Nobody's gonna wanna dance with a fat cow like me.
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After years of watching a show, changes that occur can be hard to detect. Techniques and styles that develop over entire seasons, or multiple seasons, are often softened because they take place so gradually. By the time the change is noticed, there is some confusion as to whether this change is real, or the natural result of comparing new experiences with nostalgia-tinted remembrances. I think that this is especially true of Degrassi. After being on for more than a decade, it is quite easy to forget just how the new episodes compare to the old, and quite difficult to say when the perceived changes actually occurred, if they occurred at all. In almost everything I write on this blog, I make a reference to how Degrassi "used to be" and how much it has changed. However, I really offer no perspective of when this arbitrarily defined change occurred, and I am often left wondering if the quality has been altered, or if I am just interpreting the episodes differently than I did several years ago simply because I am older and a different person. As my "throwback episode reviews" have indicated, I have been watching Season 1 of Degrassi, and it instantly struck me how truly different these episodes are from the current episodes. The nature of the show has changed quite drastically, but pinpointing when the show changed from the P.S.A. / after school special style of the early episodes to the drama-filled soap opera of the modern episodes is not easily done. The effect these changes have had on the quality and impact of the show is also difficult to analyze, partly due to the difficulty in removing personal bias, and partly due to the difficulty in analyzing such a large number of episodes. I recently stumbled across a website called Graph TV. By entering the name of a television series, this site collects the rating of every episode listed on IMDb and compiles them into a graph. This gives a visual representation of the general perception of the show throughout its entire broadcast run. The IMDb ratings for Seasons1-13 of Degrassi TNG are presented in Fig. 1. The plot can clearly be divided into the following 3 sections, which will be discussed in detail below: (A) Seasons 1-7, (B) Seasons 8-10, and (C) Seasons 11-13. Section A: The Halcyon Days From the very beginning, Degrassi was fairly well received. The average rating for the first seven seasons is approximately constant at roughly 7.75. In addition to maintaining a near constant average, the standard deviation is quite low, with only a single outlier falling below 6.25 (Season 2, Episode 18). This consistency is quite amazing. If there was any perceptible change in the show during these seasons, the audience apparently embraced it and considered the change to have a negligible effect on the quality of each episode. During these seasons, the original cast is introduced, and we follow them from 7th and 8th grade up through their graduation. The benefit of this for viewers is that as the cast ages and matures, confronting new problems with their growing age, the viewership also aged in kind. Thus, the trials and tribulations of this cast were always kept relevant to those watching and going through the same aging process. Additionally, the cast was quite small, starting with 11 lead child actors in Season 1 (Fig.2). This surely had the benefit of allowing each character to be explored in full during the course of several seasons. Fig. 2. What a happy bunch! Why are they happy? Because they are bringing endless joy into our otherwise mundane little lives. They are small in number, but large in heart. Not pictured: Sean. Perhaps this is indicative of why the ratings for these first seasons are so consistent. Anyone introduced to the show during this era knew these characters well, and as time went on, both the characters and viewer aged together. As the seasons progressed, the same characters remained, providing a continuity that also naturally shifted with the aging viewership. The show could easily maintain relevance and quality in this scenario as the show was based almost entirely around character development. Section B: The Decline In Section B, starting with Season 8, the average rating instantaneously drops to 5.5 and remains constant until Season 11. The standard deviation is much higher in this section, with episodes ranging from a high of 8.5 (Season 10, Episode 1) to a low of 4.1 (Season 9, Episode 17). The question is, after so many seasons of consistent quality, why did the ratings suddenly plummet. Perhaps the most obvious culprit is the change in cast. Figure 3 presents a plot of the number of lead child roles added or dropped for each individual season (adult roles are ignored in this analysis, as the show is mainly centered around the school-aged children). A role being dropped simply refers to a character that had been on the show in the previous season but was no longer depicted, and a role added simply refers to a new character that debuted during that season. Fig. 3. Plot of lead child roles added during a season (gray) or dropped from the previous season (orange) for each season of Degrassi TNG. It is quite obvious from Fig. 3 that the consistency of characters drastically changes from the early seasons to the later seasons. From the 11 initial roles in Season 1, the most new characters added at one time during the first 7 seasons was 3. Additionally, very few of the characters were written off of the show. In fact, of all the characters that were introduced on the show during the first 4 seasons, not a single one was written off. Finally, in Season 5, the first character was dropped from a lead role (Terri). However, in Season 8, the show drastically revamped the school's population. 