Holly J: Degrassi's Best Redeemed Mean Girl

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  • Опубліковано 20 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 99

  • @sharonabalo234
    @sharonabalo234 2 місяці тому +123

    I kind of liked how holly j gets humbled in season 8.

  • @crimsonxxspawn8613
    @crimsonxxspawn8613 2 місяці тому +89

    Holly J made the show interesting again in a time where the show got stagnant after the main cast graduated and left Degrassi 👑

  • @Mareewashere
    @Mareewashere 2 місяці тому +148

    “Because you let me”, always gives me chills😭.

    • @azzz7279
      @azzz7279 2 місяці тому +6

      @@Mareewashere that still isn’t an excuse on why she treated Anya so bad

    • @Mareewashere
      @Mareewashere Місяць тому +11

      @@azzz7279 Mind you no one even insinuated this🤔.

    • @ShaneTheCreative
      @ShaneTheCreative Місяць тому +2

      Every time!

  • @violete.duncan-williams6357
    @violete.duncan-williams6357 2 місяці тому +88

    Thank you for acknowledging what Declan did to Holly J was coercion, which is a form SA. I always hated how the show never bothered to showcase that while Declan didn’t quote on quote force her down to have sex with him, she did say no and was clearly uncomfortable.

    • @briannawilliams97
      @briannawilliams97  2 місяці тому +17

      Yeah, even when I first watched it when I was younger, I never liked how they write that what Declan did was fine, like he didn't fucking assault her ans force her into it. She clearly looks uncomfortable and being pushed into it and I hated that

    • @violete.duncan-williams6357
      @violete.duncan-williams6357 2 місяці тому +5

      @@briannawilliams97 I saw this scene when it was still doing daily episodes and I remember feeling confused but I switched it cause it wasn’t cartoons.😅 But after watching the entire show as an adult, it truly is messed up how they portrayed this whole situation and then didn't go back to further explain how what Holly J went through even if she didn't see it that way was assault.

    • @theoutsiderjess1869
      @theoutsiderjess1869 29 днів тому

      I hated Declan so much and Drew i hated those characters.

    • @SkyeID
      @SkyeID 25 днів тому

      @@theoutsiderjess1869 I hated Declan 100 times more than Drew

  • @JustHereForCats
    @JustHereForCats Місяць тому +24

    The cyber bullying arc was rough, but I do think it was necessary. Not just for Holly J’s character to develop, but for the message to land properly. Anya and Allie had this image of Holly J being up on a pedestal and seeing herself as superior. And that’s why they needed to see the consequences of their behavior… they really believed they were justified, and seeing Holly J so clearly upset and beaten down by their actions was necessary for them to understand the gravity of what they did to her. I do love Holly J. Charlotte is talented, and she really brought a lot to the character with her performance

  • @AlannaMarie
    @AlannaMarie 2 місяці тому +56

    holly j is such a solid and complex character. charlotte really played that role like she owned the damn show, i hate when people try to compare her redemption arc with zoe. bc imo zoe never redeems herself. she goes through trauma and maybe starts being a more decent person, but she never really earned the audience's forgiveness the way holly j did

    • @azzz7279
      @azzz7279 2 місяці тому +1

      @@AlannaMarie I think Zoe got better in Next Class and became a kinder person. Besides hooking up with Zig solely to get revenge on Grace and her not being a girls girl knowing Zig was with Maya at the time, she had a redemption arc. I think having Rasha really made her a kinder person, they were one of the healthiest relationships the shows ever had

    • @AlannaMarie
      @AlannaMarie 2 місяці тому +4

      @@azzz7279 respectfully i agree to disagree, zoe literally used rasha and put her in a potentially unsafe situation just to stick it to her mom for being homophobic. i can see why people think she was redeemed, but personally i don’t. it might just be because maya is my top character in the entire show and zoe treats her horribly the entire time. i just don’t think zoe is comparable to holly j when it comes down to it

    • @azzz7279
      @azzz7279 Місяць тому +1

      @@AlannaMarie I hated how Zoe bullied Maya but I think Zoe was jealous of Maya because she was sure of herself and stayed true to herself, and Zoe was struggling with her sexuality and was insecure deep down. I think Maya was her gay awakening and even Ana Golja thinks so too. Zoe was awful in seasons 13 & 14, but I will say in season 13 she showed that maybe she’s not all that bad when she pushed Luke away from Frankie even though she was not being a supportive friend when she got SA’d

  • @LovelyJai23
    @LovelyJai23 2 місяці тому +58

    Charlotte Arnold (Holly J) was ONE of the best actors on the show. Show brought so much depth to Holly J, that even though you hated her at times, you also rooted for her too when needed. I loved Holly J!!!

