03x01 - #BreakTheInternet

[bunniefuu]

[Miles] In the aftermath of a trauma,
the human body has one amazing instinct...

survival.

Even when it appears as
though nothing's happening,

white blood cells spring
to life to fight infection,

tissue repairs itself,
and the heart...

keeps b*ating.

Emotional scars can be
more difficult to heal,

but we do our best by
renewing old friendships...

creating joyful moments...

or trying new things.

To make us feel like
we're doing something,

even if we feel helpless.

But through it all, as long
as our hearts keep b*ating...

we survive.

[sighs] And that's my latest post.

It's number since the bus crash.

[ventilator hissing]

Blink once if you totally loved it.

Did you just...

Can you hear me?

Tristan, can you hear me?

Someone, come quick! He
just... he just moved!

[theme music playing]

♪ Whatever it takes I know
I can make it through ♪

♪ And if I hold out I know
I can make it through ♪

♪ Be the best, be the best
The best that I can be ♪

♪ Whatever it takes ♪

♪ I know I can make it I
know I can make it through ♪

[Zoë] Hurry up. School
starts in an hour.

Wow. [chuckles]

What do you think of my first day
outfit? I want to say "best year ever."

Why not just get a T-shirt
with that phrase printed on it?

Laa-shokran. That means
"No, thank you" in Arabic.

I have learned a little so I can help
make the Syrians feel more welcome.

All of them? Or just the ladies?

[chuckles sarcastically] All of them.

We didn't spend the summer raising
grand so I could get a date, Grace.

[chuckles]

That's a lot of clubs.

Yeah, ten more than last year.

Tristan would be proud. [sighs]

He'd also want me to be president.

Hey, Zoë won last spring's
special election, fair and square.

I really thought he'd be better by
now and would be here to take over.

[Grace] I'm sure he'll
be back soon enough.

Then he can give you some
tips on how to pick up...

your presidential dry cleaning.

Well, I gotta get my stuff for class.

I will meet you at lunch to get the
food ready for the welcome barbecue.

[Zoë chuckles]

[sighs] Goldi doesn't know I'm gay.

[scoffs] So?

Well, I can't tell just anyone.

- You still haven't told your mom.
- [sighs]

She just got engaged, and she was
so proud when I won that election.

You'll have to tell her eventually.

But right now, I need to focus on making
everything great for the new school year.

Then I'll tell her...

when I go away to college.

What's Arabic for "terrible idea"?

[shrieks] We have spare
together! SP ? [chuckles]

Lola, "S," science.
"P," physics. Grade .

Ooh! You're breaking my heart, Shay.

[Shay] He's really here.

How do I look?

It might be kind of weird.

You haven't seen him all summer.

[scoffs] You look great. Go.

Okay.

Hey, Tiny, kiss her! Kiss her!

- Would you get lost?
- Will you? She's waiting for it.

- Aren't they the cutest?
- Suddenly, I can't wait to get to physics.

[Frankie chuckles]

Hey. Are you guys having
trouble posting things today?

Only with Mom commenting on photos
of me and Yael, calling us "cute."

Are you saying we're not cute?

Yeah. Well, look, it's not letting me post
my Tristan update to the Degrassi page.

I mean, can you... can you fix this?

Uh, not without violating the
terms of Hunter's parole. Sorry.

[Hunter] As if being back
at school isn't scary enough,

now there's gonna be a
bunch of strange new people?

[sighs] They're just Syrians.
To them, you're the strange one.

Hey, Hunter! Yael! Good summer?

[Hunter] Good summer.
[Yael] Hi, Mr. Simpson.

- Hey, Miles. Welcome back.
- Hey. Yeah.

Uh, Principal Simpson,
is there something

wrong with the Degrassi
community page today, or...

Oh, right. Yes. Um... we had
some complaints about your posts.

Some people find them
upsetting... [sighs]

Wait. Did you... did
you... You blocked me?

Look, I just... Listen,
after the bus crash,

everyone's trying their best to heal.

Dude, you think I don't know that?
I mean, I'm the... I'm living it.

I just wanna avoid
anything triggering, Miles.

Okay. But look, regardless,
this... This time, it's good news.

Right. Great. So why don't
you tell your friends in person

and you can see the happy reaction
on their faces instead of on a screen.