11 new characters were introduced simultaneously. This was largely necessary, as the bulk of the original cast had graduated and was moving on with their lives, but this was clearly not prepared for by the writers. Instead of consistently introducing younger students, the show followed only the original cast, leaving a large void to be filled after the first round of graduations. The introduction of these new characters (Fig. 4) effectively started the show over. Fig. 4. My name is Clare, version 1.0. I have come to hog screen time and never leave. Also, by the time I am done, I will abandon every principle I have ever had in the name of having a boyfriend. Instead of gradually ushering in a new wave of Degrassi students, the viewers were forced to watch an almost entirely new cast that they were unfamiliar with. Some old names still hung around (e.g. Spinner), but the show was largely centered around a group of new, and much younger students. Not only was the connection lost between the original cast and viewers, but the relevance of having aged together with the original cast was no longer built-in. There are two options in this scenario (1) Depict the same underclassmen problems that were already depicted on the show, only with a new cast, or (2) create increasingly outlandish storylines to avoid repetition. Rather than become stale and repetitive, the show seemed to move in the direction of the latter. The cast remained large (22 at its smallest) and mostly new and the perceived quality of the show dropped significantly (Fig. 1). Figure 5 presents a plot of the total number of lead child roles on the show for each season. As discussed, there was a large increase in these roles when the original cast graduated and the new cast was brought on. What is interesting is that the size of the cast remained large, twice the size of the original cast., after the new cast had been introduced. Immediately, this discrepancy in cast size introduces a challenge of developing each character in a significant way. Screen time to accommodate so many characters subsequently had to be split in half, thereby reducing the connection with viewers. The effect of this was introducing new characters that were trying to "catch up" to the levels of familiarity of the original cast, but not affording them enough screen time to do it. This is also seen in the writing of the show. While previous seasons had developed shows with one major plot and a very minor plot to accompany it, the newer seasons were forced to add a third plot for each episode, thereby reducing the detail and backstory of each one. Instead of being able to follow a well developed story, the newer, shorter, story segments jumped from topic to topic, rarely revisiting older loose ends in the interest of spreading out screen time among the large ensemble cast. Details that had previously been subtle were now shoehorned in to compensate for the reduced time per story. Fig. 5. Plot of the total number of lead child roles for each season of Degrassi TNG Mirroring this shift in style, the show actually changed networks for Season 10. While the first 9 season had aired on CTV, the largest privately-owned network in Canada, Season 10 was aired on MuchMusic, a specialty channel. This is very telling in the style, as the show no longer focused on the day to day trials and tribulations of junior high students, as it started, but was shifting toward a more dramatic, quick-edited teen soap opera. It should be noted that several episodes during Season 10 on this new channel have significantly higher ratings than episodes from Seasons 8-9. This could be the direct result of a new viewership on a channel more suited to the style of the show in its current incarnation. Section C: The return... sort of In Section C, the average rating rose to roughly 7.5, but the ratings maintain a much larger standard deviation than that seen in Section A. Individual episode ratings range from 5.0 (Season 12, Episode 33) to 9.3 (Season 13, Episode 37-38). As seen in Figure 5, the size of the cast remained consistently large after season 8 and, while the number of roles added and dropped each season was much larger than was seen in Seasons 1-7, the turnover maintained a constant pace. Figure 6 presents a plot of the longevity of roles Degrassi. For each character introduced during a season, the number of seasons that the character stayed on the show is plotted on the y-axis. The size of the point corresponds to the number of characters with equal longevity for each season (i.e. larger spots are indicative of multiple characters fitting the criteria). It should be noted that there are several characters that are not depicted on the plot. Long-running roles such as Clare and Alli, who have been on the show for a significant amount of time are not depicted because their role is still included on the show. However, it is obvious from Fig. 6 that the number of short-term characters has drastically increased in later seasons. Prior to Season 5, no character introduced was on the show for less than 3 seasons. In later seasons, there was at least one character introduced every year that was on the show for only 1 or 2 seasons. Fig. 6. Plot of the longevity of each role, in number of seasons, as a function of when the role was introduced. The larger the circle, the larger the number of character who fit the criteria. In addition to writing shorter stories that jump from character to character, the writers gradually shifted to a style of introducing characters as short-term plot points. One example of this is Campbell, who was brought on for a single season before committing suicide. Rather than relying on the development of an established character who deals with depression and gradually leading them to this point, an entirely new character was brought on, simply to serve the purpose of being the suicide story. This style creates the near opposite of how the show began. Current episodes feature a large, constantly revolving cast who never get the chance to be as fully-developed as the casts in earlier seasons (Fig. 7). Fig. 7. Group photo of Season 12's large ensemble cast. Who are these people, really? What stories did Mo never get to share? What makes you tick, big guy? Owen? Tori? It is interesting to see how the episode ratings developed in these later episodes (Fig. 1). Perhaps new fans embraced the seemingly new show on the new channel, or perhaps old fans grew accustomed to the new format. While the average rating went up, the large standard deviation in Section C suggests a large divide in the viewership. Perhaps some episodes happen to address a poignant topic, or handle the overt drama more deftly. This style of show lends itself to how well the drama is depicted, rather than the relatability and draw of the individual characters. It should also be noted that the show again changed broadcast stations during Season 13. The influence of this is not seen in the ratings, as the move from MuchMusic to MTV Canada (one specialty channel to a similar specialty channel) was less drastic than the switch from CTV to MuchMusic in Season 10.
