(4) A Degrassi Essay Series About Rick Murray

 Originally posted on Tumblr. See Preceding parts 1, 2, and 3 for more

Part 3b.

In the last installment, we looked at Raditch's role in the tragedy and asked whether or not he could have intervened in Rick's predicament to potentially stop tragedy from befalling Degrassi.  

We were set to explore the answers to the following questions (paraphrased below):

1. Could Mr. Raditch have prevented tragedy from happening? 

2. Could Mr. Raditch have stopped Rick from returning to Degrassi?

If this is your first time visiting my essay series, please start with part one. If you're only interested in the topic of Daniel Raditch, start with part 3a, the first installment where we look at the principal's part in Rick's story.

In the last most recent post, we focused on question one as we analyzed a moment in the show where Rick went to the principal numerous times for help in "Time Stands Still Part 1". This comes up another time in part two of this episode, aka, episode 4x08, which we will take a look at here in 3b. Note: this is the fourth essay in a series of essays on this topic, so while this is an extension of the conversation about the principal, the blog title will reflect the actual entry number of the essay in the series (so 3b is technically the fourth entry in this series, and 3c will be the fifth entry, etc.). 

The Adults Are Fighting

This scene occurs after the tragic events take place. We see that the school is on lockdown. We see our beloved Degrassi, a place that the viewers grew to love for the past three seasons, swarmed with police cars, ambulance trucks and the S.W.A.T. team. Students are forced to stay in the classrooms, and parents are barred from entering the school until the lockdown is over. In one scene, we cut to the M.I. lab where we see Christine Nelson, aka Spike, consoling her teenage daughter, Emma, who is traumatized by what happened. Snake is pacing around the room, awaiting further instructions from law enforcement, his superior, etc. We watch as he sits at the table with his wife and stepdaughter, and a second later, a police officer opens the door for the principal to walk in. Snake is already on the defense after Daniel addresses him by his first name, "Archie?" When the principal calls a teacher by his first name, you know it's serious business.

"No, I am busy here if you haven't noticed." Snake retorts. Raditch apologizes but goes on to ask him if he could get into Rick's email and look for any possible warning signs that could have stopped what he did, a request forwarded by him from law enforcement. This visibly upsets Snake, and he makes a snarky remark about how "the groundbreaking 20/20 hindsight policy" only comes into play after it's too late. He then concedes and stands from his chair to do what he was asked to do, but Daniel refuses to let Snake's comment slide. Biting his bottom lip, he follows Archie to remind him how he has "seven-hundred students and a teaching staff that [he's] responsible for everyday." He then tells Snake not to "get on [his] case because one kid overreacted to some...spilled paint." Snake yells back at him that Raditch personally spoke to Rick twice in the past two days, asking him if he listened to the kid. Raditch insists that he did, but Snake doesn't believe him, doubting that he remembered a word that Rick said to him. Snake, raising his voice, then goes on to say "This tragedy, Dan it could have been prevented if YOU hadn't--" but Spike cuts him off before he can finish. Of all of the conversations that get interrupted, this one felt like the biggest crime of them all. Come on, Emma's mom, let them hash this one out!

Let's address what Snake said to Raditch. According to him, Rick came to the principal twice in the past two days. That's on average once a day, which are pretty frequent trips to the principal's office to make as a student. I mention in part 3a how it can be difficult for kids to come forward and open up about being victims of bullying. For Rick to have spoken to the principal on average once a day meant that he was in some serious trouble and was looking for outside help. Compare that to what Raditch said to Rick in 4x07: "Richard, I've told you time and time again. It takes two to tango." In this one instance where Rick seeks out help, and Snake's reference of how the principal spoke to him twice in the past couple of days, the audience can infer that Rick has visited Mr. Raditch way more than twice, as "time and time again" implies Rick spoke to Raditch at least two other times before we finally see him make his third trip. For the principal of the school to dismiss Rick three times at minimum is appalling. After this scene, the audience can safely conclude that the school staff was neglectful when it came to handling Rick's situation, especially the head of the school. In short: the answer to question one? Could Mr. Raditch have stopped this from happening? Yes.