Okay? All right. I'll talk to you later.

Welcome to Degrassi. [chuckles]

Hi! Are you one of our
new students from Syria?

Welcome to Degrassi. We'll
be starting our tour soon.

Yep, a safe space for everyone...

except our president, who's stuffing
herself back into the closet.

[sighs]

I'm just not coming out to my
mom. I can still be out at school.

How will anyone know? You don't exactly
have rainbow emojis in your bios.

My mom follows me on everything.

Just tell your mom. It'll be okay.

She's super Catholic. It
most definitely will not.

Oh, come on. No one has a
problem with gay people anymore.

We have a problem with the QSA. [sighs]

- Who?
- The q*eer-Straight Alliance.

It used to be called the LGBT Club.

We have a problem with...

gay people.

What is going on?

A kiss-in, which we're staging
until you give us back our office.

This is the prayer room now. Uh,
we gave you a different office.

A converted janitor's
closet. How ironic.

We just want our new Muslim students

to have a central
location within the school.

So let us share the room.

These students are coming from Syria.

They're likely more conservative, and
they're just not used to seeing, uh...

Gay people? [scoffs]
Some of them might be gay.

[chuckles softly] No.

So because they're more intolerant,
they get the better room?

Is our student council seriously
just a bunch of cowardly h*m*?

I am not h*m*. I can't be.

- Why not?
- I'm gay.

[Grace exclaims]

You?

The LGBT community have
already won their fights.

Can't we just focus on making
the newcomers feel at home?

[sighs]

I have a tour to do,

then get hot dogs for
the welcome barbecue.

Hope to see you all there.

- [Goldi sighs]
- [school bell rings]

So you guys combined
protesting and kissing?

I've got to get in on this.

It was pretty sweet.

Speaking of kissing, did you
see Shay and Tiny this morning?

They're, like, the
cutest couple in school.

She's cute. But him? Is
it a cumulative score?

They're not that cute.

Okay? Me and Tiny are way cuter.

I totally forgot you two dated.

And you haven't purged the photos yet?

Figured you would've moved on.

I have, but...

Doesn't mean I should
forget how cute we were.

You may be asking... [sighs]
is it illegal to look this good?

Well, get ready to find out
that answer in Grade law.

We'll begin this unit by
discussing legal considerations

for social networking users.

You should always act appropriately when
posting online because you are liable

for sharing anything that
contains defamatory content or...

You know, I almost didn't
recognize you without your cast on.

[chuckles] Yeah, it still
feels weird to have it off.

I thought Maya was in this class.

Yeah, I actually
haven't seen her all day.

[clears throat] Okay, guys.

Come on, who, uh, who narced to Simpson?

Hmm?

Apparently, my updates
about my boyfriend's health

were just maybe getting
a bit too much for the...

delicate flowers in
the room. So who was it?

I, for one, am glad they
aren't popping into my timeline.

[chuckles] Are you... Are
you... You kidding me right now?

They did get kind of personal.

[Miles] Well, like, yeah. I mean...

my boyfriend nearly d*ed, right? I
mean, how could that not be personal?

She means it was sad to watch
you delude yourself all summer.

Well, he's getting better. Okay?

He squeezed my hand while
I was reading to him.

Uh, that's great! Yeah!

- [Miles sniffles and sighs]
- [Esme] That's what I mean.

What actually happened?
He went like this?

Yes, exactly.

Probably some leftover signals in
the nervous system. Involuntary.

No. No, the doctors were all
over it. Why would they lie to me?

- So you don't off yourself?
- [school bell rings]

I'll pretend I didn't hear that.

Let's stay positive, folks!

To limber up our creative
muscles this year,

we're gonna start with a
classic first-person story.

"What I did on my summer vacation."

Now this'll be an exercise in
more showing rather than telling.

[Goldi] If we hurry, we can
still make it back in time.

Did I make a huge mistake
with how I handled the QSA?

No, I think pretending you were
gay was a great, masterful play.

- It wasn't a play. I am gay.
- Really?

You don't look gay.

I mean, I'm cool with it, just
so you know. [chuckles nervously]

I mean, I was Tristan's VP last year.

I know it's kind of weird
that I was VP last year,

and then you won the by-election, and
so I'm VP again this year. But it's fine.