And this is what we're left with. The show has clearly changed. What was once a character study in adolescent life is now a high-paced over-the-top drama piece that happens to be set around a school. The average reception of the show actually appears similar now to what it once was, but this should not be seen as evidence in similarity of quality. The relevancy and poignancy of the stories of the small original cast, which led to a consistence in quality for 7 seasons, is no longer the same. The perceived quality of the show now, though still embraced by fans (not necessarily the same fans of Seasons 1-7), is much more based around the specific dramatic topic itself. This leads to a much higher deviation in the quality ratings, as a poor premise can no longer be salvaged by an attachment and affection for the characters. Yeah. Whatever.
Maybe if I stand still, clinch my butt cheeks really tightly, and act nonchalant, no one will notice that I farted. Here comes Terri! Play it cool, Ashley. Plat it cool.
Whatever it takes? I know I can make it through!
I spilled my fair trade organic non-fat soy no-foam latte with caramel drizzle all over my Keds!
After watching Degrassi for so many years, I find myself frequently complaining about how the quality of the show has degraded. My complaints tend to focus on two aspects: (1) the older episodes addressed more realistic issues and (2) in the older episodes, there was more consistency related to character development. Actions and consequences shaped a character, who then behaved and made choices consistent with their experiences. The question has always remained, however, if these claims are true, or simply the product of nostalgia in my own interpretation, or some sense of being more familiar with the older characters after so many years. To truly address how the show has (or has not) changed over the years would require a much more in-depth analysis than I am willing to pursue, but I can certainly look at handful of episodes. For the “old” Degrassi, I will consider the third episode of the first season (Ep. 103, Family Politics). The first two episodes of Degrassi: the Next Generation (TNG) include a significant amount of time dedicated to a class reunion of previous Degrassi incarnations in order to provide a sense of setting and continuity. By the third episode, the adult component used to unite TNG to Degrassi Junior High (DJH) is gone and the plots focus entirely on the new cast. This makes the third episode, in a sense, the first true episode of TNG. For “new” Degrassi, I arbitrarily consider the third episode of season thirteen (Ep. 1303, All I Wanna Do), mainly for consistency in selecting the third episode. Additionally, by the third episode of this season, the story has progressed beyond any cliffhanger elements remaining from the break following season 12, leaving episode 1303 to be a relatively standard representation of the season. A brief recap of these episodes in provided as follows: 103: Ashley and Toby are now living together as step-siblings and struggle to get along. It is the first day of school and Ashley is already beginning her campaign for student body president. In order to irritate Ashley, Toby convinces JT to run against her in the election. Ashley becomes upset with Toby’s plan, begins to fall behind in the polls, and then bribes JT to withdraw from the election. JT accepts the money and withdraws, but both Toby and Ashley realize that their actions were inappropriate, and they come to the conclusion that they must get along. Meanwhile, seventh graders Emma and Manny are harassed by eighth graders Jimmy (pre-wheelchair, pre-Yolo) and Spinner. Eventually, Manny pretends to cry and the bullies feel humiliated for making a seventh grade girl cry and they subsequently leave Emma and Manny alone. Toby and Ashley. Siblings by marriage, enemies by the grace of God 1303: Clare is in the hospital getting treatment for her cancer, and her hair begins to fall out. Eli has sent out a message to their friends advising how to act around Clare, which upsets her. During their argument, more hair falls out, prompting Clare to shave her head. Imogen helps Clare to pick out a wig and she dresses up for a night with Eli, before finding out that she must have more medical tests instead. Alli is on her summer class trip with a host of other Degrassi-ites. Connor and Jenna have plans, leaving Alli to fend for herself. While having her picture taken at the Eiffel tower, her camera is stolen, but returned by Frenchman Leo. Leo and Alli then hit it off at the coffee shop that Leo works at. Tristan, Miles, and Chewie are all roommates in Paris. Tristan is worried that his sexual orientation will make Miles and Chewie uncomfortable, so he briefly pretends that Maya is his girlfriend, but the ruse fails. Miles admits that they know Tristan is gay, and they hug to show that Miles is comfortable both with sharing a room and with Tristan’s sexual orientation in general. Why is she looking at the back of the mirror? Character Development and Consistency When written out even in their simplest form, these two episodes seem worlds apart both thematically and developmentally. Both