A Gray Area

Let's now explore the second question: could Raditch have prevented Rick from returning in the first place? This one is a tougher question to answer, as this one will call for us to explore Rick's history in detail. In my last installment, I mention a deleted scene in which we see Marco and Alex, student council's president and vice president respectfully, confront Mr. Raditch about allowing Rick to continue his education at Degrassi. Alex insists that "he's a danger...especially to girls", and she's not wrong here. Raditch replies, "...until a student is actually charged [for any crime], he or she will continue to study at my school. Like it or not." Before this exchange, Marco reminds Raditch that Rick put Terri in a coma, to which the principal replies, "To my knowledge, no student has been charged with putting another student in a coma." It's unfortunate that this scene gets cut from the series because, judging by the characters' outfits and the dialogue, this was originally meant to be in the episode "Mercy Street" (4x04). We learn a couple of key details here. For one, we learn that Terri transferred to a private school presumably to get away from Rick. We furthermore can confirm that Rick and his family were never charged for the coma incident that he caused. 

Rick Murray Escapes the Law?

The whole ordeal is still a mystery to the fan base. After seeing how shocked and angry Terri's dad was in the season three's "Don't Dream it's Over", it's easy to assume that he would take action immediately against the Murrays, yet filing a lawsuit isn't cheap. I don't know all of the odds and ends of Canadian law, but maybe it was hard to make a solid case against Rick due to lack of evidence, though I can't understand why. If Terri had died from hitting her head against that cinder block, officials would surely be forced to open an investigation surrounding the details of her death. Then again, her body would belong to the coroner's office, and they would be able to pick up traces of evidence that Rick was responsible for her condition by conducting an autopsy on her body. Of course, I'm speaking on hypotheticals at this point, which will do us no good here. Terri lived from the incident, so what little evidence that pointed to Rick would have disappeared. There were also no witnesses to Terri's fall except for Rick himself; remember Paige and Spinner showed up after the fact and found Terri already lying on the ground unconscious. At the end of the day, Degrassi focuses on teen drama: it's not a police show, a hospital or a courtroom drama as YouTuber "You'veGotKat" points out in her video essay (Which you can watch here). The show's focus is on the teens and how they deal with the issues around them. Rick getting in trouble with the law was just another barrier to keep the writers from exploring the shooting plotline. After the actor, Ephraim Ellis, was featured in three episodes in season three, the writers decided that he had the chops to pull off such a serious storyline about a troubled teen resorting to gun violence, so they wrote his character back into season four, who originally appeared to have been "run out of town on a rail" after he hurt Terri, as Ellis would state in multiple interviews and podcasts.

So we looked into how Rick Murray escaped the law, thus giving him the ability to return to Degrassi, but let's get down to the question: could Raditch have stopped him from returning? As unfortunate as this may be, the principal had no jurisdiction to keep Rick Murray away. It's true that the principal was receptive to the students' animosity towards him and was aware of the fact that Rick put Terri in a coma, but this is only based on the words of a student. For all he knew, this could have been a vicious rumor or a misunderstanding on the matter, and, as he states in the deleted scene, since Rick wasn't charged with anything, he had no criminal record. Marco and Alex probably wouldn't have had to talk to Raditch if Rick had gotten into legal trouble, but unfortunately, he didn't. In order to understand why this is the case, we will have to look back at season three during the multiple instances when Rick inflicted abuse onto Terri. There's plenty to go over, so I will save that for the next chapter. Watch out for 3c!

(3) A Degrassi Essay Series About Rick Murray

Originally posted on Tumblr. See preceding parts 1 and 2 for more.

Part 3a

Here's my head canon of season 4's events: Rick returns to Degrassi; the school ostracizes him via Emma’s campaign; Rick is tormented everywhere he goes; Emma puts an end to Jay's ballistics once the violence against Rick gets out of hand; Rick would learn his lesson and never lay a finger on another girl again; and everyone leaves him alone while he completes his tenth grade year for the second time.

