy in 2.12 white wedding part 1, "when are you going to add a mini Spike and mini Snake to mini Caitlin over there?" Implying Emma is similar to Caitlin back in the day or coded Caitlin is intentional.

The facts are both are environmentally conscious, trope of granola girl, the girl has a big mouth and can't mind her own business or stay in her lane, crusades and causes, controversial editorial pieces that manage to ruffle feathers and a pechant for bad boy characters. Joey was more a funnyman musician type but he wasnt Mr. Academics had trouble in school, could fall into the bad boy category, and was held back a grade in high school.

For example of a similar thing, Caitlin fought for Spike to stay at Degrassi while she was ironically pregnant with Emma when the school was intending to expel her with added pressure from pta, angry parents, and school board. Who would've thought that Caitlin would be this influence on her years later. Emma was shown to know exactly who she was and even liked her and sought her (bad) advice. Emma similarly wrote that nak editorial, which offended Sean’s brother and let's not forget about the vicious rumor Emma accidentally started and then humiliated herself and Liberty. There is alot to unpack with that such as seeing Armstrong and Liberty could've triggered her trauma regarding Jordan (the pilot love interest who was a pedophile predator) she is suspect of an adult being close and hands on with a teenager no matter how preposterous it all manifested.

Sean is a similar character to Rick, but somewhat similar to Craig, too, with the whole childhood abuse thing. I do suspect that this was intentional. Joey, too , is so instrumental in the season 2 opener with this plot point, and Craig's introductory plot makes a lot of sense, such as the whole thing with Rick and Craig. It also makes a logical writing sense kind of way with Sean cut from similar cloth to both Craig in the universe and his espy Rick Munro.

Semma though similar or based on Rick and Caitlin, right down to the end of Caitlin and Rick's relationship when he took up smoking cigarettes implied deviant behavior, similarly in dtng Sean was hanging with the deviant, "gangsta", Candy Bandits became his new friends and it pretty much ended Sean and Emma’s relationship in the third season.

In degrassi junior high, after the split Rick was sent to the Bermuda black hole after making him a satelite love interest territory, and of course, we see Caitlin later was paired with Joey, who was arguably a leading man in comparison. They shared a lovely relationship after that with major build up and were upgraded to power couple status, and we know the rest. Caitlin also dated the mysterious, environmentally conscious dark horse Claude who is arguably a bit more Eli Goldsworthy coded for a host of reasons which of course ended badly in more ways than one, and Caitlin and Joey got back on track after their split and Claude's untimely death by suicide. Caitlin felt guilty for the entire thing if I remember correctly and was comforted by Joey. If I remember right, I think this is what Claude had wanted, to hurt Caitlin for hurting him for not accepting his affections after their break up and moving on from him. Remember when Eli manipulated Clare in the conclusion of season 10 when he famously hit the wall inside Morty for the sole purpose of destroying the car for Clsre spelled the end of their initial relationship as we know it, was essentially a near death experience. Eli survived and manipulated Clare, and she finally left him after distancing herself, and then Eli did what he did. But they kind of subverted that a little bit obviously, but I think that was perhaps an initial plan.

So obviously Cailin has main character energy, similar to Emma her closest espy, Clare Edwards and perhaps even Maya Matlin, who are similarly cut in the same or similar cloth if there were some venn diagram there'd be quite significant overlap. Drama always follows for better for worse with these ladies. No stranger to drama, both in romance and friendships across the board.

It's kind of weird, though. Adult Caitlin is certainly aside from her rekindled relationship with Joey, a big ol' mess, and there is a lot to unpack with that. At this point, pretty heavily, it's implied she'd been through the ringer romantically (1.01 Mother Child Reunion). She is successful in her career, and it is a barrier for her. lkve glr her and mayve shes not over the her high school sweetheart and their ill fated engagement to her former flame joey who now is a widower with a child at this point in tjme working as a used car salesmen with a taxky commercial. Caitlin, as we know, began the "rebooted revival" series engaged to be married to an awful director, Keith, who had a wandering eye (Allison) and was condensending toward pretty much all of Caitlin's friends.

While Caitlin and Joey ended in a bittersweet fashion, (thanks alot Kevin Smith! </sarcasm) Caitlin resumed her career and ultimately left the series. When Caitlin eventually resurfaces in season 7's Jesse's Girl, where she hooked up with her mentees boyfriend, who is ironically named Jesse. Honestly, awful decision by the writers, and a disservice to her character who'd been around since the 1980's.

I can't believe Caitlin is the kind of woman who would get pissed at a boyfriend over cigarettes or vices when she was written to do something like that. Jesse was, at the very least, 10 or so years her junior. Cougar!Caitlin on the prowl isn't exactly what I expected to see for her future, and not really a flex for her character, a huge nosedive if you want to talk a fall from grace.

So there you have it. That's how I see it anyway.