airing near the beginning of their respective seasons, each of these episodes have several details included dedicated to introducing or developing new characters. In 103: Toby the geek, JT the clown, Ashley eager to win approval. In limited roles, Paige presents herself as a bitch, and Terri as the insecure tagalong. It is interesting to note that these character traits maintain their association with the characters throughout the run of the character. Despite all being on the show for several years, the people that these characters will become by the time of graduation are evident in each case. Toby remains the geek throughout his entire run on Degrassi. In this episode, he recognizes his lack of public appeal, opting to orchestrate JT’s campaign for president rather than mount his own. In fact, he later appears in many story arcs that focus on him trying to leave this role behind, never quite able to ingratiate himself with the popular crowd until finally making his last appearance in Season 8 as the prototypical adult-geek host of “Robot Wars”. Similarly, JT is shown as the class clown that never takes anything seriously, basks in the laughter of the student body at his speeches, but only hesitantly continues his election campaign while terrified that if elected, he might actually have to do work. The personality demonstrated in this early episode is consistent with his appearances throughout his entire run on the show. In fact, as his appearances were nearing the end and he began addressing serious issues (namely his relationship with Liberty), he addressed them with the same reliance on humor (lovingly comparing her to a meatball sandwich) that was his trademark as early as seventh grade. Similarly, Paige remains the stereotypical bitch, Terri the stereotypical stepping stone, and Ashley, the perennial pursuer of greatness. Ashley’s character is perhaps the most intriguing at this point in the series in relation to where she ends up at graduation. At the end of season one, she takes a hit of ecstasy, and is cast aside by the majority of the school. After this, she spends years trying to rekindle her lost friendships, always striving to regain the social standing and achievement status that she exhibits here. In all of these cases, the characters are already well developed. While they do grow and change based on their experiences, the motivation of the characters in future episodes can always be traced back to even their earliest appearances on the show. We must now evaluate episode 1303 in a similar fashion. New characters appearing this season include Miles, Chewie, and Zoe. Miles is introduced here as the open-minded, easy going beacon of calmness among others’ insecurities. Chewie is introduced as the tagalong (perhaps the spiritual successor to Terri), and Zoe as the spoiled bitch. It should also be noted here that Clare and Alli feature prominently, although not new to the show at this point. One cannot fully reflect on the character arcs of the former three characters after only a single season, but already, certain trends are evident. The current incarnation of Chewie is perhaps the most true to this early episode appearance. He can still largely be considered Miles’ sidekick, although his new relationship with Frankie may soon have him step out of this shadow. His awkward attempts at humor have been toned down, but I believe that Chewie is inherently the same person that he was in 1303 (although he had not been given much screen time to prove otherwise). Zoe is an interesting case. She is presented in 1303 as the bitch who always gets her way. Over a brief single season, the bitchiness has been scaled drastically back as she has had to deal with her sexual abuse. Her insecurities have been shown and opened her up to being more than just “the bitch”, and seems to be headed in a direction that might eventually change her personality such that the Zoe of 1303 is no longer recognizable. If her sexual abuse is used as a catalyst for this change, then perhaps the change is a testament to the long-lasting consequences of her experiences. However, she has still shown elements of her former “bitch” status, namely after she earned her latest acting role and promptly returned to her diva roots. It may still be too early in her Degrassi tenure to comment about how true to her original personality Zoe is, but even over the course of a single season, she has been all over the spectrum of personalities, which in turn is evidence of an undeveloped original offering (or at least is evidence of an original offering that relied heavily on a one-dimensional stereotype rather than a developed character). Miles, too, has been inconsistent over the course of a single season. While accepting of Tristan, seemingly unconditionally in 1303, he has since become reckless in his attempts to get his father’s attention, and jealous and slightly controlling in his other relationships. When dealing with Maya’s complicated relationship with Zig, he began by being agitated at Maya’s desire to help, and as the situation progressed, he regularly became outraged (going so far as to put a fake gun to Zig’s head), which is not