    • @aeterna.somnia
      @aeterna.somnia 2 місяці тому +1

      Honestly, if they can make you hate OR love them, that's always the proof in the pudding that they're an amazing actor/actress!

    • @kimmie91978
      @kimmie91978 Місяць тому +1

      Absolutely! Props to Charlotte Arnold. for a great performance. A lesser actress would not have done Holly J justice (the writers probably wouldn't have written so much for her character, honestly).

    • @theoutsiderjess1869
      @theoutsiderjess1869 29 днів тому

      Adam and Holly J were my favorite

  • @Mareewashere
    @Mareewashere 2 місяці тому +58

    You’re mother to the actual active Degrassi UA-camrs btw!🙏🏾

    • @briannawilliams97
      @briannawilliams97  2 місяці тому +12

      This series is beloved to me for so many reasons it really helped me through my teen years even despite its flaws. Thank you for enjoying the content!

  • @ashlyngolden18
    @ashlyngolden18 2 місяці тому +21

    i knew the moment she was revealed as a Sinclair that we were gonna have a lot of fun with her. i felt like she was a well written mean girl with an even better written redemption, i love her character!

  • @anabelleb9919
    @anabelleb9919 2 місяці тому +37

    She grew so much on me ! She got her shit together and grew a lot 😊

  • @CutterHistorical
    @CutterHistorical 2 місяці тому +22

    I agree that she needed to be redeemed but her handling of Anya really spoke for Anyas rationale of easily being taken advantage of and her trying to please people

  • @sailorsenshi4504
    @sailorsenshi4504 2 місяці тому +16

    Charlotte Arnold is such a fantastic actress, it's scary. She should be much more famous.

    • @Natalie_11188
      @Natalie_11188 2 місяці тому +2

      I know. I follow her on Instagram and she seems to have left acting professionally. Maybe she will come back.

  • @hesayshesayhowboutmesay
    @hesayshesayhowboutmesay 2 місяці тому +21

    She had the greatest redemption arc. I still side eye her though😂

  • @sailorsenshi4504
    @sailorsenshi4504 2 місяці тому +10

    The guidance counselors should have instantly changed Mia and Holly J's locker. Wtf. Mia should not have tolerated that bullying.

  • @livkvistgaardwegge4634
    @livkvistgaardwegge4634 2 місяці тому +18

    Can't lie love Holly J I relate to her because I would also be mean to others to not show my weaknesses but end up more weak and alone because of it, she is one that gets consequences for her actions but also learn to better herself and that is why she will forever be in my 10 top

  • @davidcastro3028
    @davidcastro3028 12 днів тому +1

    Okay but Holly J ate up those one liners. The one to Mia about the splits and getting pregnant 😭😭

  • @Moon0525_
    @Moon0525_ 2 місяці тому +7

    23 minutes in and I think why we all secretly loathe Declan is you can see the producers were trying to shoehorn a "Gossip Girl Boy" into the show. He's so very Chuck Bass and the only thing that got him and Declan fans was casting a hot brooding mysterious actor that has eyebrow game and saucy scenes. When you look at both Chuck and Declan as men, they are extremely skeevy and that UpperCrustSociety-ness makes them that way. And I didn't like how that era was Degrassi trying to be Gossip Girl but cleaner.

  • @azzz7279
    @azzz7279 2 місяці тому +13

    Holly J is so Paris Geller & Blair Waldorf coded🤍

  • @lexi205
    @lexi205 2 місяці тому +14

    Didn’t like Holly J when she was first introduced mainly cause of her treatment towards Anya & Mia but she developed into a mature and strong woman. Charlotte was one of the best actors on the show!

  • @moseskuria1234
    @moseskuria1234 2 місяці тому +31

    It was nice that Holly J reformed but I still didn't like how she treated Anya in seasons 10 & 11

    • @azzz7279
      @azzz7279 2 місяці тому +5

      Holly J actually treated Anya like a human being in those seasons. In season 7 she treated Anya badly

    • @moseskuria1234
      @moseskuria1234 2 місяці тому +1

      @azzz7279 she tried manipulate her to get sav to drop out of the race for president then forced her to break up with Owen.

