U Got the Look
Manny has a crush on Degrassi's star soccer player, Sully. But Manny's good girl image isn't enough to grab his attention. After getting a little advice from Paige, Manny decides to change her look. The next day she comes to school wearing an outfit that shows a little more skin. And everyone takes notice. Even JT takes one look at her and falls off his skateboard. We see that he starts to develop a little crush on her as well, by flirting with her in class. The new look definitely turns heads, but Manny wants to make an even more shocking impression, so she and Emma go shopping and Manny buys a bright blue thong. The next day at school, we see Manny wearing the blue thong with a pair of very low jeans. Everyone in the hall at school stares. Manny's new look has become a success. Emma decides to use Manny's new look to get people to come to her enviornmental meeting. A ton of guys show up to the meeting just to see Manny, including Manny's crush, Sully. But not everyone is impressed with the new Manny. Liberty is jealous that Manny's new look has grabbed JT's attention, so she complains to principal Raditch about it. Raditch approaches Manny about it by telling her not to wear clothes that "reveal her under garments". So the next day Manny comes to school with a belly shirt and even lower jeans than the day before. And instead of wearing a revealing thong, Manny chooses not to wear any underwear at all. And again, everyone takes notice. Emma tries talking some sense into her, but Manny refuses to listen. She accuses Emma of being jealous. By the end of the episode, Manny gets what she wants; Sully finally notices her and takes her out on a date. But in the process, she ruins her friendship with Emma and JT.
In the sub-plot, Craig is embarrassed when Joey gets too involved with his new band.
This is the start of Manny's character transformation, which paves the way for her storyline in season 3. Until this season, Manny had always just been Emma's sidekick. She was always the "good girl" and the "best friend". But in season 3, Manny goes through some interesting character development by changing her image and venturing off on her own. She definitely becomes more of a primary character this season, and it's interesting to watch her change so much on screen. Manny's season 3 arc is definitely one of the show's best character transformations. The sub-plot is also pretty funny, as we get to see Joey reminise on his days as a teenage rock star. We get some references to the original Degrassi High too.
Overall, a good episode that sets up Manny's storyline for the rest of the season.
Final Grade: A -