consistent with the calm openness that he displayed early. When Miles found out that an older student kissed his sister, his immediate reaction was to seek out the phantom kisser and engage in fisticuffs. Already, he has developed into more of a hotheaded character that is highly judgmental of other people’s actions. This is not reconciled with his behavior in 1303. Even more drastic than Miles’ change is the change of long-time student Clare. When she began her tenure at Degrassi, she insisted on wearing her uniform from Catholic school. Since then, she has given up her overt religiosity, and forced her way up from a shy nerd to someone that has had multiple sexual encounters, an officer in student council and a very liberal and outspoken figure at Degrassi. Perhaps this metamorphosis would be more indicative of a true character development if there were any similarities between the Clare of 1303 and the Clare that was introduced to Degrassi several years prior. Such a metamorphosis would also be aided by being tied to some sort of life-factor. While she has had several significant life-events prior to 1303 (I am excluding the cancer as a life-event because the effects are only seen after 1303, and so far seem minimal except as direct side-effects to her medication), there has been no traceable event comparable to that of Ashley’s ecstasy, and yet Clare has a character that is unrecognizable from her former self, while Ashley, while different, is still traceable to her original self at any point in the series. Clare seems to have undergone a drastic change for the sake of changing, with no real underlying motivation or explanation. I spent the summer in rehab! Realism and Relatability When the plots of 103 and 1303 are compared, I think that the real differences between “old” and “new” Degrassi are most evident. These must be addressed with the caveat that 103 focuses on the lives of seventh and eighth grade students at Degrassi while 1303 has shifted to include only high school years (grades 9-12). 103 focuses almost entirely on the step-sibling relationship of Ashley and Toby, with the minor inclusion of some light harassment of Manny and Emma. The sibling relationship is universal. For those without direct siblings/step-siblings and the issues that naturally arise when living together, they are certainly only one person removed from either a family member or a friend that deals directly with such issues. Specific interactions addressed in the episode were the sharing of the bathroom and jealousy that the other sibling “always gets everything”. These are specific enough to give the story merit, yet generic enough to be applicable to the experiences of a large audience. The largest altercation takes place on the stage of a student body election, another topic which is accessible to the largest possible viewing audience. Certainly a small fraction of students ran for office or were involved in campaigns, but even the most apolitical of viewers was surely aware of the elections held at their school. Thus, both the topic of conflict, and the vehicle chosen to resolve the conflict are appealing on a large scale due to direct relatability. Additionally, the harassment that Manny and Emma experience is generally very light in nature, although it would certainly be termed bullying in today’s society. Luckily, not everyone is exposed to intense bullying, but the harassment presented in 103 (peaking with a spitball) is not sensationalized and is therefore something that anyone that went to school with others is likely to have witnessed or experienced firsthand. Again, this issue has immense relatability and presents both the conflict and the resolution in a plausible manner. By the time TNG has progressed to 1303, the storylines have become undeniably sensationalized. 1303 must be respected for tackling adolescent cancer in a plot. However, this is a plot that is certainly not as universal as those presented in 103. Beyond the conflict itself, the presentation was perhaps slightly over idealized. The cancer plot spanned several episodes, drastically altering Clare’s life during that span, but it has since been largely forgotten as Clare has resumed her life without any real ramifications from several rounds of chemotherapy and other medical procedures associated with her treatment. In fact, the worst effects of having cancer were losing her hair (shown in 1303), and her memory loss (appearing in a later episode). Her illness and treatment and recovery had almost no real effect on her friends and family, except that Alli no longer had a friend with her in Paris (until Leo came along later in the episode). Having decided to address the topic of cancer (in slightly more depth than Spinner’s experience several seasons earlier), the topic was treated lightly, glossing over a lot of the more unpleasant aspects of a realistic diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Given the weight of the topic (in relation to sharing a bathroom with a new step-sibling), perhaps the show is showing its limitations in 1303. While there is a fraction of the audience that has experience with cancer, the vast majority may not be