But this is Degrassi. The drama never ends. Drama is inherently messy. And that ending is too tidy for drama.While Emma made it clear that she wasn't going to torture Rick in the halls, this memo doesn't reach the other characters. There are three in particular who constantly take jabs at him: Spinner, Jay, and Jimmy. At this point, pushing him around is just for sport. Whether or not Rick deserves it, whether or not you feel sorry for the kid, one has to wonder: where are the teachers when all of this is happening? Has anyone reported this to the principal?

In part 1 we discussed why Rick returned. In part 2 we discussed what motivated Emma to protest against Rick. Here in part 3, we will explore another popular talking point in the Degrassi fandom: Principal Daniel Raditch. Any time his name comes pops up, fans tend to explore the answers to the two following questions:

1. Could Mr. Raditch have stopped tragedy from befalling Degrassi?
2. Could he have prevented Rick from returning in the first place?

Usually question one also encompasses question two, but for the sake of argument, I will address these separately as they are two different things. Mr. Raditch is such a huge part of this conversation that the next three uploads will be dedicated to exploring his role in this tragedy, which will be called parts 3a, 3b, and 3c respectively. Parts 3a and 3b will be used to answer question one, and 3c will explore the answer to question two. This is part 3a, so we will have a closer look at question one: could Raditch have stopped tragedy from befalling Degrassi?

An Unproductive Conversation

Could Mr. Raditch have stopped the school shooting? We the viewers learn that Rick has sought out help multiple times based on two different scenes from the show. The first instance is from episode 4x07, the first half of the two-parter episode titled "Time Stands Still". About a quarter of the way into part one, we see Rick making a visit to the principal's office and asking him to intervene in the Whack-Your-Brain predicament that he was recently forced to face. Earlier that day, Mr. Simpson decided to draft Jimmy onto the trivia team last minute after Heather Sinclair fell ill with mononucleosis. At this time, Jimmy Brooks is still giving Rick a hard time at school, and he'd be damned if he let that jock taint the only thing he has going for him at Degrassi that doesn't feel like hell on earth! Raditch is already short with Rick in this scene as he rummages through papers and moves back and forth in the office. "Do I look like I have time for a chat, Richard?" He barks at the student. Fortunately Rick isn't discouraged yet. He goes on to tell the principal that Jimmy "doesn't like [him], and he has no qualms expressing it." Rick doesn't name drop here; he simply refers to Brooks as "a member of the Whack-Your-Brain team".

Choice of Words?

A Youtuber who goes by NotaVampyre uploaded a video about this exact conversation and brought up an important point: Rick's wording in this scene as he's asking for help...he is being extremely vague. At first he starts off direct after Mr. Raditch asks him why he wants to chat. He says that Jimmy is harassing him. When Raditch asks how, that's when Rick gives his vague response. You can make a case that the principal is aware that Rick was at odds with a large number of kids at school, especially if we refer to the deleted scene where Marco and Alex ask him to reconsider letting Rick return to Degrassi, arguing that "he's a danger...especially to girls" as Alex Nunez would put. Unfortunately, the principal is wrapped up in whatever office task he has in front of him, and Rick's concerns are brushed off hastily.

"Richard, I've told you time and time again: it takes two to tango," he tells the boy. It's from this quote that we learn this probably isn't Rick's first trip to the principal's office. Or second. Probably not even the third. The principal goes on to say that he suggests that Rick tries harder to get along with the other student and to come back if anything serious happens. He dismisses the subject immediately after, leaving no room for any more questions Rick has leftover. The student receives the message loud and clear from Raditch: he is left to face this problem on his own.

More Could Have Been Done

The principal could have, and should have, done his due diligence; it could have potentially saved lives. Rick, however, should have also been more ingenious in his approach. Nonetheless, I can understand why Rick wouldn't want to open up about his suffering. I imagine it's much harder for teen boys to admit that they are victims of bullying than it would be for teen girls. Not only is it humiliating for him, though the same could be said about a girl, but there is also the feeling of being emasculated that is unique to the male experience. Men are socialized and hardwired to be tough and competent enough to fight their own battles; any other action or reaction would be perceived as weak and feminine, two things that men neither want nor are expected to be, especially the more masculine he is. I think this is partially the reason why Rick didn't express plainly the ways in which he had been harassed, though not necessarily because he is masculine in the traditional sense, especially since it's been presented in the show that he isn't. Rather, his pride and his eccentric, flowery language prevented him from being completely transparent. I like that the writers decided to give a distinct speaking voice to Rick's character. In this instance, however, Rick's vocabulary works against him as he's not being clear in what he wants from Mr. Raditch. Was this done on purpose? I think we can infer that it was to make the tragedy more tragic.