    • @azzz7279
      @azzz7279 2 місяці тому +1

      @@moseskuria1234 okay Holly J telling Anya to pretend to be pregnant with Sav’s baby was bad. But Owen sexually harassed Anya and he was a douchebag. Holly J had a right not to like him, plus Owen was homophobic to Riley & Zane, who were good friends with Anya. Plus Owen told Anya to stop being friends with Holly J, that is controlling

  • @harrypottersnumbrfan
    @harrypottersnumbrfan Місяць тому +5

    Holly J was a shock to me because i remember her as the sweet heart from Naturally Sadie

  • @dasiareed2708
    @dasiareed2708 2 місяці тому +27

    We need one on Alli,Jenna,Bianca,Drew,Adam,Eli,Fiona,Imogen,Emma,Paige,Alex,Mia,Mia,JT,Liberty,Claire (I can go on and on)
    Can we also get a video on why Alli was better friends with Jenna than Claire? Overall a video on how toxic Eli & Claire were yeah they were cute but toxic as well as Drew and Bianca deserving better?

    • @SydneyYaeko
      @SydneyYaeko 2 місяці тому +1

      I’ve been saying this for years about Alli and Jenna! Even my husband when watching the show with me reacted like “Wait Alli isn’t best friends with Claire! She’s best friends with Jenna! Alli and Claire have a TERRIBLE relationship!” 😂

    • @dasiareed2708
      @dasiareed2708 2 місяці тому

      @@SydneyYaeko literally it even says it on her wiki Alli was more Jenna’s friend than Claire considering neither of them liked Jenna at first 😂😂

    • @dasiareed2708
      @dasiareed2708 2 місяці тому

      @@SydneyYaeko the crazy thing is they are the typical trio friends when there’s two who are closer in the beginning who drift apart then the third person in the trio who joined the group becomes the close friend compared to the Duo friendship they were before the third person came around (if I explained that well)

    • @briannawilliams97
      @briannawilliams97  2 місяці тому +1

      I always loved how Jenna was a better friend to Ally. She was less judgemental because she understands the mistakes that Ally has made. Clare is like the friend that scolds you and makes you feel bad

    • @dasiareed2708
      @dasiareed2708 2 місяці тому

      @@briannawilliams97 yessss at first I wasn’t too sure about Jenna and Alli due to how she started but overtime you could tell they got closer especially after Claire and Alli fell out over her step brother plus it’s the fact that Alli opened her home to Jenna after she gave up Tyson which I can’t remember why she did that and the room set up of how they had two beds but in the earlier seasons alli’s room looked really small forte big beds

  • @jesserivera2043
    @jesserivera2043 2 місяці тому +9

    I could go on for paragraphs about this, but I absolutely love how peripheral characters to Holly J taught her something about herself that she would later apply for self-improvement.
    THT Guy paired her up with Zoe and Paige as the Mean Girls, but I'd argue that she is in the similar main character role as Emma, who's also a commentary on teenagers who think they're right all the time. She even had that HSM-3 way of butting into the conversation of two established characters, automatically queuing the audience into shifting focus to her.
    Side note, couldn't Fiona just give Holly J's mom $20,000, but not link it to having her kidney donated? I guess the red tape needed to withdraw that money was foreshadowing for Fiona's eventual arc about rebuilding herself, since it probably came from organization funds.

  • @sweetgeo96
    @sweetgeo96 2 місяці тому +7

    This was such a great video about Holly J also I loved your take on Holly J and Declan and yes he's a creep

  • @martelraykin
    @martelraykin Місяць тому +2

    19:10 Thank you !
    The comments saying "She can dish it out but can't take i" bothered me so much, like having one girl be mean (even horrible) to you does NOT compare in any way to having the whole freaking school hating you and threatening your life.

  • @AJ-xc4qe
    @AJ-xc4qe 2 місяці тому +7

    Ed Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show of all things explored the "asshole character is only an asshole to impress their asshole older sibling" arc much deeper than Holly J's arc did. But it doesn't make her any less of a great character.

  • @vampirasilents2021
    @vampirasilents2021 20 днів тому +2

    One trope I don't care for is rich person looses money and that humbles them .I think it's alot more powerful when the person grows without having financial issues That was something that was a bit irrating with the Holly J redemption ark.I don't care for Holly J that much but they wrote her well it makes sense all her actions and her storylines still had a natural flow .I would of kept her rich and have her still learn that money isn't everything and figuring out how things are far more complicated she would still have the health issues ect but things would play out a little different.

    • @davidcastro3028
      @davidcastro3028 12 днів тому +2

      yea I think it worked in her favor bc it wasn’t the only factor that made her humble. If it was the main reason why she matured and humbled herself than I feel her growth wouldn’t be as good.