ready for the grim realities. The remainder of 1303 focused on Paris. Inherently, this alienates a large fraction of the viewership. While Paris is held up as a landmark world city, the heart of romance, the vast majority of viewers have never been there, and have not been on a similar international school trip. Aside from the economic implications that Degrassi students have enough disposable income to accommodate half of the student body traveling to Europe for an extended stay, the presentation of the trip itself is too fantastical to be believed. Rather than being presented as a learning experience, where the students are in a strange place and uncomfortably learning about a large city that, despite its reputation, also has a lot of the trappings of a major world city, the whole trip is presented a fantasy setup so that Alli can meet a boy and instantly fall in love (to the extent that he moves to Toronto after knowing her for a few weeks). The trip itself is unlikely and elitist, and in the end, it is just a vehicle so that Alli can find yet another new boyfriend. This plotline is simply the retelling of a fairy tale, and there is nothing in this for a viewer to recognize truth in. The final plot point in 1303, also set in Paris, is Miles’ acceptance of Tristan’s homosexuality. Tristan’s self-awareness is perhaps the most realistic scenario of the plot, but even this is presented as borderline over-the-top, and it becomes a caricature of a real event. Rather than pretending to be interested in girls with vague innuendos (as would seem natural for someone in Tristan’s uncomfortable shoes), Tristan goes into specific details about a relationship with Maya, going so far as to be involved in a fake kiss. Miles’ nonchalant reaction is not necessarily unbelievable, and perhaps true to a large portion of the population. While Miles goes to extreme lengths to prove his comfort with Tristan (hugging him without a shirt on), this over-the-top gesture matches the intensity of Tristan’s attempt to hide his sexuality. Overall, the presentation seems to have been presented in a stereotypical, unrealistic manner. Not all homosexual students in high school are as clear about themselves as Tristan, and even those that are seem unlikely to go to such great lengths (the detailed relationship with Maya vs. the vague "girlfriend from another school", hanging up the curtain around his bed instead of just going about his life) to ensure that their sexuality is brought to the forefront. Realistically, a student in a similar situation would likely remain quiet unless asked, and be much more interested in being in Paris than in planning elaborate ruses to cover up a sexuality that no one else was asking about. Look at all my hair. I love all of my hair. Don't you just love my hair, Clare? Relationships Another glaring development in Degrassi from 103 to 1303 is the reliance on relationships as plot points. In 103, Jimmy and Ashley are in a relationship. However, this is not used as a storyline. Instead, it is presented as Jimmy walks Ashley home after the election. Other than that, there is no emphasis, large or small, on any type of romantic relationship. Comparing this to 1303 is startling. All three of the plot lines revolve around or rely heavily on relationships: Eli and Clare, Alli and Leo, and Tristan's crush on Miles. While adolescents certainly think about romantic relationships, they are not the driving force in daily routines. Old Degrassi presented plots that stood alone, and some of the participants were sometimes in relationships and sometimes not. As the show continued, relationships have played a greater and greater role, with current episode focusing entire multi-episode arcs to who is dating/sleeping with whom. This seems to be a storytelling crutch of the modern writers, as these relationships now change constantly, often taking center stage. Rather than developing a character on their own and writing stories about things that happen, the stories have become wrapped up in someone dating someone, and the thing that happens is that relationship. All other activities now seem to be a way of bringing two characters together. What am I doing? Just lying here and thinking of you, naturally. Returning to my original assertions, I find that it seems true that: (1) the older episodes addressed more realistic issues and (2) in the older episodes, there was more consistency related to character development. While this cannot be fully substantiated simply by looking at two isolated episodes separated by 12 seasons, the differences presented in these two episodes in the context of the entire show are quite drastic. Presumably, the newer version is designed to maintain viewer interest and is actually giving the majority of viewers what they want. However, it seems that a lot of the elements that made the original TNG so charming and so applicable to real life have been lost over the years. That is not to say that the new episodes have nothing to offer viewers, but perhaps these lessons are fewer and harder to decipher amidst the increasing amount of drama for drama’s sake.
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