- All of it. It's fine.
- [cell phone chiming]

Okay. Why is my phone blowing up?

Bunch of notifications.

About what? Tristan?

My passcode is . Open it.

- Okay. Not the time! [sighs]
- Ooh.

Our president is
a self-hating gay,

who'll let people trample over
our rights like it's .

- Oh, my God.
- Okay. I wouldn't worry about it.

- Oh, my God! Oh, my God...
- Vijay's a part of my brother's vlog crew,

and he's not exactly viral.

My mom doesn't know I'm gay!

They tagged me in it.
What if it gets to her?

I need to untag it before she sees.

- [tires screeching]
- Zoë, it's fine...

- [both scream]
- [crashes]

[Zoë grunts]

[Mrs. Milligan] Hi. Miles.

- Oh. Mrs. Milligan.
- You're early today. [chuckles]

[sighs] Has his doctor been by yet?

I don't know that his
doctor's coming today.

- He keeps getting better.
- That's what we hope. Yeah.

Did the doctors say
that... they hope he is?

Or that... that he is?

It's complicated, honey.

Did he really grab my hand?

It's common for coma patients

to exhibit that kind of auto-response,
is what the doctors said.

Do they think that he's
gonna be normal again?

They think that ten weeks is a long
time to be in a coma at this level.

It's the school year, honey.

Maybe you should get
back to your friends.

No, he needs me.

I'll leave you two alone.

[indistinct radio chatter]

How dead am I?

Zoë!

Oh, God! Oh. [pants]

You talk. I'll survey the damage.

I'm so, so, so, so sorry.

Oh, I hope so. The car was expensive.
Phil didn't have to buy it for you.

I've just been under a lot of
pressure trying to be a good president,

and then these kids were saying that...

Oh, you mean that horrible video?

Oh, honey, no. I get it.

[Ms. Rivas sighs]

I wouldn't want anyone saying
those awful things about me, either.

But I wouldn't worry about it.

Okay? No one's gonna believe you're gay.

It happens to all powerful
women. Even Hillary.

It'll pass.

[sniffles]

Uh, there'll be a small deductible but,
otherwise, I think it's gonna be okay.

More importantly, will you?

[sniffles]

Come...

[Lola] Let's do fashion club this year.

Didn't we agree on cross country?

Yeah, but I thought that we could do
something, you know, just us girls.

No boyfriends.

Jonah might be super into
fashion. You don't know.

Take down the photo, Lo.

Why? What's the big deal?

It's of you and my boyfriend.

Yeah, it's a Throwback Thursday,

as in, in the past, when
he wasn't your boyfriend.

- Tell her, Franks.
- Uh...

Tell Lola that posting a romantic photo
with my boyfriend is out of bounds!

Uh...

[scoffs] Whatever. You're wrong,
and everyone will side with me.

[school bell ringing]

[Mr. Perino] Okay. Let's jump right in.

When judges get a case
about social media,

they often have to have
the app explained to them,

which is like, [sighs] hmm,
dealing with a case of mail fraud,

but not knowing what a stamp is.

So, for young defendants
and plaintiffs...

Okay.

What's going on here?

I'm not moving on till someone tells me.

Vijay?

Shay and Lola are sending
indirects to each other.

You see, an indirect message is when
you chirp at someone without actually...

I know what it is. I'm not that old.

But why is it happening in class?

I posted a photo and Shay doesn't
think that should be allowed.

All right. Since you're all too
distracted to listen to me...

- let's try this case.
- What?

I hereby open the proceedings of
The People v. Lola Pacini.

[Zoë] That's it.
My mom hates me.

Technically, she still doesn't know.

But either I never tell her, and
we have this secret between us,

or I do, and she hates me.

I'm trapped.

Maybe you can cut your way out.

If she'd really be that awful, then
you don't need her in your life.

[scoffs] But it's always
just been the two of us.

She's the only family I have.

You're not thinking about
hurting yourself again, are you?

Sorry to interrupt, but the QSA
has not given up their protest yet.

I won't put them back in that closet.

- What about the prayer room?
- They'll share.

I can't make the QSA hide.

I have to be a good
president for everyone.

If there's an actual conflict,
we can talk about it then.

[door closes]

If only you could be
that badass for yourself.

[Baaz] And did you pretend
the photo was recent?

No. I clearly marked it a TBT.