  • @theoutsiderjess1869
    @theoutsiderjess1869 29 днів тому +2

    Declan always looked like he was in love with his sister to me. Idk maybe its how they showed him in the theme but he looks possesive and abusive and he always put me on edge and I was 10. I couldnt understand why i didnt like him

  • @k.h.1184
    @k.h.1184 14 годин тому

    Thank you so so much, i’ve been waiting for a video like This for a long time, good job this video was awesome and so is Holly J’s development and growth

  • @eddierascalhaskell4954
    @eddierascalhaskell4954 Місяць тому +3

    I like when the "mean girl" characters get humbled. Holly J was prolly the last 'good' one written on the show before the next one (Zoey) came in so cartoonish.

  • @taylorm7777
    @taylorm7777 2 місяці тому +4

    I wanna know why holly J was from Lakehurst but her sister was from Degrassi

    • @akuaa.3476
      @akuaa.3476 2 місяці тому +2

      IIRC she transferred to Lakehurst so she wouldn't have to live in Heather's shadow

  • @sailorsenshi4504
    @sailorsenshi4504 2 місяці тому +3

    The thing is - this is a fictional show. In real life there are people like this who don't change and only grow up to get worse.

  • @mirandaosborne7196
    @mirandaosborne7196 Місяць тому +2

    I used to love Declan and holly j in my defense I was 14 but now at 27 all I see is red flags

  • @theoutsiderjess1869
    @theoutsiderjess1869 29 днів тому +1

    Holly j is so nice and intelligent in the later season and Claire being so confident, bold, and smart.I forgot that there was a time that Holly J was a mean girl and Claire was a shy nerd. I also didn't get the appeal to Sav as a kid until he got a haircut 10 year old me got it after that

  • @sapphicsapphh
    @sapphicsapphh Місяць тому +2

    holly j is probably the best character in the whole show along with manny

  • @ShaneTheCreative
    @ShaneTheCreative Місяць тому

    19:33 I truly appreciated seeing how vulnerable this character that’s been so awful throughout the show, I think this was the turning point for me when my love for Holly J first started to form 😭

  • @ksis86
    @ksis86 Місяць тому +1

    Holly J is hands down my favorite character

  • @teasjalamiles9058
    @teasjalamiles9058 2 місяці тому +3

    Overall holly j grew on me ❤

  • @ShaneTheCreative
    @ShaneTheCreative Місяць тому

    11:40 man I’ll always love this scene, it’s simple yet is a good reflection of both of them at the time, very effective imo

  • @ShaneTheCreative
    @ShaneTheCreative Місяць тому

    3:16 literally, one of my favorite things was the nonexistent existence of Heather Sinclair lol and Holly J being related to her

  • @AJ-xc4qe
    @AJ-xc4qe 2 місяці тому +4

    18:18 ...a 9errrrrrrrrr...

  • @GamingWithJazz
    @GamingWithJazz 2 місяці тому +7

    When Degrassi was on UA-cam (before the official channel posted episodes, a different page did) people justified Allie's bullying. Holly J was mean 2 wrongs don't make a right. Allie was just as bad as Holly J in that episode. I did like her character development by season 9
    have you did a video about Zoe (s13) and how do you feel about her character growth?

    • @briannawilliams97
      @briannawilliams97  2 місяці тому +2

      Yeah, I was watching it recently on UA-cam and a few things I needed to see how people felt about in the comments. The first was how Allie treated Holly J in the episode with the hate page, those comments shook me. Next was Allie and Johnny and how much people think that relationship is okay. Although I understand where they're coming from if the age gap was even just two years and Allie wasn't as immature I'd be on board, but I'll discuss that more in my problematic Age gaps. Third was Holly J and Declan, which I was very shocked by how many people love Declan
      As far as Zoe, two years ago before I was unsure of making degrassi content, I was actually working on a script for Zoe and I recently just started working on it again because I find her fascinating from a character study lens. I think that she gets a lot of hate, and some of it is warranted but I think there is some nuance to her development as a character that I want to discuss and will go much more in depth with, but I think Zoes development wasn't as well written as Holly J, but I still find her compelling as a damaged human being which is why I think I want to give her a fair analysis that calls out her flaws, but also moments where the show did well with her development and where they could have done better. Sorry for such long reply, lol

    • @GamingWithJazz
      @GamingWithJazz 2 місяці тому

      @briannawilliams97 the reply is fine. I found you IIRC when you covered Adam, and and Dave in S11. I wasn't sure if you already covered Zoe or not. A lot of people didn't like Zoe's character growth in Next Class. I wondered what you thought!