Even if Rick did come forward, the principal would still have to meet him halfway. Perhaps the other part of the reason why Rick didn't open up about the torment is that he had little expectations for the principal to take action. As we mentioned before: this isn't Rick's first visit to Raditch's office; maybe Rick had told him about a specific incident, such as being shoved against the lockers, before the moment we saw in 4x07 and had gotten nowhere. Maybe deep down, Rick knew nothing would come of confiding into an authoritative figure and didn't bother himself with the details of what was happening to him. Alas, these are only my speculations. We really never know how many times Rick attempted to get outside help, though we can infer that it was at least two. We never know what all Rick told the principal about the bullying he had been facing, thus we the audience are forced to fill in the gaps yet again and make our own deductions about what happened.

Remember, this is only 3a. We still have 3b and 3c to talk about Raditch. The rest of this conversation will be addressed later. Have anything to add? Let's chat in the comments. I'm open to discord, but let's keep it respectful.

(2) A Degrassi Essay Series About Rick Murray

 

See the preceding Part 1 for more.

Part 2

Oh, Emma, Emma, Emma. It's difficult to continue this Degrassi story without bringing up our little "Mary Sue" and her role in Rick's return. In this essay, we will discuss what motivated Emma to campaign against Rick, the pros and cons of that same campaign, and Emma's and Rick's social standing after the protesting dies down. Emma's character contributes more to this story arc, but for now we will focus only on her actions in "King of Pain" (4x03) and "Mercy Street" (4x04).

It's Easy to Mind your business...if you have Business

Most fans find Emma's intervention in this plot line quite irritating, wondering what would motivate her to suddenly interact with the upperclassmen. If we refer back to episode 4x03, "King of Pain", we would recall that her current classmates have unofficially stopped talking to her because of how she felt about her ex-boyfriend, Chris, showing interest in Liberty Van Zandt. Her lines in that episode have become infamous. "What are people gonna think of me if Chris goes out with Liberty next?" Manny Santos, Emma Nelson's BFF, who was first on board the "Emma and Chris reunite" train, was taken aback by Emma's...well, let's call it condescension. Anyway, word gets back to Liberty, and, to quote her words, Emma is "dead to [her]." Since Manny takes sides with Liberty, Manny and JT are dating, and since Toby is friends with J.T. (though not for very long here: more on that later), that leaves Emma completely friendless in time for this season's festivities. I doubt that the boys of the friend group care about the ladies' petty squabbles about the Chris ordeal, but since J.T.'s girlfriend is friends with Liberty, and they all hang out, it would just be awkward for them to include Emma in any of their social engagements at this time.

Now that we've established her social status, let's get back to Emma's involvement in the return of Rick Murray. Miss Nelson quickly learns from Paige and Spinner about who he is and what he's done and ceases the perfect opportunity to flex her cause girl muscles. I'll give her credit where it's due: she's bold, driven, committed, and smart. She may have let the glow up get to her head, and so what if she thinks that she's better than Liberty? At least she didn't put a classmate in a coma! She actually is better than this guy. She takes it upon herself to do whatever it takes to get this abuser out of her school. Of course, it's wrong to hurt others, but if she were successful with this mission, she would win the approval of Paige and her clique. What could be cooler than that? Definitely not Liberty's hot tub!

The Cause

Collaborating with Paige and Marco, Emma manages to organize a ribbon campaign at school that is against domestic violence on the surface, though truly, it is an anti-Rick campaign. Somehow harassing a student in school, regardless of what he did before, is not considered breaking the rules. "We wanna pressure Rick. Make his life hell," Emma would go on to explain to Sean Cameron after he asks about her true motives behind launching this crusade. Either Emma doesn't know what the word "pressure" means, or she didn't foresee how the students of Degrassi would interpret the word. The campaign combined with Paige's popularity status means that everyone knows Rick, hates him, and wants nothing to do with him. Now, because of Emma, Rick's identity is out, and the student body feels a sense of duty to make this guy suffer the consequences of his actions. It's not like the principal was going to do anything about it anyway (more on that later).