So, no one who saw
it would still imagine

- you two were still dating...
- Uh, objection.

She couldn't know if
anybody might imagine that.

- Um, sustained?
- [Baaz] Withdrawn.

One more thing.

You took the photo, it was on your phone
and you posted it to your account. Right?

Yeah, it was a selfie.

So, as the subject,
artist, and publisher,

there's no legal reason
you couldn't post it, right?

I don't think so. No.

Your witness.

Miss Pacini...

did you ask your BFF if you could post
a picture of you with her boyfriend?

Objection. Relevance?

We've established Lola owns the photo.

Your Honor, I'm just trying to
prove an element of emotional damage.

Sustained, I guess?

I didn't ask. No.

Perhaps because you wanted to
provoke a reaction from her?

What? No! I just thought we looked cute!

And you wanted to thr*aten
Shay with said cuteness?

Because you still have feelings for him!

Because you stole him from me!

[sighs]

Go to hell! [sniffles]

- [Yael] Whoa.
- Language! Office, Ms. Pacini.

[Baaz clears throat]

I'd like to request a recess.

[indistinct chatter]

[sighs]

What are you doing? You
can't just wreck stuff.

- Who cares?
- [indistinct chatter]

I bet that teacher will. Quick!

[door opens]

[sighs]

[sniffles]

It's... it's just such a huge lie.

There's no such thing as
a safe space for everyone.

No kidding.

Everyone thinks I should
pretend I'm not sad,

just because Shay's happy.

It's, like, we're hurting,

and we're not allowed
to talk about our pain,

because it makes them uncomfortable.

What?

We have to care about
everyone's feelings,

unless our feelings are
hurting their feelings,

then we're not allowed
to have any feelings.

Yeah, it's crap.

Exactly.

And that would have been a more
appropriate word to say in class.

And, uh, when we danced,
the kids all cheered for us.

I got to admit, I kind of teared up.

After the crash, I just
felt lucky to be there.

[class applauding]

[Zig clears throat]

Very nice, Zig. Very nice.

Miles, you ready?

I have visual aids. Is that okay?

This is what I did on my vacation.

June th, I watched the doctors carve
a hole into my boyfriend's skull...

- Miles, take that down!
- Have you ever loved somebody

so much that you just wished
you could take all their pain

- and give it to yourself?
- [Mr. Mitchell] Miles!

'Cause if you haven't,
then it's impossible for you

to understand how much it is important
that we don't just give up on Tristan.

[sighs]

You're a sadist.

Just because everybody leaves you
doesn't mean he's leaving me, okay?

[Esme inhales deeply]

[Mr. Mitchell] Hey! Hey!

- Come on. Let's go.
- [school bell ringing]

[Mr. Mitchell] Let's all go!

Except you, Miles.

[indistinct chatter]

[indistinct chatter]

- [Jonah] Hey.
- [coughs]

- Have you seen Maya?
- Uh, no. You?

No. Here comes Zoë's big speech.

Marhaba.

"Welcome."

I extend this to all of our
new students from near and far.

We all have one thing in common...

We wanna be loved for who we are.

We need to celebrate our differences.

For instance... I'm gay.

I'm not bragging about it but...

I've always been afraid to
say it and I'm not anymore.

I want this place to be a safe space

where everyone feels
free to be themselves.

[student] Yeah.

Welcome to Degrassi.

[cheering]

[chuckles]

[chuckles]

[chuckles] You are such a badass.

You're not still worried about this
getting back to your mom, are you?

Nah. She wouldn't believe
it unless she caught me

making out with a girl.

And I can't even find a
girl to make out with, so...

Zoë, this is Rasha. She's
staying with our family.

Hi. Uh, you're the one who
put the q*eer students' club

in the same room as
the Muslim prayer space?

Yes. Yes, I did.

That would never have happened in Syria.

Very cool.

Come here.

- [sighs]
- Best year ever, indeed. [chuckles]

[chuckles]

Po-po caught up to you after all?

No, actually.

I acted up in class, kind
of thanks to your wise words.

[chuckles]

You know, you can talk to me
about Tristan all you want.

As long as I can talk to you about Tiny.

Okay, this is detention, not NPR.

No talking for the next hour.

I'm... I'm so glad I found
someone who understands my grief.

[upbeat music playing]