    • @azzz7279
      @azzz7279 Місяць тому

      @@briannawilliams97 Johnny was Alli’s first boyfriend, and I never saw them as an endgame couple or having an everlasting love. Johnny didn’t treat Alli right and him sending her pictures to Bruce gave me the ick. They’re only a few years apart, but Alli being 14 and Johnny being a senior and possibly 18 didn’t sit right with me, it would be a different story if they were adults but I still don’t ship them. Dallas & Alli were perfect together and they were relationship goals, none of Alli’s love interests were really good enough for her until Dallas came into the picture

    • @theoutsiderjess1869
      @theoutsiderjess1869 29 днів тому

      Ally always take things a step too far its one thing that hasnt changed about the character at all.

  • @ShaneTheCreative
    @ShaneTheCreative Місяць тому +1

    22:51 did not like Declan nor his relationship with Holly J at all, it’s not just you sis 😭 he gave me oddball vibes from the beginning and not in a good way

  • @edgarmuniz8331
    @edgarmuniz8331 Місяць тому +1

    I love this video. You should do more character breakdowns. I recommend.
    Emma
    Manny
    Alex

  • @angelaholmes8888
    @angelaholmes8888 2 місяці тому +1

    Great video holly j had a good arc on the show i really didn't like her when she appeared on the show but grew to care about her once she changed and saw a human side of her

  • @LordJudgement1818
    @LordJudgement1818 Місяць тому

    holly j was on the come up. shes was fantastic. top 3 best female characters on the show

  • @kaylabrock6769
    @kaylabrock6769 5 днів тому

    holly j is my favvvv degrassi charater omg

  • @ShaneTheCreative
    @ShaneTheCreative Місяць тому +1

    31:33 very very slimy, I hate that the show just let that shit slide like that

  • @crumbbbbbb
    @crumbbbbbb 2 місяці тому

    Yess!! My favorite Degrassi character!

  • @ATRAXXUSA
    @ATRAXXUSA Місяць тому

    She’s my favorite character

  • @mikayla28682
    @mikayla28682 24 дні тому

    I always loved her, but the mean girls are always my fav😂

  • @ShaneTheCreative
    @ShaneTheCreative Місяць тому

    29:00 LMFAOOO😭 literally same I really ain’t gaf about Sav & Anya relationship at all 💀

    • @theoutsiderjess1869
      @theoutsiderjess1869 29 днів тому +1

      I thought 10 year old me was bugging they had no chemistry

    • @ShaneTheCreative
      @ShaneTheCreative 28 днів тому

      @ none! I tried to ship it but I much preferred Holly j and Sav honestly

  • @tj_10101
    @tj_10101 2 місяці тому +4

    28:15 - Don’t bring up Zoe and Grace 😭 my heart still hurts

  • @rowaterwrites2542
    @rowaterwrites2542 Місяць тому +4

    wait there are people who think allie was justified in literally bullying holly j almost to death?! like yeah okay holly j has made some big mistakes but not to the point where she deserved to be bullied to the point of becoming suicidal

    • @azzz7279
      @azzz7279 Місяць тому

      Holly J was a bitch in seasons 7 & 8, and she needed to be humbled, but Alli took it too far with creating a hate group about her on FaceRange. Holly J needed to know how badly she treated people, but it’s almost like Alli started the hate group because Holly J confronted Johnny about him & Alli dating and he dumped her because of that. That just speaks volumes on Johnny’s character and how he wasn’t proud to be seen with her in public. It also seemed like Alli basically started the whole conflict with Holly J how she made the comment “someone’s bitter about being kicked off power squad”

    • @azzz7279
      @azzz7279 Місяць тому

      @@rowaterwrites2542 Holly J was mean in seasons 7 & 8, but Alli took it too far with the FaceRange hate group about her. Holly J needed to know how badly she treated people, but Alli was petty for creating that group. It’s like Alli started that group just because Johnny dumped her after Holly J confronted him about him & Alli dating. Plus it seemed like Alli started the conflict when she made that comment “someone’s bitter about being kicked off power squad”

    • @rowaterwrites2542
      @rowaterwrites2542 Місяць тому +1

      @@azzz7279 exactly this right here like there’s a huge difference between teaching someone a lesson and creating and entire hate campaign

  • @kelsey1467
    @kelsey1467 Місяць тому

    i do kind of find parts of holly j story cliche kind of like the rich kid loses all her money and i don't always like the rich charcter being portrayed as a snob and did the do a bad job with zoey

  • @shoorooloo
    @shoorooloo 2 місяці тому +1

    Love Holly J

  • @ShaneTheCreative
    @ShaneTheCreative Місяць тому +1

    Thank you for the great video and just reassuring to me why Holly J is not only one of my favorite characters but also one of the best characters of the entire show 🙂‍↕️🫶🏿