The Effect

The fact that this happened is both good and bad. On one hand, Rick was reminded of the simple fact that his actions have consequences. Everywhere he went, he was greeted with hostility. Going back to my argument in part 1, here at Degrassi, he wouldn't be granted the luxury to slip back into his old, abusive behaviors. While I believe that Rick was sincerely repentant this time around, it wasn't enough for him to just want to "bury the hatchet" with Paige and friends. He made a student suffer because of his unchecked rage and almost killed her. Wanting to change is a good starting point, but he had to prove to everyone that he was different from last year, and students had no reason to believe that he was. Degrassi's opposition to his presence was a reminder that what he did couldn't be swept under the rug and forgotten about. He didn't just hurt Terri; he wounded her community as well. Just showing up and declaring that he's changed simply won't cut it.

On the other hand, getting the entire student body involved was a bit extreme, as not everyone knew Terri or even cared about her. Students like Jay Hogart were simply tormenting Rick for their own amusement. Jay loved to wreak havoc, and Rick was an easy target. No one was going to go out of their way to defend the guy, so why not have some fun? Treating Rick poorly on school grounds is one thing, but to heckle him at the Dot? Sure, it's a popular hang out spot for Degrassians, but they don't own the establishment, and Rick should be free to dine wherever he wishes. It's not like he's causing any trouble by ordering a cup of coffee. After Rick got jumped by Jay behind the Dot, Emma realized that her crusade had gone too far, and stopped the students from attacking him before he became severely injured.

Emma's involvement in Rick's plot, though it initially seemed to come out of left field, was necessary in order for Rick to see the error of his ways and to know what it felt like to be physically assaulted. After considering the events that happened to Emma in "King of Pain", the episode that preceded "Mercy Street", it makes perfect sense that she would take up a new cause at Degrassi in an attempt to be accepted and appreciated by a new group of friends. When fans look back at Rick's story, they usually view these episodes in a vacuum, forgetting about the buildup that came before the episode of Rick's return, and as a result, they are confused and annoyed about Emma's seemingly sudden involvement.

The Result

While Emma might not have meant for her campaign to take such a violent turn, I think after episode 4x04, Rick understood that he had to work extra hard in order to earn the rapport and acceptance of his classmates. He is sadly mistaken, however, that they are interested in his change of heart to begin with. Ironically, at the end of this episode, both Rick and Emma are social outcasts: Rick for putting Terri in a coma, and Emma for publicly defending him. Both were seeking approval from their peers, and neither of them received it in the end. In a sense, they are both on the same side against the student body, whether Emma likes it or not.

A Degrassi Essay Series About Rick Murray

Deja Vu? You might have seen this essay series if you're a part of the Degrassi Subreddit. That platform is designed for you to engage in discussions and debate with other redditors, which is why I like it, but there isn't much of a demand for blog posts. I created this blog so my posts have a better home. This will be part one of a lengthy essay series about one of Degrassi's most infamous recurring characters named Rick. 

Part 1

I like seeing a shift in tone amongst Degrassi fans, specifically to the reaction of Rick Murray's eight episode arc spanning seasons 3 and 4 of DTNG. From what I've gathered, the overall fanbase has shifted from having sympathy for the character, which I can understand considering what he did, to demanding to know why Rick didn't just pack up and go to another school after the incident he caused. In this essay series, I will cover popular fan discussions regarding the arc of Rick Murray, such as the inquiry upon his return, Principal Raditch's failure to act as his students expressed concerns about Rick, and other characters' interactions and reactions towards him.

Unfortunately, a lot went on after the coma incident and before Rick’s return off-screen, but it is some of the most important information that would answer a lot of questions. Did Mr. McGregor press charges against the Murrays? Was there a settlement? How extensive was Rick’s therapy, and for how long did he attend? Could they not prove that Rick was guilty of aggravated assault? Was there no physical evidence that could pin him to his crimes? Considering that Rick was able to continue his education, we can accurately guess the answers to a lot of these questions.

Most fans think tragedy could have been avoided if Rick had simply started over at a different school. I mean, it’s Toronto. Surely they aren't short on the number of schools in the city. I guess for Rick, it was either the devil he knew or the devil he didn't know. There are a few who do think it was better (at least before tragedy struck) for him to reset at Degrassi, though more for the sake of the students' safety rather than for Rick’s comfort. If Rick went to another school, it would benefit him greatly. No one would know about the abuse he inflicted on Terri, that is, assuming no one in this other school is affiliated with Terri. The only way anyone could receive any kind of information about Rick's history would be to ask the kid himself. Even after this inquiry, Rick would still have the ability to downplay his abuse or flat out deny that it even happened since his peers would have no proof that he did anything wrong, so there would be nothing anyone could do about it. Diving deeper into this hypothetical scenario, Rick, attending this non-Degrassi school, would have the opportunity to slip back into old habits since no one would hold him accountable or punish him for what he did to Terri. He would be more of a danger to women, assuming he would begin dating again at this other school, which is extremely likely. His problems aside--and they would be set aside in this scenario--Rick is portrayed as the shy, charming, yet eccentric, hopeless romantic. He would easily attract women, especially if they're unaware of how he treated his ex. At another school, Rick's abuse problem wouldn't go away: some other poor girl would simply fall victim to him.

Alas Rick made the decision to return to Degrassi. In his mind, he's hoping for his pupils to forgive and embrace him. Whether he is determined or delusional, it does take some strength of character to go back to a place where potentially an entire class of students will detest you. Rick chose redemption over comfort, the path of most resistance. Whether or not someone would return to a school under these circumstances is up for debate. Would you really want to go back to a community where you nearly killed a well-known and well liked person, or would you be eager to get as far away from it as possible? Nonetheless, Rick's presence at Degrassi makes for good drama, and that's what this franchise is all about.

I believe that Rick realized he could have failed in his quest for forgiveness, and that if he did, he could at least avoid Marco, Paige, Spinner, and Jimmy, and instead center his social life around his new peers: the class of '07. Repeating a year has its benefits: if Paige and pals rejected his apology, he could at least make nice with the grade ten students, right?

That's where Emma comes in and throws a wrench in things... (continued in part 2)

Welcome!

 I've tried my hand at blogging years before, but it felt like I was forcing myself to write. For some reason, I felt like it was a requirement for me to write about all that went on in my life, but that's just not my cup of tea. I much prefer to write about my interests, especially media outlets like books, television shows, movies and video games. I'm a big fan of civil discord and bridging the gap between our differences as humans. That isn't to say I won't include any cool life stories: I just find my life to be painfully boring to include in any blog updates at this time. I mean that in a positive way, mind you: life is pretty alright.

That being said, I will tell you a little about myself: I attended college for over half-a-decade, had a political transformation not once but twice. What I believed ten years ago may not be what I subscribe to in the present day. I looked back on my old blogs and posts and cringed at the things I was writing about at the time--that's how big of a change has occurred in my thinking. I wish I had the guts to leave them up, but I experienced so much second-hand embarrassment from my past self that I decided to delete my old blogs, so if you've seen any of my old stuff, I am so sorry.

If you're a fan of Degrassi, you might like this page. My content will primarily be devoted to my essays regarding the popular Canadian teen drama series, but it won't be exclusive to that. I have the bulk of these Degrassi essays up on my Tumblr account, and I tried to launch my series in the Degrassi Subreddit community, but I feel my blogs are best suited for a blogger platform--go figure, right?

The title of my blog is inspired by fictional characters such as Rick Murray, Yugi Mutou, and Angela Delvecchio, all who were teens in their designated shows/movies who have one thing in common: they were the unpopular kids who struggle(d) to find acceptance from their peer groups. Not all of them are innocent, but they all are relatable in that were all underdogs in some way or another. These are the characters in fiction who have had the biggest impact on me as a teenager coming of age back in the day. If this sort of thing intrigues you, then I hope you find what I have to say intriguing.

Warm regards,

Chellie Spinelli